THE TUAPEKA SEAT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14211, 12 May 1908, Page 2

THE TUAPEKA SEAT

DR OHAFPLEV? CANDIDATURE.

ADDRESS AT LAWRENCE

(Fhom Omt Special REroitTuns.) LAWRENCE, May 11. Dr W. A. Chappie delivered the first of a series of addresses to tho electors of the Tuapeka electorate at Lawrence to-night. There was a largo and cnthusiastio attendance, and besides citizens of Lawrence, a number of visitors from Evans and Tuapeka Flats, Wetherstone, and Blue Spur were present. The Mayor of Lawrence (Mr James Roberlson) was in tho chair, and in introducing the speaker asked that he might oreceivo a fair and impartial hearing. Dr Chappie, who was received with a salvo of applause, commenced by drawing a vivid comparison between the voyages of tho Pilgrim Fathers of New Zealand and thoso of the modern immigrants. Et then made sympathetic reference to the death of the late member. Mr Bonnet had, ho said, been a gcoii typo of those sturdy pioneers, who ha« found the country a wild, inhospitabk wilderness, hut who had tamed it, will tho tools of industry. He had lived t strenuous honest life, had reared a familj well known and respected, and, havinj passed the allotted span of threescore year: and ten, he had loft his country bettei than he found it—(Applause.) A great figure in the public life of out country had also passed away since lasi election in tho person of the late Janiontci Mr Seddoji. Mr Seddon had mado no only himself, but his country, famoiu throughout the Empire, and there wen associated with his name some of tho mosi liboral measures that- had over adornec tho Statute Book of anv nation. plause.) He too had been gathered to hi; fathers, and a grateful country mournec his loss. Dr Chappie said lie would pass from the death of tlieso worthy Liberals to the ap proachin<r death of THiE TUAPEKA ELECTORATE itself. Ho pointed to tho absurdity o; the geographical distortion of electorates haying a community of interest and faci lit-ies of transit to electorates so exfendec and disfigured- by tho commissioners as tc amount to real hardship on electors, not only of", this district, but of other district, l in the South Island. He- pledged himseli to an endeavour to have the present boundaries retained.—(Applause.) Dr Chappie also reierred to HIS CONNECTION WITH THE DISTRICT. It was the district in which he was born the district to whoso public schools ho owed his early education, to whoso mountain air and healthy climate he owed his health and constitution, and to whose university ho owed his profc£sion.~(Applaiiso.) Ho claimed- to bo endeavouring to fulfil a long-standing ambition, that he should represent his old homo in tho Parliament of his country. Strenuous professional practice had prevented this in tho past, but for two years he' had retired from his profession, and devoted himself to travel and writing upon ceonomio and social subjects, and had now limo to dovote himself to publio life in general and to the wants and needs of this electorate in particular.—(Applause.) Proceeding, Dr Chappie said the functions of a representative were twofold— firstly, to _ know and understand Jiis district and its pooplo, its resources—mineral and agricultural — and the various parts of tho electorate on the one hand, and on the other hand to contribute of such knowledge as ho possessed to the counsels of Parliament, He pointed out that the MINERAL RESOURCES of the district were still undeveloped. The surface' ouly had been scratched.