THE PREMIER AT LYTTELTON

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1631, 9 August 1887, Page 2

THE PREMIER AT LYTTELTON

Sir Robot t Stout addressed, a meeting of the eleotoro of Lyttelton m the yoluoteer Drill Shed laat evening. ... JSfqtwithstanding the inclemency of the, weather there was a crowded house, including a large number of ladies. Bis Worship the Mayor oooupied the obair, and brhfiy | introduced the speaker. Sir Robert Stout commenced hig. speech by eaylng he was there to endeavor to put the policy of the Government, Brii alia of the Opposition, clearly before the electors. From what be could understand, the polloy of the Oppositioc was* that le differed acoordlng to the views fheld m each district on the all impojjbant matter of retrenchment. He dealt at. considerable length on economy m the Oivil Service. It was brought up by his Government to endeavor to have an enquiry Hajade by a commission every « three, » years. That commission was to ascertain what alterations had been made m the ooat of living. If the oast of living had increased, then it was only right to Increase the salaries nooordingly ; if, on the other hand, the cost of living had deoreased, the ealarios of the Oivil servant should then be deoreased accordingly. This joUuse m the Uill had been struok\..out. He had figures before him, and he would challenge any Opposition member or any newspaper to deny that his Government had effected a Having of £83,000, excluding recurring votes. They could see by looking through the items that there had bee a a considerable saving m most of the departments. In the Defence Department alone £13,000 had been saved. The only dapartment m which there was Any increase m the expenditure was tho Post and Telegraph, and the reason was the increase of business. Some 161 new offices had been opened. In the Hallway Depirtment there was an increase of £9000. This was acoounted for by the fact that 250 miles of . line had been opened, and some 62 stations ereotod. There were different opinions as to how savings ooold be effected. )n Auckland the idea was to do away with the subsidy to the direct mail steamers, and to sell the . education reserves In Otago and Canterbury. In Wellington the idea was to do away with the Sab Francisco mall Bubaidy, and so the thing went on la each district. The idea was to effeofc a saving m somebody else's district. In the matter of taxation it was said m many, quarters,, that the proposal of, the Government, with reference to the ouatoms revenue, that an Increase of £106,000 m the taxation hid been imposed. He would show them that if those proposals hai been effeoted, a reduction of £56,000 would have been made m the oustoms revenue. With regard to local industries he submitted that local lnduatriesjhad increased rather than decreased.'. If they \irere freetraders they

oould not object to the importation of Kaffir labor. It was for those present to say whether this was to be a great colony or whether it was to bo simply a wool and wheat prodaoiog and merchant maintain* .ing colony. Sir Robert defended the graduated prdperty tax proposed by bii Government and (submitted that it was only fair. About 7000 of the riohest taxpayers of the colony would be effaoted, He could Bhow those present that hit Government had done more m the matter of land settlement than any Ministry wbo had yet been m power. It had been said that £7000 had been epent on special ssttlements. This was not the oase, only £3000 bad been spent .m this." connection up till the end of March of present year, and only an additional £5000 had been spent alnoo that date. If the electors of Dunedin East did not agree with him on the education question, they oould elect another member. lie would go to Parliament to promise not to touoh the present education system. Which WBB it best to do? To pay the school teaoher or tho policeman ? He concluded his address amid tremendous cheers. A hearty vote of thanks to Sir Robert for his address and confidence la his ' Government was proposed and carried amid cheeris. A resolution wa3 then proposed and carried that chla meeting pledges itself to support any candidate who will promise to support the Stout- Vogel Government. The proceedings then terminated with cheers for Sir Robert Stout.