DEPUTATIONS TO MINISTERS

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1536, 7 August 1901, Page 52

DEPUTATIONS TO MINISTERS

LIGHT JuINES FOR THE BACK-

BLOCKS.

Two deputations from districts outaide of the Wairarapa waited on the Premier and the Minister for Public Works on the 31st ult. to urge upon them the necessity of facilitating th e laying down of lines to open up the land of the backblocks, and afford the settlers thereon an opportunity of developing their selections to the best advantage. The first deputation was introduced by Mr O’Meara, M.H.R. The first spokesman was Mr J. Reveil, who said the ob_

ject of the deputation was to secure the services of the Government in the matter of instituting an electric tramway from Pahiatua to the districts of Ma- \ kuri, Rakaunui and Pongaroa. The deputation was satisfied that such a tramway would be a financial success- An engineer sent by the Electric Traction Company .of England to inspect the rout© had reported favourably on the line. The people of the district were prepared to pledge their properties for a special rate as security, provided the Government would assist the district with legislation. Mr Dunning, speaking as a settler of Makuri, .said he could testify to th e goodness of the land which the line would open up, both as an agn_ cultural district and as 'a tourist resort. He was so convinced that the project would pay that he was prepared to put £IOOO into the venture. Other members of th e deputation spoke in support of the proposition. At present the district was greatly hampered by insufficient means of communication. Mr Reece pointed out that the carrying-out of the projected tramway would give an enhanced value to Crown lands in the district through which th e line would pass. Mr Wakeman spoke of what he had seen in America in the way of electric tramway traction. At Los Angelos the Edison Traction Company had an electrical tramway eighth three miles in length. In Italy, Switzerland and France the same method of traction was utilised. In ,the districts from which the deputation caihe there was already a dearth of firing for the dairy factories, sawmills, etc. Th e institution of th e line asked for would obviate this by giving facilities for cheap haulage. The Premier said the operations had not arrived at any stage which justified the Government in seeing anything done. If tbe deputation brought down a formu_ lated scheme the thing would be different. Let them form a company, and come down with something definite. That was the position they should put themselves in. The Premier explained, in answer to an objection, that what was wanted was power for the landowners to pledge their properties as securities, that it would be necessary for that end that some authorised body should take up the matter. Mr O’Meara thought a Bill to empower a county to make the proposal should he brought down by the Government. It would be no use for a privat© member to attempt to get such a Bill through he House. The Premier, in reply to a tentative question by a member of the deputation, said h e was not unfavourably inclined to the proposal. It was, however, essential to the chance of the proposal being put through that it should'be more definitely stated.. It was stated, in answer to a question bv Mr Seddon, that the estimated cost of the line was £200,000. The distance to be covered was thirty miles. There were about half a dozen local bodies m the area proposed to be covered The Premier finally said that the best thing to do was to submit a Bill to Parliament providing to some local body the special powers necessary to give it mam control—-the other, local bodies being contributors—in order that the matter

might be at once dealt with should the settlers by vot e favour the line’s construction. Eventually, Mr O’Meara said be thought the Government should indicate its willingness to allow to people concerned one-half the unearned increment. The Premier said he had thought that was coming. The best thing the deputation could do was to place in concrete form their proposals, and then submit the same to the Government for consideration.

Mr Hogg, M.H.R., next introduced a deputation from his district which wished to ask' the Government to facilitate the endeavours being made to have constructed a light line of railway between Masterton and Weber. Mr Daniell told the Premier that a light line at a light cost could be profitably laid down in the district. Thq Government had already spent £160,000 in making roads, but owing to lack of metal those roads were now impassable. Haulage,of goods in some parts of the district now cost £5 10s per ton. The settlers were prepared to make the line for themselves. 'Unless they were enabled to get their produce to market cheaper than they could under present conditions, they could not make a living. Mr Eli Smith, of Orepuki, spoke of the cheapness with which light lines could be constructed. Victoria and Tasmania had proved the utilitv of light lines. Mr Boasted spoke of th e condition of the roads. There was in one stretch a sea of mud thirty miles long. Metal there cost 12s and 13s a yard. Mr Pirani, M.H.R., at this juncture explained that several members of Parliament had intended waiting upon the Government to urge the necessity for a general Act under which any district could take advantage of the facilities which would be by that Act afforded to undertake (through Order-in Council or other provision to be made by the Act) the construction of li<rht lines without the necessity of waiting on the Government. Mr J. Cross explained that in Rakanui it was absolutely essential to have some better means of ingress and egress provided. The condition of the roads was deplorable. What thev now paid for haulage was far oreater than the sum they would be called upon to pay as interest for the cost of the railway’s construction. The Premier replied to this deputation on the lines adopted bv him in speaking to the previous one. They must bring down definite proposals. A KEROSENE BONUS. A large deputation of Parliamentary members and of shareholders and others in the company most affected waited upon the Premier in reference to the disabilities under which the Orepuki Kerosene and Shale Company suffered. It was urged that the abolition of the" duty on kerosene and paraffin wax had resulted in a lo«s to the company of in all £95,000. Before the reduction was made last year a sum of £75,000 had been sunk in machinery, so the company was forced to go on. A sum of llfd was the cost of raising the oil, and all that was obtainable under present conditions was 7d. The company, when it started business, had 'reckoned upon the permanence of the duty for several years at least. The matter of a bonus was mentioned as a means of remedying the trouble. It was also pointed out that the cost of labour in New. Zealand was within a decimal of three times more than it was in Scotland, whereas the re* turn was very little more. It was suggested by the Hon. A. Lee Smith that the trouble could be settled by the allocation of a sum of money by way of bonus. The Premier hoped he would not be considered at all discourteous to the deputation; but it seemed to him it had come before it was ready. The figures should be submitted to the Government to prove that the quantity of oil necessary to be produced to earn th e bonus had been turned

out by the company. It seemed to him that the company wished to anticipate the situation and claim the bonus on the strength of what. it was going to do. The fact remained that another company had signified its intention to claim the bonus. It would not do for an impression to get abroad that because duty was placed on an article it could not be taken off. He would say that if the company proved it had already earned the bonus the Government- would then consider the company’s claim to further special treatment. At present he could not commit the Government to any further obligations.

RATING ON UNIMPROVED VALUES.

A deputation comprising Messrs Hogg and Laurenson, M.H.R.’s, Messrs W. McLean, O’Regan, Singer, Grove, Lynch, Betts, Jamieson and others waited on the Premier on Wednesday, and brought be* fore him resolutions passed at a meeting in the Exchange Hall. After Mr AJ.cLean and several other speakers had urged that the Rating on Unimproved Values Act Amendment Bill should be amended so as to apply the system of exempting improvements from all local rates, Mr Seddon said he recognised the reasonableness of th e suggestion, and would give it every consideration. The deputation next referred to the question of reducing Customs duties on the necessaries of life, and recouping the deficiency by further direct taxation. Mr Hogg pointed out that the graduated land tax was not operating to bring large estates into the market, because it was too light. He instanced cases in his own and the Wairarapa districts where certain large properties were being <>nor. mously benefited by public works, and wer e being withheld from settlement. The Premier, in reply, said that a return just laid on the table of the House showed that large estates wore increasing, despit 6 the number which had been acquired for settlement. The facts showed that th e intention of Parliament to compel the subdivision of estates was being defeated. He agreed that the mass of the people paid too large an amount indirectly, and he told the deputation that Cabinet was now considering the whole question in connection with th e reduction of the mortgage and the increase in the graduated land tax.