THE PREMIER AT DUNEDIN

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1595, 28 June 1887, Page 3

THE PREMIER AT DUNEDIN

Sir Robert Stoat addressed bin omstltuenta at Old Kt:ex Ohuroh on Monday evening. He showed that tho Government had effected a saving In tho estimates of £82,265, notwithstanding that tha population of the colony had increased by 50,000. He also claimed .that' allowing for the additional mlleago of open lines there had been a saving la the Railway, Department of no 'lean than 4>100,000 per annum. He affiimed that the cost of Edacatlon could not be reduced. He would not agree to the raisiog of the ■Uadard, of fiohool age not to the stopping

o! free education at the fourth Standard* The present age of compulsion was seven to thirteen. If the State did not pay for children between five and ten (and m England they were paid for as low as three) some of the schools In tho country dlstriots would have to bo Bhot up, and the Education Boards would be bo reduced m funds (hat they vronid be unable to carry on the education system. Tbh vras a dornooraoy, and if they confined tho education of the children of the poor to the Fourth Standard, they would be creating olasa distinction In this colony, whjoh could not help beirg moat injurious, The fight, ho believed, would r.o* be with cannon nod musket, but by an industrial war, and the nation rf the future would be that nation whose sons aud daughtors were thoroughly equipped far this industrial war. Germany was pressing on Britain with respect to her manufactures, and America, at enormous expense, was establishing Kindergarten schools m every city, and technical and art schools m every town. He appealed to the electors to reject the cry to destroy and degrade education by confining It to any itandard. His hope had been with a proper utilisation of bur reserves, and the wealth of this colony increasing, that not only the primary schools, but that every Hi(.h Sohool find University should be free. So strongly did he feel en this subject that sooner than interfere with the Education Act he would retire from publio life altogether. He opposed the reduction of the number of members of tbe House of Representatives below 84, but said the honorarium coutt be rcduotd, Be showed that the oo3t of the Permanent M'lltla had been reduced since he took office by £13,000 a year, and that the o st of the Native Department, apart from the Native Land Courts, (which had to look after the interests of 40,000 people) was now only £3245. As further evidence of iho retrenchment policy of the Government, it might be mentioned that, excluding men engaged on surveys, the number of bands engaged m the Public Works Department had been reduced from 167 to 116. In the Justice Department 60 or 60 officers had been dispensed with THS TARIFF. Had tho Tariff proposals of the Govorn ment being accepted, the amount raised through the Customs would only have been £1,460,000, whereas m 1882 the amount of revenue so raised wob £1,515,917 ; and yet the cry had been raised th^it the Government proposed to largely increase the taxation of thoco'ony. Again, it might be mentioned that under their Tariff proposals the amount of taxation per head would have been £2 6s, and the taxation bad never been so low eince the year 1870. (Cheers.) Tbe Tariff had been framed to aid local industries, aad he would hay > been falso to the pledgo he gave to his constituents m 1884 had the Tariff not been so framed FBBBTBADR AND PROTECTION. On the future occasion ha would go into tho question of Freotrade v. Proteo* tioD, but be would say this, that co long n iho Dtate aided education, promoted settlement, made railways, aided mining, and helped the poor and pffl oted ; co loug 88 the State did all thc-e tbioup, it was also the duty of the State to help In svery possible way the fostarlog of lcoal industries In our midst- The Agent-Ganeral, hlm*elf a Freetrader, m a letter recelvo:! by the last mall had said :— "The discusetons at the Conference relating to trade have been vary Animitcd, aad Iho ten denoy of them all has been In the direction of a Protectionist jottcy" The Trriff had beon defeated on three grounds — Mr Balance's L?nd Acquisition Bill, the graduated Property tax, and the Customs taxation. # CONCLUSION. On Friday evening ho would, explain Mr Balance's Bill and go Into the Land Question folly. Ho believed a graduated property t\x was a mo.t equitable one, looked at f com what Adam Smith called the equality of saotifioe. Iq cono'uslon, Sir Robert s\id that m his address on Friday to tbe electors of Dunedin he would give a Bketoh of the politic) of New Zealand for the pnat 17 years, would deal with the lend question and would state what shou'd be our futuro policy m dealing^ with ou? publio works. He believed that a further eaviDg of £100.030 could be effeotcl itithout Impairing the efficiency of tho Goveirment service. Ministers saw their way to do <lnt. He was not saying so without the mattes having been given a week's careful oonBideratlon to by the Cabinet, ani he would be prepared to propose (t to Parliament. Sir Kobert resumed his seat amid prolonged oheering. Keatikg's Cough Lozenges cure Coughs Asthma, Bronohitia. Medical testimony tates that no other medicine is so effectual n the ouro of theßo dangerous maladies • One Lozenge alone give ease, one or two at bedtime ensures rest. For relieving difliouHy of breathing they are invaluable. They contain no opium nor any violent drag, (told by all Ohemißts, m Tins, Is HA and 2s 9d oaob. A timely use of Hop Bitters (American Go's) will kc.op a whole family m robust health a year with but a little cost. Bead |