POLITICAL ADDRESS.

Temuka Leader, Issue 5290, 26 August 1905, Page 4

POLITICAL ADDRESS.

* MR W. JEFFRIES AT TEMUEA. Mi- W. Jeffries, a candidate for live Geraldine scat at the next election, delivered his maiden political speech on Thursday evening in the Teniuka Volunteer Hall. The hall was crowded, the usual space between the front scats and the,-platform being filled. On the platform were Messrs M. Scanned, T. H. Goy, C. Lashlie, 11. Goodeve, Goo. Thomson, J. Ivess, and others. The chair was occupied by the Mayor, Mr Buxton, who introduced the speaker in a rachcr lengthy speech. Mr Jeffries had n claim on them as a young- New Zealander, if no other. His father was the first white man horn in Nelson, and was still alive, and his son, who was to address them was also very much alive. They would be able to decide after hearing him as to his suitability as their representative. He thought they should allow their representatives more latitude than was now the case. When a candidate was before them he was questioned very closely, and made to promise whether he will vote for or against the Government on a no-con-fidence motion. This to him seemed wrong, as it might compel the man to break his pledge, or vole against his conscience. If they were going to tic a man down ns to the way ho .should vote it would be better to get Mr Edison to send them a , voting machine, which would record a vole when a button was pressed lie asked them to give Mr Jeffries a fair and impartial hearing. Mr Jeffries then rose and said : Mr Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen. — In appearing before you this evening ns a candidate soliciting your suffrages at the- forthcoming elections 1 do so laboring under a marked disadvantage, inasmuch as 1 have no public record to point to. However, ! trust this will bo no obstacle to my eventually attaining success. All things must have n beginning, and as politicians do not last for ever, it is right that wo new comers be granted a fair hearing and n trial, and I trust that when the contest is over I may have proved worthy of your confidence. Let mo first of all say that win or lose, I am desirous of conducting my campaign on gentlemanly lines, and I hope that when the battle is over I can extend to my opponents, an now, the hand of friendship. This particular electorate does not bear an envied reputation as regards the conduct of its elections, but ( hope that ns far as f am concerned the concerned the contest T am entering upon will be fought out free from party bitterness and feeling. 1 am hero tonight not to talk at you, but to you, and this 1 will endeavor to doin a manner becoming one seeking so high a position, in the Parliament of his country. Should I now succeed to your infinite satisfaction I ask your indulgence in this my maiden attempt at politics. My Candidature.—When the gentlemen who waited upon me some time ago asked me to contest this seat. I hesitated, as I thought it possible some resident of longer standing than I could be found. 1 suggested the names of Mr Buxton, our worthy Mayor, Mr John Talbot, and Mr John Fraser, men who have served South Canterbury and this electorate in various ways with conspicuous ability for years. Two of these gentlemen 1 saw personally, and they declined, and the third I was informed, would not consent. Under these circumstances 1 con sented to stand, it .might be said that 1 and other young New Zealandare suffering from ‘’swelled head, with regard to politics, but if so it would bo easy to get a larger hat. (Laughter). Recognising as wo must that the future government of tins country requires energy and progressive enterprise, combined with peudonce, economy', and clean administration. Party Government. —The first ques-

tion that naturally arises in the mind of the electors is' "What side in poli tics will you be found on '.<" With si manv parties in existence at the pre sent "time it is an exceedingly diflicul matter to say where one is to b fouod, but while party Governinen continues, a candidate must to a grea deo-ree associate himself with one o other partv. Though Ibclieve in th< principle of the Elective Executive"that the people elect the Parliamen and Parliament elect the Ministry," r is a constitutional reform of a ver> debftteable character, and 1 doubt 1 it would be effective in Parliaments such as we have had of late years comprised of a majority of weak mcr pledged to do the will of one strong man. If we were possessed of mori independent politicians with backbone stamina, and unilinching honor, it 1. more than probable there would be little need for this reform, bo in Uu meantime I am an opponent of the present administration, reserving tut right to vote independently, ot an> cause or party. In my opinion it i* absurd to send men toParliame.vt and pay them £3OO a year to vote as tht> are told. (Applause). The Keferendum.-Clearly , onocc.ted with the Elective Executive comes the Referendum, and Initiative, which permits the people to directly initiate or veto a legislative proposal. 1 cannot see that this piece of machinery is likelv to secure a growth ot s'.rong,

