Mr Bruce at Makino

Feilding Star, Volume IX, Issue 32, 1 September 1887, Page 2

Mr Bruce at Makino

I * There wgSja^ery large attendance [at the tfaMnp^ehoplhouse last night Vtp liste i toNSA MJlreas from Mr E. C. Brice, oneY^f We candidates for the Hj&ragit ikei Is^t^ffnti^good number 61 ladies were among tab audience. I Mr Fry was votad*fc> the chair, aad , briefly introduced the speaker," who ■waa-rooeii'ed'withtupplmwoi ! '"I"' Mr Bruce speke of the pleasure he felt in being 80/ cordially received, which here garded as an evidence of th« confidence the^audience^bad iu?him it their late representative in Parliament. He then referred to the speech from \ M the throne'/ at 1 the opening of last session^ which hej*aid- wa» ;an ingenious one, as showing the Government intended . relying, upon thejf Vfiacal IBPIW. tyr the.coi^^en^^pftth^pouso and country.: The Representation Bill wascrijticised, and : ; the little advantages, it : gave to the jpuntry districts were pointed oat. It was soon found ;i thjit M Ike, pleasure was; not re-committed : on f . the matter of the number of members it would be lost altogether, hltsiistpry jflid stitute a creditable episode in the last session of Parliament. The Women's >Sugijage ; Bill^he!hadibeen;opiJ6jßea to, as lie thought :it would breed .domestic discord, and the most sensible women s3toj!& ii4bstaiii{ ' from/ Toting. Ho thought it" more likely to degrade woma;njto jnakelher a politician rather than leave her take charge of tic mattoj*, which he} held to r b^ her propejWp¥bvirie& - ] The^olicy M the Government -was examined. Their measyur^. wire '^retrogressive rather than HHr© r would deal chiefly : with principles, as, he did,. not think it the duty of a candidate to enter ] into, clerical Retails/ - J^<? ; instanced the very misleading way in which the [last annual balance sh*et was introduced, .and showed the unfavorable position the country was accordingly placed; in as regarded the English market. An analysis of the question of Protection' *w&s; then "giveii^y " Mr Bruce. Commerce' between nations was merely exchange, " and t :mjt>ney ~ was" not wealth instrinbically considered, but was only the symboltrf it. Protection de- ' verted capital, and labors It /told A very plausible story, saying in the colony^and dp not send it to other countries^" Several examples of the evil* o£ Protection were pointed out, Free- . trade' meant 'sending ' to ■ btner : countries what we could produce, arid 1 receiving iv ; exchange ; what we could not; • >dertaia articles of niercharichse being referred teas instances. The. larger the already' large .centres, of population becajap, compared witft* the; rural districts, the more would those centres rule the prices of 'everything, which was not desirable. A. stock- -argument of Protection was ■" a balance of trade, -but the speaker gave several apt instances of the absurdity and fallacy. of_ such a plea. America ,was slung into the teeth of Freetraders as & prpof pf the blessings -Pi-oteclion. . ? Mr Bruce described the present condition of that country, and gave examples to show how much- more prosperous she' would be= under a Freetrade policy. He spoke from his "personal and observation in the United States. It was an axie<n^ of commerce that a rise of 10 per jfcent. iii any article brought -abQut a pereeftible reduction in the nuaiber of consumers.. ;Mr, Bruce gave many exampleer «fc»th» - infinitely .better condition of Great B.ritain since the introduction of Freetrade, and compared this with the stagnant* and far worse state of things which still prevailed in America: fie related a laughable anecdote about the celebrated : battle of , " Bulls ' Eun'' ■ during; ,the[ American war, as illustrative of his opinions. If they sent him back to Wellington