ADDRESS BY THE PREMIER AT NASEBY.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume 30, Issue 9153, 25 February 1899, Page 3

ADDRESS BY THE PREMIER AT NASEBY.

o Continued from, oar fourth page. and bring about closer settlement. What could be fairer ? The owner is allowed to pick and retain 1000 acres, the rest the Government buys at the full market value. That is a point upon which the Government and the Opposition do not agree. ■ The.v do not a-imit that the Government are justified in that policy. If they got the opportunity and were in power they would soon leave the act to become a dead letter—they would not purchase any estates. They would kill it with kindness. The large estates had in the past been under-valued and had not paid the full share of taxation. The Government wanted one estate and asked the owner his price. The answer was £7 an acre. It had been valued at £5. When asked why claim £7 when it is only valued at £5, the owner coolly said that was his business. Under the old act the valuers were appo : nted by the county councils, and the county councillors usually held the large t states, so if a valuer wished to retain his billet he would naturally value the land low, giving the benefit of the doubt to the councillor. The owner of a laTge estate bad five votes to the other's one vote. It was a case of five times the consideration. All this is now knocked on the head. The local valuer was done away with. He did not say this state of affairs existed in the goldfields. The measure which brought an end to this state of affairs was one of the best John M'Kenzie bad ever passed. was an increase in the valuations of 16 million pounds. Some one had been doing very well. In those good old days they bad happy times. They borrowed money, they squandered money. They made the small, struggling settler pay taxation, or in other words to pay the piper. They wanted them, he sain", to go back to those good old days. They borrowed money and squandered it by making railways and roads through their own lands. There was a railway made through a tract of land in the North Island which had paid very little for many years. If the Opposition got back to power again they would soon drop back to their old ways. In defence of the interference of the Government between employe and employer he showed that at Home the same course had had to be adopted, e.g., in protection of women and children formerly employed inordinately long hours in mines, so that public opinion, aroused by Lord Sbaf terbury. had demanded that these no longer should be employed in coal mines. He held that it was the duty of the Government to look to these things, failing which the race would degenerate both mentally and physically, and that would be the end of the race. That was the reason why the State had stepped in and interfered to stop the excessive hours of labour. The passing of these laws would destroy our in° dustries, they were told ; but these are better to-day than they have ever been. During the term this Government had been in office there had been an increase of no less than 13,000 men em ployed.(.'; Speaking 'on the question of freights to the Mother Country of the produce of farmers, he said they had to compete against the other nations of the world—Canada, Russia, Argentine, Australia, India, Denmark- and unless they could get the cheapest possible freights they would be handicapped out of the market. Australia was getting cheaper rates by fully 60 per cent. When at Home he had demanded a reduction. Ultimately freight was lowered to 5-8 d for greasy wool and Ad for scoured. On flax there had been a reduction of £3 per ton. He next alluded to the tariff on the railways when under the sway of the Commissioners. Then, there was competition from waggon and traction engine. and the trucks went along empty, while the expense of running the railways was going on. But as soon as the present Government took charge the freight was lowered, they took the traffic off the roads and put it on the railways. Reduction in rate 3 was made to the extent of £200,000. What had been the result? The railways got more than they could do. One thousand trucks

•were built last year. The railways gave a surplus of £60,000 or £70,000, and he was m. .looking forward this year to over £BO.OOO, so that the cheaper the railways were run the more they were utilised, and, consequently, <more revenue was derived. The Opposition .. said_ it is monstrous that lime should be carried on the railways free to any farmer that wanted it. But there is a gain with the increased produce that goes on the railways from the use of this lime and manure. It was much better to have crops of grain instead of sorrel. Their policy was an up-to-date one. The squatters ought to be their greatett supporters, but yet they would kick the prrsent Government out at the earliest opportunity. But he would rely on the good sense of the people. The Government were in office and there they meant to stay. In 1889 the roads were lined with swaggers, commonly called by the squatturs "sundowners." Under the up-to-date policy of the Government the to-day was comparatively a thing of "the past. With the co-operative works and settlement on the land—with three days' work on the roads and three days on the land a great many of the once unemployed were to-day reallv prosperous settlers on their own piece of land. Every man had an opportunity of going on tke land under one of the present systems—deferred