SIR JULIUS VOGEL IN DEFENCE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 7106, 26 August 1884, Page 5

SIR JULIUS VOGEL IN DEFENCE.

(by TSLEOBAPH. —KXS3 AssoaiATie>.\] CKBiRTOHtTXCB, Monday. Tax following !etler has been received by Mr. Mataon, ths Chairman of Sir Julias Vocel'n election committee :— VTillii<t«B, iapii 2L My Dear Mr. Mation,—l an Ttry much okliged by your kind Utter, nlio by your kind telegram, to which Ur. Htwlud was also party, ud to whem pray convey my thanks. Personally, lam net sorry to learo office. As I bars told yon all alone, my oaly idea is mixing myself with political affairs in New Zealand is tkat I have confidence I oin he of material aid ts tbe ooleay. That couSdence is freatly increased now, dnoe I bare bad an opportunity of making mysslf acquaint od with tbe position of affairs. Wo had no idea ear antagonists would deny us tbs opportunity of folly explaining oar policy, therefore we frankly stated oar aims in tbe Speech, and depended upon the budget to show that tbey csula be realised. Seme of those who opposed .u«, doubtless were frightened to let as coatinae, because tkey believed we should gather strength as wo went on; others voted under the misapprehension that the policy of the Speech was before the Boose, which was not tbe case. Mr. Thomson's amoadnaeat was only an addition to the Speech expressing disapproval of the personal competition of the Ministry, bat leaving the whole of the paragraphs expressing approval of the polioy of the Speech undisturbed, so that to take an example, Mr. Grigg, who had undertaken to support the personnel of the Ministry, and who was violently opposed to a land tax. really voted against the Ministerial composition, an expressed himself favourable tod a land tax. This mlscenoeptton arises from prooipitate action. Had the non-con teats waited far the financial statement, I am sure their discontent would have vanished. I pledge yon my word as a gentleman that 1 am thoroughly confident my budget weald have oontalned thoroughly satisfactory proposals for greatly reducing the present taxation. Ths condition of the oountrr is muoh bettor than people have a conception of. Again, we have been .greatly misunderstood aboat borrowing. When I brought down my railway proposal in 1870, I gave, as well as I was able, an anticipation of the.finaaclal results of the propoied oorrowiag over a coarse of ten yean. After I left, Mr. Uacandrew proposed extensive works in 1879, and two years ago Major Atkinson's Government casts down, with proposals for works anti ether objects which weald confessedly have core rod an expenditure of about twelve millions, of which authority was asked fer four millions. Daring the same session fragments of aboat twenty systesas were lccladod in one losn schedule, and as far as I am aware, no attempt was made to show how the revenue would oome in to hslp to meet the iatexoit on the twelve Bullions as it was obtained. Now, we had no idea of any such indefialte system. We would have adopted, I will not say the statesmanlike, but the ooaamon sense badness course of laying before the Heoie the works we proposed to proceed with, the yearly borrowing we anticipated, and the return* we looked forward to to meet the additional borrowing—in short, It was oar intention to lot tbe Honso seo exactly what was propoied in the way of borrowing, and not to ■nake " a leap in the dark" by blindly adopting a number of fragments. On this point, also, we have been much misunderstood. People have rashed to the conclusion that we were going in for extensive borrowing and blind finance. They are wholly deceived. We shoald not only have proposed a relief of the pressure of taxation, but the colony would once more have known its position in the present, andjits requirements and prospects in the future. But, my dear Matsan, there is a limit to the enthusiasm which leads one to desire to be useful. It may be made to wear the aspect of iotrualveness, from which I am far from inclined. I have done my best. My counsels have not met with an acceptance sufficient to enable me to develop them. I can only withdraw, with the earnest hope that some one will prove mere useful. — Very sincerely yours, J OLIOS TOBKL.