SPEECH BY MR. F. LAWRY. M.H.R.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 11690, 27 June 1901, Page 6

SPEECH BY MR. F. LAWRY. M.H.R.

WARNING TO THE LABOUR PARTY. At the Oddfellows' Hall. Parnell, last night, Mr. Frank Lawry, M.H.R., for the district, gave an address to the electors. Mr. Hugh Campbell, Mayor, presided. The attendance of electors was fairly large, tue speaker receiving a very attentive hearing.

LOCAL GOVKRNMENT. After referring eulogisticaily to the work done for the Borough of Parnell by the Mayor, Mr. Lawry said that during the coming session a matter that would engage the attention of the House was the great question of local government of the first, in his opinion, that they should deal with. Under the existing circumstances the House was simply a huge, board of works, and what was wanted was the provision of a. local government measure, whereby the local bodies could administer local affairs, so far as roads and bridges were concerned. That would enable the House to take its proper place as a legislating chamber.

CONSOLIDATION OF LAWS. The House would also have to take into consideration the simplification and consolidation of the laws of the country. The whole of them should be consolidated, and if they passed an amendment to any great colonial measure they should not pass a separate Act, but. consolidate it with the laws already in existence. The statutes had beeft so piled up that even the legal mind of the colony did not - stand them. ■ THE LABOUR QUESTION. One of the great problems of the age was how to deal with the labour question. At the present time it seemed to him that labour was running mad. He had always contended that a. labourer was worthy of his hire, and that there should be no friction between labour and capital, as one was dependent on the other. In the House, at the present time, there were 74 members. The country districts could elect about 20 members, and the populous centres about 60. If the labourers went too far, and he thought they were asking too much, the country districts, where the settlers had to work from daylight, to Dark, would object, and work against the labour parties in the more populous centres.

RAILWAY EXTENSION". Speaking on the question of railway extension, he said that it had not only been his duty, but his privilege to help the country settlers who needed railways. When the question came up next session it would be his duty to assist tlie Northern members to get'an extension of the Northern railway. During the last two or three sessions they had had a great difficulty to contend against — the difficulty of provincial jealousy. So far as railways were concerned Auckland had not been able so far to obtain her fair share. He hoped by combination 'of the Auckland members (and parenthetically he might say, that unless great tact were observed there was a tendency to create provincial jealousy) to induce the Government to place a verylarge, sum on the Estimates to cany the line on to Maurigaturoto. The line was a good paying one, and if it were extended" the revenue would bo increased at least 25 per cent. A question of importance was that of the connection of Auckland and Wellington by rail. He had always been opposed to the construction of the Central railway. He believed now that it was a huge mistake to carry the line through the centre of the island, because it was simply a pumice desert. He was proud that the Government had commenced the Stratford route, and before this time next year it would be carried 10 miles towards the connection with Kawakawa. When that was done he was firmly of opinion that it was the duty of the Government to carry the line and open up the splendid Ohura district, now ready for settlement. He would like to point out that in extending the railways the Government would, in the cost of every mile, have represented an asset more than sufficient to cover expenditure.

BOAII9 AND lIHIDGKS. Another thing the Government must go in for was a system of roads and bridges. Parnell people did. not realise perhaps the difficulties of communication experienced by the out-districts. In the- North they" had bad roads, and rivers that required to be bridged. At the same time, with all clue respect to his friends who represent the North, he would say that in the North they knew very little about bad roads as compared with bad reads in Tara.naki. He would point out that every bridge like that which had just been started over the Waikato, at Tuakau, would lie a valuable asset to the colonv.

LICENSING LAWS. Yet another question that must be faced was thai of the licensing laws, which at piesent were in ;i most unsatisfactory condition. There had been an everlasting conflict between the wholesale and retail dealer. It would be a difficult matter to adjust that state of things upon a fair and equitable basis, but the Legislature would have to devote its attention to that great question, So far as he was personally concerned he would like to see every drop of liquor abolished from the country--(hear, hear) —but that was an absolute impossibility, because the British people had been drinkers from time immemorial, and would to the end of time. An endeavour had been made to do away with tied houses. He did not see how they could prevent a. contract being enteied into by the landlord and the tenant. However, something would have to be done, and lie hoped that when the Government faced the question the result would be satisfactory, and place it upon a satisfactory foundation. This year the Government would also have to deal with the question of issuing licenses in the I\ing_ Co.Uftti'y... During lagt session

