MR BALLANCE AT WANGANUI.

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVI, Issue 7680, 14 January 1886, Page 3

MR BALLANCE AT WANGANUI.

(united press association.) WanoaKcJ, January 13. Mr Ballance addressed his constituents at the Princess Theatre, the Mayor occupying the chair. Mr Ballance, who was received with loud applause, stated that he had heard complaints of his not having addressed the electors between the sessions of 1831 and 1885. His reason for not doing so he explained was that he had stated his opinions at a banquet tendered to him during the recess, and he had nothing further to say at that time. Referring next to the work of last session he was quite prepared to admit, that from a certain point of view, there had never been a more unsatisfactory session in the history of Parliament in New Zealand. It' was, however, necessary that the electors should apportion the blame, state whether they arrived at the conclusion that the condition of affairs during the session arose out of the peculiar state of parties, the factiousness of the Opposition, or the incapacity of the Government, He was quite prepared to submit the issues to them, and ask them which explanation appeared the most reasonable. When he last addressed a Wanganui audience he had indicated as far as possible the policy of the Government, and he was prepared to show that that policy had been embodied in legislation. When the House met lost session the Government were met with a vote of wanfc i of-con* fidence, moved by Sir George Grey, which ended in a most complete fiasco, and the ignominious political death of the great actor of the occasion, Sir George Grey himself. He forgot when the motion was to come on, did not reply to. the debate which had arisen, and came into the House in a breathless state of anxiety and excitement to find that the whole question had been decided. The responsible leader of the Opposition kept himself in the background carefully concealed, and saw confusion worse confounded, while he himself ignored his own existence for a time and played the tart of a private member. This game was carried on from the beginning to the end of theseaaion; and there was nothing in the. nature of constitutional opposition until the last days of the session, .when Major Atkinson plucked up the courage to table a vote of no confidence against the Ministry, Mr Ormond had been asked to lead the Opposition against the Government, but Sir G. Urey declared he would not follow Mr Ormond, and repudiated the very idea of doing so. Mr Montgomery was also asked to lead the Opposition—that was to say, the man whom Major Atkinson had been ridiculing for the last ten years as being utterly unworthy to lead any party—and then Major Atkinson himself came forward. In the. debate which followed Mr Ormond said he had no confidence in Major Atkinson, though Major Ackioaon appeared to have confidence in and to be willing to follow Mr Ormond. There further arose a party calling itself the Middle Party, which said ** We must keep the Government in, but their measures out.” This saying had been looked upon by some as being equal in wisdom to some of the proverbs of Solomon, bat a more unconstitutional line he had never heard of. If the Government could not carry its . measures, and if its measures ought not to be carried, it was the plain duty of the Opposition to eject them from office. The Government had brought down a tariff which was said to favor Protection, and the Freetraders formed a very strong party against it, with the consequence that the tariff was destroyed. He believed it was the duty of the Government at this stage to have tendered their resignation, and, as a matter of fact, they were about to do so when fifty-two of their supporters implored them to continue in office, and they, believing it to be their duty to their country and their party, acceded to the wish. The increase of taxation proposed by this tariff was necessary to wipe out the deficiency of the previous Government. That Government had been great in deficiencies. Its Treasurer had piled them up * year after year, till they amounted to L 830,000, when they were wiped out at one sweep by being transferred to loan. The last year they were In office their deficiency amounted to LX30,000, and it was the intention of the Government to wipe out a portion of this deficiency, and gradually to reduce it with the increased taxation so provided. There was thus a justification for the^taxation proposed, and there were exigencies in every country when it became the duty of the Government to increase taxation. He knew that Major Atkinson had admitted that we soon should have to provide for the increasing wants of the Colony. During the session the Government brought down a number of measures. He himself had charge of the Band BUI, the Premier of the Hospital and Charitable Aid BUI; and Sir Julius Vogel of a number of financial measures. Some of these were carried, some lost, and some very largely cut-up, but the result of the session comd not be considered unsatisfactory when they had placed on the statute book about 62 public Acts. Ho held that there had been no more important measure passed in the history of the Colony than the Band BUI, which extended in a very material degree the liberal principles of land settlement in this Colony. Credit was due to Mr Hollestbn, late Minister of Lands, for throwing aside his obligations to party and coming forward boldly to assist in passing the measure into law. Referring to major Atkinson’s no-confidence motion, he said that no broad question of policy bad been tra- - versed. He did not know that the best friends of Major Atkinson could say of any Government of which he had been a member that any broad question of policy had been submitted, or, if there had. they were got rid of with wonderful facility. As an instance to! this bo quoted the National Insurance scheme, which had been preached on every platform between Auckland and Invercargill, and which Major Atkinson had either no intention