independent politicians of the vertebrate tvpe which this country ,s sadly in need" of. and which any reform partv should desire to cultivate. lo my mind it is a loophole to wavering politicians to ride out any diuicuit position to which they find themsc ves brought face to face. As an illustration, when the Eefercndum was rccentlv under discussion by Mr Millar, ot Dunedin, a member of Mr Seddon s Liberal party, he was quite happy m dubbing it the ';sheet anchor of the shuffler," little thinking how soon a breeze would come, He was shortly afterwards confronted with the Bible in-Schools question, and to everyone s surprise ho found the Referendum a convenient sheet anchor whereon tr

[ride out the gale. This more than ever convinces me that the weak, jelly brained politician would be continually sending legislative proposals to the

people. This now brings me to the question of Administration.—During tho past few years several changes have taken place in the political life, and the Premier, recognising a great struggle in the near future has together with Ministers been careering round the country from Three Kings to the Bluff. Regardless of all decency, they had, at great expense to the already overburdened taxpayers, perambulated the colony bolstering up the rotten constituencies that were tied hand and foot through their members to the present party In power. Thus we had the Premier in the North Island back-blocks making promises of good times to come, of opening „ p territory by railway . connections, marking out roads, bridges, and all sorts of schemes for deriving electrical power from the North Island rivers (why preference should be given !o rivers there it would be hard to say). Turning to the South Island wo find other Ministers doing exactly the same thing. Why in one week the promises recently made bv the Ministry, if fulfilled, would amount to .£280,000. Now what is the object of all this activity ? Nothing less than an indecent means the Premier has of retaining- his following and power, All thetime this is going on, matters requiring the State's urgent attentionare being neglected because heads of departments are electioneering-. It is a standing disgrace fo the people's intelligence that no bye-election can take place in this colony unless the Premier takes a hand in it. Recently we had the Pahiatua incident, and unless 1 -mistake much that seat is lost to this Government for all time. Again, we had the Wellington City bye-elec-tion, and the Premier was again to the front, and here, too, defeated. A regrettable feature was that the statements made are not always reliable. It is deplorable that our public life should be dominated by one man, who has used his power and position by spending large sums of public moneys and thus bribing the intelligence of the people. Such a state of affairs was hWlw.vtn hnu-n in tliic fnlonv nml

would Hot he tolerated in Great Britain. It is an omen of lamentable weakness on the part of our parliamentarians when we find them appealing- to the Premier for assistance at election times. It is not so long ago that the Premier was at a certain railway station, preparing- to depart from '.hat city, when a telegram was placed in his hands, the contents of which read—" For God's sake come up and ■:peak : my seat is in danger." Could that gentleman go to Parliament and conscientiously discharge his duties to the electors and the country? 1 say no. (Applause). That is the sort of 'hing we want to guard against. 1 -lo not wish to harrass }lr Scddon, but a good healthy Opposition is the best incentive to good government. The Premier would go round the country and promise the people, anything, from a road or bridge to railway work shops ; that was his art of keeping in )ov.er. We have much to fear from ■mporfect legislation, of which we have had more than our share under this Government, but we have still greater ■ause for alarm from corrupt and imnoral administration. It must appeal to every right-thinking man in the -ommunity that this form of patronage is wrong, and it is highly essential in this young colony that men should be sent, to represent the people in Parliament that believe in truth, honor, and justice, and dcsired_ above all things pure and clean administration. Finance.—A matter of some moment co every elector in the colony is the appalling rate at which this country s getting into debt. Our gross public Jebt amounted to £50,912,000 and •;ross debt per'head £65 19/G, while

