PRIME MINISTER'S SPEECH

Otago Witness, Issue 2850, 28 October 1908, Page 17

PRIME MINISTER'S SPEECH

VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS REVIEWED. GOVERNMENTS RECORD OX PROGRI?S& In the course of his speech at Palmerston North on Monday, 19th inst., the Prime Minister traced the growth of the Post and Telegraph Department since 1890. After quoting figures to show the advance made, he said: — "The -policy of the department has been to give a maximum consideration to the wants of isolated settlers, and I say without hesitation that there is no country in. the world wherein the isolated placed there are such splendid facilities in the neighbourhood of the settlers for communicating by post or by -telephone. I da not profess that these out-of-the-way telephone offices or 'mail services come within a measurable distance of paying, but I believe it is to the interests 4>f the country as a -whole that the sign oflthe 'ipost office and the, telephone wire-should make their appearance at settlement outposts long bef«*e tfiey are likely to be 'profitable. . 1 RAILWAY DEPARTJ^PkT? .' The Prinw" Minister then proceeded to deal with the operations- of 4ch& t Railway Department, showing what "had been' accomplished since the Liberal party came into^power, and also the concessions made wncVhe assumed the portofolio of Minister of Uailways. He stated that a passenger travelling a ' distance of 250 miles could make the return journey for^T 8 , 5 d less than J*e paid in lttßTtq'make a" single journey, and he could obtain a ticket for a journey of 756 miles for the same fare that was paid in 1900 for a ticket for 250 miles. If he paid the single fare ruling in 1900 for 426 miles (the distance separating Auckland from Wellington), he would to-day be able to journey 1356 miles. If he paid the return, fare ruling m 1900 for a 426-mile journey he would be able to-day to obtain two return tickets frem Auckland to Wellington. The policy of building all the rolling stock required for railway use in. the ' Dominion - had been inaugurated -and rigidly followed, and where the capacity of the railway workshops was not, equal nio the -demand con-, tracts for the building of locomotives had been let to private shops in the Dominion, and excellent .work liad been done by this contractors. ■ The , locomotives turned out of private shopo -had been' running on the railway line* for--- -some 'eoneiderabl© time, and „ Jiad.. -gixfiß— .every satisfaction. • The number of persons who had benefited tinder the 'saperaninaatiori ' scheme up to March 31 last Tre 484- members of the service, who had either voluntarily resigned or been retired .as medically unfit. One hundred and five widows and 173 children, the dependents of deceased railway men, ■were also on the fund, the annual outgoing of which was over £30.000. The accumulated fund at the end of the jcar was £126,643, and at the present time it amounted to £143,364. As boon as the Main Trunk li ne was handed over to the •working railways, which event it -n as anticipated would take place earlj in December, the through e\pre=s service l>etween Auckland and Wellington would be inaugurated. The value of the concessions made by the Government since rouuiui£ control of the railways in 1895 had !>3cn : —Reductions in fares and freights, ri950,000 ; benefijfcs accruing to agriculturalists and pastoraliste, and included in the .above, £550,000 ; concessions in pay and hours of railway staff, £724,000 ; cost of additional train services, many of which have been laid on to give increased facilities and convenience to the people of tho Dominion, £1,000,000: total concessions, £2,674,000. It was the intention of the Government to inaugurate at an oarlv date cheap fares on suburban lines for distances up to 20 miles, to reduce tho 50-trip family and commutation season tickets, to issue workers' weekly tickets, uvailablc by trains arriving at their destination before 8 a.m., up to 20 miles, for 'f per week,- to issue workers' commutation 12-trip tickets, available by trains other than those arriving at their destination "by 8 a.m., for distances to 20 miles, at reduced rates, to issue week-end tickets, available for outward journey on Saturday ajid homeward journey on Tuesday, to various week-end resorts. The railway returns for the current year indicated that the prosperity which had been bo marked during the past 13 years still continued, and there was every indication that the receipts will again exceed the estimates by a considerable sum. — (Applause.) The Opposition had continuously decried the policy of the Government, and fcad done its best to create the impression that the railway policy of the Government *as a ruinous one to the country.-' In 1891 tho number of men employed was

