Pre-Sessional Address

Southland Times, Issue 14332, 28 April 1899, Page 2

Pre-Sessional Address

DUNEDIN’S SENIOR MEMBER SPEAKS. (Special to Southland Times) [By Telegraph.] Dunedin, April. 27. Mr M. J. S. Mackenzie addressed a crowded mee ingof . the electors of Dunedin in the Agricultural Hall this evening, the mayor presiding. Mr Mackenzie, who was in his happiest vein, said the work of list session resolved itself into the passing of the OLD AGE PENSIONS ACT. He wasafirm believer'in the principle of old age pensions, but this bill was passed by the simple process of ignoring all the moral difficulties the world was grappling with. An old age pension ought to be the reward of a reasonably well spent life, which had either been unfortunate or had lacked opportunity. It was no argument in its favour that many worthy people received pensions, for they could not be exeluded under any bill, no matter how vicious it might be. It was a fatal flaw that a man who throughout life had squandered his means received a pension, while the thrifty, who had saved a home for themselves were doomed to toil on to the end. It was folly to say that three years would be a fair trial for the system : it would require ab least fen, perhaps twenty. He did not believe the colony could stand the strain and the first lean year that came there would be hostility to it in its present shape from those who now passively support it. Pensions must however, b> continued to those who were in receipt of them, for the colony could not play fast and loose with old age and must make the best it could of the system ; but be warned them that the real problem of old age pensions had yet to be fought out in this colony. THE PREMIER CRITICIZED. Regarding the reckless statements made by the Premier in his recent tour, Mr Mackenzie declared that Mr Seddon's figures woulifbe true of any other period in the colony’s history. Mr Seddonjhad boasted of the increase of manufactures since the present Government took office, but his own Official Year Book showed that progress of manufactures had been infinitely greater before 1891. Mr Mackenzie quoted comparative figures, showing that in all the principal items of progress—in population, exports, shipping, land in cultivation, and railway construction—the rates of increase had been infinitely greater during the worst period of the colony’s depression than during the seven years of the present administration. He would nob descend, however, to the assertion that such things depended upon the Government • when the fact was that they depended upon the industry of the people. A remarkable circumstance in the position of affairs political was the fact, unique in political history, that the principal Government supporters had no confidence in the Government. Mr Carncroes would render the Legislative Council independent of government; Mr John Hutcheson would deprive them of the power of appointing to the Civil Service; Mr Montgomery advocated thab al!the chief officers of the Civil Service should be made as independent of the Government as the judges. Moreover, the Police Commission reported that they had come to the conclusion that the appointment, transfer and dismissal of the police should be taken out of the hands of the Government. The reason for this was the recognition of the deep-seated corruption that had spread itself over the service and thepeople. What were they to think of a Government that was overflowing with Liberalism, and yet could nob be trusted to perform the most elementary functions of government. Ho believed that if the inquiry into the bestowal of the N.Z. Cross on Harry Wrigg had been completed there was no man or woman among his (McKenzie’s) opponents who would say for an instant that the Government ought to be left with the power of recommending the bestowal of that coveted honour. Respecting

APPOINTMENTS OF JUSTICES OF THE PEACE Mr Mackenzie evoked roars of laughter by remaiking that, though the Government appointees appeared regularly in court they did not often sib oh the bench. The air was thick with corruption, and it was his firm belief that if there was no corruption there would be very little of present day Liberalism in New Zealand. Turning to

THE MARINE DEPARTMENT SCANDAL, He said that if they looked on its inoral, social and political aspect it would be an outrage on the administration of a South American republic or of China itself. The most odious point of the business was the way Ministers saved their own skins at the expense of tho unfortunate victim. The Premier had Arab solemnly denied that he knew anything about it, and then the whole squalid story with all its debasing subterfuges, were dragged from him in a court of law. The moral aspect vvas appalling, bub callous, criminal indifference to the safety of the public was equally bad. Was there ever an instance of greater demoralisation in the public service than in the attitude of the officers of the Marine Department, who, though apparently honest in intention to do their duty, subordinated their duty to themselves and the colony at the will of a Minister. He was not censuring the officers : they forgot their duty because they dared nob do otherwise. The officers of the New Zealand Civil Service were under one of the most odious and vulgar tyrannies of modern times. The settled policy in New Zealand just now was a

■ POLICY OF EVASION AND DECEPTION in the administration of public affairs. It was disagreeable to refer to the Premier’s Jubilee expenses, but the speaker felt compelled to draw attention to the concealment in the miscellaneous items in the postal estimates of allowances to Mr Seddon’s private secretary in addition to £1750 representing the Premier’s own expenses. Mr Mackenzie also instanced the concealment from the House and the Audit Office of the bogus sale of railway stores,and the fact that it added d;3o,ooo—probably

£sl,ooo—to the surplus. He declared thab when, in 1891 the present Government took office they turned a stream of moral sewage under the foundations of the Constitution and it was oerrupting and demoralising everything with which ic came into contaqb. In theselater days the Go vernment’s followers were not free agents ; they dared not vote against the Government. The working men of the colony were much to blame for sending members in as automatic voting machines to support the Government. Why did they do it ’ It was due to the influence of a few 'jingling words put into the public mind when that mind was in a heated condition. As an example of this he pointed to the present condition of affairs in France. Two or three empty insignificant words had, in New Zealand, produced a temporary aberration of the public mind and had ologed the eyes of the supporters of the Government to

THE CORRUPTION OF PUBLIC LIFE. Had the men rendered public services in the colony with whom the ;tlpper House was being stuffed (cries of “No ”) There was a man in that hall thab evening (Sir John Hall) who had been 40 years in public life; bad filled every Cabinet office ; had been Premier when the free system of education was instituted and when manhood suffrage was adopted—a man whom it would be an honour to any government to nominate to the Upper House, and when a vacancy occurred the choice of the Government fell on a man like Mr Twomey (laughter). Playing upon the name of liberalism rendered the people blind to the noble work that had been done for this colony in 50 short years, and equally blind to the disastrous moral change that was coming "over the people. FACTS AND ARGUMENTS WERE USELESS while such a condition lasted, and that was one reason why he had refused to deliver addresses outside of his own district. He believed that that condition would have to work its own cure, and the next election would probably see the first step towards that cure.

A vote of thanks to and confidence in Mr Mackenzie was carried unanimously.