The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. FRIDAY, APRIL 15, 1887. A STATESMANLIKE SPEECH.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume v, Issue 1533, 15 April 1887, Page 2

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. FRIDAY, APRIL 15, 1887. A STATESMANLIKE SPEECH.

The Hon Mr Rolleston has just addressed his constituents at Temuka and may be congratulated on having made tha most statesmanlike speech which has fallen from the Oppbsiition side of the House during the present recess. Indeed it is many a long day since we have seen so altogether admirable an address from the lips of the member for Geraldine, who, we ate glad to see, has completely shaken off the dismals and looks upon the future with a healthy confidence and a cheerful hopefulness which make his utterances invigorating and pleasant reading. Of course he criticised the present Ministry adversely — it was his business to do that — but he did so with a good humor and on the whole with a fairness worthy of a generous though naturally somewhat prejudiced opponent, and while he made some good hits at their expense had the honor and the honesty to 6peak well of them m at leaat some respects and the courage and generosity to express his approval of more than one of their measures. For example, he characterised " the Government Loans to Local Bodies," and " the Local Eodies Loans " Acts of last session as likely to "be found very useful m promoting public works, including irrigation, m country districts " and though he does not approve of the Native Committees established thereunder characterised Mr Ballance's Native Lands Administration Act as " perhaps the most important m its results of any [measure passed] during the session." The result of the Act would (he rightly said) be "to stop all private transactions m Native land, and ultimately to restore the preemptive right to the Government." Treating of the Government's proposals for the coming season he was equally fair and generous and we are especially pleased to note the manner m which he approached the question of the projected land legislation as shadowed forth m the precis of Mr Ballance's Bill which has been published throughout the colony. Not that Mr Rolleston wholly agrees ' with * the proposals of that measure, but he approaches the subject with a due recognition of its importance, and we are glad to see an evident sympathy with its main object viz the extension of settlement. Upon this point he said (we quote from the " Timaru Herald's " report) :— " Look at it from whatever point of view you will, the present position is unsatisfactory. No one who looks at all ahead and has anything to do with public affairs will omit every legitimate means to lessen the evils of land monopoly which exist, and to prevent them arising where they have not already arisen. The occupation by corporations of large tracts of country which have fallen into their hands as mortgagees ; the aggregation of the working classes into the townships at high rentals ; the difficulties and hardships which already encompass social life m a country which teems with all that ought to make life easy and comfortable, loom largely m the not-far-off distance. As a property-holder, as a colonist, as one interested m the future well-being and happiness of New Zealand, I feel that on the distribution of the people through the country, and the prevention of class cries, and the bitterness of feeling which has arisen elsewhere, the future prosperity of New Zealand most largely depends. The reforms which have of late years been introduced into the laws affecting Crown lands tend, as I believe, to prevent monopoly and speculation m respect of unalienated lands. I speak of the law prior to 1885, because I have my doubts as to tbe working of the provisions as to special settlements which have recently been brought into operation, involving as they do a class of middlemen. There is danger, toe, of forcing on the land a class of people, entirely unsuited to agricultural life by finding borrowed mon^y for them. Money easily got is not unlikely to be unwisely spent. However, it is an experiment initiated by the Government with most laudable intentions, and it should have a fair trial. The question of dealing with lands already alienated is a different one. There can be no doubt of the correctness of the principle laid down by Mr Gladstone — that for an adequate public object and on fail

terms the State is entitled to resume lands; and that the settlement of people is an adequate object, I have no doubt. But as to how to give effect to the principle there is room for great difference of opinion." His own opinions on the subject he stated as follows : — " According to my view any expropriation must be by special Act of Parliament, as m the case ot railways and public works. Our proposals m the 'Railways Improved Land Bill ' approached the question from this point of view. Whatever may be done directly, the evils of tying up land may to some extent be met indirectly by various remedial measures. It has already been so met by relaxing what is called 'the grip of the dead hand' on landed property, as was partially done last year m the ' Settled Land Act.' The facilities for transfer of land, and the tendency of all recent Legislation to deal with land as an ordinary chattel, and to free it from restrictions go m the same direction. In England the Irish Land Act and Scotch Crofters Act assert the right of interference of the State m the interests of the bona fide cultivators of the soil, and it seems to me that there is room for further legislation with the same object m this country. It would only be m accord with the -spirit of the legislation which removes the restrictions and disabilities imposed by the { dead hand ' that money-lending corporations, like the banks, should be pressed to realise lands mortgaged to them, within a reasonable time of the failure on the part of the mortgagors to meet their liabilities. It this were the case a large amount of land, now locked up, would be dealt with m the open market. As a direct and positive measure I would strongly urge upon the working classes the formation of co-operative associations, the members of which should lay by their savings for the purchase of lands on some such principle as is adopted by Building Societies." These are the words of a statesman whose aims if not his methods are m the same directicn as those of the present Ministry m the measare which they have sketched out, and indeed there is no such radical divergence of view, even as to method, as to render it impossible for the member for Geraldine to support the Bill |if party obligations will only admit of his so doing. Nothing indeed has given us more sincere pleasure m connection with matters political for a long time past than a perssual of this manly and statesmanlike speech which well entitles the hon gentleman to the vote of confidence which his constituency has accorded him.