BANQUET TO MR BALLANCE.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 4166, 28 November 1884, Page 3

BANQUET TO MR BALLANCE.

Wanganui, This day,

A complimentary banquet was given to the Hon. John Ballanee, Native Minister, last evening. There-was a very large attendance, including Mr Bryce, M.H.K. Mr Ballanee, replying to the toast, referred 'to the Married Woman's Property Act,' and to the main trunk North Island railway. He did not know to what' extent that railway -would benefit "Wanganui, but he was quite certain it would benefit the North Island generally. The line,;as they knew, : would start from Marton and run through to Te Awarautu, and there wore no fewer than 4.h million acres of land +« >>» along "the line? It had that sinpe the work had beeu it was the du£y:of the Government,to push on with it with all possible speed 0n 4,i5 might say that .it h.acUpen definitely settled that the first sod of, the railway should be turned simultaneously at both the Marton audToAwamutu ends. It was intended to commence the construction at certain points along the line, and certain suras of money had been appropriated for the

opening 'of" roads- to- the' line for , the conveyance of material. -Mr Rochfort had suggested that the War/ganui river should ■bie one of such highways, : and possibly the Fields-roadi aiid ' in this ."way" considerable benefit should accrued -Wanganui. All such matters as these, -however, must be looked at from a "colonial point of view, .for the interest-of the colony as a-whole, and as a means of assisting to dispel the depression > which had of late hung like a nightmare upon it:. Aid this brought him to the unemployed" difficulty, the importance of dealing with which . the Government fully/ -.recognised.' It _had been asserted that' tile"- unemployed dim- - cuity was principally - due. and:'could be traced to persons of the working "classes who indulged too freely in strong drink, and to loafers who :did;not work. But oh enquiry the Government had found that the -distress" was .'not confined to these classes' alone. Some of the better class we're- also suffering, and even in some cases 'those /who were in employment. Under these circumstances the Government did-'nOt propose to. continue immigration until/the surplus labor had been absorbed, and he believed that in the settlement' of the land the .difficulty, would be. solved. Mr Ballance then spoke of the charges which had been: made against the Government of unlimited: borrowing proposals. The Government, he said, intended to borrow only so much >as would complete the works already sanctioned by Parliament, and for such works us would be .reproducr tivo to the colony. On the question of the defence. of the colony, the .Government believed that while it-would be impossible for a foreign Power to bold permanent pjssession of any portion of the colony, it was their duty to place : the harbors in a state of defence, and rot to depend wholly upon the Volunteers. Aβ regarded the purchase of nativo lands, it was the intention of the Government in tho future to ; acquire land for settlement only, and upon a commercial principle, and'they would not borrow nioney except for lands that would be made to ire-, produce at least 5 per cent of the. purchase cost; consequently, ; "the native difficulty -had resolved itself "into simply a question of the settlement of the.land. It was the. in? r tention of the. Government to establish a land association that could take up land to the extent of 5000 acres. Restrictions were placed on the purchase of native lauds that the 4£ million acrea on the lire of the central railway-should not be available for open 'purchase, and 'this had met with tho approval of the great native chief WahanUi and Major Kemp. H the natives had been "allowed t« settle their own lands they would have overcome the great difficulty, and would :have become hearty co-operators in the work of the colony. The pastoral lands of the colony should net be alienated. .They represented 12,000,000 acres, and the revenue would yearly increase. It was the intention of the Government to cut the present large runs into smaller blocks. At the same time he recognised the fact that the runholders were a most important part of tho community, and their position was worthy of every consideration . He approved of land settlement on a purchase extending ote'r ten years, the extent to be 100 acres--on three conditions,: namely, good laud, proximity to a market, and low price of land; The particulars; of the association sy.stem would be gazetted! in a few days. Tho questions of local government and taxation would shortly be referred to by the hon. the Premier in Dunedin.