£57,-103,(132 and £63 -1/3 per lead, •.shich is enough to make you shudder, (hiring the year Government increased our indebtedness by £2,380,7150. Sin' the advent of the present Lib r -larty, 21 millions has been added to nir debt. This, together with about ■:> millions of alleged surpluses during die same period, gives the tidy sum of 27 millions expended, which is r positively alarming amount for so -imall a country as ours to. i'ig!jt< .vith in so short a period. Notwithstanding they went into power pledged to a "self-buoyant and non-borrow-ing policy," the above is the manner in which they progressed in .he <'. posite direction. While all borrowing should be interest or revenue producing it is a noteworthy fact that at 31st March, 1005, £28,590,023 of our public debt was non-interest producing. This should be sufficient to make j our young people pause and consider ;or a moment. The amount of money that has been squandered runs into hundreds of thousands of pounds, and the interest due to the London money lenders has been piling up to sucn an , extent that a sum of about t r ~> millions is now required per annum to meet interest payments. Through a system of bookkeeping peculiar to themselves the Government has managed to produco a surplus of £7Ol, ■JOO at 31st March last, and at; usual intended transferring same vo Public Works Account. Now if the figures are correct, and such results really existed, would it not be reasonable to expect the Government to reduce taxation or reduce the colony's indebtedness, but they did neither. On the "ontrarv. our debt was coinsr up b;

leaps and bounds, and taxation was steadily increasing- from £3 7/1 per head in I8!>5 to ,C 4 8/7 in l»0-t. At the present time our dotat per head is the highest average of any country in tiie world. A drastic change in tlie manner of allocating our public money is badly needed, and \Ua use of same as an electioneering fund should be entirely swept out of 'inch of Ministers. Far too - much pa i) on age was given to Ministers through the medium of this fund. The result vas that electorates not supporting the present regime were punished. In a recent speech at Timaru the Minister for Public Works stated that 'Each year the Seddon Government reported a surplus on the Consolidated Fund, and a great part of that surplus has been paid into the Public Works Fund." Any honest-minded and impartial financier would unhesitatingly t-uy this was wrong. The system of paying for repairs and maintenance whould be paid for out of revenue, and anv sound business concern would be carried out on these lines. Why in the first place it is wrong to make transfers from the Consolidated Fund to Public Works Fund, and no Government is justified in screwing out of taxpayers vcar after year large ■ sums in excess of what is absolutely imperatives to carry on the current expenses of economic administration. It was absolutely immoral. The construction of railways and other public works

should dr charged to loan money, so that posterity may share the cost of same, seeing that they will get the benefit of them. While the construetions of these works are paid for from transfers out of the Consolidated Fundi it means thai the taxpayers of-to-day get little or no diveet advantage, but

; bear the most of the burden, while (those who como after are able to esi cape and reap the greatest benefit. iThis is not a just form of financial j management, and tho sooner our J methods of bookkeeping are placed on ( a sound and proper footing then only will the taxpayers realise the ti imposition of the colony. Our Public Works Policy.—Though thousands of pounds are annually expended on public works the matter of ' disbursement is absolutely unsatisfactory, particularly with regard to our railways. Instead of taking the North or South Island Main Trunk line and . forging ahead until one or both were '■ completed, the Government were tink- ! ering with about, a dozen lines in various parts of the colony. This was their mode of sweetening the taxpayers, and the result was that nothing of benefit to the country-was being done. If our surplusses were real 1 should favor half a million being spent annually on completing the Main Trunk lines, and the balance on other important works. This would, incur an outlay of about three-quarters of a million annually, which I think ample expenditure for a young country like ours.

Hie I üblie Kevenues Act. —I'rior to the passing of the Public Revenues Magistrates, and members of ParliaMagistrates, and mambers of Parliament, etc., were fixed by statute, and such disbursements were under the con trol of the Auditor-General ; but under the provisions of the above Act the Government perpetrated one of the most dastardly of actions in connection with its term of office, namely, the imposition of the £4O steal, whereby members of Parliament in 1899 went before their constituencies pledged to an honorarium of £2lO a year, and on the first possible occasion af. tor the assembling of the new Parliament helped, themselves to an additional £lO out of the public treasury. If any clerk in the Post Office or any other public officer had increased his own salary in such a way he would have been sent to gaol for seven years. Out of a Parliament of 72 members, 13 only opuosed this addition, and 1 believe with one or two exceptions, all accepted it. This was then followed by an increase of members' salaries, and the honorarium now stands at £3OO per annum. When we recollect that the present party went in as the working man's friend, it is reasonable to ask "Has the latter bene fited in proportion to the increase members have taken to themselves V" U,- vlrlii,. of n ewllnn of (.lie Aft (lie

