OUR FEILDING PAGE.

Manawatu Times, Volume LXV, Issue 1459, 10 November 1911, Page 6

OUR FEILDING PAGE.

Mr J. Eeid has b pi ace( j j n charge of our Fcilding Branch, and all business entrusted to him will reccive proinpt attention. Correspondence |on all loca i an j LOnetal top j o i s specially invited.

COUNTY ELECTION. ! The election y j s terday ot a representative for F ,j w j DD j r i^ n g i n tlio Orona Coon ,y ooMcil resQlted in 3< J. Murphy the voting being Mnr p( , y 54) Greenhow29, Banson 36. r e new Qonnoil will now consist r Jf Mepsrs w. G. Pearce, B. Bntrel > „ J. H. Vincent. J. Morrison, 0- Mf ilroy, J. L. McDonald, J. J. Mnr' T ta Manawata Oonuty Oounoll j> le .ctious reunited in the return ot T> , Masters (Sanson), R. Gray

hold nppfOßched very nearly t:thos9 that the Opposition have all along said were fair and reasonable. He emphatically denied that the Opposition were the friends of the' large land holder and the aggregator. The Opposition had always stood for limitation ot area, recognising thst New Zealaud as a country will be inhabited by small farmers, and they wished ta see these farmers en such tenure as will encourage them (to use their beft endfavouts to make that land as productive as possible. This could only be done by giving to eaoh occupie' the option of uoatcin? that land his own. The freehold party were only demanding for the leaseholders the right to acquire the freehold, upon fair and reasonable terms, that is by placiug L.I.P. tenants on exactlv the same lines rs the O.K.P. teua.ts, by requiring the L.I.P. tenants who desire to acquire tne freehold of the land to pay up the iw vanes iu rent on the one per oeut. and compound interest on it for the time that the lessa had existed. Classification of laud had been overlooked altogether and yet t:> properly and systematically carry out the true idea of limitation they must have classification. VARIOUS SYSTEMS. At present in existence there was freeh'il, leas?hola, land t'or settlement land, land for workeis' homes, land that may'b9 acquired by association, and now it was proposed to establish family settlement land. Of all the tenures none have exceeded in liberality or effectiveness those ■proposed by the late Mr Rollesfcon, in the perpetual lease and deferred payment svstems, and the latest proposal of the Government embodies the principal of deferred payment, I which they hal dropped for so many years. This action on the part Of the Government was the outcome of tae vigorous land policy pursued by the Opposition. LAND VALUATION.

.Kawakawa), and W. E. Barber (Awahon), so that the new Oonnoil will now consist of Ors. J. G. Wilson, T. Masters, B. fl. Hnut, B. Gray, W. Barber, B. B. McKenzie, and J. Henson. The, Kiwitaa eleotions resulted iu the return of Messrs 0. Johnston, McNiell, Mclntyre and Shaw. D. H. Guthrie at Feilding. THE OPPOSITION VIEW POINT. Now that the elections are coming close interest is daily increasing, and this was evidenced by the laige gathering at the Drill Ball last night, when Mr D. H. Guthrie, M.P, addressed the elect irs. Tlie|Mavor (Mr E. Goodbehere) presided and briefly introduced the speaker, who was received with applause. THE GOVERNMENT'S POSITION

Mr Guthrie said that there was ample evidence, from speeoh and action, that dire dif satisfaction prevailed among members of the Government and its followeis, aud throughout the country, city and town, the simo' cry prevailed "We are fired of the party that has censed tube a power in the land," The abseiiCH of policy and politioal principle, the want of backbone had told its tale, and now the handwriting on the well proclaimed, the end uC a- regime that had outlived' its nssfuluess. Just at a critical juncture one of the Ministers (Mr ffowlds) resigned his portfolio, giving as his reason that he did so because the Government no longer adhered to the Liberal prlnoiples tl.at, wntn he joined, were the policy of tha party. By degrees they had lost tiie assistance of some of tneir best supporters and followers, aud wer3 now in a parlous position.

The svstein of land valnatiou had been catried on by a Government de paitment for some years and its whole t'Md was to inflate "elu.es. for Wlnt pufpege was probably b.st known to the department. This, hi argued, would have a'very Sil'ious etteot npon land purchases, for any Government value must tsnd to fix a standard. Although tha Government said tl)Mr valuations were muoh below s.-lliog values, still the tact of the valoatiou b a iiigi so high had a t3ndency to raist the selling value. And ouce by iufiatiou land is forced bevond what can be reasonably siid to be its productive value, people of small means temptsd by the liberal tarras offered, were iniuoed to take up land wheu the rats of prodncs wpre ruling high that, was far above its real productive value. The Opposition policy all along had been that as soon as possible native land shouM be placed on the same footing as European land. Maori lamls should not be allowed to be locked op from profitable oocupßtiou, simply that the Maoris may reap a large harv< st of iucreased values* from Europ>au enterprise. No European would be allowed to' act in this manner, neither shonld the native. As Native Miuister, Sir James Carroll aud his coadjntator Mi Ngata, were perhaps, from the native point of view, deS3iving of very great credit, because they wero sytematically holding up this Maori land until such time' as it has been euhauoed iu value through settlement by the white population. Bnt the Native Minister shonld administer his department with justice to both races. As a result of the Upptsitiou work in the Honss aud couutry tiir Jamus Carol! himself dared not go on to a publio platform and advocate that policy of which he hal baen the champion for the post twenty ycuts. Sir John fl'indlay also stated at Parnell that the day had arrived when there must be a different settlement of the native land qutstiou to what lias been in vogue iu tho past. This was another victory for tli& opposition. MUKAU AND FINIS. The Mokuu wai again referred to on much tho same liuesasatOolyton aud in conclusion the speaker oatlinen the iu*lueuces the. Opposition party sought to have on the legislatitn aud administration of L the future:—

Why lia'l the change taken place? The answer was tliat the policy, legislation and admiuistiatiou of the past 20 yeats had baen weighed in the balanoe and found wanting. MINISTERIAL POLICY.

