POLITICAL ADDRESS BY SIR J. HALL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 9185, 27 April 1893, Page 5

POLITICAL ADDRESS BY SIR J. HALL.

[BY TELEQRAI'II.— ASSOCIATION.] CiißisTCiumcu, Wednesday. Sir John Hall addressed a well-attended meeting of his constituents at Leeston last evening. fie expressed sincere regret at the illness of Mr. Ballance. Though opposed to his politics, he gladly recognised the courtesy with which the Premier always conducted parliamentary warfare.

THE GOVERNMENT AND THE OPPOSITION. The present recess had been dull compared with the preceding one. The Ministerial supporters grumbled at the Opposition for not speaking, and when Mr. Kulleston did speak they grumbled still more that he was not sufficiently partisan and did not strike out a new policy. New Zealand had been the victim of now policies. Steady work was what was now wanted. The absence of violent partisanship from Mr. Rolleston's speech was to bo applauded. The mass of the settlers did not care who was in office so long as they got good government. The task of speaking for the Ministry seemed to have devolved upon Mr. Reeves, who had made the best of a, bad cases. His charges of obstruction against the Opposition were unfounded, but were serious because his party were authorities on the subject of obstruction. Mr. Seddon had stonewalled himself into office, and now stonewalled his own Bills. In the financial debate the Government supporters made morn speeches and took up more time than the Opposition. He agreed that there was too much talk in Parliament. Ministers had a majority with which they could have amended the landing orders if they had wished to do so.

TUB FINANCES OF TIIK COLONY. The finances of the colony woa not now critical, as the Liberal party left it in 1887. The Atkinson Government had placed it on a sound footing, and left a large balance in the Treasury. The year's surplus of £300,000 was made, possibly, by £165,000 from the previous year (the result of Atkinsonian finance), £80,000 of interest postponed till next year. £280,000 of Treasury bills were issued to provide for sinking fund.

PUBLIC works. With regard to public works, Ministers had repeated the boast of providing for them out of income and not borrowing, until they had come to believe it themselves. But they wore only following Mr. Skimpole's injunction, to " Live within their means, even if it was necessary to borrow the money to do it with." Public works expenditure depended on realised sinking fund. Treasury bills, and the balance of Sir H. Atkinson's loan. Ministers had abused the latter for raising a loan, but had lived on its proceeds. If alive, he might have repeated the well-known complaint—

If they have gir«m me gall Instead of honey, AH I can say is they hays had my money. Treasury bills for large amounts ware authorised—£lso,ooo for roads and native lands and land for settlement, £100,000 to anticipated revenue, £450,000 to be pawned if required. Altogether Ministers took authority to increase the floating debt by £70*1,000. The assertion that they had abandoned borrowing, and were relying on revenue only, was pure fiction, Mr. Reeves now only said they would not borrow in London. So long as money was cheaper in London than New Zealand it would be drawn from London, and the interest would go thither. Sir John denounced the assertion that the net debt had been decreased by £117,000, and went into figures to prove that the debt had greatly been increased.

THK NEW TAXATION. Upon the subject of taxation he had not changed his opinion. The new system should have a fair trial, and its defects be pointed out. Some of them had been corrected last session. He condemned the different manner in which exemptions were allowed to partners in land and partners in trade, and also the hardship of the graduated tax imposed on trust property like the Canterbury Church property. This had necessitated a reduction in many small stipends, and was not putting the burden on the shoulders best able to bear it. In reply to the charge of inconsistency, in now condemning an improvement tax, he said the Act of 1879 did not increase a man's taxation if he spout money on improvements which the present Act did it exceeding a given sum. This was what he protested against. If graduated taxation was right, why not apply it to all property? Jay Gould would have paid at a lower rate in New Zealand than many hard-working farmers.

THE LAND QUESTION. On the land question, he said Ministers had nrastically had to surrender the perpetual lease. The substituted "eternal lease" would not last. As soon ae leaseholders were numerous enough they would abolish it. The present silence about land nationalisation was owing to the expressed public disapproval, and the approach of a general election. FEMALE SUFFRAGE. Ho deplored the disagreement between the two Houses which wrecked woman's suffrage. He disagreed with the Council's amendment, but showed that Mr. Seddon's pretended alarm was a mere dodge to shelve woman's suffrage. REPRESENTATION OF MINORITIES. He also argued at considerable length on the necessity for the representation of minorities, especially in large cities, where at present they were practically disfranchised. He favoured an elective Council, which could provide for the representation of the people as well as guard against hasty legislation. THE LABOUR QUESTION'. On the labour question,' ho had never been opposed to the Bureau, which should have been called a Labour Exchange. Government should give temporary work to those who stood in need of it, but on terms which would discourage them from continuing to depend on the Government. He objected to the provision in the Conciliation and Arbitration Bill which practically confined it to labour unions, and he also objected to the compulsory provisions. This was opposed to the weight of opinion in other countries, and would be quite unworkable. He hoped these points would be reconsidered next session.

CAUSES OF THE COLONY'S PROSPERITY. He dwelt at some length on the drift of the policy of the Government, and of their supporters towards socialism, referring to Mr. Ballance's statement, that individualism was a doctrine of " the devil take the hindmost," he said its abandonment would mean that in this sense the devil would take the lot. _ He congratulated his constituency and Ministers on the improved condition of the colony. Mr. Seddon had said that Ministers had wiped out the depression. The Egyptians thought that the Dog Star caused the overflow of the Nile. There was as much truth in this superstition as in the belief that the rise of the Seddon star had brought prosperity to New Zealand. The export of frozen mutton, which caused one and a-half millions sterling to lie distributed amongst all classes, had done ten times more than Ministers.

RETIREMENT FROM POLITICAL LIFK. Sir John Hall then announced his intention not to seek re-election. This was purely on personal grounds, and had. after the election of 1890, been intimated to his friends. After nearly 40 years of public service he desired to leave it to younger men to carry on the work. He concluded with an expression of continued interest in public affairs and of gratitude for the confidence which had been reposed in him by that and many other constituencies.