paymentor perpetual lease. In the good old days a man never went on the land unless he had cash. They left the financing to the lending institutions, who took the cash and got the settler into their hands and there they kept him. But this Government found the money for the settlers on the land at 4 per cent. The land was held under lease in perpetuity for 999 years, ■which he thought should be long enough for any ordinary man. (Laughter). Further, the Government would lend money with which to put up a house, and to «ncourage people to settle on the land. He *aid that was a common-sense way of dealing with the question. Every man had a right to go on the land. This was one of the most serious cases laid at the door of himself and bis Ministry. The Opposition would tell them that their credit was destroyed. What had destroyed it? What proof had they 1 New Zealand 4 per cents, were now »t £ll4^ —£14+ above par. That didn't look like it. Se.w Zealand 3J are the same as Victoria. When recently they .placed a million loan on the London market they were offered £3,200,000, and it was * pi iced at an average of £96 lis, while Victoria got £95. He was told that he was increasing the public debt of the colonv, and he intended doing so. He intended purchasing native lands, and required money for cheap money scheme, for roads and bridges, also for helping the local bodies by lending them money at 5 per cent, and irrigation scheme.—(Applause.) He intended, besides, to complete the railways which have been authorised for so many jrears. He quoted <3oghlan, Government statist of New South • Wales; to show that the increase of public debt of this colony per head, from 1881 to 1898 was very much smaller than that of any of the other Australasian colonies:— New South Wales, £25 10s 3d • Victoria ,£ls 3s 9d ; Queensland, £9 3s 11 ; South' Australia, £2B 2s lid ; Tasmania, £32 0s 4d • "West Australia, £39 16s 2d; and New Zealand, £2 4s lOd. Now, for the same period the increase of wealth in New Zealand was £252 per head, which at 3* per cent, yielded £8 lGs 4d. This sura, less £2 4s lOd increase in debt, left a credit of £6 12s 4d. Jt was characteristic of the Conservatives that as long as Coghlun seemed to support their arguments he was quoted with approval, but whenever he supported Government arguments it was sought to show that he was wrong. Coming to the land question, he renmiked that they did not want, through the hiking up of tho lands in largo estates, a repetition of tho state of affairs that had occurred at Home. He pictured the bcart-iem.ing scenes in the Highlands' when on many estates tho crofters had been compelled to leave the glens dear to them ; the heart-breaking scenes on tho Liverpool wharf, where son was separated from parents, brother from sister, father from family, to go to other lands there to find a home. Now something like this had actually occurred in 1887-9, whon thousands of their ben were driven from the colony. It was lucky for this colony that John Balance's progressive policy camo into operation. From then the colony had gone on and was now admitted to be one of tho most prosperous and best governed in the British empire. Coming to goldficld matters, the law of '77 or 'B7. altjiongh suitable then was not suitable in *97. There had been change* in the

process of obtaining the precious metal and there must be changes in the law. Instead of the old torn and cradle there were now dredge and the cyanide process. In this respect the administration"and legislation of the colony was also up to date. ThetJovernment must interfere and assist the miners. This Government had spent more money than any previous Government in developing the goldfields. He would get a statement prepared showing the amount of money that the Government had expended on roads and tracks (inclusive of railways), in lending money to the farmer to buy land for settlement in Otago, and he would undertake to say that no other Government with the same revenue in its hands had done so much for Otago. What was being done with the Otago Central ? It had been got to the top of the hill and there it had stuck. But the present Government borrowed money Tbey had gon* on every year, and in a little while they would have it within 10 miles of Naseby (!!!) But if left to the other party it would not have been within 10 miles of Naseby in 20 years. Advances -were made to farmers for irrigation purposes at 5 per cent, and in 26 years the whole of the money would be paid back. These advances were made for mining as well as for irrigation. People coming to Central Otago could see that it was a very dry plain, that even sufficient oats could not be grown for their own consumption, let alone any for the outside market. |With a scheme of irrigation, with water running down the valleys, and with the climate that the Maniototo has, what was now a bare, arid plain would be a lovely stretch of county equal to the Tsieri plain. The dam in course of construction would be of great benefit to mining and also for irrigation purposes. Far-seeing settlers would go in for spending money on irrigation works ; local bodies should take advantage of the legislation passed last session. Money could be borrowed at 5 per cent. The interest on £IOOO would only be £SO a year. The land would yield a large amount of produce. He advised them to borrow the money and put the water on the land. The Opposition said that they ought to reduce the indirect taxation. That was