they would send a Freetrader to the back .bone and 1 spinal'" marrow. (Applause. j l vThespeaker next referred to the property tax, and«aidit was llumbug to say-it was atax upon industry, for what: tax jwasl not? Land nationalization was then dealt with. He didn't think-the, Premier knew what he was" talking about when he undertook thls : question. He pointed but how it was calculated to; degrade the colonists to be : State tenants; He did - not thioS the measure' would l ever f assume- .a practical shape. The absurdity :of the Land Acquisition Bill was pointed out by supposed examples;; ; Mr jßallance's Special Settlement sche^ne .jwub; criticised by the* speaker, and the disadvantages to settlers ,under..it were It. could, only result in : an expensive, , and, 'disastrous failure. ; The remarks of Mr Bruce on the question of the various land measureswere warmly > applauded by his* hearers. He would nofcif again sent to' the House, ■support any increased taxahon-ufiless its .pec^sify were] pi»r©ar; beyond the possibility of a . doubt. Eetrenchn|ent he would v. most, • certainlyj-«dypc»te, aiT we must have it^ He pointed out how it niight.be done mladucation. He would, ■lioWever, educate Up' to 'sixth 3standard. H© Would not reduce the pay of the country schoolmaster, whom he conrSidOTeoHo;bejpne of the, -most aropoitant men in the colony, r The Governor's salary t anfl that of tna Mmiafgrg ahrtnlfj \>q reducedj but he woijld no^be soifoplish as to say by now much. He wo^la not abolish the TJpper House, but, be*. would reduce. Mmbjjr. ■■ He 1 waited *to «c© ite'do6rß^peii toa^y man inthe'eouiftry ;if he be fit, :; whether he be rich <*p*or. xrlewould-reducefthevhonorana oLmambers by^Spjg^easKtfough^eifeadyljjxund by experience that it/was not too much noww A," saying mi^hfi be, made, by a return to quinquennial "Parliaments, and ;Mr Bruce, pointed, out tiieir . advantage* and the disadvantages of ! the i - triennial systems.^ ?c often bidkellup fnendsh^pp,, a»d,it,w^aß_ not good- that the country should Jbe upset inbre frequently than w.aa necessary by a general electipn» 'He v; wpuid ! 'r&dtice !: tihe 'expenditure' -^ on. defence^ : THefy needn't' be afraid of the Bussians, as they would' nt come here till >&ej!:we.ts inad.altOOTtherv. TTh^yisiojild never have, -of .such a thing if we hadn't pui it into Jttieir heads. He would not - make* a Jot , of -rash t promises, and hoped none present would tempt him to make any at all, for he could only promise that he would'nt prbmise t# keep them, . r policies respectively •of the recently- past governments. Were briefly, but somewJhat.seyere^yvdealt with» the remarks pft^e,, speaker,' being warmly applauded by the 1 audience. Tffyat had been 'intended. to' j lift" tne.^ colony \>ut of financial 'depreasib'tf'had^only had the reverße^effectV^ He . would! vote agamst the present Government, but could not say what, party , he would. folloj?,r.as he -knew trqt. what party woidd ,be, m .power, bjit if aK^Atkinspii party he woula' warmly Trc^rt'.it',/.Ti^'W<^-"l» ; ''^9d td aiisyrer 'qdestiraSj/tnat .'xnight ! bef put to'jhun,.. After sp'eaMng for" ajn 1 hotir and ahalfi-Mr Bruce sat down-amii| loud applause. ~^- l; MiD.Fraße^iofsEoildw^ a^6d<Mr

Bruce to give ; idea ,©f i*te effects of '■'' the ßcoiection policy ot"j?ictoria. j - Wfr .Brae*, 1 {w^pi^^givwgu^fe^cs, •jiU loweror, collected, pointed out seyew 1 ! instances of the etijs . of, Protection mAa^Wto^WGWJP*** '- • 'Shtll an' pppoate^ ?'^«/ !& tllin S s wluc^ preyaire^iti New;>oufli Wales. Mr ,Bale«-,pT»p(»s«lj . and-.;Mri,liooai ?:A UeoMaeTa^flt^^dence in Mr E. 0. Bruce, carried -inanimously • amid loud applause. ....-/: Mr Bruce bnefty thanked tho audwnce, .; : iad. proposed^ thanks' lib the' chairman, and this concluded the meeting.