THE PREMIER AT NAPIER.

New Zealand Times, Volume LVII, Issue 2413, 19 January 1895, Page 2

THE PREMIER AT NAPIER.

By Telegraph.—Special Correspondent. J ahuary 18. The Premier addressed a most enthusiastic and crowded audience to-night at tho Gaiety Theatre, the Mayor presiding. The Premier said that one reason for his visit and his speech was that he wished to dispel some gross misrepresentations of the actions of the Government which had been perpetrated by the Conservative press. Ministers were perfectly right in defending themselves against glaring and frequent misrepresentations. Probably the audience were under the belief that ho (tho Premier) was speaking that night freely and Unfettered. Perhaps he Was, as far as they were concerned' but the people of other centres Wbuld not obtain a deaf and accurate idea df Ilia oSpdaition 8f the Government's liit'eiltibns.ajjd aidtidps., Gntho last occasion die,-, spoke at Napier, tho first time ns Premier of New Zealand, he had been limited to 1500 words, and on the present occasion only new matter was to be sent, and as the epitome of his utterances would be filtered through the hands of press agents representing a journal bitterly opposed to the Government, it was not likely the people of New Zealand would feel satisfied With tile Woflt bf the Government, or place any confidence in it. The Conservative organs had great power, and subordinated all other interests in order to abuse the Ministry; and they were doing a grievous injury to the credit Of the Odldny at Home and abroad, SAPTAIN BHSSELD;

Eeferriag to the Opposition, thd Fromier said that the member fdr Hawke’s Day; Captain Russell, in a rfecOnt speech Had designated Tiilii. (the Fiffmier) "ff tfiiai;: lataii;*, ,f ilii juipostor," “tils Sequali of politics.” Thdsb terms of- . endearment did no harm./ ,He did not claihi lb lie a gentleman by birth and education, but, simply a fiifin of the pdbple. (Applause.) If he had indulged in personal abuse; the general opinion would be thdt it Wat orily to tfe expected; SttWdtfeti tlld iiheipebted sonletlmbs liappeiied. on a certain occasion in ,isBB Captain, Hussell; after actu'ally calling. Sir Hafry Atkinson a footpad; a few months subsequently sat alongside and followed him as a colleague. Did coming events now cast their shadows before? Captain Russell would not find him so forgiving as Sir Harry Atkinson had been.

THE OPPOSITION PARTY IN POWER. Captain Russell had said his own party were the family practitioners, who had been deserted for a Sequah, If they went back a feW years; frheri the faipily practitioners controlled the Stale, they Would find that When the patient’s interests shoiild liaVo been concerned; the life-blood df lljfi ebuntry had been drained; and that everything had bi'CU takeid ~ for tho doctors’ own eniolunient. There had heed land monoply and money monoply, and the burden of taxation had been cast on the people; This had been the prescription. df the family practitioners, ffnd the result of this policy was a general stampede from the Colony in 1887, 1888, 1889, and 1890. The change was opportune, and was needed. (Applause.)

WHAT HAD OCCURRED IN HAWKE’S BAT. The depression and the unemployed difficulty had been especially acute in Hawke’s Bay. A recent return giving the number of freeholders of country land in Hawke’s Bay, in areas ranging from 1000 acres to 100,000, showed that 121 owned 1,431,301 acres, valued at .£4,307,275, and of the unimproved Value of .02,770,738. After this statement it would be an insult to the intelllgenae of those present to explain the real causa of the grievance. The great depression in Hawke’s Bay, as compared with other districts, was entirely due to the inability of the province to increase its population add prosperity, and plaCe settlers on the land, owing to the land being utilised to feed sheep add cattle. The antidote itas to acquire these Ureas, , and to subdivide thdni into Sniall farms. ids BAND FOB SETTLEMENT BIOL. To Unable this to be done the Hand for Settlement Bill, vidattiniously endorsed at the last general elections, had been introduced, and soon the sufferings of the people would be alleviated, and the congested state of .the large towns relieved. This state of arfairs, while prevailing more particularly in Hawke’s Bay, was also affecting several other provinces. The large areas of Native lands remaining locked up had also a great deal to do With the depression, but the recent Act would tend to remove this drag on the wheel of progress. The Bill had been strenuously opposed, and the Government had been accused of borrowing a quarter of a million to squander, instead of acquiring land for settlement. The opposition to this measure was chiefly voiced by the land sharks and Pakeha Maoris, who saw big fees and largo sums of money slowly slipping from their grasp, and by the large pand-owhers, who saw the blow struck at monopoly. To show the attention the Government paid to the acquisition of Native lauds, the Premier said that up to the 31st March, next the Government would have acquired 1,740,000 acres, as compared with 78,000 purchased by the Atkinson Government between 1887 and 1890. At the last general elections the country had voted emphatically in favour of the rating of the unimproved value, yet they had seen the Legislative Council reject the measure in direct violation of the wish of the people. The Premier pointed out the great benefit to be derived by the owners of largo tracts of unimproved land by the thrift of their neighbours. The tax on the unimproved value was a great and equitable change, and must come. In refusing to give effect to-the wishes of the people the Council wore only preparing the rod with which to whip themselves. ' THE CHEAP MONET SCHEME. Then the cheap money scheme had been initiated by the Government last session. For many years past many husbands had been toiling and wives slaving on small settlements, being slowly but surely overwhelmed by usurious rates of interest charged for money they had been compolled to borrow to keep the farm to- : gether. To remove this yoke from around the necks of struggling settlers and enable them to enjoy a fair rate of interest the cheap money scheme had been brought into force. Its beneficial effect was already apparent in', the reduced and reasonable interests asked on loans outside the State; and now settlers and their families had the opportunity of enjoying homes which had been acquired after many years of toil and difficulties. These usurious rates of interest had been a blot on New Zealand for years past. That dark cloud had now been broken, and the silver lining gleamed in the distance. The money-lenders were furious because their death-blow had been dealt, even while they endeavoured to use the scheme as a lever to injure the credit of the Colony, both at Home and abroad, characterising the action of the Government as reckless borrowing. THE BANK GUARANTEE. The Premier also defended the action of the Government in reference to the guarantee to the Bank of New Zealand, saying that if the step had not been taken disaster would have overwhelmed -the whole Colony. The country had a splendid security for the two millions which had been advanced, and it would undoubtedly receive its own at the expiration of 10 years. The* very people who now accuse the Government of recklessness and huge borrowing in connection with this guarantee are the most benefited by the step, and but for the Act would BOOK hqvo been overtaken by ruin,

