THE MEMBER FOR TUAPEKA.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XXXIV, Issue 4898, 9 October 1901, Page 3

THE MEMBER FOR TUAPEKA.

During the debate on the Financial Statement, Mr Ja9. Bennet, M.H.K.. for this district, spoke as follows: -I do not intend to detain the House very long, because £ have nob I) ad an opportunity of preparing myself for this debate on account of having been very unwell during the last few days; but, like many other honorable members, I would like to pluca upon record in " Hansard " my views upon certain subjects dealt with in the Budget, so that my constituents may know thai 1 am not neglecting them altogether. I shall not trouble the House with a long array of figures as a good maay honorable members have done. In opening the debate the member for Hawke's Bay criticized the actions of the Government very mildly, considering his position as leader of the Opposition ; but, coming to members on ihis side of the House, I must say tnafc the member for Riccarton denounced tha Government in the most unmitigated terms. I was not 'quite sure when I heard him whether he was not right in practically saying that the country had gone to the dogs, or even lower than that. He was followed by the member for Nelson City, who was also unsparing iv his criticism of the Government. The member for Ashley and the member for Dunedin City (Mr Millar) followed on much the same lines. It is a remarkable thing that those honorable members have hardly made their appearance in« the House since they made their speeches. This reminds me of a story of a judge in America who was trying a case. He heard the argument of the lawyer who represented one of the parties, and then he started to give the decision upon the case, whereupon the counsel for the other side asked if the judge was not going to hoar the other side of the case, and if it was right to give judgment without hearing the other side. The judge said : " 1 have heard one side, and I can decide the case now, but if I hear the other side 1 might not be able to decide the case at all." Most of those honorable members have indicated that the administration of the Government has been bad for the last ten years. I may point this out : that last year the honorable member for Hawke's Bay mbde a short speech in criticizing the Budget, and he was followed by tne Minister of Justice, and in a few minutes the debate on the Budget was over. I therefore came to the conclusion that our finances were in a good and sound position, and that everything was in order. If that was so last year it is very strange that things should have so changed since then. If you believe the statements of members on the Opposition side of the House, our finances are not ia a satisfactory position, but if you believe members on the Government side our finances are all right and satisfactory. The land-for-sebttaments policy has exercised the minds of the people in my district for a considerable time, and I must say that very little attention has been paid to the requirements of the people in that district under this Act. The Treasurer says in the Budget : —

"The purchase of land for close settlement is being vigorously pushed forward, and it is pleasing to know that the estates which have been hitherto purchased have been satisfactorily settled. During the last year approximately 177 farms were provided, and about 170 workmen's homes."

Now, I think that-all members of this House will agree with me that the cry that has always been raised that the South Island is getting all the money is without foundation. I will give members the figures here Bhowing the acreage of the land and the amount paid for it, and I think it will be seen that nearly all the money has gone to the Korbh Island : — Aores. Price. £ Hawke's Bay .. 45,900 229.593 Wellington .. 11,158 58,946 Marlborough .. 3,600 8,250 Canterbury .. 9,023 50,398 Otago .. 1,152 3,000 That ia all we have got ia Otago, and members here in the North Island have got nearly the whole of the money. Mr Fowlds: What about the railways? Mr Bennet : The North Islond got more for railways last year than the South Island. Mr IPowlds: We did not get muoh more than half last year. Mr Sennet : Well, we shall see by-and-by, I think there are no grounds whatever for the complaints made in the North Island. We have been longer settled in the South Island, and no doubt there has been more expenditure in the South Island than in the North up to the present time. We will all admit* that*, butt on the other hand, aa time went on, the North Island has been getting its share of the expenditure. Mr Fowlds : We are only getting half of what is spent nowadays. Mr Bennet : I do not know who is getting the other half; it is not coming to the South Island, at all events. Therefore I think that this shows conclnsively, so far as the settlement of the lands of the colony is concerned, that the North Island is gettiog the lion's share. Of course, the North Island cannot get the railways and the lands as well ; you cannot get all the money, that is certain. In connection with the railways the Statement says :: — v In connection with the results of working the railways for last financial year the large concessions in rates granted by the Government since resuming control of the lines should not be lost sight of, as they have a very material effect on the results for the year. The total redactions 'made since the Government took over

the railways amounted, up to last year, to no less than £369,439, and to 31st March, 1901, to £420,239." Well, Sir, so far as the reduction is concerned, my opinion is this : that if tbe rates had been kept up for a few yearS| and the revenue spent iv opening up lines into the back country, it wonld have been better than reducing the rates at the present time. The Minister for Railways does not think that the railways should be rnn on commercial principles. Well, I differ from him. I think there should be always something coming oat ot the railways to help to make branch lines and feeders for the railways, o* in making railways into the interior. In this way we would give assistance to those who are helping to construct the railways, but who at the present time are petting no benefit for themselves. No doubt a great many people get a benefit from the railways, and so long as the reduction in rates increases the revenue there is nothing to be said. But I have some little doubts as to whether tbat will continue. I say that even at the present time some of the produce tbat is carried on the railways is charged twice the rate it should be — and tbat is wool. And it is not only thai the railways are losing by the extortionate rate that is charged for wool, but in my district the teams are taking tbe wool down to Dunedin at the present time for the came money that the railway is charging, and they are goinsr off the road to get it. I think when this can be done there is something wrong somewhere. And when the teams go down to Dunedin they bring goods of all descriptions back, and the railways lose tbat freight also. I tbink wool should be charged in the same way as grain — namely, by weight. At the presenr, from Lawrence to Dunedin, a distance of 60 miles, wool is charged at the tate of 5s 4d a bale, and it does not matter whether the bale weighs 2cwt or 3cwt, and the teams deliver it at the stores. Before the railways were made the carriers went considerable distances off the road to tbe stations for wool, delivering it in Dunedia at 5s per bale. lam sorry the Minister for Eailways is not present, because be would see the necessity for making an alteration in this case. Ido not know whether the same thing applies to the North Island or not. Now, the honorable member for Auckland City was complaining about the small expenditure on railways in the North Island. Sir, I think that will apply to the South Island also. At the present time in my district the traffic on the railway stops at Lawrence, and has to be carried to the interior by teams. At the present time the machinery for dredges is stacked nearly aa high aa the railway station, and they cannot get it removed on account of the bad state of the roads' Yet they have never got a railway there, notwithstanding all the money that has been received from the sale of land and all the gold that has been got. So Ido not think the district has been fairly treated. ( To he continued. )