Sir Joseph Ward at Winton.

Otautau Standard and Wallace County Chronicle, Volume 1, Issue VIII, 21 June 1905, Page 3

Sir Joseph Ward at Winton.

.' On Mondiy evening Sir .Joseph Ward, Minister of Itoilwavs and Postmaster General, .visited Winton. He was accompanied by his ■ private secretary, and Messrs Thompson' and 'H.man, M.HK.'s. On arrival at Winton ■station, the Win ton Brass Jiand struck ■up a a tune of welcome, and the Mayor ;(Mr p. D. Moore) welcomed Sir Joseph to Winton. The order of procession iwas then formed, and the band played tho Minister up to Perry's Hotel, where he had (dinner* At eight o'ojock Moore's Hall was 'well filled, every part of the dis rict being represented. Mr 0. D, Moore (Mayor) presided, and on :tbe platform were Messrs Tliomp on aid ;;Hanan, M.H.R. r s, Mr Gilfedder and Mr H,. Jumieson. The Mayor introduced Sir Joseph Ward to the meeting, a- d the Minister, on rising, was greeted with polonged applaus;. •In opening bis speech, Sir Joseph referred, to .the 18 years during which he had epresentel .fie district, and the great pleasure it gave him to ajain address them. He bad intended •coming south before, but had to tai c a re3t, "acting under medical advice. He boped, befor. the end of the coming session, to agiin rmeet the people whose interes's he had alwayi i tried 'to the best of his ability to serve. (AipLiuse). SOUTHLAND'S prosperity. A return he had bad prep ired showed sinca :183'J the unimproved value of land hid increased by L' 825,000, the value of improvements by £830,030, and the capital value ol land by £1,(i57,000. The land sown m grass bad increased by 130,000 acres, ana the total area of land m cultivation by 107,000 acres, while the lanl m crop had decreased b- . 25,000 acres. Sheep had deceased by 27,000, but horses and ca'tle hid increase J by 21,000, which more than bdaricjd thing*, so that there was on the whole a very sqbstintial incease. Dairying was superseding sheep m many instances, and the fertility of ! the soil held . ut great prospects to tl c settlers. Many who, at one f'me thought little of ! Southland, and had taken up higher pried Unds up north, were unloading ani coming to the south to purchase land equal m capacity, and m many case sat one-fif ih of Ul3 price, and this must tell its tale m thg orjinary '(parse of events. OiliOHlXTj IMPROVEMENT. Sin? 1 ? the Government took offlce, fie population of the colony had increasad by ;2i3, 00, and now st-iod at 900,682. Some cities adversely criticised the tax; ti n par head, bit the argument was absolutely invidious that an increase of axation p*»r head was an increase m the taxation of tbe colony. The am Mint per head was ver* largely aff-Cted by importation, through tbe Cisterns, of. luxuries, and it rested with the people t'.iemse yes whether they imported luxuries or not. Four years ago the tax per bjad was £4 Is ; m I'JO2 it was £3 18s 7d, and last year it was only £3 12s 5d In the Customs .bare had been an increase of 12s 6d per head, •5s 7d being traced o luxuries sucL ai spirits, tobacco, beer, etc. Daring the last 10 yiiars t:*e land m cultivation had increased by 3,740,000 acres, money oi-ders by £700,000, railway receipts by £1.059.000, new railways 381 miles, shipping (inwards and oufcwar Is) 1,30J;000 tons, wool C 524 OCO, buttjr export £1,258,000, cheese £100,500, pre-erved mea s £71,594, frozen meat £1,705,982, and hemp £328.942. During tbe same period deposits m the banks *nd siv'ngs banks had increased by £9,900,0;)'), and lif* insurances b/ £2,100,000. This was a strong aaawer to those who cried that ruin was staring us m the face, and that capital was leaving the country. the coLOsr.'s fixavce. The net surplus on 31st March was £761 ,QJ3, Th§ financial year com • enced with n> balance'of £49,741, so that the aotual re?eipts for the year (£7,337,197) exceeded the ex penditure. (£0,035,902) by £711,29", The revenue m nearly every department had m creased, the