' 4523, and to-day the number -was 12,330. Of the men employed in 1891 in the first division not more than 200 received salaries above £200 per annum, while to-day there were, excluding the chief officers, who hold administrative positions in the department, 21 are in receipt of £370 to £400 per annum, 42 receiving from £315 to £355 per annum, 83 xeoeiving from £260 to £300, 125 receiving from £240 to £255, 247 ireceiving from £210 to £220, and 638 Deceiving from £120, to £190 pea- annum, and who would in due course work up to the maximum of the olase of £200 per annum and afterwards progress into the higher classes according to suitability and merit as vacancies occurred. In 1891 the bulk of the station masters and lower-paid clerks received" salaries of less than £150per annum, but to-day every olerk or stationmaster in a similar grade would work up to a. maximum of £2DO per annum, even if he did not afterwards^ obtain promotion. Stationmasters who, in 1691, were in charge of stations such as Auckland, Duneda'n, and Ohristchurch, were paid at a rate of £250 per annum and a free house, | but to-da,y they were 'paid up to £400 per aimum. The smaller stations, which in 1891 were rated at £130 per annum, were :tfow paid a . minimum rate of £170 .pcr x [annum, with annual increments up to\a* j maximum of £200. Second division men, ;Buch as surfacemen, porters, and shunters, who m 1891 were paid from 6s 6d to 7s 6d! per day, now received from 8s 16 9s per dayY"" , Men who in 1891 were frequently called^ upon to perform duties in the higW grades than those to which they belonged' without extra remuneration, were to-diav . paid the higher rate for th? time they were employed in the higher capacity" lha pay of a surfaceman or a married man in charge of a tablet station was to-day as high as the rate that was paid to'stationmasters at the great bulk of the stations,' many of which were important stations, in* 11891. OTHER DEPARTMENTS ; No_ Government had done more to elevate- ' and improve the status and position of the civil service in all its branches, and ateo the staff and position of the teachers of the , Education Department. The Government ' had shown its earnestness in improving the position of the railway employees, the post and telegraph employees, the whole of the civil service, the police, and those in tho education service. It had perfected a system of superannuation for the whole of • them, which had materially altered and ( improved the prospects of ' themselves and their families. NATIVE LANDS. The Prime Minister defended the work of the Native Land Commission, and explained the Government's Native land policy. ' J ADVANCES TO WORKERS. | J Mr Massey and his party had most strenu- i ousjy opposed in every particular the AdI yances to Settlers Aot when it was first j introduced, and year after year had reiterr \ ated the prognostications of dire disaster I and many other diatribes against the orgi- J 1 nators of this most heneticial measure; but the time came when this could be carried | on no longer. The venture had emerged from tho trial as one of the greatest sue- I J cot-ses ever realised on any Government i j policy —(Applause.) The statement that th" Government opposed applying tho Advanco, to Workers Act to rural lands was not correct. Tlv Government did not op- i po*e the provision*- boui£» mad«? applicable to rural lands,, but contended that the act j of 1906 fully provided for thit-s as far as there was any necessity to <!o so. The practice had been already in vogue of lending under thi6 act on any lam! on which loans were required, and no one had been refused. Mr Massey also proposed to limit tho advances made to settlers to £250. What value would thi<= have been to BettlerK? It would have destrojed its usefulness. — (" Hear, hear.") Mr Mase-ey had claimed that he was the author of the Advances to Workers Act, but that state- ' ment was not in with fact. The Advances to Worker* Act was suqrge^ted in the House by him (Sir J. G. Ward), end was prepared under !.is direction Since 1899 the Advances to Settlers Act had pro- ' vided for advances being made to workers on buildings in course of erection, and since Ihat time nearly £1.000.000 had boon lent ' to workers under the Advances to Settlers ' i Act, and advances were still being made. LABOUR LEGISLATION Referring to the Conciliation &nd Arbitration Amendment Act, the- Prime Minister , said he was hopeful that the act would im- < prove materially the working of tho«c who were protected by it. The law was now nearer one of a pyst-em of conciliation than had ever existed before.— ("Hear, hear.") It would, to hie mind, be a matter of great i regret were we to have to revert to tho I old system of settlement of troubles by strikes instead of by reason, and to all olasse? he hoped the improved law would enable the differences that had from time