so much dust thrown in the eyes of the electors. If they did not have the taxation the Government could not build dams for irrigation, &c. If the Opposition crippled the finances they crippled the Government. He was prepared to show that the present system of taxation did not bear heavilv on the poor people. It is those who go in for luxuries that the taxation bear 3 on. A man was charged 40 per cent, who sent to London for a suit. Also, the ladies who won't wear New Zealand dresses were charged 40 per cent., and it was luxuries such as those that weie taxed. The poor people paid too much taxation. The Opposition for years said the surplus was manufactured—that there was no surplus. This year, for the first time, they said the surplus was too large. Taxation should be reduced. The actual revenue is money paid into the consolidated fund. It is actual cash received, sent to the Treasurer, audited and certified by the Controller General. The actual expenditure was carefully compiled ; the expenditure was substracted from the revenue, thusshowingtheirsurplus. He would have over half a million surplus this vear. Referring to the Old Age Pensions Act he remarked that the Opposition said if the old age pension was given to the people it would make them thriftless : that everyone could make provision for their old age. He said emphatically " No." He Baid that for the man who only earned £2 10s or £3 a week, with intermittent employment, and with a large family, it was impossible to make provision for old age. With high rents, fire and water, benefit society fees, insurance to pay, he was a very lucky man if he was able to pay his way and rear his family, let alone provide for his old age. Thousands of people had been left penniless in tbeir old age owing to the failure of banks, Sec, and surely these old pioneers who had done so much for the colony were entitled to a pension just as much as the soldiers, who had fought the battles of the country, or the civil servants. Look at the eulogistic notices written about the old pioneers at the jubilee time. Was their appreciation to stop there 1 If they were entitled to these flattering terms why not go further 1 Why let them want for the necessaries of life if they have done so much for the country. Ruskin, writing of the labourer, said : —" Nothing appears more ludicrous and more melancholy than the way people talk about the morals of the labourers. You say to him, •Be assured, my good friend, that if you work steadily for 10 hours a day all your life long, and if you drink nothing but water or the very mildest beer, and live on very plain food, and never lose your temper, and go to church every Sunday, never gamble or swear, and always keep your clothes decent, and rise early, and use every opportunity of improving yourself; you will get on very well and never come to the parish.'" He held that a man must have meat, good strong food. He could not dig, plough, fell bush or perform hard manual labour on light food. He could not rear a family, keep up his Friendly Society, and provide for old age on £2 10s per week. He had to pay high rents in large centres employment was intermittent,and then afterhe falls in the struggle he was told he had been thriftless, "Go to the Charitable Aid Board." This, by those whom he had helped to make wealthy, was galling in the extreme. Compare with Raskin's remarks those of Dr J. de Hatbaway, W. Dominkra, Canada, lecturing before the Trades Council, Victoria, on old age pensions of New Zealand, says: "The adoption of the system of old. age pensions marks a great advance in the humane and intelligent treatment of a difficult social problem, and Dr Hal ha way succinctly observes : ' New Zealand's scheme will act as a positive check to the establishment of workhouses and will lead to the abolition of old people's homes, and the overcrowding of the lunatic asylums with persons suffering only from smile decay. Old men and their wives, Instead of being separated, will be able to live together in comparative comfort till the close "of their days. The aged worker has as much right, after a life of work and contribution to the State to be supported by the State as the soldier who has fought its battles." Old people were sent to the asylums, their only offence being old age. They were not lunatics, but troublesome, and suffering from siniie decay. They would separate the old man from the wife of his bosom, put him on one aide and his wife on the other—a couple who had lived 60 years together. Their lives would be one of misery, and their only relief was death, which under these circumstances soon would come. Under the Old Age Pensions Act the couple would get £3 per month, and would be enabled to live together. They would not be a burden on their sons. There was often such a pride about the poor that they did not like to be a burden even to their own offspring. It was the deserving aegd not the debauched and undeserving, that were entitled to the pension. New Zealand was in the van in regard to old age pensions. Australia and England were following. Supported by the Liberal Party this Government had lifttd New Zealand from toe slough of depression. It was now admired. The policy was one of progress, and they intended to go on in that progressive line. Look at the result of their policy of to-day, compare it with the wretched pass of things existing in those good old days, and let them give their confidence to those who deserved it.—(Loud Applause).