exceptions amounting to £7057 m all. HIGH COMMISSIONER. New Zealand occupied a un'que position m several ways ; it was self-contained, was the most distant from the centre of the Empire, resembled the Old Land m physical characteristics, possessed unrivalled productive powers, and had the most advanced 1 gistation* It was therefore right that the colony's representative at Home shonld have a fitting position ; equal to Canada and the Commonwealth, and •he fat that he was echoing the sentiments of all parties m congratulating the H. •W. P. Reeves on his appointment as first High Commissioner. ADVANCES TO BETTii7,IW3. Up to 31st March there were 1-5,349 advances authorised, amounting tq £5,04*2,555, as follows : —Auckland, ' 3219 app'ications, £926,383 authorised • Taranaki. 2219. £818,---449 ; Hawke's Bay, 942, £262,573 ; Wellinglington. 3981, £1,277,543 5 Ma'lborc\i;h, 511, €184,06-5 ; Nelson, 310. £-59,045; Westland, 214, £48,840 5 Canterbury, 1210, £328,670 ; Otago and. Southland, 2933, £1,037,488. Otago received £537,185, ani Southland £550,000. BHOP HOURS BILL. There was a large public opinion m favour of reasonable hours for shop assis ants. The weekly half-holiday, which had be3n viewed with suspicion at first, was now welcomed by empl. yers When some of the a 10m ilies m the present Bill were removed, it would work as smoothly as the half-holiday did, and the takings m the shops woqld not be affected. WORKING OK RAILWAYS. 1 Since the Government resumed control of the railways m }895, a great improvement had taken place m the position of the employees and tin services to the public. Time would not permit him to go into details that evening, but later on be intended giving a railway speech, which would embody everything. The Government had given back £680,000 m concessions m fares and freights, of which £480 000 was direotly boneficial to the farming community. In future the haulage of ground lime would b • placed m tbe same position as unground lime. BDPKRANNUATION FUND. Some people regarded this as a sort of pension, but it was not so. Civil servants who had served nearly a life time m the country's service were unfitted for anything else when, through illness or other causes, they retired from it, and it was but right th.it some provision should bo made for them. He had examined a number of superannuation schemes, and be was confident that one could be worked m connection with the post and telegraph service and the whole cf the civil service. School teachers also could be included jq such ft sohsnje, o4«q employees ot

[ narbour Boards, County Councils, Bive r Boards, etc. BUTTER FREIGHTS. It September, 1903, it was reported that. the White Star Line had lowered tbe freight of butter from Australia to London, but when he wrote to the shipping companies interested m tbe carriage of hutterfro.m New Zealand to Australia, it was proved t^.him that th«j reduction was pnly . ternggfrary, Early last month he became awarei|hat two new contracts had been signed, agreeing to ft considerable reduction m ;<ihe carriage of Austra.ian butter to London, aud he b~-<f again communicated \yitH the Ne*-/ Zealand companies. The master was a very important one, as the Agricultural Department vfert spending £16,A00iFt yeap^dp the butter and cheese industry m.; the foie for supremacy. Wiih inference /.'!&■ the T £cfo] Juration of New Zealand butter, at/Home^' Mr Reeves had been instructed to gei a claus^ inserted m a 'Jill now before the4.mperial Parliament. LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. He did not . favour the abolition of the Legislative Council, and opposed an eleotive council, He still favoured the bi-cameral system, the members of. which could be e'ected by the House of Representative-*. A second chamber was absolutely necessary, as measuies w^uld not be hastily passed. INDEr'*S^I)ENT LABOpR PARTY. New Zealand was fortubite m baring an educated people, and if Russia