MAJOR ATKINSON AT HAWERA.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXII, Issue 7514, 18 December 1885, Page 5

MAJOR ATKINSON AT HAWERA.

|EY TELEGRAPH.— PRESS ASSOCIATION.) Hawkra, Thursday. Major Atkinson addreassed his constituents here this evening. He said he considered it necessary to reply to the speeches made by the Premier and the Colonial Treasurer. Both had been guilty of great misrepresentation, of which he complained bitterly. When the Government first took office it was upon dispraise of their opponents and praise of themselves. Then I they claimed to be judged by their merits, ! but now their own merits had again disappeared, and once more it was the demerits and misconduct of their opponents that were relied upon. Much good wonld have been done, it was said, had their opponents not prevented it; and, bad as things were, they would have been worse had this Government not been in office. A Government should have Homo better reason than that to showthat they were entitled to the confidence of the country. He had great respect for Sir Julius Vogel as a man, but it was his ways he did not like, and he should point out what he objected to. THE COLONIAL TREASURER'S PROMISES. When Sir J. Vogel came into office he said the finances of New Zealand were elastic and buoyant enough to satisfy the most exacting financier, and that all that was required was better management. Then certain promises wore given. Reduction of expenditure was one, and, in connection with this, Mr. Stout said that if he could not save £80,000 or £100,000 in two departments alone he would leave office. He (Major Atkinson) had shown last session that there had been no saving. Tho Colonial Treasurer had also said that there should be a saving, speoially on education, though the system was to be improved at the same time. There had been no such saving. He also pledged himself distinctly that the Property Tax should bo reduced in 1534 and abolished in ISSo ; but the tax was mado higher last session than ever it had been since the year it was first imposed. There was to be fresh vigour in th« Public Works policy ; and, in place of the colony doiug as it had been doing, they should progress by " leaps and bounds" in pursuance of that policy. Relief from the Sinking Fund was promised to secure the result that seven and a-half millions more should be borrowed without any extra charge on the revenue, depression should disappear, and prosperity return. In addition to this, local government was to be put in a more satisfactory state. All these promises were distinctly made, but they had-not been fulfilled.

MINISTKRIAL ACTION LAST BSSSION. Dealing with last session, he said that, though the Government olaimei credit for having all their measures ready, tho fact was that they were in a most unready condition. When members met there was not a single measure ready. There were a large number of Bills put before the House, but few of them could have been cousiderod by the Cabinet. The Cabinet contained competent lawyers, and if they had considered the Dills tney would never have laid them before the "House in the shape they did. He mentioned several Bills, such as the Mortgage Debentures Bill and the Company's Bill, which were completely changed several times and wholly re-cast before tho House was at last askod to consider them. It was true the Opposition did not attack the administration of the Government on the Address-in-Reply through the creation of J.P.'s and Legislation Councillors, and other such acts would havo given ample room for doing so ; but the Government having made great promises and announced an important policy ready for submission to the Housa, the Opposition were ready to judge them on that. As a matter of fact, however, tho policy was not ready, for the Public Works Statement—the most important item—was not brought down till the 25th August, and all the important policy bills were Drought down in a state of imperfection, which was a disgrace to the Legislature. Instead of perfecting their policy during the recess, Ministers had shown busy idleness in rushing about the country, and were totally unprepared. It was his opinion that the explanation was that the policy of the Government had never yet been revealed. Sir J. Voi-el saw that the House was not prepared for his policy, and therelore he bad simply waited his time in order to seize the opportunity for developing his own policy, and that was a policy of enormous borrowing. FINANCE. Reviewing tbc finance of the Government, he reiterated his assertion that there had been no attempt at retrenchment. The appropriation last year on account of the Consolidated Fond was about £70,000 less thau the appropriation of the year before, but that was mainly due to the transfer of legislative expense from the Estimates to permanent appropriation, to a transfer of defence charges to loan, and a decrease in the coat of surveys, which was really no decrease at all, seeing that survey work was filling behind. Ho had taken no account of the increase for interest, although he might have done so, seeing that the Treasurer had told them that under his management they could borrow Ik millions without any increase of expenditure. As to the rcductiou of taxation there bad been none, because in addition to the property tax there had been an increase in the tariff and stamp duties. The Treasurer said the object of the proposed change in the tariff was for protectionist reasons, but the Premier stated positively that it was a question of money, and not of freetrade or protection, and he complained of the action of the Opposition getting the tariff rejected for the purpose of spoiling the Government linance. The real reason, however, was that both protectionists and freetraders agreed that the Government did not want more revenue. That was his (Major Atkinson's) sole reason for opposing the increase. Having failed to