SIR JOSEPH WARD.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXII, Issue 4825, 1 December 1902, Page 5

SIR JOSEPH WARD.

VISIT TO Q FEICNSTOW,N. THE LAKE WAKATIPU PURCHASE Special to the “ Tuies/* QUEENSTOWN, November 3U. Sir Joseph Ward, on arrival here last night, was met on the wharf by tho .Mayor and Councillors of Queenstown, and a very large gathering of die residents, who gave Uim three cheers upon landing. Then, headed by the local brass band, Sir Joseph Ward proceeded to Eichardt’s Hotel, followed by a large concourse of people. The following address of welcome was presented to him by the Mayor:— “We, tho residents and representatives cf tho agricultural, commercial, pastoral and mining interests in Wakatipu, desire to embrace this, the firstopportunity wo have had, of congratulating you upon the well-merited honours recently conferred upon you, and likewise to express our warmest gratification at again seeing you in our midst. “We are deeply sensible of your untiring efforts in promoting the welfare of this district, and we would specially refer to tho incalculable value cf the service your Government has rendered to all classes of this community by the purchase of the Lake Wakatipu Shipping Company’s fleet of steamers, and thereby tho establishment of a through Government sendee to Wakatipu. Tho action of tho Government in this direction has met with the warmest approval of tho residents, and wo are thoroughly convinced that it will be productive of immense benefit to the people of 'Wakatipu, and likewise to the State. We feel assured that thp sentiments herein expressed are those of tho whole community, and we regard this as a fitting occasion upon which to thank you for the boon conferred, “ Wo trust you may long continue to bestow some of your valuable time and ability in tho administration of the public affairs of tho colony, and wo are confident that in doing so your public career will in tho future, as in the past, be highly creditable to yourself and advantageous to Now Zealand. Wo heartily welcome you and Lady Ward to Wakatipu, where, sir, believe us, when opportunity may occur, you and yours will always meet with a cordial reception. 55 Tho address is siguod by the .Mayor and thirty-seven residents of the district. ,

In replying, Sir Joseph Ward tlianked tho Mayor and those whose signatures were attached to the address for their kindly allusion to the honour conferred upon him by bis Majesty the King Hi; also expressed his appreciation of tho kindly way in which they had expressed their gladness at, seeing him in this part of the world. In referring to tho acquisition by the .Government of tiro Lake Wakalipu steam service, ho took tho opportunity of saying that ho had been more than astonished to find that somo people, even in Queenstown, had attempted to make political capital out of the purchase of that property by tho Government, which, should bo regarded as a business concern, and the negotiations for which bad been, undertaken by the Government with the desire to further the interests of the people of tho Lake Wakatipu district and the colony; and tho only wish of tho Government had been to do what was fair to. tho company and in tho interests of the colony as a whole. It had been staled by a few that the colony had paid too little for the service, but lie bad no hesitation in saying a full pries had been paid—(hoar, hoar) —and, believing*that to be, the colony would not liavo agreed to pay a pernor pieeo more. (Applause.) It was an extraordinary thing, but in almost every matter of great import and progress an attempt was made by a few to mislead tbo people, and the present instance was no exception to tho rule. This was the present position: A deposit of £750 only had been paid for those steamers, and under the agreement made with the company the colony could decline to complete the purchase. Although wo had taken possession of the boats, tho balance of tho payment was not to be finally made for somo months, and by forfeiting tho deposit they could say to tbo compajiy: “We do not desiro the steamers; you can keep thorn.” In view of tho criticisms regarding tho purchase that had been levelled at the Government by a few peoplo concerned, he was not sure but that it would bo a goo.d thing to recommend that course to his colleagues. (Voices: “No, no.”) Very well, ho said ho was not going to soo aspersions cast upon himself and colleagues by a few people iu Queenstown aud their .friends in other parts of the colony, some of whom had made money out of the service. On behalf, of the Governn ont, ho would now publicly invito the directors and shareholders, if they desired, to bring tho uhole business before a Parliamentary committee, so that tho whole concern could bo investigated. Then the public would bo able, to judge os to whether the colony bad paid a full price for tho service or not. When some of those connected with the existing company entered into competiou with the old company, did they show them any consideration? No; aud they now appeared to think they had a pre-omptivo right to tho lakes, aud would have tho peoplo believe and the colony believe that tho Government had no right to stop in aud give an up-to-dato service at reduced rates. What the company asked was this—Not only wore they to bo given hack more than they were justly entitled to, but they also wanted tho colony to make a present of some thousands of pounds as well, aud that was from a company which had not done by any means what was required in assisting tho development of this part of tho colony, ji they had done so, how could they base their calculations upon a ton per cent, dividend upon a largely watered capital? (A voice: “30 per cent.”) Yes, 30 per cent upon £II,OOO. What a high dividend for such a service; and who paid for this? (A voice: “Wo, of course.”) Yes, said tho Minister, you have to pay: so have the people in the district, and those coming to the lakes have also to pay high rates to produce a dividend, aud that has undeniably kept back the development of the aistrict and boon injurious to minors, settlers and tourists. In tho railways we aro satisfied with a three per cent, return, and anything over this is given back to the users in tho shape of reductions. Sir Joseph Ward went on to say that the Government had come to the determination that tho present condition of affairs no longer exist, and rather than inflict an injury to tho .present company by putting on entirely new steamers, they offered a fair price for tho service. During tho exceptional seasons caused by tho dredging boom, the company had paid ten per cent, on £30,000; bnt last year, a normal year, they paid six per cent. Did anyone mean to toll him that if tho rates charged by tho company had been much lower, they would have paid six per

