MR. ROLLESTON AT CHRISTCHURCH.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 6997, 21 April 1884, Page 6

MR. ROLLESTON AT CHRISTCHURCH.

A VOTE OF NO-CONFIDENCE " . CARRIED. [XT TKLEGRA-FH, —ASSOCIATION.] Chkistchurch, Sunday. : Mb. Rollestoit met hia constituents at Papanni on Saturday Five hundred persons were a large proportion of them being, from Ohristchurch.' He was received with mingled applause and hisses. Mr. Rollestok said he was glad to meet them face to face, friends and foes alike. -He thanked those friends who had declined to form a judgment on his action till he had explained it. His position; living away from til* constituents, Had been a difficult one. The tongue and pen.of detraction had been actively employed against him. The times now were narder- than .what" had been ' experienced for several years — hard for both people and representatives. At present ho was the best abused man in New Zealand, but no public man was worthy of trust who would not prefer to meet disapprobation because he took an unpopular course, which he believed right and did not run with the stream. The times were troublesome and difficult consequent' on the diminution of the spending power of the country, which was due largely to the curtailment of borrowing by the present Government ; also to holding large blocks of unproductive land for speculative purposes ; also to the falling off in value of our staple products, and lastly, - to the unfavourable weather, which had prevented our products from being gathered in good condition. These two last were not of course due to the action of Government.

THE GOVERNMENT AND BORROWING. ' The position with regard to borrowing when Sir J. Hall's Government took office was that there was a five million loin.not raised, but largely forestalled. The country was really committed to works amounting to eight millions for two years. The Government were in consequence bound to expend some two millions annually. There were then large public works begun but incomplete. Government said that they would not raise loans without their being specifically appropriated. They determined to raise three millions to be spent at the rate of a million a year. The charges consequent on borrowing were pressing hard on the current revenue. The land fund was falling off. _ Unless they were prepared to sell their land •wholesale for cash they felt they must go in for farther borrowing. If land were sold in large blooks for cash, it would lead to the abutting up of the country. It had been aiid that the present Government went in for profligate borrowing as soon as Sir J. Hall left'them. In truth they were in accord with Sir John, and Sir John with them at the time. They saw that without