revenueof the Railways, Customs, and Lands and Surveys Department"; are audited by the officers of these departments, a most pernicious privilege, and thus (he moneys annually passing through these departments and aggregating five millions wore passed by officers of their respective departments, who were not responsible to Parliament. In the face of this position oi affairs, I shall support the repeal of this Act, and insist upon the AuditorGeneral auditing till accounts relating to the receipt, custody, and expenditure of public money. Old Age Pensions.—One of the commendable measures of the present Liberal Party was the Old Age Pensions i.>ill. and I wish not to be misunderstood on this question. I am a supporter of the pensions, and am desirous of seeing it placed on a sounder basis. At present it has many defects. Last year 11,779 people received pensions, amounting to £199,0.5], and it is satisfactory to know that a largo number of our deserving poor arereceiving assistance in this respect. While this is so, it must be admitted that a penalty is imposed upon many of our old aged colonists, who have borne the burden and heat of the day, have been sober, thrifty, and industrious, but are penalised because they possess a home valued at £'27o. This lo n.-. ;niiic( inn nnfl should he removed

at once. Tt shows conclusively that the system on which the principle is based is lacking. Again, the possession of any property to the extent oi C 270 acquired by the sweat of the brow, or in the most commendable or industrious way, is an absolute disqualification. A mail who in middle I I'e makes provision for his old ago by becoming a member of a Friendly Society,is *" also excluded as not being within the definition of merit as set out in the Statute. Now the pension is supposed to be the reward of merit and industry, and it is scandalous and opposed to our sense of justice that a man who by drink, dissipation, or gross improvidence and idleness leaves himself absolutely penniless at the pension age can secure its benefits, while his next door neighbor, who worked hard, was thrifty, sober, industrious, and built up a cottage, should bo classed as undeserving. The recent increase in the old age pensions was not undeserved in the face of_ increased cost of living, but I think, seeing so much is derived out of Customs taxation, a reduction in the necessaries of life would have been a fairer proposal to the general taxpayers and the pensioners, as it affects the people who find the money and tho.«e who receive it. On no account should our pensions become a tax on thrift, and while 1 see no prospect of.

maiung incin universal umusw «k> «■ in a measure self.supporting, I. thinl i't is absolutely necessary that the dis qualificiY'ions mentioned should bore moved, and that the absurdities ex isting should be remedied. An cft'or should be made to remove the charit able aid stigma that now surround.our pensions ; the former is the relic and result of necessity, while the Int. tor is the reward for merit. (Applause). Education.—No department of th< public service has been neglected sr much of late years as that of Education, and there is no profession in this colony to which wo are more indebted than that carried on by our primary schools, and it is imperative that it should be continued at a high level of efficiency and character. What do we find ? That the department is completely disorganised, and instead of strenuous efforts to retain competent members in the profession we are daily losing first-class officers who are offered better and more remunerative walks of life. A strong effort should be made to retain our best teachers in the interests of the State by making substantial increases in the emoluments and providing a superannuation scheme on sound financial lines. Increased accommodation should be pro-

