MR BRYCE’S ADDRESS.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 938, 21 February 1890, Page 2

MR BRYCE’S ADDRESS.

(PEE. PEESS ASSOCIATION.) Hamilton, February 16. Mr Bryce, in addressing the e'eotors of Waipa at Hamilton on Saturday night, stated that it was only right he should acknowledge the exceedingly handsome manner in which the district had received him in accepting the services of one outside their district to represent them. Colonially, rather than locally, they had done honour to themselves in giving the selfish spirit of localism the greatest blow he had ever known. He paid a merited tribute to the late member, Major Jackson, who had well served the district and the Colony. He referred to the manner in which Major Jackson and his men were placed in the invasion of Mehuki and his followers at Alexandra, when that*, fanatic was arrested. It was well for the country that services such as these should be recompensed. He himself had no cause to complain of any want of recognition. He had in fact felt he had been overpraised, but then he had often been overblamed. They had burnt him in effigy at the Thames, and the one perhaps balauced the other. He came to Waikato to acknowledge the kind manner in which he had been treated at the election. With regard to Native affairs, although at one time he had other ideas that more of the land might be conserved for them, he had come to see that there was only one way of dealing with the question, and that was that they should throw in theii lot with us and become one people, He would, however, secure for them ample reserves, leaving them to deal with the remainder as Europeans would deal with theirs, He could plainly see that the time was coming when the people would not consent to see large tracts of land lying nnutilised, and not bearing its share of the liabilities of colonisation. Speaking of local affairs, be said he would for one have no hesitation whatever in imposing heavy duties on local bodies and looal men, but he would give them extended power with extended responsibility. Make local offioes a real dignity, and plenty of good men would b 8 found. With regard to railways, as a tacit engagement was made when the loans were raised that the railways should be carried out in the interest of settlement, a great injustice had been done. They had been managed solely upon commercial principles, but unfortunately those principles were not of a practical business character. If they must be managed on commercial principles, and if faith must be broken with the colonists, let them be carried on on broad commercial lines, and the first of these would be the reduction of freight and fares to the lowest possible minimum. In the matter of retrenchment, he believed he went ahead of his audience. He did not limit retrenchment to‘ the reduction of salaries. He did hot believe in too low a reduction in this direction : he in a, wider and deeper than* this. It would deprive the public r 6f some of those modern conveniences' ; which they were enjoying, and involve some sacrifices on the part of the public themselves ; but re~ trenchment was becoming a necessity of the Colony. Considerable sums were now being expended out of the Public VVorks fund. To go on in this way they must either raise fresh loans or do wifhoqt fiiem altogether. £3Q,OGQ was proposed to he expended on the opened lines ; £45,000. was to be expended on lands. This must cease or fresh loans be raised. Nineteen thousand pounds was also to be expended on village settlements ; £3O 000 for roads on goldfields ; public ' buildings, £45,0,30. These five items out of many would illustrate what he meant. R this was fo go on where was it going to lead'them’ Either we must retrench or discontinue the services, or we must continue to borrow to keep up the services. Without incisive Retrenchment we can only put off the fatal day. We must set our faces dead against borrowing, and only the creation of a healthy political feeling could bring that aboiit. On I ' the matter p| property taxation be Oiftfc in all respects ftyery ta* was objeo* tionable. The chief ' argument he had heard against it was that it was a tax on thrift and industry. Every tax must neoessarilv be one on thrift and industry. The property-tax was a tax on accumulated industry. What reason was there that property should not be taxed to maintain law and order that gave the protection under which property was engaged. It was an insurance premium on the protection which it received. Another objection wks that property yielding no inebme was That meant that the industrious who mhde . their property valuable were ta , to the'hilt,'while those who left their lands muifctoisid' were let go scot free. Inhia opinion It was utterly impracticably to put the whole taxation of the country 03 the land. The country was not able to b|a* the liabilities thrown, upon it. i lately W ■ judgqieqfc gly.ea ugaip.^ jfieht o|iratef* _„^-payahspß.4 ahtL- 3 -** _. lO tax principle was iQiculous. In the interests of the -wn, equally with that of the country, such a policy would be lifctle short of suicide. He had a plan for reducing the property-tax or abolishing it. He had heard of tax plans. There waa one that candidates at the next election would be pledged to abolish—the property-tax. That was an unwise step, Plenty of candidates could be got to make any pledges, but they would see the thing was so impracticable financrally that they would give a perfunotory vote that would not put the matter a Btep forward. With regard to the supposed surplus, he was soiry to see this was fading away. To make up the loss of the property-tax by increasing taxation on tea and sugar was not the resort he would advocate. He would recommend them to eleot men of character and intelligence, who would find many sources where the loss would be recouped by the saving of expenditure. It was a matter of little consequence to him whether he was returned to the next Parliament or not; but it was of consequence that a healthy public feeling on thu matter, and on kindred matters, should be maintained. He bad not expressed unqualified approval with the action of the i

Government. He did not go in to give an unqualified and blind support to the present Government. On the other hand, he could not approve the coudUet of the Opposition; For years it had been Very bad in tiiany respects: The Opposition had been , simply obstructing the wishes of the people, not because they did not approve them altogether, but for the sake of throwing discredit on the Government, and in doing this they had discredited representative institutions, and in doing this, in his opinion, they had covered themselves with political dishonour. The federationidea was instinctively attractive, and the larger the scheme the more attractive it was. The federation of the English-speaking people was indeed a beautiful dream, which one day might become a beautiful reality. Imperial Federation was another phrase, but it seemed to be forgotten that in all practical matters we were closely federated with the Mother Country. We were federated with England most completely, and he failed to see how it oould he carried very much further. He oould wish to see Australia federated. He left New Zealand out of the question, but he doubted whether it would be carried out. There were great obstacles. The settlement of averaging the loans was one of these. The difficulty of joint loans could be got over, bnt certainly not in the case of future loans. Federation was cer • tainly in the not remote future, but it would come about when a common danger rendered it a necessity. As regards federation far New Zealand, the chief object for federation was for defence in Australia, Their system of telegraphs and railways would enable them to concentrate their men upon any point in any part of Australia. If New Zealand were attacked we could not expect Australia to lay itself open to attack by sending ships and men to protect us in Now Zealand. Federation was desirable for Australia, but he doubted the wisdom of its applicability to New Zealand as a portion of such federation. Oui present education Bystem as secular was, he thought, a good one. He did not object to the sentiment of the Homan Catholics in declining the advantages of our system, but it was one that could not be dealt with. There was a common ground on which children of all denominations might meet, and denominational education be imparted afterward. To recognise their objections would be to destroy the national system. A cordial vote of thanks and confidence, moved by Captain Still, was carried with acclamation.