Mr Jas. Brown said that, in proposing a vote of thanks to the Premier for his kindness in visiting Naseby on this occasion and giving them euch details of what had transpired in Parliament, he thought they could not be too thankful for the Old Age Pensions Bill, the particulars of which the Premier had detailed to them that night. There were many here no doubt who were qaite aware of Uie agitation for the construction of a road from the other side of the range. Since the present GoTcrnment has been in power that road bos been constructed and has been in use for some considerable time. He concluded his remarks by proposing a hearty voto of thanks to the Premier for the address they had beard that night, and confidence in the present Government; Before the conclusion of the meeting Mr Morrison, M.H.R. for Caversham, at the invitation of the Premier, addressed the audience for a few minutes. His speech consisted of a vigorous defence of Government policy, especially of tho labour measures, the Conciliation Acta and the Arbitration Act. He recicved an attentive bearing, except from one individual who had left his manners at home. Mi Jaa. B; Smith, in seconding the motion, said the Premier deserve! every

CTedit for the way in which he viaited the various parts of the colony, to find out on the spot what the ne'eds of the people were. *- o THROUGH CENTRAL OTAGO. _ The Premier has met wHh a cordial reception throughout this tonr. Reaching Cromwell on Saturday evening, addresses were presented on behalf of the citizens of Cromwell and surrounding districts, and of the Confederated Miners' Association of- Otago. Deputations were subsequently received : (a) to ask Government aid in coping. with the sand nuisance at Cromwell, which threatens the very existence of the town, and a promise was given that an expert should be sent up; "(5) to urge the more rapid prosecution of the Otago C-ehtfalliiie,; in reply to which the Premier said that while personally not in favour of a large borrowing policy, and as the most difficult work on the Otago Central had been done, the line would, he hoped, go forward much faster in the future than it had in the past, and every year would see it nearer to them ; it would be for the country to settle the larger question as to whether they were to borrow large sums for railways ; (o) to ask Government aid for the construction of a sludge channel for Bannockburn, which would be given a new lease of life by such a work.. A report by an engineer would be obtained. . The public meeting lasted an hour and threequarters, after which Mr Seddon was'entertained at a banquet. '...'- The Premier spent Sunday night at Blacks from which a start was made at 7 o'clock on Monday. , .. , Near Cambrian the school children had assembled to do honours to the Premier, who stopping, spoke a few words of encouragement to the young scholars, those which they relished most of all being.a request on their behalf for a holiday. •_:. We are indebted to the special correspondent of the Times for the following notes of his stay at St. Bathans :—St.; Bathans was reached at 11 o'clock, and during his stay there an address was presented -to the Premier by Mr John Ewing on behalf of the inhabitants generally, and more particularly the Liberal electors" of the district, welcoming him to the district. The address set forth that though the St. Bathans community was small, it was one of many throughout the colony by which the big cities throve, and without which existence for them would be impossible. From the gold workings there nearly £1,000,000 worth of gold had been extracted, and with wisdom on the part of th<- Legislature far more extensive deposits awaiting development would for a hundred years to come continue producing gold. They all knew that not only in land and labour legislation, but in tbeir mining legislation, the Government had done much. In their opinion, the Government was at a disadvantage in that district, as in so many others, through the newspapers circulating there being opposed to it. Through the distorted views of his policy presented by those journals, many worthy and well-meaning persons among the classes the Government had benefited most were induced to conscientiously vote against the Government. If the people of the colony generally, and more especially communities such as St. Bathans, knew where their true interest lay, there would, in their opinion, be few Oppositionists returned throughout the whole colony at the next general election. They recognised that it was through him that the democracy of the colony had at length found a voice, and through him the Liberal party was being kept together in the face of every artifice, and such grand results achieved. The address concluded with the hope that he may be spared to lead the party to further triumphs. Mr Seddon cordially thanked the residents for their address, and delivered a short address on general politics. He regretted that his arrangements prevented him from stopping with them longer than a few hours.

