THE Temuka Leader. SATURDAY, MARCH 25, 1893. SIR ROBERT STOUT’S SPEECH

Temuka Leader, Issue 2481, 25 March 1893, Page 2

THE Temuka Leader. SATURDAY, MARCH 25, 1893. SIR ROBERT STOUT’S SPEECH

Sir Robert Stout is the best abused man iu this colony at the present time, and yet no man is more popular and no man commands a wider influence. The secret of all this is that he is in thorough sympathy with the thoughts,the wishes, an d the aspirations, of the people. He is not iu active politics at present, but it is alleged that he prompts and directs the present Government, and in the language of their opponents acts as a “ wet nurse ” to them. This is not true. The present crew are well able to steer the political barque themselves, but, at the same time, it is fortunate for them that their actions meet with his approval. That he does approve of them is made manifest frequently in his public utterances, the most recent of which is his great speech in Auckland recently. In that he made mincemeat of Mr Rollestou’s address, and gave a very interesting sketch of the political history of Now Zealand for the past few years. With regard to the Education Act, Mr Rolleston claimed all the credit of having passed for the Hon. 0. C. Bowen, but Sir Robert Stout showed that it was pawed by the Grey

Government. Mr Rolleston also condemned the West Coast Railway, but Sir Robert showed that in 1882 the Government of which Mr Rolleston was a member authorised it to be constructed, and the contract was let in 1884 to a Christchurch syndicate, who transferred it to a London Company. Now, the Conservatives are never tired of throwing the West Coast Railway, or, as it is now called, the Midland Railway, in the face of the Liberals, and it is time they were silenced by this fact. Another fact in connection with this railway was exposed by Sir Robert. The Stout-Vogel Government contracted with the company to take alternative blocks along the line of railway, that is, the Goverment could take one block, the company the next, the Government the next, and so on. No land worth more than 1 Os an acre was to be taken. The Conservatives came into power and changed all this. They allowed the company to take land wherever they liked. The consequence was that the company took land worth 15s an acre and sold it, and now they were refusing to go on with the contract unless they got further concessions. If the original contract had been adhered to the company would have to build the railway or go without the land. This ought to shut the Conservatives up, as it clearly proves that the muddle has arisen through their maladministration, but it will not for they have nothing else to talk about. It is at any rate most extraordinary that Mr Rolleston has to fall back on ancient history like this to make out a case against the Government.

Sir Robert Stout also ridiculed Mr Rolleston’s “ galloping to a deficit” cry, and showed that it was the Conservatives who borrowed all thejmoney. He also referred to the cry for exempting improvements from taxation now, and asked “ When Mr Rolleston was in office did he exempt improvements V’ He reminded his hearers that when the StoutYogel Government wanted to exempt improvements up to £3OOO they were denounced by the Conservatives. Now the Conservatives wanted improvements exempted. When also they proposed a graduated tax of 13/16ths of a penny in the £ they were turned out of office. Now the same people had to pay l§d in the £. How did they like it ? Sir Robert Stout also corrected some of the errors with regard to the land question. In 1876 he proposed the perpetual lease and in 1881 Mr Rolleston introduced it into Parliament. It was not perpetual lease, as it gave the right to purchase until 1885, when the Stout-Vogel Government carried a proper Perpetual Lease Act. In 1887, however, the Conservatives destroyed this, so Mr Rolleston need not take all credit to his party for all the virtues. After dealing with Education, and saying the logical sequence of the action of the Conservatives with regard to the Upper House was an elective governor, he went on to say the Opposition were ashamed of the title Conservative, and so they were calling themselves the “ Old Liberals ” and the Government party the “ New Liberals.” He accepted the title. He was fully satisfied to be called a “ New Liberal.” The “ Old Liberal’s ” watchword was individualism, they would have no state inteference. The “New Liberals ” believed that it was the duty of the State to look after the interests of the people to see that the weaker classes got fair play, to prevent sweating, to equalise the burdens of taxation and so on. The aid of the State should be invoked when : —lst, It was of primary social importance; 2nd, When practicable; 3rd, When it would not diminish self-re-liance. The State should not go farther, and this was all the “ New Liberals” were doing. He gloried in the name of “ New Liberal,” and wound up with the following “ Go into the slums in large cities of the Old Countries, see the destruction, crime, vice, and unhealthy surroundings, and let them all say “ these things shall not occur here.” (Applause.) They could only prevent it by acccepting the New Liberal creed, because, so far as the Old Liberal was concerned it was founded entirely on individual right, and gave no such functions to the State as he (the speaker) had sketched out. He therefore asked them to help on the good cause. They might not seek seats in the House, but they might all continue in their own minds and hearts to work, conceiving it to be their duty to help forward New Zealand permanently. It was the duty of each and all to aim at the perfection of tho race, and to take advantage of State organisation to help forward the progress of the race. That was the New Liberal creed.”

We have not, of course, given more than a cursory glimpse of the speech, but the little of it which we have given will show that it was trenchant and telling, and ihat it completely annihilated Mr Rolleston. U jyiU also show true Liberals what their dutigs are in the coming election, and we have no doubt they will appreciate it and do as Sir Robert Stout suggests.