%p' tjme arisen to" "be settled in a spirit of c&nciHatiofr,"%rhich he was confident could \*f, done un4er" the law as it .noV stood. The amended Workers' Compensation Aot widened and improved and made more defined the position of both employer and employees, and the uncertainty that existed under" the former law had been removed without doing as injustice to anyone, and • he looked- I6rw%»a/ to igood results from the operation or "^K^ftctiV , 'Amiß&Aofe£ l VtO THE AGED. - j The. tot*i/Ktnquhf paid by way of pen 4. sions to March- 31 last since the aot came into bper^&tidiaspwas £2,067,755, aod ,the cost of administration over *-fhe '- whole i period of- thfe act had been only^ £34^90,, j The total number, of pensioners on the roll 6n~3sforchr 31 "last was 13,567, repro^ senting an"- annual """payment of £333,340.. To pay J a universal pension to f the 40,000f who were at the present time eligible by age and residence would cost over £1,000,000 per .annum. The total amount ■paid-Tn the *iasr'finatf<*KiT r "'year barely <-"x-" oeeded £325,000«^BB^ctual expenditure for the first^siifc montjlk of^the current, I year (to 30th SeptenfliCTL was £165,476.j By the «c*^p*3*e?r during tPh^ i ju^t'- bkrseq, the^gj&bpe ~of a the act rerfmrged "experidjTure tor the ensuing six } mqrfsi< was to be tys^ric&**vfcoosi&i quenpe^. •&& "^~'-%&JL-mM ' r p£ ' ' '* I*-**sf -"-*• l MENT. \i --On; Mai-jib; 51';? 1898,"?; "tha totab r GTown , tenants of all classes on the books of the ffatTHfe- Deparlmenl amounted to 12,717, jh.gldjiug-^ a, „tpfcal .area . o£ .. 14,418,583 acres,* and paying an annual rental of £270,460. , To-day the total' tenants of both ordinary , Crown Lands' and land for settlement i estate* number 23,786, leasing 17,877,817 acres, and paying an annual rental of '<■ £511,992. This meant that the Government | had placed' on the land 100;000 souls, if ib was assumed that- there was an average of 4£ souls resident on each occupied holding. During 1907-8 the Crown land rangers made careful inspection of 10,658 projjerties, of a total area of 3,580,643 acres. The improvements which the Land Aot required'«hould be put on these amounted to a total of £914,716, whilst the value of ■those improvements actuailv made amounted to- no less a sum than £2,136,262. Since 1895 (before that dare there were no records) rhe Total" forest felled, burnt, and put into grass for dairying or for grazing of cattle a-nd sheep amounts to 1,250,148 • acres, and though we deplored having to !-feH our forests, "yet in -the' shape of grass lands -it was a far inb-re ' profitable asset for the Dominion. ' ' The Government had i behaved most' generously to those settlers ■ who passed through the 'last dry summer, in many cases with great loss and hardship, i by advancing 'to them seed to the value of £26,838. : The accounts rendered ' to '31et March showed that 714 6et.tlers i had- been granted relief, and' 4 hat 892,3031b of grass seed had been distributed, repay- ' menr • being' made 'by ' promissory notes 1 ' spread over periods of two, three, or four 1 years without interest. The Railway De1 partment in numerous instances assisted ! by granting- the free carriage of seed and materials for the re-erection of burnt fences, etc. LAND REVENUE. j A comparison of the last five veare ' shows how rapidly the gross receipts of the ; Lande Department from all sources havo ! bteadily risen : Gross Receipts

