Major Atkinson at Hawera. (BY TELEGRAPH -PRESS ASSOCIATION.) Hawera, Dec 17.

Te Aroha News, Volume III, Issue 134, 26 December 1885, Page 4

Ma jor Atkinson at Hawera. (BY TELEGRAPH -PRESS ASSOCIATION.) Hawera, Dec 17.

Major Atkinson addressed his constituents here this evening. He said he considered it necessary to, reply to the speeches made by the Premier and the Colonial Treasurer. Both had been guilty of great misrepresentation, of which he complained bitterly. When the Government first took office it was upon dispraise of their opponents and praise of themselves. Then they olaimed to be judged by their merits, but now their own merits had again disappeared, and once mare it was the demerits and misconduct of their opponents that were relied upon. Much good would have been done, it was said, had their opponents not prevented it, and, bad as things were, they i would have been worse had the Government not been in office. A Government should have some better reason than that to show that they were entitled to the confidence of the country. He had great respect for Sir Julius Vogel as a man, but it was his ways he did not like, and he should point out what he objected to.

The Treasurer's Failures, When Sir Julius Vogel came into office, he said the finances of New Zealand were elastio and buoyant enough to satisfy the most exacting financier, and that all that was required was better management. Then certain promises were given. Reduction of expenditure was one, and, in connection with this, Mr Stout said that if he could not save £80,000 or £100,000 in two departments alone, he would leave office. Ue (Major Atkinson) bad shown last session that there had been no saving. The Colonial Treasurer had also said that there should be a saving, specially on education, though the nystem was to be improved at the same time. There had been no such saving. He also pledged himself distinctly that the Property Tax should be reduced in 1881 and abolished in 1885 ; but the tax was made Ligher last session than ever it had been since the year it was first imposed. There was to be fresh vigour in the Public Works policy ; and, in place of the colony doing as it had been doing, they should progress by "leaps and bounds " in pursuance of that policy. Relief from the Sinking Fund was promised to secure the result that seven and a-balf millions more should be borrowed without any extra charge on the revenue, depreesion should disappear, and prosperity return. In addition to this, local government was to be j put in a more satisfactory state. All these ! promises were distinctly made, but they had

not been fulfilled. Ministerial Action Last Session. Hi Dealing with last session, he said that, though the Government claimed credit for having all their measures ready, the fact was that they were in a most unready condition. When members met there was not a single measure ready. There were a large number of bills put before the House, but few of them could have been considered by the Cabinet. The Cabinet contained competent lawyers, and if they had considered the bills they would never have laid them before the House in the shape they did. He mentioned several bills, such as the Mortgage Debentures Bill and the Companies Bill, which were completely changed several times and wholly re cast before the House was at last asked to consider them. It was true the Opposition did not attack the administration of the Government on the Address -in • Reply, though the creation of- J.P.'s and Legislative Councillors, and other such acts, would have given ample room for doing so ; but the Government having made great promises and announced an important policy ready for submission to the House, the Opposition were ready to judge them on that. As a matter of fact, however, the policy was not ready, for the Public Works Statement—the most important item — was not brought down till the 25th August, and all the important policy bills wei'e brought down in a state of imperfection, which was a disgrace to the Legislature. Instead of perfecting their policy during the recess, Ministers had ehowa busy idleness in rushing r.bout the country, and were totolly unprepared. It was his opinion that the explanation was that the policy of the Government had never yet been revealed, Sir J. Vogel saw that the Houee was not prepared for his policy, and therefore he had simply waited his time in order to seize the opportunity for developing his own policy, and that was a policy of enormous borrowing. Having failed to make reduction, and having increased taxation, the Government must be held to have failed in finance. With regard to railway management the last Government was turned out principally because they de cided that the railways should pay a fair share towards interest on the coat of construction, and the present Government had come in with a great flourish of trumpets about their expert managing the railway fairly to everyone, and yet giving a better return. The result of its efforts had been that with a greater number of miles of railways opened the returns had been less than those obtained by the late Government, and complaints were still rife. As to the non political Board proposition, that, like most others, had disappeared, and it was so absurd that he hoped it would never be revived again. As to loan conversion, he held that the conversion of the 5 per cent, loan was a bad bargain, because the colony really got no present benefit, and in seven years' time would have to give 44 per cent, bonds in exchange for the 5 per cent, bonds, whereas every indication showed that the colony would ha able to borrow at lees than 4£ per cent. He bad been urged to undertake the same operation, but he hai always been convinced that the colony could obtain better terms if it would only take time. The present Government, however, did not mind sacrilicing the interest of the colony in order to make a " splash." He feared that the "reinstated finance" would end in a deficiency this year, though he hoped it would not. But there was a falling-off in railways and Customs, which indicated a deficiency, notwithstanding the increased taxation.

