SIRATFORD NEWS

Taranaki Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 10615, 15 May 1896, Page 2

SIRATFORD NEWS

FROM OUR RESIDENT AGENT.]

THE HON J. G. WARD'S ADDRESS. May 14. — The Hon J. G. Ward arrived in Stratford by special train from Hawera about midday, and was soon undergoing the process of interviewing. The Town Board, represented by the Chairman (Mr James), Mr Biernacki, and the Clerk, obtained a promise that sundry modifications of the Local Bodies Loans Act thai Stratford's experience had suggested should have the Cabinet's attention. An address of welcome was presented by the Minister's political friends. A strong body of East Roaders was in town tc urge the claims of that celebrated high way. At half-past thrco Mr Ward lofi for Eltham, returning for the evening whon he gave a two hours' address in th< Town Hall. Mr Monkhonse, County Chairman, presided, and tho hail notwithstanding the shocking stat< of the weather, was well filled. A number of ladies were present. M: Ward commenced by alluding to ai anonymous note that he had just received and offering to satisfy the queries pro posed if the writer would disclose himself This naturally !ed to an allusion to the in the speaker's opinion, unprecedentei amount of criticism to which ho wa habitually subjected, holding the distin guished position of the " best abuse* man" in New Zealand. The " unpledgei securities" affair was exhaustively re viewed, the drawing bonds, increase i; the public debt, ana^ other sticks wit] which the Opposition wont to " lam baste" the unfortunate Treasurer. Si Robert Stout's notion that the publi debt had been increased by eight million was happily disposed of byalittleparabl about a man who borrowed £500, an< after putting by £25 a year as a sinkin fund for a few years, eventuall " seized " it and built a house wit it. The drift of Mr Ward's argumor seemed to bo that if you bomv money and invest it so as to ri coup yourself tho intereat. it is not a del at all. A beautiful theory, but wha does the lender think about ifc? Pui suing tho borrowing topic, Mr Ward ej pressed his belief that if we could 100 forward at the colony 50 years hence w should find tho Government of the da still spending money, and presumabl borrowed money at thut, on a scale pr< portionate to the millions of populatio that the Britain of the South will the support. Progress is the watchword an the coach of State must have oil for tl wheels. The best Ministry is the or that obtains the lubricant on the bei terms. The speaker then gave us boie interesting figures on the progress th particular district has mado since his G< vernment took office. Between '90-95 ot Savings' Bank deposits increased £610' Our acreage under grass increased 4GC acres, our catt'e 12,944 head, tho populi tion of Stratford County from 2521 < 5142, 1159 selectors had been place on 213,000 acres of land, £173,000 ho been spent in road work against £26,3£ by the previous administration. In tl same term the wealth of the colony ba increased £12,500.000, and 15,000 peop had come to our shores instead of as i tho previous years, 12,000 gone away. Tl country bad not gone back, capital ha not been driven away, there was so mac in the country that it was difficult to fin an outlet. Having thus convinced us < our happiness and prosperity under tl Liberal Government, Mr Ward proceeds to picture the result of a return to Cdi servatistn . The first quest'on was what wi the Opposition policy. Dr Newman sai "our policy is to tma Seddon out Captain Russell was prepared to keep ii tact tho labor legislation, and to contini the land and income tax. Mr Dnth ■went a bit further and said the Lane for Settlement Act must be maintaino Mr G. F. Richardßon would adhere 4 "The Advances to Settlers Act." S Robert Stout announced that bis polk would be "to get the Tfqeds out." Tt sum total of all this was— Chaos. The should all be put in a menagerie, and 1< them fighu till they evolved a, polic; He warned the electors against trustit to such men the administration' of tl statutes, which they professed themselvi as willing to allow to remain on tl Statute Book. There was a good deal i arlminfatratioi. Would a racing ma trust hi-< iior.-e to a jockey who had f< years persistently tried to poison tr, animal? Mr Ward thought not. ] wb not likely the country waß jjoin to trust the noble animals he ha named to Jockey Nowmnn, Jocke Russell, Jockoy Dtithie and the rest wh had done their beat to strangle and poiso the creatures they now said they wei anxious to ride. He would like to kno< what would have happened to tho Ac vances to Settlers Act, which in the fin six months of its existence was nc exactly a success, even under the fosterin care of its parents, if it had been worke under a hostile Minister. Would *804,00 have been lont to deserving jettleis ? A unfriendly administration can make an Act inoperative, and his Government legislation would have a Borry time of i under Conservative administrators. Not! ing had given so muoh offence to som people as the Advances, to Settlers Aci just because it had reduced tho rate c intorest on mortgages. He had lettei from settlers who had formerly paid frot 7to 15 per cent for their money. It wa known that the saving to the strugglin settlers of the colony in interest paid to th capitalist (not to the Government) o; mortgages was no less than £600,000 year. As producers we have to compet with men living close to the world's mai kot, and it was absolutely necessary w should have cheap money, low railwa; charges and freights. Loans under Th" Advances to Settlers Act had average! £333, and the lowest had been £25. I was in tho interest of the colony tha there should be hundreds of these smal borrowers. His Government had beai charged with increasing the burdens o: the people through the Customs, but th< facts were that whilst the increasei amount to £38,000, the additions to th< free list amount to £40,000. Hii Govern ment's remissions of taxation would compare very favorably with those of their predecessors. £140,000 had been remitted in two departments alone. Mr Ward next touched on the " Unemployed." It was the duty of every Government to give men an opportunity to support their families if work could bo found for them of a nature advantageous to the country. There bad been some local dissatisfaction in thiß district with tho system i n force on the co-operative worka. Tho cause for this had been removed. Tho men instead of being paid for road work at so much per chain would bo paid at per yard, calculated on aBs « day basis. A wage not extravagant considering tho remote locality and difficulties under which the work was done. His Government had been charged with pursuing the pernicious system of " the spoils to the victors," but he would ask his hearers to consider the conduct of the Minister of Lands on the occasion of the great snowstorm in the South Island, which was tho cause of the loss of 679,921 head of stock. In giving relief to orown tenants under The Pastoral Tenants Relief Bill, did he stop to ask a man's political color ? He and hia collsague were not judged fairly and he supposed they would have to wait for justice until they could look down from above or up from below as the case might be. After a public man had passed the river" of Jordan, even his opponents discovered he was not a bad fellow. The Premier performed a great service in connection with the Midland railway acbitration, saving £1,700.000 to the colony, but what credit did he get ? Yet, with remarkable foresight, he had for years fought hard to make the colony's position with regard to the Company a secure one, with what success the result of the arbitration showed. The speaker's own trip to London next claimed his attention. He had saved the colony £3500 a year in perpetuity by his successful endeavor to make the Bank of England listen to reason and reduce the charges for inscription of loans, The success of the" 3 per cent, loan was dwelt upon, and opponents