NATIONAL ENDOWMENT j The session of 1907 brought on to the ■ Statute Book a scheme of national endow- ' ment towards the- upkeep of the education e\stem and the old-age pensions, etc. This liad ohlv boen praetioallv in force for a ' little over nine months, but on tho 30th September the position was as follows: — ' Total area of national endowment lands opened for selection up to 30th September: t Renewable lease, 269,113 acres; pastoral 1 runs, 679,800 acres ;— total, 948,913. During ' the mouth of October 9078 acres would be ( placed in the market for selection under j renewable loase. The land opened and a^ailablc for selection was 321,878 acres. | The total number of tenants holding . t national endowments at September 31 was 1292, holding an area of 3,566,302 acres, '• and paving an annual rental of £60,409. i The receipts for the year 1908-9 would probably amount to £70,000. LAND FOR SETTLEMENT ESTATES. The position to-day of the lands for settlement policy of the Government was best exemplified by stating the facts. Number of estates 'purchased (including small areas for workers' dwellings), 182; area pnr-

"] chased, 1,222,134 acres; cost, including i roading, etc., £5,117,254; total area: in j settlements which had; been . opened foe selection, 1,110,409 acres. Area leased a*31st March, 1908: Number of selectors, 4217; area held, 979,081 acres; annual rent payable, £244,930; value of improvements,; 1 £1,244,972"; amounts advanced ' to ©de<tt££sf for buildings, etc., £7134; number', :-;6f > souls resident on holdings, 13,563^ receijjtt j during-; the*-jjear>-. 1907-8, £229,738; receipt j .from _„ jnoeptjon ,to 31st .Miarch, 1908, 1 £1,3395316.- /rhier.ineluded all,. settlements .! dealt with., lihde? the Land for' Settlements , Acts, those; opened prior to let November"? ! «307, bj&in^r W&fcJ chiefly under the lease-in-,^fefrpetoify w (999'' years) and small grazing ; f rtaisif (21 e y&&e'v lease) tenures. Theae •i-t^mttjes^yea^.^owever, cancelkd by ih« ■4 -le'gislaifion of 1907, and since that date- file . I term of lease had i>een for a period of 33 ■ jfeaits. -Between Ist November, 1907, -And March, 1908 (end of year), 151 h^d- . ihg»' were leased under the new act, crfh-' ' taining 67,107 acres. The new settlements. | offered under renewable lease (33 yearsV fcfim&it NovemtteT, 1907, to OctobjS&£3So&V-' k were s^- } y^K. t ' 3ft ■ ■ *S6ad^ 7.* ".' .*.'! .'.'." l,f-t"\*lß^" Canterbtsy— I<£ ;r. :~ y fS^j-Q->-ftc<i'*gfe addition, there are four estates vary- = - Ing in area from 180 acres to 19,115 acres, I and containing in all 35^635. -acres, to be offered on settlement conditions. The splendid position which this result exemplij Bed had alf arisen since 1693, when, in .L^eite. of 6teao.uous 'Oppoaifcion* «*nJ--w-hol«ate "'* criticism, the Government commenced its land for settlement policy by purchas1 ing tie Cheviot Estate, in Canterbury, of • 84,789 aores. which cost, including roadj ing, £311,789. The total receipts from its i inception to date from this estate .alone ' had. been £247,410, and the annual rental | was £14,647, co that in another five years I the whole original cost of the State would i have been recouped. Therefore^ the, lands j for \settlement policy, which . started in j 1893 with 178 tenants, r oldiog ' 50,503 acres, had attained in 1908, after only 15 years. I the, magnificent result of having 4217 tenants holding 979,081 acres under its auspices, paying an annual rental to the State of £244,930. And then our improvements were valued at £1,244,972. The total receipts, including the Cheviot Estate, since ite inception in 1893 were £1,586,846. WORKERS' DWELLINGS. The area acquired for thie purpose up to March 31, 19Q8, was; • Acre 6. Auckland 243 Wellington .~ .'. ... — Ml Canterbury ~ ... 3J Otago ..' 12 Crown Lands Set Apart. . , Wellington ,s, s ... 1 Christchurcb ~~ 9 Total ... ... ..- . „' 609J | Ninety-four dwellings were erected at March .31, 1908, eight being not -quite finished Jn time for offering before the close of the year. The number of houses occupied at March 31 was 84, and the | receipts for the year 1907-8 amounted to £2015. From April 1 to October 9 eight dwellings in Wellington and 11 in Christ- < 1 church had been completed and let. ! i LAND SETTLEMENT FINANCE. { I Hp had circulated a bill providing for an j J assured finance of land settlement, and he , I was confident that in the next session of j | Parliament it would be placed upon the , 1 Statute Book. Under it 10 i>oop!o might join ■ together ami purchase a block of land, and i I to enable them to do this they wore , j authorised to issue debentures for 21 years j ' at a rate not exceeding 4£ per cent., the j 1 debentures to bo guaranteed by the Go- ; vernment. The areas of land would be , the same as tho-c under the Land for Settlements Act. He was prepared to con- ' si<ler the reducing of th« number of mdi- ' vidnalo from 10 to 5, and ho predicted that 'under this valuable system we would havo a great impetus given to the acquiring of j 1 la-ncte throughout the Dominion and the > settlement upon them by a large number of NATIONAL PROVIDENT BILL. i He had also circulated a bill providing ! i for a national provident fund try which an annuity up to £100 a vfwf could be 1 obtained by a small contribution fronfr* : those desirous of joining the fund. A per- j i son must be resident in New Zealand, over . 16 years oi age and under 45, and in * I receipt of an income not exceeding £200 i a year. The- bill made provision for 7e 6d a week to be paid in the event of the vleatfi ; or incapacitation from work of the breadwinner, and also provided for 7s 6d a week to be paid to the widow so Jong a* amof the children were under 14 yeaio of arc This was an important matter, and *-■