—(Applause.) Quartz reefs .were brown to exist that had never been thoroughly tested. Copper, antimony, and scheelito abounded, but it required the services of an expert such,as they possessed in Dr Bell to give some of his scientific skill to the investigation and study of these resources. He believed in . prospecting grants efficiently controlled by local -bodies for the purpose of testing and developing thoso untouched mineral resources—(applause),—but mining was a dying industry, and provision had to bo made for the development of more permanent, industries. The agricultural and'pastoral-resources of any country were its sheet anchor, and the attention of oiifi;your,h should evor be directed to the possibilities that would result from the scientific application of skill to tho soil. jld clay soils, he knew, prevailed in this district, but AN EXPERIMENTAL FARM could easily demonstrate what tillage and what manure wore required to make these undulating terraces double or quadruple their present production. Each locality required special testing, as climate, subsoil, conditions, and the nature of tho soil differed so widely, and an experimental farm established under the Minister of Agriculture could readily demonstrate at the cost of tho State,! but to tho advantage of tho whole community, what treatment was required for these purposes.—(Applause.) lie ■ referred _ to the Levin agricultural farm, the Milton poultry farm, and the Tapauui forestry farm as examples of what scientific experimentation could teach in the hands of the State. The great local need—and, in fact, a need of, the whole co:intry,-was the.neetl of population. He believed that the highest function of a railway was to penetrate into tho habitable parts of a country, and act the part of AN IRON PIONEER, The Lawrence-Roxburgh railway had been too long delayed.—(Applause.) Votes had been put upon tho Estimates, but only partially expended, and he believed that no railway was more urgently needed or more justifiable in its expenditure than a railway to It tapped one of the best fruit-growing industries in New Zealand, and as fruit was a perishable product, requiring rapid transit to the markets of tho Dominion, it was more essential here than anywhere.—(Applause.) This was not a local question: it was a national question. If a few people were growing fruit in Roxburgh, . there were 900,000 people outside Roxburgh eager-to devour that fruit, and increased facilities for transit should bo provided for them. Between £70,000 and £30,000 worth of fruit was imported into this country every year, and there was no reason whatever why all that local demand should not ho supplied by the development of the fruit-growing areas of Otago.—(Applause.) Tho great problem this country had to face and tackle was tho problem of POPULATION. Ho travelled through t-treeco last year, and found thero a barren, rocky country, carrying from tho products of its soil two and a-half millions of people, though it comprised an area only lequal in size to Olago— namely, 25,000 square miles. 'Die great undeveloped countries of the world roaliSMl that population was their one una khhu crying need. Canada spent over £500,000 in one year to attract population to her shores, and Australia was now discovering that population was necessary to develop her great resources and waste lands. All' oui' New Zealand industries were languishing for want of population. Land was being brought into the market, and if there were still people seeking it, there wero few or none to help the settler to break it up. Our country must largely depend upon its agricultural and pastoral resources for its future greatness.. The natural increase of population was too slow, and nothing but an earnest, vigorous policy of immigration of the best people from tho favntng communities of tho Old World tould bring about that rapid settlement and progress which the great natural advantages of this country required and demanded.—(Applause.) New Zealand was 1000 square miles larger than Great Britain, and yet had a population 200,000 less than Glasgow alone. If the population dorc, area for area, was equal to that of Great Britain, wo should have 40 million people, together with mineral and agricultural resources equal at least to those of that great country. The great problem was lo introduce from the Old World men and women of tho same stamp and courage ' as tlieso islands had attracted in tho past; but the fact was that the greatly-increased comforts and facilities of ocean travel, together with tho reputation that New Zealand was rapidly acquiring in the Old Land