farther borrowing the expenditure on one and a-half millions on unfinished *otks that had taken place would be L'.terally thrown away. He had always been on the prudent aide with regard to borrowing. The less borrowing the better. Whether or not, at the time when our present borrowing power ceased the colony would be in a position to stop borrowing, he could not say. "Whatever borrowing there might be,". he would always* be in farour of borrowing the least possible sum. The development of the oountry which had taken place by the railways was ahead of settlement. No borrowing should take place unless it were tied down to specific works, and allotted to be spent at a certain vote per year. He wished people realised more how necessary it was to feel that their interests were bound up with those of the whole colony, and could divest themselves of local selfishness. The public debt was thirty millions; the sums borrowed by Harbour Boards, Municipal bodies, and counties, amounted to_ four millions, private loans to thirty millions, and other debts to another four millions. Against thin the real property of the colony, exclusive of native lands outside the five-mile boundary, was worth one hundred and one lions, and personal property was worth sixtytwo millions. „They wanted more population —more production. The population of the colony was not the hundredth part of what the land would support, and if they went in for a borrowing policy without an increase of weatth-prodacting power consequent on a proper adjustment of land, labour, and capital, it would be suicidaL -■ mmGBAHON A2TD THE ULKX) POLICY. TTi» was, therefore, glad that he had advocated voluntary immigration, which they should promote. by sucn means as the direct steamer service. . He had also promoted assisted nominated immigration. Every fresh man jn the colony decreased the burden of taxation, and waa an additional contributor' in thtf national wealth. It was a direct advantage to the working man that immigration . should . continue. He .knew that capital waa lying ifllfij that land was locked -up, and- that in parts of the colony labour could' not be had. He had, therefore, devoted himself to managing the lands so as to .prevent .them passing into Tianfln of capitalists and speculators. There was now next to no wasteland in"Canterbury which was availaide for disposal for agricultural purposes. 2)350,000 acres of land were held by ninetyone persons in blocks of over 50,000 acres. He had raised his voice against this, had opposed gridironing and the selling of lands before making roads to them. It was folly ' to part with the whole of our land, so as to leave no estate on which the colony could warn an advantage by its increased value, in consequence of the expenditure on railways, etc. The education reserves in Canterbury now produced £11,000-a year, and would produce £20,000. This showed the wisdom of making such reserves. The state of the poor ofJSngland, and landlordism in Ireland, showed that it was not too soon to begin in a new country to prevent the evils which have arisen in an old one. Nothing so much, operated against the working class of this colony as having to pay large rent in the suburbs of the towns for their dwellings. In opposing these evils he had made a small beginning upon which a considerable superstructure would be built. He condemned the "bursting up" theory as visionary and mischievous to the colony as a whole. For the present he believed that the removal of ent&il, facilities of transfer, and the existence Of holdings at an easier tenure would cure the evil complained of. • - 1£ these would not remedy things, the State was perfectly entitled, as Mr; Gladstone had said, to buy out large proprietors for the purpose of making ■ small properties. It was competent for the State to resume landß if for an adequate public objeot, but at present there was no need for that. The love of freehold, it was argued, was deeply implanted in every man wno came to New Zealand. At present, however,: very many men in the colony, though 'nominally freeholders, were really tenants of large money-lenders. They had not,* he-: hoped,- come to New Zealand to create,the extremes .of wealth and poverty found in -England. ' The leaseholders on the tenure he proposed would not constitute a new class of politicians any more than the 'runholders and landholders had. . He would divide the land into pastoral and agricultural. These .should carefully be classified. The semi-pastoral, semi-agricultural land had been dealt with in the first by the creation of pastoral deferred payment b looks. ' There should be no more permanent alienation oi snch lands. They should be leased with conditions of residence and improvement, and -with provision that only one block should. be held by one man. This would create a class of . small tenants who would pursue a profitable business in great comfort. With.regard to agricultural land it. was urged tbat there were too many land laws that the land.&houldvbe put up and be done with." He ■v held' they should be so disposed. of as to ' snit different classes, partly by alienation for cash, partly by deferred payments, , and '• partly by perpetual leasing.. Roads should bo opened before selling the .land, which should be so cut up as to prevent its absorption by capitalists. (Jn a block of 71>000 acres on the Waimate Plains the Government had put 360 homesteads. If this had not been oona the land would'have fallen into the hands of one or two capitalists. It was impossible to set bounds to the accumulation of land : after it had passed into freehold estate.. During the four , years he had bepn I in office, 4000 people had been settled on homesteads,on. the-;. Crown lands, and in andition some 1100 on seotions sold for cash. This had been done ; in Otago and Southland as well aa in the . North lalajid. . There had been a very strong feeling: against the leasehold -■system when-;it ...first cameup. - Now they had 28,000 acres held by 136 seleiotors. Public life'to him would almost cease however, -and be of no interest if he could not promote the objects he had-in view. ' He , wisbtd -. the classes to realise the fact .that upon keeping open the land de< •ponded .the [ settlement of themselves and their children in the oountry. The Oppei ~ QouMicliowever, were not to blame ia tha