vided to meet the rapidly increasing demands that are general in many parts of the country. The proposal for centralisation should" Be "strongly resisted; Our Education Boards have done 'rnuch good work throughout the colony,'and arc as competent, if not more so, to administer the wants of their districts as the Department in Wellington. What is urgently needed at the head of affairs is a Minister who is competent, sympathetic, and enthusiastic, and it would soon become a real, live, contented, and popular branch of our public service. When the Premier was in Temuka they upplied to 'him for a grant for increased accommodation at their public school and for a technical school. He was shown some plans, on seeing which he exclaimed—such a building is not good enough for a pluee like Temuka. He took the plan to Wellington with him and I believe it is there yet. The same sort of thing occurred in other places. it seems absolutely wrong that the Premier should treat the department in such a manner. Bible in Schools.—While on the question of education, a most important matter dealing with this branch of our public service is the agitation for th.. Referendum on the introduction of Bible lessons into the public schools. On this question I hold my set convictions that such a proposal if given effect to, will have a disastrous effect on our present system, which is with out doubt the finest in the world. Many politicians hail the Referendum as the means of avoiding a strm-. out answer to the aoove question, but gd o not fear such an answer, and will oppose any attempt to alter our present system of free, compulsory, and secular education. The granting of the Referendum should only apply to matters properly referable to the people—matters of a social or material nature, but not where it meant the power of interfere with the rights and conscience of a minority. 1 have been here live years and had always supported any local movement, irrespective of Church or creed. It is high time they broke down the prejudice* that exist. I have as much respect for persons of one creed as another. I will not support tho referring of the Bible-in-schools to tho Referendum, and I am convinced that the introduction of Bible roading or Bible lessons in the public schools would bo disastrous to our national education system*

Licensing Law.—After a good deal of legislation in the direction of the licensing laws, we have at last got a fairly democratic measure on our statutes. At the last election we had the peculiar spectacle of Bruce and Newtown carrying No-license and yet the hotels are still open and the wishes of the people wholly disregarded. In IS9 ( J the difficulties and irregularities mentioned were brought under the notice of the Premier, and he promised to introduce legislation to meet, the case. This had not been done until last session, and it was then forced upon an unwilling Government. It was simply a scandal that these disputed polls were being continually brought under the rule of Parliament. The Premier had endeavoured to delete the reduction clause from the ballot papers, but in tins hi> efforts were frustrated. I shall support intact the issues as now submitted to the electors, also the threefifths majority, and will oppose any attempt to increase the poeiods at which local option polls are to be taken. As for State control, this is only an agitation held up by some interested shareholders in the largo brewing concerns in tho colony, and together with compensation has no claim on the cqlony, It would be just as logical to say that if the Government prevented sales by public auction, we should turn round and compensate the army of auctioneers in t: . colony now weilding the hammer. s Taxation.—At a recent meeting of ". the Trades and Labour Councils' Con- - ference held in Wellington a resolution -' was carried that the Government be L " urged to adopt a self-reliant policy and cease borrowing. This coming 5 from the workers must be a significant fact that tho over-burdened tax- " payers are beginning to feel the cost > of extravagant administration. Tho Government wore pledged to a selfreliant policy on their taking office, ' but in no respect have they adhered [ to that proposal. In consequence tho pressure of the burden is now being ] felt by our working classes. The bounden duty of the Government was to in every possible way reduce tho duty on many of our necessaries of life. We are told that there was no poverty in New Zealand, but our ! daily papers were continually bringing under our notice most distressing cases, and we had recently an illustration of it in these parts, while cases are numerous all over the colony. Abnormally high prices were imposed upon the workers, and their difficulties increased by the additional cost of rent, food and clothing, added to this wages had not increased proportionally to the increase in living. A substantial reduction through our customs was required on the necessaries of life. Land Tenure.—l am now brought face to face with the burning question of the day, namely, the land tenure. Under the existing law we have the freehold, Crown lenses, and tho lease in perpetuity, this last excellent means of land settlement being the outcome of Sir John Mackenzie's land policy, and developments of the late Hon. W. iiolleston's ides. While I am in favour of the maintaining of tho existing- methods of settling our people on the land, I would also be prepared to sec the leaseholders given the option of the freehold if they so desired. We are told that such a proposal would incur a free gift to the leaseholders of the present time of £B6-1,900, but that is not so. In spite of wßfit land reformers may argue on this point the goodwill of the lease in perpetuity does not belong- to the State but the tenant, and we have instances every day of tenants disposing of their leases and the Stato does not reap the goodwill but the tenant. This being so, tho State desires to remedy the loss it now sees in its existing leases by means of re-valuation, and to this 1 am opposed, as it is a violation of the conditions under which the lease, in perpetuity was granted. With Crown lands quite a different aspect is placed on the position. These are leased for tangible periods, and rent based upon certain per centage of tho capital values. Generally I would support tho land for settlement policy with the privileged to leaseholders attaining the freehold at original values