as a working man's piradise, was attracting people. It was attract ing people, but not necessarily t.lio kind possessing the experience and qualities that this young country required. Ho had taken the trouble to inquire into the occupations of 1100 emigrants arriving at Wellington in five ships some time ago, and only 10 per cent, of that number were farmers, the other 90 per cent, being artisans, valets, and raspberry pip makers; and the people this country wanted were farmer.-—not necessarily those who' came with money in their hands to purchase farms right out, but also those who would work the land for those who did buy, and ultimately become farmers themselves. Though so far away, we enjoyed so many advantages, as, for instance, old-age pensions and tolerable conditions of labour, that wo could afford to make a selection, and to reject those unqualified owing to taints of criminality or disease, or unsuitable to take to country pursuits. THE ASIATIC MENACE. , As Sir Joseph Ward had in a recent speech at, Lawrence given a striking and graphic account of what might result to Now Zealand in a Japanese invasion of Australasia, bo would point out that our preventive- remedy was not tilting at tho Japanese and violating thoso dclicato inter- ' national treaties 'which we, though in a distant land, were bound to respect, not , by putting on a poll tax, but by adorning every vale, plain, and habitable hillside with the smiling homes of a prosperous people. We could by so doing also double , and quadruple our productions of'mutton, wool, flax, and minerals, increase our j national wealth, and reduce by one-half . the nation's burden of debt and taxation, . and at the samo time, with this material, I form an army of defenders that could, ! when we were in danger of attack or in- [ vasion, be depended upon to hasten to our seaboards ii< the defence of their homes and country. The best reply to aliens 'knocking at. our door was: "There is no room for you hore." No other reply would bo accepted as adequate. With only one million people could we honestly give that reply? We could afford to encourage a much more rapid emigration from tho Old World than at present obtained, for we ' had so much to offer: the country that had produced tho finest raco the world had known, that produced in natural resources more per head of its population than any ■ other country in the world, and that was developing by its climate and its natural i conditions one of tho finest races of men and women in the Anglo-Saxon countries. Wo had much to offer to attract the best heart and muscle that, the Old World could supply. He took recently the anthropometric statistics of over 1000 -New Zealand schoolboys, and compared them with the statistics.of other countries, and found them tho best-developed hoys in tho world—(Applause.) Our death and sick rates were the lowest, our freedom from dofoct and deformity was the highest, and for educational advantages our primary and secondary institutions could hardly bo excelled. To keep this race .puro and fostor its developments—moral, educational, andphysical—wo must look well to our immigration policy, and while encouraging the quantity wo must guard jealousy; the quality of those who threw in their lot with us.—(Applause.) He advocated the appointment of immigration agents, and poiuted out that under the present system, which he had studied when at Home with the help of the High Commissioner, it was not possible to make the careful selection we 'required. A larger population required tho cutting upl of largo estates anH increased facilities for land settlement. The policy of this Government was bringing an immenso amount of land into the market. The Land for Settle. menU Act had beoli a tremendous.success, and in some respects was fulfilling the highest hopes of its advocates, but tho Land for Settlements Act was too slow, and tended to increase tho price of land, and it'would have required unlimited borrowing. The Government had wisely increased the graduated land tax-one of tho most offective and far-reaching polioies that tho Liboral Government had adopted. The cures of any country was tho accumulation of large areas of land in tho hands of the few. Land could only bo put to its best and fullest use when labour was applied to it, and labour could only be applied to it when it was hold in small areas. Besides tho land being brought into the market by tho graduated tax, the Nativo Land Commission was ear-marking areas of native laud required for the effective use of the Maoris themselves, and also car-marking the balance for sale and lease. All enormous territory in the North Island now undor Nativo jurisdiction would thus bo brought into the market. The endowmont lands set apart by the Government for tho purposes of old-ago pensions, education, and charitable aid would have to bo developed, surveyed, roaded, and made available for settlement if they wero to fulfil the function for which they were intended. Though the demand for land was at present somewhat difficult to satisfy, thcro would be infinitely more land available within the next 12 or 18 months than could possibly be taken UP by tho relatively few land seekers who were now in searoh' of it, and every man who secured a section of undeveloped land required several men to assist him to-break it in. Tho natural and necessary corollary of the land policy of the Government was to find farming immigrants to help to develop the farms solccted by progressive young Now Zealandcre.—(Applause.) The question of IAXATION was ■ of vital importance ui every country. To him the highest principal of taxation was that the taxes 6hould be borne by those best able to pay, and he felt that under a system where wealth tended to accumulate in the hands of the few, though actually produced by the hands of the many, no man should pay taxes to his country till Ills hunger was satisfied and his body clothed, Much ' of our taxation was based 'upon this principle, but wo still found that an cnormop taxation was imposed upon the toiling' masses, and a comparatively light burden fell upon the shoulders of those best able to bear it. Taxation in Customs was a tax on labour, while the direct taxes wero taxes on accumulated wealth or on enormous 'incomes, and were relatively easy to bear. He had for years advocated a substantial reduction in tho taxation on tho necessaries of life, and a rapid and steady increase in the graduated taxation of land and incomes. He pointed out that those who suffered first and most in an industrial crisis and in hard times were the country's toilers, tho;e whose wages left them only a bare margin when they had provided the needs of their wives and families, and that if we measured tho contributions in the form of taxation by the amount that was left after tho tax was paid wo could readily 6cc that the taxation upon the masses through the Customs imposed a greater hardship than the direct taxation of enormous incomes and accumll-