The Government Proposals. The public works policy of the Government was to be a trump card. Great vigour was to be shown, and works were to be pushed on, and in that way the colony was to be lifted «out, of its difficulties. He noticed that the Premier and the Treasurer gave two different accounts as to what was the intention of the Government, each opposite to the other. The Premier, in addition, contradicted himself, and therefore it must ■be assumed that the Colonial Treasurer spoke the mind of the Government. He said the Government had intended to carry out a vigorous policy, but were prevented from doing to by the Opposition. That this was untrue official figures amply proved. . He did not believe that the Government had any intention of fulfilling the pledge .about a vigorous policy. The moment, Sir Julius Vogel saw the House was not prepared to sanction his scheme beyond moderate, limits he became moderate, because he wanted time, He

only aeked'for a million ftnd a-half, and said tliat .withfcthfatii heA^ctßl^ii.oayr^nVthe: works with vigour, , ,But,the^igour w'fta hot sKown, and to him it was evident that theGovernment were > not fiincere in their der claration.. The Government, werejiot^hbrt^ of money. They had £1,500,000 at their disposal at ' the beginning" oi< the l year,* whioh he (Major Atkinson) had, left, mnd they had more money in hand at the end, of the session than they had spent by £150,000, and then the one million loan and the million and a-half loan to draw «Ppn, Bp aat there could haye 4 been no 'difficulty^ This year the Government ' askdH^that' £1,600,000 should be granted to ttiem^The* Houseactually granted £2, 150,000, butinthe* Public Works Statement the Minister for Publics WorksBaid that they only proposed to expendduringtheyear£i,2oo,oQo,orin round numbers, a million and a quarter. It was said that the Opposition, by reduoing the Estimates, had hampered the Government and created depression, but the Government had only applied for a million and aquarter, and a large portion of that was for defences, so that while last year the Government spent £1,336,000 upon public works, thin year they only proposed to' spend a million and a quarter, of which a large sum, certainly £150,000, was to be spent in defence works. It may be recollected that this statement was mad* in a document considered in Cabinet, and long before the Opposition had decided anything about reducing the Estimates. Thus the Government themselves bad decided upon limiting their expenditure to a million and a quarter. How was it possible for the Government to say that they were anxious for a vigorous expenditure, and the Opposition had stopped them ? The Minister this year had asked for railways a sum of £1,347,000. The House granted him £979,000. They were told that the country wub to be ruined and distress to be brought about because of that small reduction, because the House was not prepared to vote more than £979X00 for railways, agreeing with the Government in limiting the expenditure to a million and a-quarter. If that was not sufficient, the sooner the country declared that it should be sufficient the better for everybody. The total amount to the Whitaker-Atkinson Government for the two years preceding the accession of the present Government was less by £1,100,0i'0 than the money granted to the present Government during their first two years of office, yet the Stout;Governnient had spent less than their predecessors. They could have shown more vigour if they had chosen to do so. They had shown that they were utterly insincere or incompetent for their position. He believed that they were insincere, and that the Treasurer was anxious to start some extravagant scheme, and was seeking to get an excuse by accusing the Opposition of having prevented him from carrying out his policy. The reason the reductions had been made in the Estimates was that the Opposition considered that to vote the Government £2,100,000 instead of £2,600,000 was to give them quite enough margin, when they proposed to spend only one million and a-qna-ter, and it was known that if they granted the larger sum they must have authorised a new loan, or the Government would have had an excupe for taking that which they had since threatened' to do -seizing the North Island Trunk loan. It \ias untrue that the reduction of the Estimates stopped works in any way, but if all the money asked for had been granted, there would have been great pressure brought to bear upon the Government by their political friends to exceed the l i mite which they had set themselves in the Public Works Statement. There was no necessity for the Government to stop works, or to disoharge public officers. The effect of the reduction was simply to prevent the necessity of a further loan. The Premier and the Treasurer had accused him of wrongfully diverting a-porifcibi]rot ? th% three" million loan, but that bad all been explained. One object of the million and a-half loan was to recoup the various lines which had been expended on rolling stock under circumstances detailed at the time. 1 1 North Island Trunk Railway Loan. With regard to the North Island Trunk loan, he condemned the threats which bad been made by the Premier and Treasurer. He was glad to notice they had been scouted by friend and foe alike from one end of the colony to the other, and that the Government, to use a homely phrase, had " dropped it like a hot potato." But none the less it was a terrible disgrace to the colony to have a man in the position of the Premier making use of such a threat. He protested in the strongest possible way against the political morality of the u-.terances of the Colonial Treasurer and the Premier on the subject. While the late Government was in office, the North Island Trunk loan had always been dealt with as being entirely separate from the other public works money of the Government, and it was only the other day that he discovered that last cession the JNorth Island Trunk Railway loan had been scheduled in the Appropriation Act. He took blame to himself that he had not noticed this when the bill was passing through the House, but he had not thought it possible that the Government could do such a thing without bringing the matter under the notice of the House, which had not been done. He could not say whether it had been done intentionally or accidentally. Itmight have been one or the other, H o was certain that if the matter had been brought under the attention of the «Houee it would never have been done. It was a special loan, and should have continued to bespecially treated. He had nodoubtthe House on re- assembling .would restore the loan to its old position. However, the action of the Government in talking* as they had of taking this loan was simply to frighten people. They had no right to take the loan, and they had ample money to meet all the votes without taking it. They had over £2,000,000, and had undertaken to spend not more than a million and a quarter.

