South Canterbury Times, FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 1883.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 3141, 27 April 1883, Page 2

South Canterbury Times, FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 1883.

Mb Bathgate’s speech on Tuesday evening, to the electors of Boslyn is very good reading indeed. We have always admired Mr Bathgate, for his strong common-sense, his national canniness, his earnestness, and his energy. Dunedin never bad a better Besident Magistrate than he, and as a member of society he has always been philanthropic and full of zeal, tempered with discretion; and his lengthened experience of Scottish life makes him ajery charming racouttr. When he entered Parliament for Boslyn at the last general election, no very high hopes were formed of his career, but everybody knew he wonld attend to business and do his utmost. And these expectations were more than fulfilled. Mr Bathgate always spoke well and to the purpose in the House. He acted upon principles of true and enlightened Liberalism, he always aimed at practical legislation, and he was never found “vapouring,” as 100 many young politicians are apt to do. Mr Bathgate, though a young politician, is, in fact, a very “ old bird,” and possesses consummate knowledge of facts and things as they are. It is sometimes said there are too many lawyers in the House, and we quite endorse the opinion ; but if there were a few more of the stamp of the Member for Boslyn, we should not have to say so. Mr Bathgate, on Monday night, gave probably the most comprehensive and practical of the pre sessional addresses yet delivered. He animadverted in very strong terms upon the long duration of the session, four months in the year being in his opinion an unreasonably long period ; and he also condemned the delay of Government in bringing down the estimates, and vindicated the Opposition from the charges that bad been brought against them of being obstructive. Passing by several minor matters, Mr Bathgate touched upon certain measures of importance. One m«(< i>hn 1

Act, which, with several other useful 1 measures, was thrown into the waste I paper basket in consequence of the I dilatory action of the Government. The history of this Bill, the speaker thus recounted. Act had not proved so successful as was anticipated owing to radical defects. “ Cases under that Act came before me when I was a Eesident Magistrate, and I used to express my regret at this defect, which was that no workman could take steps against a contractor in the way of attaching against the property upon which the wages were due unless he had first got judgment against the contractor in a Court of law. The consequence of this was that before the unfortunate workman could secure bis interest by obtaining judgment against the contractor the latter would be away to the Bluff or half way to Melbourne. Mr Feldwick, of Invercargill, brought in a Bill to amend this. I took the opportunity of framing a clause enabling workmen to attach at once against the property for money due, before he got judgment, then go into Court, and the attachment was to abide by the result of the action. Government admitted the excellence of Mr Bathgate’s clause and announced shortly after that all the unopposed Bills would be passed through all their stages at once. When Mr Bathgate’s amended Bill came up it was opposed by a member who was a contractor, and it was accordingly, with other “ opposed ” Bills, shovelled aside and no more seen. Mr Bathgate forcibly and justly argues that if Government had bad a particle of real concern for the welfare of the working men they would have been most careful to press forward this bit of wise legislation. But, as we know only too well, capital and monopoly are the first consideration with the Government which now governs our destinies, and the workingman may “go hang.” Coming to the question of taxation, Mr Bathgate protested against the continual drain upon the resources of the South Island to meet the large deficiences and permit its unprofitable expenditure in the North Island. “ The Government said that the Southern representatives should take a colonial view of everything and be generous and openhearted. Well, he believed in people dealing liberally and generously, but the practice should be general. Now, the Northern men, who gave that advice, whenever they had an opportunity of sitting upon us they took it.” Who will venture to deny this statement, and when has the North Island ever produced any “ Colonial minded ” politicians ? The Acts comprising the local government measures, Mr Bathgate denounced as calculated to promote centralisation—Government making up the Assessment rolls of municipalities and charging them for copies of it. He stigmatised the Government notwithstanding their boast of economy, as “ the most extravagant that ever sat on the Benches,” for they had increased the Estimates for 1882-3 by £400,000 over those for the previous year. “How were the hardworking and energetic settlers in the Provinces of Otago and Canterbury to pay the piper? Did they like the music ?” He admired the leasing system introduced by Mr Bolleston’s Land Bill, but he denounced with much severity Major Atkinson’s special tax proposals, and the Property Tax. No one, as yet, has more vigorously pitched into the Treasurer and his proposals. The following passage is worth perusal : “We bad recently had the unusual spectacle of a Minister of the Crown coming down here to enlighten ns. Well, they were very glad to see him; public men could not go too much among the community for the purpose of stating their views, but in the case of Major Atkinson’s visit the bother was that he did not state his views as a member of the Government. They wanted to know what the Government were going to do—how much of the taxation they were going to take off—whether there were brighter prospects in store for ns; but they had not heard a “ cheep ” about that. Major Atkinson had lectured on political economy, which they could study very well for themselves from such authors as Fawcett, John Stuart Mill, and Henry George, and obtain far better information than that contained in Major Atkinson’s lectures. Major Atkinson tried to defend the property tax; he could not. That tax helped to make a man with any public spirit poorer, and thrust a tax upon him that he ought not to bear in any country. Was it not an absurdity that a property tax should be paid upon pictures 7 He argued that only property that was productive in itself should be liable to a property tax. .... We had been told by

Major Atkinson that the causes of poverty were bad laws, want of thrift, over population and crime. He (Mr Bathgate) pointed out that by lessening the cost of necessaries and making the working man’s wages good, relief would be afforded. The proposed tax of £4O under the compulsory system was nothing less than a poor law under another name. . . . The pro-

ducers must get a proper share of profits on their labor. They should be provided with better houses to live in, better food, and higher wages, to enable them to attain to a good degree of comfort. Give them a good water supply, and you would have less sickness. One cause of poverty was due to the monopoly of the land, and be was glad to see that the Land Nationalisation Association had been formed in Dunedin. The land was the source of wealth. He strongly urged the claims of technical education as opposed to theoretical cram; and he finally insisted that we were entitled to, and must have, real and hot sham local government.” We have given an outline of Mr Bathgate’s speech, because it strikes us as being a remarkably practical and earnest one, entirely free from froth or class prejudice, and treating the great questions of the day in a thoughtful spirit. It is not unfrequently urged, against “ liberal ” speakers that they debate too much upon the wrongs of one class, and indulge in invective ad nauseam against the tyranny of others, and that they can never view things in a dispassionate light, or follow out

heir own theories to a logical resalt in action. Such a charge cannot be brought against Mr Bathgate. With no portion of his remarks do we more cordially agree than with those in which he laments political apathy among the people, and expresses bis hope that the frequent discussion of subjects of common interest may lead to activity of political thought. Tor that very reason we are very much obliged to Major Atkinson : he has placed before the country a perfect impracticable and unjust proposal—but it has set a great many people thinking who nevet thought before,and therefore we are of opinion that be has done not a little good to the people. The more thought the less danger will there be of misgovernment.