cent, on £3o.ooo'capital ? It must always be remembered that the £30,000 was an amount largely watcroa, for which no cash had over been paid to the company, ana for which no value really existed, and vlien the Government stepped in with the intention of lowering the rat*-s materially, in order to assist tho development of traffic, and also with the knowledge that it had to spend £2OOO to giro sufficient wharfage at Queenstown, and also had to put on a new and smarter steamer to give n much better sendee, and in addition lower rates, it was at once confronted with tbe.orv: “We want move than £IO,OOO, phis’ the £BOOO or £9OOO cf reserve fund and book debts the company 'have,' 5 and because we will not give more, they tell you tho Government is forcing them to sell. If the shareholders want to keep their steamers, tho Government is quite prepared to cancel the whole of tho arrangements, and let them have them, and then carry out its own policy on tho lakes, quito independent of them. Ho would saj hero that no member of the Administration had used iho purchase tor political though some of tho Opposition and a section cf the press had introduced politics into a question that affected, not ono side of politics, hut all sides and all classes. No ono could deny the fact who bad any knowledge of the district that that part of the colony had net developed as it should have done during tho past twenty years. They had no winter trade. Tho finest time of tho year for tho tourist traffic was tho winter. Tho whole traffic from outside tho colony had been carried on in tho summer; but even in tho colony itself, ho believed that only ono man in a thousand had ever visited tho locality, and many did not even know of its existence except by name. The railways had booh at their doors for twenty years or moro, and ho attributed the lack of development of tho tourist traffic to the fact that no private company had ever yet existed working the lakes who had developed the highway of the trade of this colony in the way tho people themselves—that is the State—could do. He ridiculed the idea that the Government should pay for the goodwill of tho service, which practically meant asking it to pay for tho right to run across Lake Wakatipu. Ho asked whether, when tho railway succeeded the ooaoh cr teamster, was payment for goodwill ever entertained in any part of tho colony to the pool’ waggoners or coach proprietors? Tho old order of things had to give way to the new, which was to tho advantage and tho general benefit of the many; so these steamers hero —some of them thirty years old—had to give way to progress. The company would not, or could not, do it, and so the State stopped in to do so. The position tho colony would take up was not to set up a fund of accumulated earnings by maintaining high rates, hut tho rates would be reduced to benefit tho miner, the farmer, and all classes of the community, and there would be no exceptional treatment given to anyone, All would bo treated alike—the rich and poor without distinction. He had no hesitation in saying that the purchase would be one of benefit not only to Queenstown, but to tho colony as a Tho shareholders would receive more money than they had put into the business. If tho Government had arranged to run an up-to-date'" service. and had made no offer for the present steamers, the whole concern to-day, instead of being worth to tho shareholders £15,000, would be worth next to nothing. Ho stated that upon tho basis of tho new rates’which the Government proposed to make they ; would not pay anything like sis per cent, on £BO,OOO, as the existing company had done last year. Some twelve months ago plans and specifications were drawn up at Home for two steamers for Lake Wakatipu—ono for passengers and tho other for cargo—and the Government proposed calling for tenders for another steamer superior to anything they had on tho lake. Ho was firmly of opinion that the present service, would not be sufficient for their requirements for very long in view of tho influx cf tourist traffic and increase of trade which ho felt sure would result consequent upon the reduction in rates and fares on tho railways of tho colony, and with a good steamer service across tho lakes at rates reduced to enable people to travel it was only those who shut their eyes to the present condition of affairs that would contradict him when ho said that greatly increased traffic would ithe result of the Government having acquired these steamers. It was a common practice in Now Zealand for some people to call out for tho Government to pay more than a private individual when properties were acquired by it. Tho business of tho Government, however, was to resist unfair and improper demands. He had little doubt in his own mind that if ho had yielded to the pressure of some of those concerned and had agreed to give more for the Lake Wakatipu service, then the very same people would have been the first to turn round and cry down the Government and himself for what they would be good enough to term squandering public moneys. Three hearty cheers were given for Sir Joseph and Lady Ward, and also one for the Mayor.