Wellington Independent "NOTHING EXTENUATE; NOR SET DOWN AUGHT IN MALICE." TUESDAY, 10th SEPTEMBER, 1867.

Wellington Independent, Volume XXII, Issue 2569, 10 September 1867, Page 3

Wellington Independent "NOTHING EXTENUATE; NOR SET DOWN AUGHT IN MALICE." TUESDAY, 10th SEPTEMBER, 1867.

The full details of the Financial Befortn meeting at Nelson which have reached us by the mail, show that the agitation has been commenced with an amount of coolness and energy which bodes well for its success. The movement was entirely divested of a party character, because men of all shades of political opinion were present, and the leading speakers, Mr Elliott of the Examiner, and Mr Luckie of the Colonist, who are the recognised exponents of opposing political views, found themselves on the same platform to aid in the accomplishment of a purpose for which both could unite. Putting for a moment aside the question of centralism versus provincialism, the people of Nelson met together to protest against the enormous expenditure of the General Government, and to point out that its financial proposals are calculated to increase those liabilities which already press so hardly on the taxpayers of the colony. Mr 'Elliott made a temperate and logical speech, pointing out that the population of New Zealand were already taxed at the rate of £5 a-head, while in England, with all its immense wealth, as the centre of commerce and the mart of the world, the rate was considerably less than half that levied in this young and struggling colony He asserted that the time had come to make a stand against the increasing public charges, and to attempt lessening taxation by insisting on a thorough financial reform, and a general reorganisation of all departments of the Government. His attack on Mr Stafford, the pretended economist and financial reformer, who, after pledging himself to save £240,000, had largely increased the expenditure, was equally powerful and merited ; while his charge against the Ministry of seeking to retain power by sacrificing their friends and purchasing some of their opponents, will tell powerfully coining from such a quarter. His criticisms of the budget contain much that is sound. The wiping off the provincial debt he considers to be uujust to the general taxpayer, and the bribe offered to Aucklaud, as well as the proposal to raise &260,0U0 as a loan, are strongly condemned. "While the action of the Government is so severely attacked by a gentleman who has hitherto been an intelligent but discriminating supporter of Centralism, it meets with as little approval from Mr Luckie, the consistent advocate of Provincialism. That gentleman broadly charges Mr Stafford with having obtained office on false pretences. No one, indeed, can be a better authority on the subject of the pledges given by the Premier than the editor of the Nelson Colonist, who, as an holiest man disgusted at the deception, which had been practised, expressed himself in the following plain terms .— When, in Wellington, in 1865, Mr Stafford gave to him the figures which he had partly laid before the House of Kepresentatives, but which were not reported in the newspapers — figures showing a saving of £240,000 to £300,000 on the Estimates of the Weld Ministry for that year, he (Mr Luckie) naturally accepted them as tho carefully worked-out problems of an able, honest and experienced financier. Theeo figures he had published, and they were repeated all over New Zealand; and the effect of this was that tho majority of the public believed that Mr Stufford would effect tho saving, and would practice the economy, the want of which he denounced in the Weld Ministry. On tho popularity gained by this promised economy, Mr Stafford rode into power and obtained the Premiership ; but how had our hopes been blighted ! He increased the expenditure, created new offices, mortgaged tho futuro Btill further, and imposed new taxes. It is not wonderful, then, if Mr Luckie, who fought so vigorously in 1865 to get Mr Stafford into office, in the belief that he would inaugurate an era of financial reform, should now be equally anxious to turn him out, no aa to secure the adoption of a policy suited to the exigencies of the country. Amongst other speakers, Dr Giles used the telling argu-

;^!V». "■' ■ ■■'••• ;v f . *-'■ V ment ih'favdr of ~ economy, that the sent Customs' revenue is exceptionally high, aud may at any moment be materially lessened by a falling off in the yield of gold, and the consequent departure of a large number of diggers from the colony. Apart from other reasons, this of itaelf is a very strong one for a revision of expenditure and taxation. The colony is sorely enough pressed now, but what would be its state if this possible danger were realised? Ministers have said again and again that the General Government expenditure cannot be reduced, but the speakers at the Nelson meeting are of a veiy different opinion. It was pointed out with invincible logic that though the Civil Service Commissioners at a great expense to the country, had collected information »»<l furnished the Government with a report recommending certain reductions in departmental expenditure, yet instead of those reforms being carried out, the expenditure had been materially increased. Apparently the Nelson financial reformers have examined the estimates with painstaking attention, and we willingly endorse the accuracy of their assertion that retrenchment in many departments is perfectly practicable, 'i he Civil Service Commissioneis recommended the abolition of the Sub-Treasurer's Department, in the several provinces, and the Government carried out the suggestion by raising the expenditure tinder that head in Canterbury from £830 to £1,056, and in Otago from £300 to £710, while they economised by discharging a messenger at Auckland* Then the Civil Service Commissioners thought the enormous number of resident magistrates might be materially reduced by retaining them only in the centres of population, and leaving the unpaid justices to hold courts in the country ; but the Government have increased the expenditure under that head from £30,511, in 1866-7, to £32,858, in 1867-8. If this costly Commission was ever intended to serve any other purpose than that of giving a pleasure trip and three guineas a day to some high class officials, including a lucrative temporary billet to Mr Spence, of Melbourne — surely the colony should have some advantage from the expenditure incurred upon it. Two leading conclusions were arrived at by the meeting : — That direct should be substituted for indirect taxation, and that a financial reform league should be organised for the purpose of watching the Government in its dealings with the public money, and thus protecting the interests of the people. While admitting to its fullest extent the force of the argument that only by a system of direct taxation can the people be made to understand how much they really pay, and that a certain security is thuß afforded for ecouomy in the public expenditure, yet we fear it would be almost impractiCflWo' to rwiso fcH« utliola o£. thf>_rGVCnUG inquired by that means. There is always the difficulty in the case of an income tax of apportioning the burden fairly between those whose incomes are derived from trades or professions, and those who live on the returns of realised property. Moreover, an income tax could not be levied upon the working classes, who, unless paying on commodities, would escape taxation altogether. Nevertheless, our Nelson friends arejnoving in the right direction. At the present moment the working classes pay the largest share of the taxation, so that if the Customs Tariff wei'e lowered materially and an income tax imposed, a portion of their burden would be shifted to the shoulders of those better able to bear it. Moreover, the dislike of the people to pay the direct demands of the tax collector would make them continually insist upon economy in the administration of Government. The organisation of this league cannot be otherwise than productive of good. The object in view is one which equally concerns the people of every province to attain, and if, casting aside all locil jealousies, they unite in one determined effort, the movement in Nelson will not have been commenced in vain.