make reduction, and having increased taxation, the Government must be held to have failed in finance. With regard to railway management the last Government was turned out principally because they decided that the railways should pay a fair share towards interest on the cost of construction, and the present Government bad come in with a threat flourish of trumpets about their expert managing the railway fairly to everyone, and yet giving a better return. The result of hi* efforts had boon that with a greater number of miles of railways opened tho returns had been less than thoseobtained by the late Government, and complaints were still rife. As to the non-political Board proposition, that, like most others, had disappeared, and it was so absurd that he hoped it would , never be revived again. As to loan conver- : siou, he held that the conversion of the 5 per cent, loan was a bad bargain, because the colony really got no present benelit, and in seven years' time would have to give 4£ per cent, bonds in exchange for the 5 per cent, nonds, whereas every indication showed that the colony would be ablo to borrow at less thau 4J pur cent. He had been urged to undertake the same operation, but he had always been convinced that the colony could obtain better terms if it would only take time. The present Government, however, did not mmd sacrificing the interest of the colony in order to make a "splash." He feared that the "reinstated finance" would end in a deficiency this year, though ho hoped it would not. But there was a falliug-off in railways and Customs, which indicated a deficiency, notwithstanding the increased taxation. THK OOVKKNMKNT PROPOSALS. The public works policy of tho Government was to be » trump card. Great vigour was to be shown, and works were to be pushed on, and in that way the colony was to be lifted out of its difficulties. He noticed that the Premier and the Treasurer gave two different accounts as to what was the intention of the Government, each opposite to tho other. The Premier, in addition, contradicted himself, and therefore it must be assumed that the Colonial Treasurer spoke the mind of the Government. He * id the Government had intended- to carry out a vigorous policy, but were prevented from doing so by the Opposition. He craved justice, and asked how it was possible for him to remove the depression when he was not allowed to carry out his public works policy. He regretted that he had been unable to carry out the works which he had desired, and said that the Opposition bad prevented a vigorous prosecution of the public works policy. That this was untrue official figures amply proved. He did not believe that the Government had any intention of fulfilling the pledge about a vigorous policy. The moment Sir J. Vogel saw the House was not prepared to sanction his scheme beyond moderate limits he became moderate, because he wanted time. He only asked for a million and a-half, and laid that with that he would carry ou the I works with vigour. But the vigour was not

shown, and to him it was evident that the be Government were not sincere in their R declaration. The Government proposed he to expend £2,885,000. There was ample \ iti room for the display of a vigorous lo policy with that sum ; for it was lo £800,000 more than tbe previous Govern- T ment had had. There was no objection to vt their proceedings. Every vote they asked H for was granted, but all they expended was ui £1,336,000. This was the vigorous policy. The Premier took credit for this, and said A that the Atkinson Government, during their tr preceding five months of office, had spent tl £100,000 more than the Government had. di Where then was the vigorous policy? Rail- C ways, the Government said, must be pushed tl on, because they were reproductive works, re but the figures showed the Government it with the rigorous policy only spent £663,000 tl on railway*, while during the year before, the si " dozing " Government had spent £662,000 t! The difference between them was £1000. The Government were not short of money. A They had £1,500,000 at their disposal at the 1< beginning of the year, which he (Major w | Atkinson) had left, and they had more li money in hand at the end of the session n than they had spent by £150,000, and then n the one million loan and the million and a I half loan to draw upon, so that there could v have been no difficulty. The expenditure, r as he had pointed out, had only been I £100,000 more than the preceding year, but a whereas the Atkinson Government, when I they were turned out of office, had incurred fi liabilities to the extent of £739,000, the t Stout Government at the end of the your had u only liabilities to the extent of £497,000. In t other words, while the Stout Government s had spend £100,000 more than their pre- h deoessors, they had put less work in hand g by no less than £230,000. This was before c any Opposition had interfered with them at a all, and when the Government were allowed I to carry out any work they pleased up to the c amount appropriated by Parliament. This \ year the Government asked that £1,600,000 should be granted to them. The House J actually granted £2,150,000, but in the i a Public Works Statement the Minister for ; 1 Public Works said that they only proposed to ( expend during the year£l,2oo,ooo,or in round 1 numbers, a million and a quarter, it was said c that the Opposition, by reducing the Esti- t mates, had hampered the Government, and t created depression, but the Government had > only applied for a million and a quarter, « and a large portion of that was for t defences, so that while last year the ( Government only spent £1,336 000 upon t public works, this year they only proposed ( to spend a million and a quarter, of whish 1 a large sum, certainly £150,000, was to be ( spent in defence works. It may be recollcc- I ted that this statement was made in a i document considered in Cabinet