possessed only one-twentieth Of, the standard of education the appalling condition of the country as it now is, would pot be m evidence, It was but right that everyooe should!;, be at liberty to express bis opinions, but Jjt (was a mistake to legislate for one. class alone, and to act class against class, as m Australia. He trusted that common ense would^evail m the long run. ''a ; ■■■ 'f ■ '- RECIPROCITY. He bad frequently advocated reciprocity, and tho need , T for it was becoming more apparent everyday. Ihe nearest approach to Jb're-j Trade w^s- Great -^BHtain, the other countries having hjailt up& protective wall m order, as tbgy sdid,^' to*^ protect their indu,tii?s. He -Jiad made -$ reciprocal tariff with Canada and South Ahstralia, when he was Colonial TreViSilrer, New Zaala-id threw the forrbet" out apd;- South Australia refused to ratify. There* tfere seyeral items we could exchange' wiih'/' Canada and Australia, and theVtluie wbus_! come when this would be done- ; V, *. '* ' 4 y vA^JTOuvfen BBjiyicE. An offer of t.25,003 a y^sar for three years had beeu made tbe. Uaioh" Company to hriog the mails from^;V:ahcouye£ $o Auckland, providing Brisbihe .werie ; but the latter refused to';withdra^and New Zealand bad stiil to be' co,: 1 tent with tbe San Francisco service. '* r ? RAILWAY CONSTRUCTIOM, H hud always ad vbcvii^rl a vigorous policy of railway constVqctiort.'b.fci it was impossible for any Goverrii'i.eiut tb accede to all the d - mmds for railways th^ "were made. The na ioual undertakings *i)iust first be considered, «uch. as 'the . Nor h Island Maiu Trunk Line, Ike' Jkiidlj, H <£ jßailwpy, and the Otago «'entra,t, and when these were completed tha work of extending the other railway syplem ' would be Vesieir. Regarding the \Seaward Bq h-Waikawa,ir'a;lway, tbe uovernm «nt h :id djoided on the Tokonui route, and ths Orepuk: : W;iiad railway would be con siderel next session V'As'Jpr tbe Gore-Wai-kaka nilway, it' would -baffetter for the peop'e inteiested ifc obt;Vih th» money frpm tbe Government at a low rate^f interest, then lo embarL* on tho^p'ojposel*' 'private debenture scheme. '„;;'•' ..;'. 'AA' A\s . TB& td&D Qtf^TlOy. The proper reading of {hi colony came next to, if not before, tha railyfa'y question, for a farm was of no lie. to :ji : : settler unless he cou'd g3t m or' 6'ut as be.|fißased. TLi_ year half a million would be use 3on roads, and it was also intended to .provide telephonic conveniences for those m tbe,ti vckblocks, WII*EriESS ; V^lsotiaphv. The Governtnant c*ont_;niplated establishing a wireless telegraph sy| ein m oonneotion with tbe Federal Qoveramfent bt Australia, the cost to New Zealand .heing under £12,000, and it would be an 1 utlklouhted boon to business people and a 1 interested m tho movement of friends from Aostralia to New JJca. land, for every; vessel would have an instrument. "•-.. ■ „,:. y B^VEa ii^xhsiskw. " . The Government had been considering for a longtime past the question pf utilising the [ water-power of' the colony, and had obtained the services o* an expert tot report on same. He trusted that, a spirit of patriotism would grow up among young NaY- inlanders, suoh as that which anlm. ited iQty and women born m m.iglind, Sootlaad,' ah 3 Ireland, and that a love of hoins-.life woqld. jeyer be inculcated m tha young. • ;*' . ,!COJ"GLU"*I^. What h had touched oft would show the record progress the colony Jftad made, and if the Government were weighed m the scales, a predominance of what had been best for our glorious little country vwould be found to be on its si Je.— (Loud applause). Mr R. Jamieson proposed, and Mr Jas. Fleming seconded a hearty, vote of thanks to Sir Joseph Ward for $_-^address, and of continued confidenoP m. him as their representative, and m the Government of whioh be was so proniineht a mgtrfher. Carried by acolamdtio^V A-fter a vote 'bf thanka^|ik> the Mayor lor presiding, the moet>ngVw*s brought to a closs. ' : A- .£ .