POLITICAL

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6452, 5 April 1899, Page 1

POLITICAL

THE HON J. G. WAED AT WINTON. [Picii Press Association.] WINTON, April 4. Tlie Hon J. G. Ward addressed a crowded meeting of his constituents at Winton tonight. A special train conveyed v- number of his supporters from the Bluff and Invercargill, and the local brass band played tlie ! party to the hali, where the chair was taken by tli9 Mayor of Winton. Mr Morrison, M.H.R., Mr M'Nab, M.H.R., the Hon A. Lee-Smith, ihe Hon H. Eeldwick and other gentlemen and a number of ladies occupied seats on the platform. , I Mr Ward, who was received cordially tlumkcd the people for their loyal support j which had- defeated the determined offorts to extinguish him politically. Referring to the financial position of tho colony, he said that (rhe Conservative Pres?, . which often distorted the actions of public men, urged fliac the public debt was a heavy burden. Considering that the railways represented i S3 per cent, roads and bridges 8 per cent, land purchase 7 per cent and immigration 5j per cent of their indebtedness, it would be recognised that these .issets afforded pre-' sent convenience, and an opportunity of future development far exceeding the nominal value. , If the people of England had judged the enormous expense of the Navy in the manner in which the Conservatives judged the public debt, there would have \ been no British Empire. The surplus, wlueh' I had been proved to be genuine out of the I mouth of the enemy, in the person of Mr I Thomas Mackenzie in London, had a beneficent effect upon the financial status of the colony. He protested against the underhand attacks made by some persons on prominent public men who, it was proved by the.stern logic of facts, had done good, in that. New Zealand wns the most prosperous of all the colonies. The money rings had been broken down ; £1,600,000 had 'been advanced to settlers, 70 per cent of which, had gone to pay off mortgages, thus releasing money which had gone into the towns for building and given employment to artisans. Ho calculated tint lie introduction of cheap money had benefited settlers to the extent of over a million a year. When the future historian came dispassionately and without malignity to write the history of .the banking-legis-lation, it .would be recorded as among the best things ever done m the colony.- The Government had introduced four and a half millions into the colony for real commercial purposes. Every lawyer in the House had opposed the cheap money scheme, saying that the Government would not be able to lend it, could not get the money, and -would lose it if they got it. At every ; point the system had worked successfully, for the . Government had got' the money. had lent £1,600,000; and £30 7s lOd was the. total amount of overdue interest on Oct 1 last. They had put away £30,000 to Sinking Fund, nad rewaid £43,500 lent by the Treasury, and the cost of administration was only £4500 per annum. There were still other things in which the Government would havfe to step in, and it was the duty of the people to support the Government that had the courage and ability to place measures such as these on the Statute Book. He criticised the policy of the_Opposition in seeking to revert to the freehold tenure and to establish a Civil Service Board. Tlie latter would be beyond the control of Parliament, and would be dominated by three or four men, and was sought by and for the benefit of the classes which originally received three-foucths of the appointments. He advocated the classification of all public departments and that temporary clerks should be placed in a fair position. He personally believed that great reform was needed in the hospital and charitable aid system and that the best heads in the House should deal with the matter at an earlier date without party bias. He showed by statistics that the New Zealand railways cost far less than those of the other colonies, and were equal to carrying more than double the present traffic with additional rolling stock. He thought that after earning 6_ per cent, everything in connection with the railways should bs of the nature of concessions, and thus return the surplus to tho people. He deprecated any tinkering with the Customs tariff, and argued that other suggested alternative sources of revenue, were nut available. It "was not necessary to disturb the Customs unless the/ intended to stop roads and bridges, and progress gene-r---ally. The persons who had prophesied the mm of the credit of the colony were refuted by the fact that a New Zealand 3 per cent loan had been floated at the highest price ever realised, £96 lis per ■cent. Local bodies had borrowed £6,793,G.':u at an average rate of £5 7s 4d; the money necpssary to redeem these loans ought to be obtained at Z_t per cent, and he had a plan for that purpose which he would not disclose at present. Ec submitted some figures, showing that Southland, erstwhile despised, was now second only to one county, in the number <.f. horses, sheep^and pigs it contained, and to only two l m cattle and three in an irr cows. He concluded by advocating the referendum, and speaking strongly ag-un.-. an elective executive, which he described as a -"Humble." At the close of Mr Ward's address a vote of thanks and confidence in himself nnd the Government was enthusiastically passed. Mr Ward, in acknowledging the vote, intimated that he would be absent for a short time from the colony. A banquet was held at the close of the address.