CONSOLS. ( The scheme of consols Had been intro- I duced in order to encouraga thrifty people, 1 pud give them safe and good investment > fdr their savings; It was an extension of ' tjie principle df the boat Office Savings ) BaUlt, which had beCU sd largely resorted J to during the recent panics. THE LABOUR LAWS. j . deferring, to tjie lahoiir legislation, the \ Premier said teat tfid Qdvcrhmdrit Udd UCCtI . condemned because they had passed oor- I tain iGgioiAtiuu. They wore oound to CIO this in order to keep pace with the times. What had been done in this respeet was really a Safeguard to pfopOrty-ow.uers, and | thC latti'r Shduld bS the last to decry this Jdgislatidil. It Was the diity .df the Stats to teach the workers and toilers that impartial arbitration and justice rather than bloodshed and strife were the proper means to settle disputes between employers and employees; The enipldyebs should iegort Id au iffipartihl tribunal to Settle disputes, instead of to the outrages which wore constantly occurring in the Mother Country, America, and other countries. He ■ believed that every right-thinking employer was in entire sympathy with the legislation which had been placed on tho Statute Hook. (Applause.). i ‘.‘Spoils to Titii victOhS;” . Thd&.ivds, A continuous ,cry of “spoils to the victors,” . The . Government were accused, morning, noon, and night. For 20 long years the Conservatives had been inpower, and after filling every position with theirfriendstheystill oriedtormoro. A great deal had been said of tho spoils scattered by the Liberal Government, lie Would tell them soihe tftutsdOtloiiS at the Continuous Conservative Fatty. In ,lbbs a iiidmbor of the Legislative Cojihcll had, 0,, soil—both w ; ere„ residents at llib HdiVkh’S .Baj- district —who; fctUihg td cbmjliy With theiaW; deeSi-fed from procuring a land grant. He therefore introduced a Bill to circumvent the law, voting in the Council in divisions, tho first of which was carried by 5 to 4 and tho second on the casting vote of ..the Chairman., Had .a Liberal member done this for his ion Ids conduct would have beett termed ijpt|a§[ey«S,li 'lt saß a» ifiattdr of history,, ilka ■ recorded in Hansard. On another occasion a block of land was under offer to the Government for the purpose of a rifle range, and a relative of the then Premier was acting as agent. Ho learned the intentlbna of the Government and the price they were prepared to give, and then changed from agent to sollor. He gave the Natives a mere pittance tor tjie land; iiitd b,htrtiilihg ,J@3C)OCI ftOnl .the .pocketed the balance. Captain ’ Russell, as Defence Minister, signed and approved the purchase. Yet these ti ansaclions were never referred to in the cry “ The spoils to the victors.” The late Government, before its defeat, and while in a minority, presented seven of its members to the Governor for the Legislative Council. This was not tho spoils to tho victors, but the spoils to tho ' vanquished. It opnld with safety bo said that tho spoils of office had been freely distributed, not by the Liberals, but by the old Conservative Party, WOOD PAVEMENTS. Speaking Oh the timber industry and the assistance being tendered by the Government jte nietohauts placing. ~cargoes ph.the Lpfidon. mafkeli the .Preiinbr said the absurd, statement was., being circulated.! that this . action of- the Government was -intended -solely to benefit tho West Coast sawmillers. He would tell them that merchants in every part of the Colony could avail themselves of this assistance, and he hoped and trusted they would do so. There was no reason why the streets of London and Paris should hot 'be paved With i New Zealand timbers. « Shipments were to be sent from Auckland, Wellington, Napier, , Invercargill and Lyttelton. Assistance to tho industry would benefit the Whole Colony, At the conclusion of the sp§Sch, a Vote of thanks to the Premier, satisfaction With the action of the Government, and continued confidence. Was moved by Mr H. P. GohCn, sßoOndo'd by Mr tit, A. Gornlotd, and vmaiiiraottsly carried, amidst great applause,, Sir Patrick Buckley Was present ftt the meeting, .