of carrying further, or else he was not possessed of sufficient energy to carry it through, Dealing seriatim with the resolutions proposed by Major Atkinson, he said that the Government bad undertaken to spend not more than a million and a quarter annually. They had undertaken in connection with the harbors very large works which would amount to at least a quarter of a million, so that they had only million left lor ordinary services, this being the same amount as demanded by Major Atkinson in 1882. In 1882, when the. three million loan was raised, Major Atkinson had promised to expend not more than a million a year; but when the Government came into office, they found ah expenditure of 1*1,800,000 going on, which it had taken them all their time to reduce to a reasonable amount. Major Atkinson seemed to swallow his own principles in laying down principles for the Government, It was said that he availed himself of the excuse that he was not responsible for the aetiona of his; Mihll&sr for Public Works, who seemed to v have talJn the whip in his own hands and run 'ttway with the coach. The first was a. mere catch-penny resolution* with no policy in it at all. • The Government had been pledged not to exceed a million and a quarter, and they were determined to keep that pledge. With regard to the second resolution, dealing with the Bast and Coast/itailway in 1882, his Ministry actually'proposed the same railway; bat finding it bo unpopular in the .House

he had dropped it. It was generally said that if Major Atkinson got back-into office the very first thing he would undertake would be the East and West Coast Railway. The third resolution stated that no new loan was required, but it was well known that it was not a question as to whether the loan was to be raised, but as to when would be the most fitting time for raising it. It was admitted that loans were required for public works, and it must be assumed that the Government would take the most convenient time for going into the Resolution No, 4 dealt with the obtaining of land on the North Island Trunk Railway. Mr Ballance showed thfrt in 1884 Government had taken the pre-emptive right to four and a half million acres, thus preventing any private individual from acquiring a single acre of land along the route. Time was necessary before lands could be acquired from the Natives, titles having to be investigated by Native Land Courts. Major Atkinson had implied that the land did not belong to the Natives, but according to the Treaty of Waltangi the rights of Natives in this respect were bound to be recognised, Wahanui had been asked by Mr Ormond whether he was prepared to his land to Government, and the reply was viven that he was not. He considered it a question of purchase. Mr Ormond had urged the point again and again that the land should be given to the Government, but be (Mr Ballance) doubted whether under similar circumstances Mr Ormond or other Europeans would be prepared to cede their lands to the Crown. The fifth resolution was that the Government was to save L 30,000 this year, and LBO.OOO next. When the expenditure of Government was under criticism) Major Atkinson could not put his hand on any item and say that it was extravagant, and yet he expected Government to do In a lump what he had been unable to do in During last session no charge of maladministration had been brought against the Government, though this was the usual ground on which votes of no-confidence were baaed. Referring to Major Atkinson’s statements at Hawera, Mr Ballance said that some of his beat friends were heartily ashamed of the position which he had taken up with regard to the North Island, rail way loan. He had taken blame to himself for not noticing that it was in the Appropriation Act, and had charged Government with unworthy motives for putting it there, while, as a matter of fact, it had appeared in the schedule of. the previous year. When the loan was authbxised in 1882 a clause was inserted ih the Act providing that the loan should not be raised until the route had been decided upon. This was not done until 1884, and consequently it could not be placed in the Appropriation Act before then. with the Hospital and Charitable Aid Bill, Mr Ballance said that the Hall Ministry in 1879 had brought down a measure containing similar proposals) though the measure Was - afterward Withdrawn, yet this measure had been Characterised by Major Atkinson at Hawera as a bad one. In 1882, Major Atkinson’s Minister of Public Works strongly recommended nbn-political Railway Boards ; but since then Major Atkinson appeared to have swallowed his principles on this point. After referring to the attitude taken Up by Major Atkinson in allowing second-rate members—such as Messrs Pyke and Hislop—to bring fotWatd Votes of no confidence, Mr Ballance went on to deal with the Native policy of the Government. Ho claimed that the highest qualification for a statesman was prescience with regard to things which were to arise; and be left it to them to say whether hia action with regard to Patihaka had been right or wrong. He showed that the scare originated at Parihaka had been got up by interested persona, and that his one-policeman policy had been a great success. The ntlmber"of A.O.’s for the preservation of peace in Native districts had been reduced from 428 to 48. The policy of the Government with regard to the was contrasted with that of the previous Ministry. He had been accused of returning to the sugar and flour policy, but he denied that be had ever attempted anything of the sort. He charged the Atkinson Government with offering bribes to Tawhiao In the shape of a seat in the Legislative Council, a Native agsessorship, a J.P.