The Government party had no definite policy. The Miuisterial ear wrs always to the ground listening for the rumbling that indicated the mind of the people'. And when the Intelligence Department reported that a substantial section of the community was oeriens in its demands tor legidation in a certain direction then, with a great blare and blow the Government immediately set about giving effect to these demands. There was little, if any, of rtal initiative or coistrnctive ability in the Cabinet that would enable it to oreate an original polioy iu the bast interests of the oountry. Sir Joseph Ward was absolut ly correct when he said "We first fi d out what the people want and th n we give it to them." Snrely it was the duty of any Ministry to enunciate a policy aud not be driven before every adverse breeze of. criticism?

BORROWING AND FINANCE. The borrowing policy of the Government was severely criticised. New Zealand's public debt per head was £22 8s 31 greater tluu Australia, the respsctive litres bung £BO 14s aud £SB 5s i)d. Even with this heavy impost there was uothing to fear provided tilers was true ani eocnomitai expenditnre of borrowed monies, but t;-is did not obtain. He regretted tho successful effort made by the Oaoiuet to prevent definite information being given as tn the cost of raisiuj? the last two loans amouuting to six and a half millions. Parliament iu upholding the Ministry, parted to i» very large degree with one of its must important prerogatives, that is, control of the finances. Parliainont ought to jealously guard its privileges and not part'easily with that power. That was the only means that iu years gone by the British Pailiamtnt had of bringing tyrannical kings to their kuoes. Sir Jiseph Ward claimed that the lean was a ty per cent, loan at while in leality wo were inly gtttug £94 7s tor every £IOO of stuck, thus raisiug the rata of intarett to just tu 4 p;r oent. The total cash realised was £28,250 less than par, a loss of inter* st account of u:-arlv £IOOO per annum, Wh ß n Sir Joseph would not tako the oonntrv into his confidence it led to suspiciou that there was something to hide. TAXATION.

1. Enoonragementi of land settlemi nt on lines which are in accord with the wishes and demands of t.ie people of the Domiuion. 2. Prevention ot corruption iu administration.

3, Eucouragemcnt of piivate enterprise and individual eft'uit, aud opposing by all legitimate mtans of the tendency to Socialism aud deDBUueuce on the State, which is sapping tha independent character of the people.

4. The establishment of a sound ami assurfd s, stem of local government fiUAIIM.

5. Reform of the -Legislative Council by making it elective on the system if proportional rupresantatiotf. I'lib canrlidata loolisd ta a nnniber of questiius, and at tlio canclusiou a vot3 uf thaubs was accorded liiui by iicclaoiaSicii, on the motlou of Mr Trewiu. SERIOUS ACCIDENT AT SANSON. A FRACTURED SKULL. Johu Lammas was kicked in tlio head by a plough noise at Seuson yettorday and sustained it broken jaw and fractured skull. His conditio is critical. MAGISTRATE'S COURT. At a sitting of the Magistrate's Court yesteiday, Mr A. JJ.Thuiisou, S.M., gave judgment for pl'iiutiff with t'-'Sts in tue Mluwiiu cans:— Johu Cjbbe v. G. Piwraud if. Pair, £1 Is; Percy 0 via v. David C\.le, £1 7s (id; Wiiiiam Mcliav v. A. George, £lB.-; Id; W. C. Uaimtheis v. R, Tollsy, £5 15s lid; A. G. Walker v. Duucan McKay, 14s. i The qui stiou arose us to whether there would be a sitting ou Decstiibsr 7th, tlio day of the general olec tion, uud after disciiss'ng the matter with cormssl, His Worship sjid that iir woubf sit ou that oats,, aud counsel conld a'ljourn any casrs they wished. He woull sit in Feildagain on the following Friday. (Continued on page 7).

Mr Guthrie coinbattad the stateuiaut 0! the Piime Miuistei that he had reduced taxation and granted cnctssiinsto tho txt»nt of 048. There was an increase fiom £7,122,240 in 1905-6 (deddon) to £7,774 5 »28 in G-7 (Ward) and iucvoascs each successive yeais until iu 1910-11 tho exptniitare had reached £9,343,10(5. ihe incieased expenditure iu the Ward Government was therefore £2,1)14,220 or a yearly averago of £485,704, Within the- last two y««is niieot taxation had increase:! LAND. Eighty-three per cent, rf tho tot-.l of the weiilth of tt.o oocuitrv was produce through the hud m \ t \ im primary producer should iv. plasm in occupation ot laud ou sach tcims as would make tluui contentci 'ami happy. Ha referred to the antagonism raised iu connection with Mr MeEah's Bill of lilOfi and its withdrawal, also the settiui? up of a Royal Commission. The Opposition put np a streuuons tight agaii st the withdrawal of the optional sjstain of selection and had ooutiuued that fight,, with the r ; salt that they had film, st reached the goal thev have bawl aiming at tor all yearsforiti the Bill introduced during 1910 the proposal to grant L.I.P tenants the right to acquire the frtc-