*5P deserving of the fullest - consideration b! the people of the country. It would help jnen^vith small means to make provision! for themselves in their advanced y^ars, andl for their widows- and children in the event? of their death. The Whole scheme was "actnairially sound, and had been, approved! Vby the Government Actuary. He had cir« .qqlated this bill so as to giva. the people >AiLiOppoTtunity of fully considering it dur,* « I&ff-the recess. } r LOCAL BODIES' FINANCE. fc/ f€!fe hoped to be able to effect a marked (improvement in the method that at present existed in connection witJi ■ our. local go* vernment in the way. of reducing and) minimising expenses by th© eansolfiJSition. of _ x loans, by simplifying the machinery for, and generally to ierriovqi «uiomalios which were -known to exist in the Jfpresent law, and so relieve -tibe ratepayonl jgof unnecessary- taxation ' and- at the samQ iHitne to improve the methods of adminie;J tration. The local taxation was equivcS lent to £1 9s 6d per head of the entire ' population- The rates, general end special^ "ijfifcied that comparison, was La* t£mMra7:pti4*~'t<bjß margin was very wide I ,' being very itjfthtjh^ rated. The' IJ^C/jj^co1 J^C/jj^co iscal bodies,-, fricH^ling harbour;. '.^TOMdjK "(£,^76,551) and GoVwnmert loams /^6K,273) .amounted to £13,263,321. Tlkj h^*»i>pfc-*f4« of interest of these loans wes" , unfl£fcs percent., but more fha^ £3,000,000^ wa»- raised at 5 per cent, and noarlyj £2,000,000 at 6 per cent. &p& 7 per cenfe' Tifoe-re/ -we're 559 local bodies, .and <ikingi the cost of management o? 134 counties against general and special rates, it avgfag.es 1M per . . .oeot. In the Waitdmo County the rates amounted to £202, and the total revenue to £423.- whilst the management was £234, or £32 more than the rates received. In many instances the cost of management; waj over 60 per cent, of the rates received^ The expenditure of 59 boroughs exceeded! the receipts, showing that interest on over* drafts was being paid. The "boot of manage* menfc of, 197 road districts as against rates ran from over 200 per cent. (Lake Coleridge; rates £84, management £180, total receipts £190). From tfns> it would be seem ■' that • there was a great dtvereity of system; and naturally ,of results, and he hoped to submit a scheme that would give the opportunty of consolidating the loans andl generally improving the position of iha 'looal public bodies.

1903-4 1904-5 1906-7 1906-7 1907-8 . i £497,211 508.930 550.248 578,23.1 658.794