provision being made to guard again . st the aggregation of large holdings. Legislative Council Reform.'—Taking a line through public feeling manifested of late, tge Government have reI cently decided not to make any fur- ■ tlier re-appointments to the Legislative | Council until after next election. It jisto be gathered from this that the system of filling up vacancies in this Chamber was not wholly acceptable to the wishes of the people. There could be no doubt that the system now in vogue of making these appointments was most questionable. Some of the 'recent appointments by this Government have been a standing disgrace to our colony. Tho existing system hus been nothing else than a power of patronage in the hands of the Premier. While it is absolutely ne eessary for a revisory chamber it should be such as left no doubt .as being beyond the control and influence of the Ministry. For that reason I should advocate an elective Legislative Council, on broader lines than that adopted for the election of our members of Parliament. The Premier had said he would mend or end our Legislative Council, but lie has not done either. I should say the system in vogue in Australia of every two electorates returning one member would be an excellent system to adopt in New Zealand, and 1 see no reason why it should not be put into practice. Any method would be preferable to the present system of appointments 1 hope no one in the Hall will take my remarks as personal. I spoke on general lines, believing in the Council being elective. Ministers' Peregrinations.—A matter of.. serious moment to the taxpayers has been the questionable conduct of ministers in their little excursions from and about the colony. On a recent occasion the Minister for Customs took a cruise among the South Sea Islands at the expense of this colony, and, besides drawing his salary as Minister of the Crown, was kept by the State, provided with private secretary, board and lodgings, medicine, tips, piano, travelling rugs, and gramaphone, not forgetting the indispensable barber. While it was not suilicient that ho should be provided with all these luxuries at the public expense, he had drawn a sum of ,£75 as travelling allowances. This is one of the glaring instances of the manner in which the taxpayers are imposed upon. Then again, we have the Premier, while no one begrudges him taking his trip in the Government steamer, he too, provided with keep and medical attention saw (it. to emulate his colleague, the Minister for Customs. Tho time has arrived when this sort of thing should undoubtedly be put a stop to, and until such time as the people take suilicient interest in the welfare of the colony they must expect to suffer. Wc are more than ever in need of men who will take up the responsibility of Government, not for the remuneration that it affords, nor the honour of oiiice, but for 'a general desire to see thisyoung country progressing under clean and just administration together with true Lib eralism, which will last forever. Conclusion.— Though there are nuvny other matters which I would like to speak upon, they must be reserved for a future occasion. Whether I am returned to Parliament or not, I_ iiueud to conduct the election on friendly lines. If you do not elect me this time the time may come when you mav do so. I would not thank my supporters, and I am sure Mr 1 hitman would not thank his, for raising any bitterness. In conclusion I wisn to "state that my platform will be on the lines of the subjects already treated upon, and if you will return me to Parliament 1 will endeavour to secure prudent, honest, and businesslike administration, and the restoration of true Parliamentary Government without the interference of A sound and businesslike control oi the public Finances, and a repeal of the Public Revenues Act, IuOO, a plain and simple method of placing tho public accounts before the public of the colony ; the reform of our land laws ; encouragement of settlement and the option of Crown tenants obtaining the freehold ; the maintenance and improvement of our national system oi education, the reduction oE the duties on the' necessaries of .life ; tho removal of the Old Ago Pensions disqualification, and the placing- of the same on a sound financial basis; the sweeping away of the patronage enjoyed by Ministers through the medium of"the Public Works Fund; together with the introduction of measures tending for tho amelioration of the people. (Applause.) QUESTIONS.