twitted with having been wise after the event, tipping the winner after ho had passed the post. They first said a 3 per cent, loan could not be raised, and then Raid anybody could have done it. Anyhow, by getting the £1,500,000 at 3 instead of 4 lie had saved the colony during the currency of the loan no loss a sum than £4GG,000. All tho other colonies followed in New Zealand's wake, and in the future, except in a time of panic, there would bo no loan issued at more than three per cent interest. Mr "Ward then had another spell at criticising his critics and said that in no other colony was there such a reckless desire to damage political opponents even if the means adopted meant disaster to the colony. Economy of administration was a strong point with his Government. Whilst the expenses of Railway and other Departments not controlled by Ministers had increased £127,000, departmental expenses undertheir control had decreased £51,000. The revenue had increased £81,000. Hi'b Government had given more attention to the dairy interest than any previous Government. The sum of £7000 was spent last year on cool stores. Railway charges had been reduced, and Government Dairy Instructors sent into every district. Mr Ward then recapitatated the advantages the people of the colony enjoyed from living tinder a liberal Government. The usual complimentary resolutions were passed and the audience dispersed, most to their domestic hearths, but a convivial few to the County Hotel where Host Holdcrof t had prepared a sumptuous repaßt, wherewith to recruit exhausted nature. Of which more anon.