and long | boforo the Opposition had decided anything ( about reducing the Estimates. Thus the i Government themselves had decided | upon limiting thoir expenditure to i a million and a quarter. How was j it possible for the Government to say that they were anxious for a vigorous expenditure, and the Opposition had stopped them? The Miuister this year had asked for railways a sum of £1,347,000. The Houoe granted him £979,000. They were told that the country was to bo ruined , and distress to be brought about because of that small reduction, because the House was not prepared to vote more than £979,000 for railways, agreeing with the Government in limiting the expenditure to a million and a-quarter. If that was not sufficient, the sooner the country declared that it should be sufficient the better for everybody. The total amount to the Whi-taker-Atkinson Government for the two years preceding the accession of the present Government, was less by £1,100,000 than the money granted to the present Government during their first two years of office, yet the Stout Government had spent less than their predecessors. 1 bey could have shown more vigour if they had chosen to do so. They had shown that they were utterly insincere or incompetent for their position. He believed that they were insincere, and that tbe Treasurer was anxious to start some extravagant scheme, and was seeking to get an excuse by accusing the Opposition of having prevented him from carrying out his policy. The reason the reductions had been made in the Estimates was that the Opposition considered that to vote the Government £2,1U0,000 instead of £2,600,000 was to give them quite enough margin, when they proposed to spend only one million and a quarter, and it was known that if they granted the larger sum they must have authorised a new loan, or the Government would have had an excuse for doing that which they had since threatened to do—seizing the North Island Trunk loan. It was untrue that the reduction of the Estimates stopped works in i any way, but if all the money asked for had been granted, there would have been great pressure brought to bear upon the Governi mc-nt by their political friends to exceed the » limits which they had set themselves in the Public Works Statement. There was no > necessity for the Government to stop works, or to discharge public officers. The effect > of the reduction was simply to prevent the i necessity of a further loan. The Premier > and the Treasurer had accused him of i wrongfully diverting a portion of the three » million loan, but that had all been explained. > One object of the million and a half loan was i to recoup the money to various lines which ' had beeu expended on rolling stock under f circumstances detailed at the time.

THE NORTH ISLAND RAILWAY LOAN. With regard to the North Island Truuk loaD, he coudemned the threats which had beeu m&do by the Premier and the Treasurer. He was glad to notice they had been scouted by friend and foe alike from one end of the colony to another, and that the Government, to use a homely phrase, had "dropped it like a hot potato." But none the less it was a terrible disgrace to the colony to have a man in the position of the Premier making use of such a threat. He protested in the strongest possible way against the political morality of the utterances of the Colonial Treasurer and Premier on thiß subject. While the late Government was in office, the North Island Trunk loan had always been deal with as being entirely separate from the other public works money of the Government, and it was only the other day that he discovered that last session the .North Island Trunk Railway loan had been scheduled in the Appropriation Act. He took blame to himself that he had not noticed this when the Bill was passing through the House, but he had not thought it possible that the Government could do such a thing ' without bringing the matter under the notice of the House, which had not been done. He could not say whether it had been done intentionally or accidentally. It might have been one or the other. Lie was certain that if tbe matter had been brought under the attention of the House it would never have been done. It was a special loan, and should have continued to be specially treated. He had no doubt the House on re-assembling would restore the loan to its old position. However, the action of the Government in talking as they had of taking this loan was simply to frighten people. They had no right to take the loan, and they had ample money to meet all tbe votes without taking it. They had over £2,000,000, and had undertaken to spend over not more than a million and a quarter. EAST AND WEriT COAST LIN'K. With regard to the Ease and West Coast and Nelson Railway, he had always looked on it as part of the main scheme which would have to be carried out some day, but it must take its turn after the completion of other lines which promised to be more profitable. The colony would not be satisfied in spending £3,000,000 or £4,000,000 upon it at present. The House had granted certain concessions if a company will undertake the construction of line, and he disapproved of the action of the Government in proposing, while negotiations were still pending, to vote a sum of £150,000 to commence the construction of the line. DISTRICT RAILWAYS. As to the district railways, he said he always felt that the colony would have to acquire the lines. Ho supported the propositions made last session as a means of putting an end to the existing state of affairs. LOCAL GOVERNMENT. The local government policy was to crown the edifice which Government were building up. He referred to the failure of the Government in respect of the Local Bodies Finance and Powers Bill, pointing out that the Act as passed granted subsidies for six months instead of for 25 years as proposed, and contained eight clauses as against 57 when it was introduced. He hoped they would hear no more of such a Bill as that. The fact was neither tbe Premier nor the Colonial Treasurer knew anything about the requirements of the country distriots, nor about local [ government. They were anxious to do their

