THE GOVERNMENT POLICY.

Evening Star, Issue 3992, 10 December 1875, Page 2

THE GOVERNMENT POLICY.

Our report yesterday of the Speech delivered by the Minister for Public Works was very meagre, and did not do justice to the hon. gen* Neman. We new give in full his observations as to the future polcy of the Government

LOCAL SELP-OOVKRIfIIIKT. me Government propose to centralis#, to the very utmost, the whole legislative power in the Assembly, and to decentralise the administrative power, and to put it, as far as possible, into the hands or Local Boards, and local governing bodies. The Local Government Bill in coarse of preparation proposes to at once divide the whole Colony into shires and those shires to be composed, os far as possible, of tho present Eoad Boards. The question of future electoral district boundaries will also be considered, and, as tar as they could see, there will be no difficulty whatever in making electoral boundaries coterminous with those of future Sh-rs Councils. There was no reason whatever m suppose that there would be any difficulty In continuing in *nture the endowments which had been proposed. The Koad Boards will get from the Consolidated Kevenue their £ for £ on rates they levy. Then Shire Councils will be endowed, and, as far ss bn rt mi 1 A , • ,• . , ... 1 . _ » _ . "

ho could see, municipalities will get their license teos out ot the endowment which has been proposed. Government said that Shire Councils must be made attractive if they are to be composed of good men, ““Jft , a velisb.o revenue. The revenue which they will have in the lirot placs will be a nroportion of tho land fund—the pound for pound—and they will have all the power of rating for partioular works, such as bridges and reclamation works, as described in the present Abolition Bill. The Government saw very clearly that by these means Shire Councils, either individually or in combination with an adjoining one, will be in a better posttion to carry oat larger works than Eoad Boards are In at present. After paying charges, that by law are j on the land fund, Government proposed that the residue be divided amongst Shire Couucib, to be expended by them or allocated by them amongst Eoad Boards or ridings of Bhira Councils, so that the whole of the land fund accruing within the present Provincial districts shall be kept entii-ely at the disposal of the local bodies. The Government also had in preparation measures for the purpose of generalising laws on scab, impoundings, and other subjects, and that alone, he thought, would be a great boon to ths whole country.

PUBLIC WORKS AND IMMIGRATION. With regard to public works, the Government proposed to go on steadily with the completion of all 8 . authorised by Parliament. They had authority to boi row, beyond what has already been raised, sufficient, or noaily sufficient, to complete all these works, and there was no reason whatever to suppose that the Bill will not be carried on successfully to the end. With regard to the future, thebrovemmeut saw no reason whatever to doubt that, if considered prudent, m another year money will be forthcoming to steadily continue larger works originally proposed in the public works Mid immigration scheme—namely, main trunk lines through the country, until the whole of the original ??k e iP c 18 completed. With regard to immigration, the Government propose that a continuous steady stream of immigration be sept up, but only of such, a nature as to be suited to the requirements of the various districts throughout the country. With regard to railways now open and their paying capabilities, there is no reason to believe that—with the exception of one or two small lines—the railways will net oo a great deal more than pay working expeuses. Ho was decidedly of opinion that Sir Juims \ ogel s estimate of L 8,000,000, as the worth of railways when constructed, including Provincial lines, was under rather than over the mark.

_ ~ , the LANDS. *he lauds of the Colony it would bo the duty of Government to see that they were not sacrificed, and to do everything it could to il sist m the sett ement of the country, both in the selection of lauds suitable for agricultural purposes and having them ready, as they are doing now* to a very considerable extent in the North Island for settlers, both on cash payments and on deterred payment*! Withregard to the runs he was of opfnionth. y should be fairly assessed, then the first offer to bo given to existing holders of leases. If put up to UTtif’ WO f- d len . d t0 jobbery and corruption, has hardly s seen. 10n BU ° nn * Baßevon AtSerUia

. EDUCATION, ihe duty of the Government was to see a fair education, which must be purely secular, provided for every child ; also to provide by means of scholarships for higher education for children who distmguisli themselves at ordinary schools. Th e recontemplated expenditure on education : therefore ho was not in favor of a loan for school buildln gs.

WAYS AND MEANS. A great deal hod been said as to where endow--5w am f 8 fr ° m ’ Now Lis own ind ividual opinion had been, for years past, that when once a system such as he bad just been describing, or one ’somewhat analogous, was established througho-atThe country, Government would bo enabled to largely decrease the expenses of administration by oonfohdating different offices throughout the Coloi iv at "I 1 eVe T W*ovvn department, and ia other departments which he occasionally had to look after, that enormous savings can be • made if Ha y « 8 qllestlon is dappled with by a fin u hwid! Ho saw no reason why the promises in the Abolition Bill should not I be £rried out in their integrity. The revenun will certainly afford it at present, and unless some calamity should happen, he saw no reason why it should not increase year by year. Hallways iu Vj.ctona which cost L 26.000 per mile, were yielding 34 nor cent, on the total cost of construction: surely r t f L re ’ I l Was little to «pect in thin conn! rty, where the average cost was only about L 6 000 per mile, that they will pay well. Personally’ he was satisfied that the rates people here are able to pay the railways will yield a considerable revenue.