Mayor Atkinson at Hawera

Feilding Star, Volume VII, Issue 82, 19 December 1885, Page 2

Mayor Atkinson at Hawera

[Mb uxim> nsss Assseusie*& Hawbb*. Deeettber^?. The Hon. Major Atkinson address*! his constituents here Una evening* He said he considered it nooeesary to reply to the speeches: male by the Premier and Colonial Treasurer. Both had been guilty of great misrepresentation, of which he complained bitterly. He had great respect for Sir Julius Yogel as a man, but he did not like his ways, and he should point out what he objected to. When Sir Julius Yogel came into office he said the finances of New Zealand were elastio and buoyant enough to satisfy the most exacting financier, and that all that was required was better manage-* ment. Then certain promises were given, of which reduction of-Expendi-ture was one, and in connection with this, Mr Stunt said that if he could not save £80,000 or £100,000 in two offices alone he would leave office. He (Major Atkinson) had shown last session that there had been no saying. The Colonial Treasurer had also said that there should be a saving, especially in.education, though the system was to be improved at the same time. There had been no such saving. He also pledged himself distinctly that' the property tax should be reduced in 1883 and abolished, in 1885, but the tax was made higher last session than ever it has been since the yei^r it was first imposed. In addition. to this, local government was to be^ put in a more satisfactory state. All these promises were distinctly 'made, but they had not been fulfilled. -It was his opinion that the explanation' was that the policy of the Government had never yet been revealed. ■' Sir Julius Yogel saw that the House was not prepared for his policy, and therefore he had simply waited his time in order to seize tfie opportunity for developing his own policy, and that was a policy of enormous borrowing. With regard to railway management, the result of their efforts had been that with a greater number of miles of railway opened the returns had been less than those obtained by the late Government, and complaints were still rife. As to the non-political board proposition, that, like most others, had disappeared, and it was so absurd that he hdped it would never be revived again. He did not believe that the Government had any intention of fulfilling the pledge about a vigorous policy. The moment Sir Julius Yogel saw the House was not prepared to sanction schemes beyond moderate limits he became moderate, because he wanted time. He only asked for a million and-a-half, and said that with that he could carry on works with vigour, but the vigour was not shown, and to him it was evident that the Government were not sincere in their declaration. The Government proposed to expend £2,885,000. There was room fer the display of a vigorous policy with that sum* for it was £800,000 more than the previous Government had had. There was no objection to their proceeding! Every vote they asked for was granted, but all they expended was £1,336,000. The Government were not short of money; they had £1,500,000 at their disposal at the beginning of the year, which he (Major Atkinson) had left, and they had more money in hand at the end of the session that they had spent by £150,000, and they had the six million and a half loan to draw upon, so that there could have been no difficulty. It was said that the Opposition by reducing the estimates .^had hampered the Government and created depression, but the Government had only applied for -* .million and a quarter, and a .large portion of that was for defences*, so^ that while last year the Government only spent £1,336,000 upon Public Works this year they only proposed r <'to expend a million and a quarter, ef which a large sum certainly. £150,000 was to be spent upon defence works. Thus the Government themselves had decided upon limiting their expenditure to a. million and a quarter. How was it possible for the Government to say that they, were anxious for a vigorous expenditure, and that the Opposition had stopped them? The Minister this year had asked for railways a sum of £1,347,000. The House granted him £979,000. They 1 were told that the country was to be rained and, distress to be brought about because the Opposition would not vote note tlna £979,000 for railways, agreeiag w|th the Government in limiting; the ex» penditure to a million and a quarter. If that, was not sufficient, the sooBpr""---the country declared that it shouii fee)' suffioient the better for evasybofy He believed the Governmeiit were insincere, and that' the Treasurer wai anxious to start some, extravagnat scheme, and was seeking to. get an excuse for accusing the Opposition of having prevented him from carrying out his policy. It was . untrue that the reduction of 'the estimates stopped works in any way, but if all' the money asked ( for had been granted there wbuldp have been great pressure brtnigKt upon the Government^y the|r political friends to exceed the limits wbich they" h^d set themselves in the Publio Works Statement.^ There was no necessity for the Government to' stop works or to discharge officers. A vote of confidence was passed for Major Atkinson which ©oneluded the proceedings. -