courte they took. ; The representatives of the people, particularly' the so-called Liberals, were to blame. These had voted against the Bill in the' hope of getting rid of the Minister of Lands,-so the measure was only carried in the Lower House by a majority of one. The Upper House naturally thought the Lower House was narrowly divided on the question, and therefore. gave it an opportunity of further consideration. THE RAILWAY RATEt-'. Government" were hlamed for inopportunely raising the railway. rates. Government saw o short time back that the revenue would not be up to the estimate. Customs would, it was found, show a deficiency of £120,000; the railway' revenue would _be deficient from £60,000 to £80,000. Notwithstanding the large increase in traffic, amounting to 135,200 tons, besides a large inorease in sheep and parcels,- it was found that the revenue. would only be £7000 more than last year, and the interest would be 2J per cent, instead of over 3 per cent. During the last two years £76,000 had been spent on Canterbury. railways, in giving increased facilities to farmers aild the general public. Further (expenditure was' increasing all over the 'colony for maintenance and improvements. ; Government, therefore, broaght forward an increase of the tariff in order to raise £35,000 more from merchandise, £40,000 from grain,- £30,000 from passengers, £5000 from wool. It was said that 'the tariff was brought forward at the S articular ■ time, to benefit the North gland: Now, there was three times aa much 'wool carried in the South Island as in the North; 180,405 bales were carried in the Soulb, and in the North, 58,630. A truck of grain earned for'the department over £3, j- while a truck of wool 'earned over £5. He .felt as a farmer, and no doubt others felt •also that the farmers were prepared in times of necessity to pay a fair price for services rendered, and did not wish other classes to pay it for them. It had been asked what was a fair rate to put on grain. In ISSO and 1881, there was no complaint of the rates. : A private line from Wailsaia charged 7s 4d for carrying grain twenty-two miles. The Government charged for the same distance, 6s lOd. The present rates were less than those of 1881. The increase on olass E afieoted.the Country South of Waitaki really as much as it did that North of Waitaki. Therefore it could not be said that the tariff affected Canterbury only. It was impossible for Government, as long it had the railways in their hands, to allow a system of sectional payments and profits. The railways, as. a whole, must pay a reasonable rate on their construction. The 'deficient revenues of railways could not be made- up,, from other sources of publio revenue. Was it to be put on tea, sugar, or upon property? ,It was just as fair to put on these the cost of services rendered aB upon land. It had been* said that he ought to have left the " Ministry rather than tolerate a course which he himself believed necessary in the interests of the colony and of a large clas3 of own constituents. Two non-political Boards had been suggested for the management of the railways. He wanted people to be careful what experiments they tried. Numbers of people who went in for . abolition had repented. Were the Boards the servants or tho masters of Parliament ? If servants, what would their instructions be which would be given by the Parliament ? Tbey would be to make railways pay and stick tho rates up, because that Parliament was composed largely of representatives from districts that bad no railways. The Victorian Board was only another form of the Government service, for the fixing of the tariff rested ultimately on the Governor-in-Council. Still, the experiment of Boards was not unlikely to be tried. If i combination'of M.H.R.'s representing the one district was • to affect the whole course if politics;-'the Booner they tried the Boards the-better. He (Mr. Rolleston) refused to believe that the block vote of the Canterbury members was to depend on the grain rate." VABIOBS SDBJBCTS. . There was an impression that the South [aland was the milch cow for the North Island, for Taranaki especially. In the last two years land to the valne of £300,000 had been sold in Taranaki. The only intelligent basis for a progressive policy of ptlblio works was the development of the county. The wealthy parts of the colony should not be made wealthier, while the thinly peopled snes were left in poverty. If population were to be the basis of expenditure, Auckland - wotild have a lirger share owing to it than any other provincial district. He defended Major Atkinson from the oharge of being a financial failure. Major Atkinson was a man of large heart, kindly hand, wide sympathy, and great force.' He (Mr. JRolleston) was quite prepared to hand over his offiae to better men when they arrived. £80,000 bad been spent on Railway buildings at Dhristchurch, £100,000 at Lyttalton, £65,000 it Addington workshops, £28,000 at Timaru, ind £18,000 at Oamaru. Government were going in for amalgamation and reduction in the civil service. Instead of extravagance, iq himself had saved £10,000 a year n one department. Bryce had reduced the expenditure on the - Native Department from tens of thousands annually to £300 C per year. No worse thing could happen tc ihe colony than that a feeling of insecuritj should be created over the North Island ic abolishing the constabulary. Mr. Bryc« Reserved great credit for the state int< which ha bad brought things. Whenevei ;he Government left office they would leav< i record of reduction of expenditure both oi jorrowed money and of ordinary revenue, 6 aw and order re-established among th< Vlaoriß, of placed on the righi ihoulders—on the rich and the absentee jroprietora, of liberal land lawa and people lettled upon the lands, of the foundations of political power widened and deepened, of ■egistration simplified, and of a franchise imounting.almost to. manhood suffrage. Replying to S question, " Mr. RdtiiESTOir Jaid'h'e was opposed to my alteration-: in - the.-present education lyntem. tie was prepared, to grant every acility allowed-by .law for the construction >f.the West Coast Railway,"South'lsland. • Several'mt'etrUptibhs occurred : during the ne<Nirig r r but .there was no serious dis-

A'resoiutiqn* ."That this meeting has no' confidence Iri "Mr. Rolleston as representative 6f 'the' Avon district," was carried by a large-majority; only aboilfc a - dozsn • Voting against it. Several present did not vote;