East and West Coast Line. With regard to the East and West Coast and Nelson Railway, be had always looked on it as part of the main scheme which would have to be carried out some day, but it must take its turn after the completion of other linea, which promised to be more profitable. The colony would not be patiefied in spending £3.000,000 or £4,000,000 upon it at present. The House bad granted certain concessions if a company would undertake the construction of theline, and he disapproved of the action of the Go vernment in proposing, while negotiations were still pending, to vote a sum of £150,000 to commence the construction of the line. , , , . District , Railways. As to the district railways, he said he alway felt that the colony would have to acquire the lines, lie supported the propositions made last session as a means of putting an end to the existing state of affairs, „

Local Government. . The local government policy, was to crown the edifice which Government, were building up. J5e * referred to the; failure,/ of , the Government- in - respeofr '' of > the Local Bodies' .Finance and \ Powers ."Bjll, ? jpoiht^ ing' out that ;,the t ,,\ Act" granted subsidies for six months,i instead of for 25 ye*ra, as ; proposed, and contained

efchtbl»uteas>gaiDBt67#(3nit wa.in-trdduo^d;-^o^6pMtiiey^ld hear no more of *u6hVa ! bill aa'tliat; The -faofc-wae, neither the ■- Premier- nor .the £ Colonial ; Treasurer 'knew? ftnytHiniac^siaboufc - *tKe Irequirements of the 1 i country disfcriot|/^norf*bout > looal "goyernment.' They wereianxious to do their bfeefc, but they had not the Knowledge. ' The lioada and Bridges Construction Act had been repealed, and nothing had been put in its plaoe. ' Something mvit 1 be 1 done to help Idealities' i with the construction of roads. The localities oould not construct the roads. Though railways were ihciportant, they were valueless without roade. He ridiculed the Hospitals and Charitable Aid Bill as totally unworkable. , " '

Promotion and Free Trade. As to the question of protection and free trade, he ■ thought it wad nonsense to raiee the issue, as the Colonial Treasurer was doing, beoause /revenue must be had. The Customs revenue was so necessary that the colony oould not affora to remit taxation. The taxation to be levi|a in the main should be regulated by the. requirements of the revenue. It seemed to tun to bo an abstract question at the present time.

Native Affairs. . As to native affairs; he should have to leave that subjeot and others to be dealt with in a speech whioh he would deliver later on, but he might'say that he was afraid native affairs were being mismanaged. The natives were using Mr Stout and Mr Ballance at the present time, as the colony would find to its cost by and bye He referred to the proposed Native Lands Registration Bill of last session, and was strong in his objections to the Native Land Disposition Bill, whioh would have placed far too much power in the hands of the Native Minister, and created a most undesirable Btate of affairs. He referred to the fact that Wahanui, in evidence last session before the Native Affairs Committee, had professed utter ignorance as to settlement going on the line of railway, and said he could not reconcile that evidence with the statements of the Government that blocks of land were being acquired there. The line certainly fhould not be made until the land was acquired.

The Future.— A Warning. As for the future, the Government having failed in everything they had attempted, would, no doubt, try to recover their position by a new departure. They were now putting out feelers with that object in view. There was no doubt that prosperity could be restored by a large annual expenditure for a short time. If the colony were to go in for a loan of eight millions, it waß certain interest could not be provided out of revenue, and he wished to say distinctly that he was entirely opposed to, and should resist to the utmost, any proposition which might be made by any party whatever for paying interest out of loan. That might be the proposition brought forward, and it would be for the people to consider it. He did not believe for a moment that the colonists of New Zealand would ever submit to such a thing. He did not believe they would ever consent to raise money for the purpose of constructing works which it was impossible could be reproJucfive, in order to gain immediate advantage. He could not believe the 'colonists would adopt a policy which, though it meant fictitious prosperity for four or five years, would result in such a collapse as had never yet been witnessed in Mew Zealand. He believed that the true policy was a moderate system of public works to be pushed on steadily, but borrowing must be gradually contracted, and not increased. Borrowing must not be for the purpose of restoring prosperity. by "leaps and bounds," but be kept within, an eh limits that the interest may be easily provided out of revenue. He believed that a large number "wefeTnbt ipreparecf to go in for extravagant proposals which might be brought forward by the Government. He denied that his policy was to "lie down and wait until Providence helped you," as had been alleged by tho Treasurer at Christchurch. His policy, on the contrary, was to labour and to wait— a policy which Sir J. Vogel could not understand. On the other hand, Sir J. Vogel belonged to the same class as two Ameri! cans, who, having failed in everything, had to be locked up, and having nothing at all, proceeded at once to make each other's fortunes by swapping jackets. Sir J. Vogel did not understand waiting or progress. He did not understand either of these things, unless it ia to bo by leaps and bounds. The colony wanted a steady and continuous progress. Those who bad come to the colony to make it their home wanted to do so gradually and steadily by continuous work, and not by lying down and waiting. Neither did they want to be handed over to great speculators who hastened to be rich, and who would land the country in bankruptcy. A Jvote of confidence was carried unanimously.