best, but they bad not the knowledge. The , Roads and Bridges Construction Act had Ji been repealed, and nothing had been put in its place. Something must be done to help localities with.the construction of roads. The localities could nob construct the roads. rj Though railways were important, they were valueless without roads. He ridiculed the I Hospitals and Charitable Aid Bill as totally I unworkable. 1 PROTKCTION AND FREE TRADE. As to the question of protection and free ' trade, he thought it was nonsense to raise J the issue, as the Colonial Treasurer was doing, beoausfl revenue must be had. The Customs revenue was so necessary that the colony could not afford to remit taxation. The taxation to be levied f in the main should be regulated by . the requirements of the revenue. It i seemed to him to be an abstract question at ( the present time. NATIVE AFFAIRS. As to the native affairs, he should have to leave that subject and others to be dealt with in a speech which he would deliver later on, but he might say that he was afraid native affairs were being mismanaged. The natives were using Mr. Stout and Mr. Ballance at the present time, as the colony , would find to its cost by-and-bye. He referred to the proposed Native Lands Registration Bill of last session, and was strong in his objections to the Native Land Disposition Bill, which would have riaced far too much power in the hands of the Native Minister and created a most undesirable state of affairs. He referred to the fact that Wahanui, in evidence laßt session before the Native Affairs Committee, had professed utter ignorance as to settlement going on on the line of railway, and said he could not reconcile that evidence with the statements of the Government that blocks of land were being acquired there. The line certainly should not be made until the land was acquired. PARTIES. He spoke of the state of parties during last session. He said the Opposition led by '' himself had been prepared to give the Government support in all good measures, and had done so, and so had at the same time effectively opposed bad measures. They were not anxious to turn, the Government out if they proved to be sincere, and it was only when Government had made a mess of everything that the party he led, not wishing to take office themselves, decided to give Mr. Ormond or Mr. Montgomery support in caße they could turn the Government out. When efforts to bring that about failed, the party led by him, felt it their duty to place their opinions upon record, which they had done by a series of resolutions which he had given notice of, which, with the exception of one (which had been defeated), the Government declined to allow to be put, but he claimed that the policy contained in these resolutions had been adopted by or been forced upon the Government later on except the resolution in favour of the stopping of the North lelund Main Trunk Line. THE I'DTURE. As to the future, the Government having failed in everything they had attempted would no doubt try to recover their position by a new departure. They were now putting out feelers with that object in view. There was no doubt that prosperity could be restored by a large annual expenditure for a short time. If the colony were to go in for a loan of eight or ten millions, it was certain interest could not be provided out of revenue, and he wished to say distinctly that he was entirely opposed to, and should resist to the utmost, any proposition which might be made by any party whatever for paying interest out of loan. That might be the proposition brought forward, and it would be for the people to consider it. He did not believe for a moment that the colonists of New Zealand would ever submit to such a thing. He did not believe they would ever consent to raise money for the purpose of constructing works which : it was impossible could be repro- ! ductive, in order to gain immediate advantage. He could not believe the 1 colonists would adopt a policy which, 1 though it meant ficticious prosperity for four or five years, would result in such a collapse ' as had never yet been witnessed in New ■ Zealand. He believed that the true policy was a moderate system of publio works to ' be pushed on steadily, but borrowing must 1 be gradually contracted, and not increased. ' Borrowing must not be for the purpose of I restoring prosperity by " leaps and bounds," f but be kept within such limitß that the ' interest may be easily provided out of . revenue. He believed that a large number of the public men of New Zealand ' were not prepared to go in for extravagant 1 proposals which might be brought forward ■ by the Government. He denied that his 1 policy was to " lie down and waituntil ProviI dence helped you," as had been alleged by ; the Treasurer at Christchurch. His policy, • on the contrary, was to labour and to wait, a 1 policy which Sir J. Vogel could not under- > stand. On the other hand, Sir J. ' Vogel belonged to the same class as two ' Americans, who, having failed in everything, ' had to be locked up, and having nothing at ' all, proceeded at once to make each others ■ fortunes by swapping jackets. Sir J. Vogel i did not understand waiting or progress. 5 He did not understand either of these • things, unless it is to he by leaps and • bouuds. The colony wanted a steady and 1 continuous progress. Those who had come r to the colony to make it their home wanted to do bo gradually and steadily by continuous work, and not by lying down and waiting. Neither did they want to be handed over 'i to great speculators who hastened to bo 9 rich, and who would land the country in f bankruptcy. 8 A vote of confidence was earned unanimously.