At Wedderburn, which was reached shortly before 4 o'clock, the Ministerial party were met by the Mayor of Naseby (Mr Herdman), a number of the borough and county councillors and farmers,: by whom he was warmly welcomed to the plain. Thence the Premier was driven to the Eweburn Reservoir now in course of construction. After a careful inspection of the work: the party turned towards Naseby. which was reached shortly after 6 o'clock. There the Premier and about 20 other gentlemen were the guests of the Mayor, Mr Herdman, at a dinner given at Mrs George's Victoria Hotel. During its progress and also subsequently the Naseby Band played in good style a number of appropriate selections. Subsequently a meeting of "the Nasebv Masonic Lodge was held to welcome the Premier as the Grand Master of New Zealand. There was a large muster of the craft.

DEPUTATIONS. After the public meeting, the Premier: repaired to the County Chambers where a; number of deputations were introduced by the Mayor. Messrs Evans and "Wilson pointed out that the present post-office building at Naseby was quite inadequate to the requirements of the town. They suggested that perhaps the Premier might visit and himself inspect. They suggested that a building to accommodate both the post and survev staff should be erected. The present post-office was 30 years old.—The Premier promised to inspect the building, and to get one of the district officers to make a report on it. Mr Morgan, of Banfurly, asked for the establishment of a telephone office at Eanfurly.—The Premier said the proper course was to apply to the Department in the. usual way. The Department would require a guarantee of interest on the cost of construction and a guarantee against loss in working. Messrs J. R. Smith and Jas. Brown supported the request for a telephone at Ranfurly, the business at which was rapidly increasing, and further asked that, as there was comparatively little business at Hyde now the station master should be stationed at Ranfurly, which would remain* the central station of the plain.—Full inquiries would be made about both matters. Mr M-Kay asked that the telephone at outlying stations should be at night connected with the doctor's residence for use in cases of sudden illness.—The Premier felt inclined to grant the request, which was in the interests of suffering humanity. He would make inquiries whether this had been done elsewhere before giving a final answer. The next deputation of which Dr Church and Mr H. Wilson were spokesmen, asked that the Government, in view of the reputation which Naseby now possessed as a resort for consumptives, should establish a sanatorium here. . There were in the town at present between 20 and 30 patients and the numbers were increasing. The request was made partly in the interests of the people of the town—it was only in a sanatorium that thorough supervipion of hygienic conditions was possible—hut chiefly in the interests of suffering humanity. The Premier said, if he had bis way, he would stop such patients from coming to the country. There were three places which put forth such claims as he had just listened to. Castle Hill, Napier and Naseby, and doubtless if one was granted such an institution all would make demands.—Dr Church pointed out that the request was made not for the patients from abroad, but for our own colonists, amongst whom the disease was already found.—The Premier promised to give the matter his consideration, but his present feeling was scarcely favourable to the project. The last deputation, consisting of Messrs Brown, Inder and Ginsberg, pointed out the great disadvantage that this district laboured under as compared with the Lawrence people, in the fact that on goods of classes A and B much heavier rates were charged here than there. The difference amounted in some instances to as much as 40 per cent. In another way, too, the Central Otago line was at a disadvantage compared with the Lawrence lino—parcels of Icwt. and upwards were charged pro rata—e.g., 2cwt. would be charged one-tenth as much as a ton and so on, while on this line a heavier scale was in existence, which made the charges wo paid often nearly double those charged on the Lawrence line.—The Premier said that the circumstances were different : : guaging one line by another in this way von ; would have to recast tho whole tariff on "the , railways He would get the Department to i reply to the points raised.—A statement ; showing a comparison between the Central and Lawrence tariffs was handed in by Mr ' Stewart.