latod wealth. Another great principlo in taxation related to tho question of whether taxes were imposed for rovcmio or policy purposes. A revenue tax was imposed to provide funds for tho Government, and a policy tax was imposed to bring about soino desirable change in public policy. A single tax on land contributed to our revenue, and was based upon the principlo of tho taxation of those best able to boar it, but a graduated tax on land held in largo areas or of large value might lie imposed with such severity as to induce its being cut up for distribution among the people in smaller areas in order that intensive cultivation might be substituted for the nogleot of intensive cultivation or for the disuse of enormous areas that might not only_ be providing homes and livings for families, but providing a greater national wealth.-(Applausc) He applauded tho graduated land tax of last session, and declared that it should bo followed by an increase in tho graduated income tax as well. He referred approvingly to tho ARBITRATION AND CONCILIATION ACT, and declared that the gaze of tho industrial world was turned upon it. The groat industrial centres of the world were looking lor a remedy, and were watching anxiously or any light that might be'thrown upon the problem by tho industrial legislation of this country. While there wjis much room for improvement in our Arbitration Act there could be no doubt that it had contributed m the past to tho Deaccful settlement of industrial disputes, to the welfare of the worker, and to the enormous nicreaso of our national wealth. It had abolished sweating, and it had raised wages and improved the condition of the toiler. I hough friction still existed between employer and employee our arbitration legislation was _ based upon the eternal principles of right, justice, and reason,. and must eventually, notwithstanding its present trials, triumph over all its enemies and become an established and recognised means of maintaining order and settling disputes in tho industrial world, as our civil courts of justice, did j„ tho name o law and order.-(Appla-usc) Tho echo i H I , l ? r !' ors of Writes and lockouts had almost, died away, and peoplo found it difficult to realise the extent of the waste of human labour and natural wealth due to this cause,, not to speak of the demoralise tion to employers and employees, due to these barbarous methods of settlement, beyeral reforms wore, required to render tho Arbitration Act moro effective and to smooth the way. Tho Conciliation Board was unnecessary; and could lie abolished if each disputant wore allowed to elect his own assessor. He would suggest that two experts should bo elected by each of tho parties concerned, who would understand the relative needs of both. Tho men 'now appointed by the -employers and tho employees were only experts on one subject, if even in that.- The vexed question of preference for unionist would be for ever set asido by ensuring that each worker in a trade should ipso facto be a member of tho union pertaining to that trade in his district. For instance, a worker in tho boot traile could be known to tho secretary of that union, in the books of which his name would bo enrolled, Ho would bo notified of the various movemonts, his voice would bo hoard in the councils of tho union, and ; the vo : ce of the union would represent him. A safeguard would requii to be provided as (o easy conditions of membership. If this was done the work of the court would not overtax it, and the delays of .awards would -bo jm&atly reduced by making a number of awards subject to the jurisdiction of a magistrate instead - of their- being allowed to accumulate, technical study should bo promoted by a provision enabling the' court to pay a minimum wage and to have it increased periodically oh tho applicant producing a certificate of attendance' at tho teohnical school coneorninnr that trade. Offences under tho act partook more of political than of criminal offences, so imprisonment should only be adopted as a. last resource in cases of deGanco of tho law. Dr | Chappie also referred to the much-discussed question of ', ' SOCIALISM,