the Public Petitions Committee took evidence for weeks, and the tenor of it went to prove that something must be done there to alter the present unsatisfactory state of things. With regard to a point that had been made (i great deal of. namely, the incident of the natives allowing tin. railway to go through the King Country on condition that no liquor was introduced, chiefs had told h'm that when that condition was laid down there was free trade in native hinds, and they saw how theii people were bribed by drink. That was what caused them to" insert that prohibition, hut the Maoris Line. realised that they bud made a great mistake. The same great chiefs had told him that since the introduction of Kurop?ans there tin- circumstances had entirely changed. Now they simply wanted what the prohibitionists had been claiming foi years, but. denied the people in the King Country: they wanted to he placed in exactly the same position as the other people of the colony and have the right to decide by vote whether they should or should not have licenses in the King Country. (Hear, hear.) There could surely be no' more reasonable request. It was an impossibility to keen the drink out of the country, and bow could the question be better settled than by giving the people—Europeans and native: the right to say whether they would have licenses or not?

T'.m.TA'nON" TS OfT-DiSL'KICTS. 'I lie Government should do more than it had done to promote settlement in the outlying districts, but one of the first steps to lie taken was to give the education boards sufficient funds to establish schools in those outlying districts. (Hear, hear.) The Government would have to largely increase the •.-ranis, and the boards must see that those •/rants were used in tin- establishment of schools, to follow in the wake of pioneer settlement. He wa- sure that such a proposal would have the sympathy of not only the whole House, but ilie whole colony. It had, been said by some that our education system was raising a. Godless race of youths, but lie denied that, and would point to the deeds of the colonials in the South African war as a proof of die stamp of young men 'King raised and educated 'in the colony. (Ilea., hear.)

.SIP. JOSEPH WARD. During the past session the Hun. Joseph Ward had attained his ambition. In a democratic country the Hon. J. G. Ward would bav.j done better to have remained the Hon. J. (.. Ward. (Cries of "Yes," and "No.") He bad successfully Carried through his proposal for universal penny postage, and it had subsequently been endorsed by other countries. He (the speaker) believed that the Hon. J. G. Ward. or Sir Joseph Waul, as the case might be, had made, a mistake, and that he should have continued the 2d postage and devoted the money to the opening up of the country. FRISK TRADE AND PROTECTION. With regard to taxation, he would not tax a mail so much for what he had as upon his abi-ity to pay the tax upon what he. had. He believed that labour was demanding too much—more than its fair share of the profits. He had noticed that a number of farmers in the South had decided to combine against labour unions. He. could quite understand country settlers who had to work from four hi the morning till ten o'clock at night, rising in arms against a union that declared that no man should go into a stable and feed his horse before half-past seven in the morning. That was tantamount to saying that those who passed that resolution Mere a set of idiots. When the farmers said they were going in for free trade they diet not see, however, that they were very largely dependent in the sale of their produce upon the very people who were protected by a tariff which enabled them to cany on their trades. If the people of New Zealand realised their true position they would see that protection was desirable for a young and growing country, but at the same time they would also see the truth of the savin? that patriotism would do more for the country than protection. TUB COMIX'; SESSION'. He considered that the coming session would be the most important that had been held tor a good many years. It was the first occasion upon which a forecast of the Governor's Speech had been withheld from the public, but probably the explanation was that the Royal visit- had overshadowed everything else. • WATCHIXf} TIIJS GOVERNMENT.

The Government, in order to carry on their public works policy,- would have to go in for borrowing, and what the people wanted to do was not so much to watch the borrowing policy, as to watch that the money was carefully and economically - expended. He took it "that in the past hundreds of thousands of pounds had been squandered for the purpose of buying political support. In the future the people would watch and see that the money set apart for opening up the country was well spent, and that no money was spent for buying the support of any constituency. (Applause.) In answer to questions the member said that as regards federation with Australia. he thought 'well should be let alone. He believed in New Zealand governing itself; ;,nd though he did not know much about home rule for Ireland, he knew that the best thine; was home rule for New Zealand. He was in favour of the Cycle Roads Bill, and thought it was absolutely certain to go through next session. It would have gone through last session if it had been introduced earlier. Mr. George Cozens moved a vote of thanks to Mr. Lawry for his address. As an amendment. Mr. I. Hill moved a vote of thanks and confidence, and in doing so said he would like Mr. Lawry to bring under the notice of the Government the magnificent gift of Dr. Campbell to the city of Auckland and the people of New Zealand. The amendment was carried without a dissentient.