-ship, a house and furniture, and also a sum of L4OO a year. Te Kooti bad been pardoned in the hope that it would lead to the Settlement of the Waikato difficulty) but no one who knew anything of Native affairs would ever have supposed that , the end could be attained in that manner. The action of the Government with reference to Topia Kemp and Major Ropata were adversely criticised, and the great Parihaka scare of 1881 was referred to as a matter which mUht have easily been prevented by the Government. The Native Lands Disposition Bill had met with considerable opposition, but he was glad to be able to say that at a large representative meeting held at Hastings he had found the Natives unanimous in the support of the principles of the measure. The principle of the BUI was that henceforth no Native land should be sold to any private indivldul except under the waste land laws of the Colony. Great objections to the Bill were raised by the speculators and groat land accumulators, who saw that if it was ever passed they wsuld be debarred from carrying on their unworthy game. The other Native Land Bill which had beenjjrought on was for the consolidation of the existing laws on the subject, but without the Native Land Law Consolidation Bill it would not be of any great benefit to the Colony. Natives at present held about thirteen million acres, and it was not yet too late to Commence saving this. It had been said that they were going to create a Maori aristocracy, but be had no Intention of doing sa. There were at present about 40,000 Natives In the Colony—British subjects—with feelings and sympathies the same as Jhemaelvea, and it would be to the credit of the white people of this Colony that they should not be cast out and allowed to perish,'if by stretching forth their hand they might be I saved. As far as possible it was their duty to encourage the Natives to abandon their habits of communism for others more nearly approaching the European, He thought that every Native should be settled down upon his own piece of land under crown grant, and be encouraged to live under his own vine and fig tree. The elevation of the Native people should be the great object of every Government, An old Maori was reported to have said that Bryce was a very hard man, while Ballance was a jolly fellow. He utterly repudiated the character, and did not believe there was anyone who had told them realer truths than he had, though be saw no reason to be harsh with them. The land policy of the Government was next alluded co, Mr'BaUance dealing at length with the advantages to be derived from the special settlements and small grazing runs system which had been introduced. One of the most important questions in the future would be the settlement of land in the vicinity of towns, and he was prepared to say that the Grown had the right to go in and take any property it pleased for this purpose by paying the property tax valuation, plus 10 per cent. With regard to the resumption of lands in this manner, he believed that after the Central Government had acquired the land the municipalities should be entrusted with the management of the settlement. Means for this could be provided by 4 per cent debentures, the State to issue the debentures to municipalities. If the people paid about 4fc ger cent as rent for the land he beeved the system would add materially to the prosperity of the towns as well as to that of the occupiers of the land. The question of Free Trade and Protection next came under review. The speaker held that it was for the welfare of the country that it should have manufactures, and for this he was prepared to support Protection. He had been a Freetrader for many years, but had been led to alter his views on the matter. He believed that Protection would not increase the price bf necessaries, inasmuch as competition would be keen and prices kept down. It was to the interest of farmers and the agricultural portion of the community that a protective eolicy should be adopted so that they might ave a market at their own doors in place of having to compete with countries more favorably situated than New Zealand. With regard to future taxation proposals he did not altogether object to the abolition of the LSOO exemption, provided that those better,able to pay were charged In proportion to the property they held. Speaking on defence matters, he said that:it had been absolutely necessary to do something for the protection of their ports, as the banks had threatened at the time of the war scare to remove their gold to Australia.. The Atkinson Government had treated the Volunteers in -a very unsatisfactory manner, but it was his object to place them on a proper footing, by giving an increased capitation and weapons of the latest pattern. He had ordered MartiniHenri rifles, which w*re said to be the best made. He deprecated the idea of New Zealand entering an Australian federation, believing that it would tend to weaken the forces of the Colony; but he trusted that when Imperial federation became possible, New Zealand would be able to treat on its own account as one of the principals. If they were to be part of an Australian federation, they must as a guarantee have the right of electing their own Governor. On the question of local government, he stated that there was a Srobability of the present subsidy system being iscontinued. - He was in favor of giving Road Board districts power to borrow money at 4 per cent., LIOO,OOO to be advanced annually. After dealing with several local matters, Mr Ballance referred in flattering terms to the Premier, to whom the Colony was indebted for much of the liberal legislation that bad been passed. As to the accusation that he was only nominally Premier, Mr.Ballance gave a distinct denial to the assertion. He supported the construction of the East and West Coast Railway as a work which should be constructed by the Colony; and with regard to the borrowing of ten millions, said that the question had not come before them, - but he could state that the policy of the Government would be cautious, nothing rash or heedless being done. In his opinion in the present state of parties the Government, to avoid the cost of two sessions, should ask for a dissolution before the House met. Mr Ballance spoke for 2£ hours, was enthusiastically received, and was accorded a unanimous vote of thanks and confidence.