and ridiculed tho statement made by Mr Massey.that there were six Socialists jn tho Cabinet. If Socialism meant StatG ownership of all tho means of production, distribution, and oxohango he did not believe there was one Socialist in the Cabinet. It was' said that our legislation was Socialism. It was' true to say it was socialistic. A man might lw horsey and ■ vet not bo a horse, and legislation might be socialistic .and yet not Socialism.. Inthat form of Socialism to which we .had become accustomed in Now Zealand, and. which wo might term New Zealand Socialism, we had a good example of the(extension of State enterprise, wherever it was to the advantage of the people as a whole, or where combination or monopoly threatened, the.-basic principles of individualism. Our post offices, telegraph'.and telephone our public trust institution, and our State railways were .good examples of the extension of State enterprise, and were universally admitted to be to the advantage of the people and incapable ;of being adequately and efficiently provided by private enterprise. Our State coal mines, our Advances to Settlers, and our advances to workers were good examples,of, State enterprise where combinations and monopoly threatened to oppress the people, New Zealand Socialism covered those two aspects, of public policy, and was. more State regulation than State ownership, and its policy was to aid, encourage, and develop private enterprise along all legitimate lines, restraining ■ it only where it threatened to oppress the people, or where it was incomtHttent to fulfil that people's highest iioede.—(Applause) He compared our State railways with the railways in England. In New Zealand the producers had .the enormou6 advantage of having their produce brought to the seaboard or to tho nearest market, not in order to provide fat dividends for wealthy corporations, but for the advantage of the producer .himself and the country as a whole.—(Applause.) IN CONCLUSION, Dr Chappie declared that be supported the Ward Administration, because he believed it'was making .an honest endeavour to administer the great State departmente of the country to the' credit of themsolves as statesmen and to the best advantage of tho people. Notwithstanding the ill-con-sidered attacks made on the Administration by those who cried "Socialism, Social, ism!" the Ward Administration was doing all in its power to foster private interpricc, to guide, direct, and help it to remove from its path the disabilities and disadvantages which retarded it, and to allow every hnncst New Zealander to carve out his own course, develop his own talents, and mark out for himself the iine of progress which his energy ami a'bility sug-gestcd.-(Applauso.) He was standing as a young Now Zealander. Ho had travelled in many lands. He believed in the great natural resources of Central Otago. Ho loved it as the land of his birth and of his early training. He yielded to no one in his knowledge of its wants. He had retired from practice in order that he might devote himself to public life, and whether in Parliament or out, as a patriotic New Zealander who loved his country he would work " for the cause that lacked assistance, for the wrong that needed resistance, for the future in the distance, and the good that be could do."—(Loud applaud.) QUESTIONS. . .On the Chairman asking it the audience wished to put any questions, Mr A. Fraser asked if Dr Ohapplo was .in favour of extending the franohiee, to which the candidate replied that ho had always been so, but not unless some qualifications were mado to conserve the interests of tile local bodies. An Elector: '"Would you be in favour of giving a little to men going out prospecting?"—Dr Chappie: "The Government would bo well i advised to place on tho Estimates a regular amount for tho encouragement of prospecting." ' To further Questions the candidate replied that cutting up the runs by means of graduated' taxation had tho approval not only of (he Ministry, but of all tho .best Liberals in the country. . Did he believe in irrigation for Central Otago? Well, ho had written an article on this subject in a Diuiedin newspaper. As to the Roxburgh-Lawrence railway, the delay had probably been due to lobbying. Thoy must get in touoh with the Ministry. and see that Ixrth in and out of session juslioe was done to their branch, or else they would not get it at all. The cooperative system in railways had certainly proved under certain circumstances rather a failure. He boliovwl in the system as a system, but it had its dangers, and those should bo guarded against. Regarding tho Arbitration Court and the Blackball situation, lie considered that when a law existed on tho Statute Book it should beenforced. Tho fact that delay had taken place was to be deplored. As to tlie question of prohibition, it must be decided locally, and not bo mado a political issue. He maintained that unless carried by an overwhelming majority licenses should not be disturbed. Several other questions having been put and replied to, Mr W. Smyth proposed a vot* of thanks to tho candidate for his eloquent nsd aMo address.

This was seconded by Mr J..T. Johnston (Waipori), and tarried by acclamation. At the request of the candidate, no mention was made in the motion of confidence. A vote of thanks to the Mayor for presiding closed the meeting.

MR HORN'S CANDIDATURE. (Feojc Our Own Correspondent.) ALEXANDRA, May 11. This afternoon Mr James Horn, of Bannockburn, announced himself as n candidate in Hie Government interests for the Tuapoka cent. It is not yet known whether he has received the support of the Government, but as it is certain that Mr. Horn would not stand against the Government nominee, it is assumed that lie is the chosen candidate. Mr Horn is well known throughout Otago as a strong supporter of tho Liberal Administration, und he has been closely identified with the doings of tho district. Ho informed mo a few days ago that, should ho stand, the LawrenceRoxburgh railway would receive his entire support, as he recognised it to be a most important work, and that it should bo earned through as expeditiously as possible.