11l reply to questions by Sir Lrew, the candidate said that ho' would be in favour of granting the freehold at the original valuation and by conceding this the Government would lose nothing as they would get their capital back, and would bo in pocket to the extent o£ the. profit they had made off the land between the time o£ buying and selling again. (Applause.) In reply to other written questions, Mr Jeffries said if returned to Par-\ liament, he would support the Elective Executive, under' circumstances such as existed at present. He would make Land Boards elective. The leasehold ers should be allowed to elect two members, the Government two, and tho Commissioner of Crown Lands, for each district would, he took it, be a member ex officio, and possibly, chairman.—He would certainly support a movement to increase the rate _ of interest paid on Tost Office Savings Bank deposits, from 3 to 5. per cent., tho rate which was paid before i he present Government came into office, and wh;ch ho considered they should not have reduced. The bank rate of interest was regulated by the post office savings bank rate, and the rates ruling in Australia, and if tho post flice rate was raised tho other banks would raise their rates too. (Applaude.) His support would most decidedly be given to the appointment of a Civil Service Board,, who would make all appointments in connection with the Civil Service. They had seen more than enough political interference in connection with these appointments in the past, and it was time that all civil service positions should bo entirely removed Tom political control. —Perhaps the government could not acquire land .vithout borrowing., but it was an ibsohitc farce for the Government to jo on buying and at the same time selling land as they were doing now. i [hey had recently purchased tho Flax- |

I bourne Estate, and at the same time, had sold Crown land in an adjoining, province. No mora Crown lands should bo sold.—Thoy would not require to borrow for railways, as he had explained in his speech, if the

Government had the surpluses they said they had. What he suggested was that if they had three-quarters of a million surplus, as they said thoy had this year, the prudent course to follow, would be to spend half a mil-

lion on railways, and the remaining quarter on other public works.—Yes, ho would support a relaxation of the residential conditions imposed upon Crown tenants. They -had illustration in Temuku of how harshly and inequitably the present restrictions in res£>ect of residence were, and especially in some instances, did they operate harshly against married men with large families.—He considered that money borrowed to purchase land for the people was money well invested ; but what he complained of was the fact that £28,000,000 had been borrowed, which was non-inlcrest producing.—He had good reason to believe that the present Government would not give the freehold, for Mr Scddon had said last session that he would put his baok to the wall on this question, and stand or tall by the leasehold.—He could certainly mention some good service rendered the Colony by the Opposition. The late Hon. W. Holies lon had first brought down the Lands for Settlement policv. (Aoplause), while the late Sir John McJvenzie had perfected (he policy initiated by Mr Kollcston. (near," hear.) Another question read : Don't you think the Seddon voucher is a bit of humbug to try and frighten the electors—l do."—Mr Jeffries said this question answered itself.

I Another question, which the chuir,man thought hud little bearing on j polities, was : "What need is there tfor so much fuss bringing prohibition lecturers hero to speak, when Mr Lee carried prohibition single-handed today'/" (Great laughter)'. Mr Jeffries said if this was (he case Mr Loo had made his fortune. (Great laughter.) '—He was in favor () f the proposed legislation in regard to Workmen's homes. )t was remarkable (hat in this instance (he Premier proposed (o give the option of the freehold. lie thought it right and would support it.

VOTES OF THANKS. -Jr A. Frew said he had much pleasure in moving a hearty vote of thanks to Mr Jeffries for his address. They had bom told that moving a vote of thanks to a political candidate was something like backing a bill, and there was a certain similaritv but he thought it was the people composing- the uudiencc who had to pay, and he hnd no doubt they would duly honor it. They had listened to a well-prepared speech, which indicated considerable research in politics, and if Mr Jeffries continued prospecting he Mould no doubt make many now friends.

Dr Palorson seconded the motion. Mr Jeffries speech showed he had a good grasp of political matters, and he deserved great credit for coining forward to put his political views before them. The vote Mas carried by acclamation.

in acknowledging the vote ~\lr Jeffries said he was glad to sec so many young Now Zealanders in the hall. Tie repeatedwhat he had said at the outset, that so far as he was concerned, the campaign would be conducted in a fair and gentlemanly way, and whether he lost or won it would make no difference to his personal friendships. Flo hoped to still be able to meet his opponent in the street, and shake hands with him, as he could to.day, and he sincerely hoped that nothing likely to cause bitterness would be introduced by either side. So far as he was concerned, there would be no free railway passes, no palm greasing, no baby kissing, and he would look for no flowers. (Loud laughter). Ho cordially thanked them for the. splendid hearing they had given him. As soon as he could he wotdd speak at Geraldine and Pleasant Point.