ADDRESS BY MR. BRYCE, M.H.R.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXII, Issue 7342, 1 June 1885, Page 6

ADDRESS BY MR. BRYCE, M.H.R.

[]»Y TELEGRAPH—PRESS ASSOCIATION.] Patea, Sunday. Mb. E'btcb addressed a well-attended meeting of his constituents last night at Waverley. He said he last addressed them as a Minister of the Crown, but now he was ft member of Her Majesty's Opposition. • .' HISTORY 01 THE SESSION. Ihey would remember iihat on the House meeting "after last general election, the Atkinson Government resigned without waiting for a vote. Mr. Thomson, id an address at Otago, had taken occasion to state that the fact of resigning without bringing a motion before the House, was a proof that they ought to have resigned the previous session, , He h : ! d it did not follow, because they resigned after the election, that they were too weak the previous session. On their resignation, what was substantially the present Government took * office, bat had been defeated by a larger majority than any previous Ministry ever had, and yet, practically, they were the same Government as were now in office. Mr. Thomson, who moved the resolution, tried to form a Government, but failed. Sir George Grey also failed. Major Atkinson formed a Government, which was defeated by a majority of eight. Then Mr. Stout formed a Government; virtually told the House, "Take us or chaos." The present Government took means to secure the tenancy. They loudly declared that great disclosures were about to be made, and these were of so important a nature that nothing but physical . force would remove them from Government Benches; but when dis-' closures were made, the were all moonshine. For further security they introduced what they called "Policy Bills"the District Railways Bill, the East and West Coast Railways Construction Bill, thi Westport Colliery and Greymouth Harbour Bills—Bills which were in direct interest of members or members' friends, and gave the House to understand that .these Bill must stand or fall as a whole. The result was if you were in- ■ terested in one, you must vote for the lot or imperil the one you were interested in. Such a huge piece of logrolling was never known in the colony before. That was saying a great deal. These Policy Bills really formed the. work of the session. • • •• the district railways BILL. He Would touch the more salient points of the District Railways Bill, which authorised the lease or purchase of railways. The district railways have been found to be large speculating companies. They were formed to enhance the value of property through which they passed, and had not been successful as going concerns. They were found not to pay now. The companies' objects had been • attained, and now they come to the Government and say, Take over the lines. The lines might have been taken over, but it should be on terms favourable to the colony. At present it was understood that the value was to be not the cost, but the cost with arrears of rates superadded. These com panies had got a vote of the ratepayers, but the shareholders and ratepayers were almost the same, and it did not add to the comfort to find Sir Juiius Vogel a shareholder and Chairman of Directors of one of these companies, and Mr. Stout their solicitor. He would not say there was &aythiog corrupt, but it did not add to their comfort to And that the necessary power to arrange, on behalf of the company, rested with these members. The Goyernmeht Bill was rejected in the Upper House,- but they were so anxious to get it passed that Government really reembodied the Bill in resolutions, • and asked the.House to pass them. The House did so. Many . disliked 'the " Bill, ; but ' did < not vote against it for fear of throwing out cthorn %Ksy : wanted, ' ■ •: ■■ ■ XEAST AND WEST COAST RAILWAY BILL. The East and West Coast Railway Construction Bill proposed to form a huge comyany to make the line. It was strange that a Government which professed to be anxious to conserve the lands of the Crown should be prepared to grant a million to a million and a-half of acres to a syndicate. He took exception to the statement that the land was bad and rocky. It certainly contained valuable coalfields, and might tap valuable minerals. The Bill also had a provision that if the land in the vicinity was not sufficient to pay half the cost of construction the land might be taken elsewhere. Such a policy he held was bad in principle, and should not be tolerated for a momenr, but in addition to this provision the Government were to take over the railway when complete and give the company 35 per cent, of the gross earnings, without regard to whether the railway paid or not. He contended that any Minister who would advocate such a thing had not the interest of the oolony at heart. lINANCE. In addition to these Policy Bills the present Government was to put straight the finance. This was terribly wrong, and must be put straight. The following authority was taken for borrowing :—For the North Island ' Trunk Railway, £1,000,000; loan of 1884, £1,500,000 loan to the extent of accrued Sinking Fund, £2,792,803; loan to the extent of Sinking Fund this year, £244,000. In addition to this direct loan, authority for indirect borrowing power was obtained: For Westport Colliery, £500,000; guaranteed debentures, £150,000; Otago Harbour Board, £750,000 bringing the total amount of borrowing authorised in one session to £9,436,808. All this, except the million for the Worth Island Railway, was authorised last session. The philosopher's stone, which ' was to save tho colony £244,000 a year, turned oat to be seizing the Sinking Fund on the old loan. They were bound to pay Sinking Fund each year out of revenue, bat to save the colony paying this, Sir J. Vogel borrowed on debentures for the revenue, and added the debentures to the debt of the colony. This was done to restore confidence. Sir J. Vogel argued that it would raise the transfer value of land, but that was not the settlers' view. Land was worth what the settler could make out of it, and no more. As soon as you go beyond this, you get a fictitoas value, and an unsound position. Debentures have been issued to the amount of £247,700 for the purpo»e of raising money from the Consolidated Fund in order to pay Sinking Fund. This was to enable "the colony advance by leaps and bounds." LOCAL GOVERNMENT. Sir . J. Vogel promised when Mr. Stout went to Dunedin be would explain the Local Government proposals. But he made a very weak speech, and never mentioned the subject of Local Government. This surprised everybody* and Sir J. Vogel was sent for and told his audience a great 'deal about Local Government. He described the present form with very minor alterations, and called it a a new measure. The whole colony was waiting'to see how he proposed to give the local bodies assured income. When described it was not very assured, as it consisted of subsidies on a sliding scale, which must be voted by the Assembly if and when it liked. The new system was worse than the present, and would end in complete disappointment. The Premier was horrified at £200,000 being spent in roads. In respect of roads and bridges the Government were not acting in sympathy with the settlers. NATIVE LAND. It was said that power was to be given to native committees to deal with the title Vo native land. It was the merest folly jo deal with native land before the title was determined. It was a most grievous wrong to the colony to go on with the Central Railway route with no prosepect of a ' definite settlement, and largely increasing the value of the land for the native owners who were not to be liable to taxation. He . was a North Island man, but he said most emphatically that not a sod ought to have been turned till a satisfactory title to the land through- which it passed had been obtained, , ~ys TBI WEST COAST TBOPBU'. He now came to the subject which he would like to have passed over, namely, the present irritation on the coast. Be did not attach much importance to it if it were firmly dealt with. He would simply enforce the law with them as with Europeans. If this were firmly and fairly done no harm could come. No amount of palaver could take the place of enforcing the law. -1 ; ,* PLYING FINANCIAL KITES. He would touch briefly on finance, but would not bother with figures. He was sorry he could not take so hopeful a view aS Major Atkinson. He observed a greater tendency in the men of to-day to fly financial kites than dig colonial potatoes. \ Unless that disposition took a turn for the better, y he could not help feeling that the colony

would be in & serious position. If prosperity vu to be secured a different plan mast be adopted than that being pursued by the : present Government. It had lived politically on ' exciting expectations which could not be realised, and it would die politically of the disappointed hopes it had created. - . ; A vote of confidenoe was carried unanimously. . '