THE PREMIEE'S ADDRESS.

Feilding Star, Volume XIII, Issue 127, 23 April 1892, Page 2

THE PREMIEE'S ADDRESS.

On Thursday night the Hon. the Premier had a large audience in the Feilding Assembly Boom, when giving his address on the policy of the Government, Mr W. G. Haybittle, the mayor *of Feuding, occupied the chair, and introducing the speaker asked for a patient hearing. This the hon. gentleman received, with manifestations of approval throughout his address. Mr Ballance said that he intended to speak on some of the main points of (he policy of the Government — which he be. lieved was the policy of the country — and answer some of the charges made against them by the Opposition. First, with regard to the important question of capital leaving the country owing to their taxation policy. To this he would reply in brief terms by saying the onus of proving the assertion laid with those who made it,, and if they were unable to do so the charge amounted to nothing. There were tests which might be applied to the assertion to prove it 3 truthfulness or otherwise. Had the rate of interest risen in the country ? Was money cheaper or more difficult to obtain on land or other mortgages. . If, as he contended, the statement could not be proved true by this test he would throw it back in their faces with a denial. It was so far true that capital was leaving the colony in the usual way of business. One company had taken , its capital to the* Argentine Republic (a State generally in revolutionary condition) because there the . rate of interest was higher than in New Zealand. There was £26,000,000 now investedin the colony, more than half of which was lent on large properties. And what had been the result of this borrow* ing but the aggregation of small properties and driving population from the country. Why were communities like Feilding and Palmerston prosperous ? It was owing to the settlement going on all around them. If the land now held by small farmers near Feilding were pur- - chased by large landowners the population of the district would decrease, as at Turakina (which might be likened to Goldsmith's deserted ■village) , and the windows of a great many of the dwellings would be boarded up. The hon. gentleman cornbatted the right of the money lenders and syndicates to interfere with the political rights of the people. There was, he said, three and a half millions sent out of the colony yearly, £18,000 of which was to pay interest on private loans. It would be well if the people could clear themselves of this large debt before again going into the money market, but the question to be met was, Would borrowing be rendered necessary in order ' to carry on public works ? The speaker claimed that the present Government had done more than the last in the way of land settlement, and said that 8779 persons had been placed on 1,728,983 acres, . as compared with 2063 the previous year who took up 2,107,735, and the areas had been considerably smaller.^ Forty-eight special settlement associations, with an .„ aggregate of 1741 members, had taken up 140 acres each, and 15 of these associations would be in touch with this district and would consequently contribute to its prosperity. There was now according to an estimate made by the SuryeyorGeneral but three million acres oMowlyiug agricultural land, in the possession of the Crown. Mr Ballance then dealt with the new taxation, and said that the Property Tax was gone for ever. Referring to the £3000 exemption he said that the majority of farmers were not touched by the Graduated Tax and he wondered why they had been passing resolutions against the measure, unless it was in the interest of the absentees. The Government held no life tenure of office, therefore should they unduly burden the farmming community in the future they might be turned out of office. Under the Property tax every man paid upon the apparent value of his property and was often taxed up to the very day of his bankruptcy, now he paid only on his profits ami so if he was earning £1000 a year he was required to pay on £700. if £300 nothing. For the first time professional man had been brought under the direct . taxation of the country, who before paid only through the Customs, consequently, there were men earning as high as £3000 a year who had not contributed more to the revenue of the cotmtrv than the ordinary labouring men. The graduated Land Tax vanes from £ of a penny in the pound to -| 80 * na t a man who owns a million worth of property was called upon to pay £18,000 hj way of taxation. This was not in his opinion too much for a man to pay with property of that value, and especially as in cases where a great part had been made by the public works policy. He knew of one case where a half a million of money was made in one day, through a resolution of the Legislature to make a certain railway. Then referring to the large estates the bon gentlemen said it has become expedient that they should declare at once and foreyer that there should be no large estates held in this country. Referring to the demand for finality of taxation, he said there could not be such a thing so finality in politics. Further, he would declare that if the large estates were not disturbed by the present Graduated Tax he would bepreparedlo propose that it should be doubled, as it was necessary for landowners to be induced to form the opinion that they could not, with safety, hold large blocks of land m this country. It hadbeeu said that if the large estates were burst up there would be a loss of £75,000 to the revenue, but he could lose that amount from that source with a light heart and easily make it up by an increase in the Customs duties consequent on increased population. This year.£9o, 000 more than the estimated revenue had been received, which was £100,000 more

than had been received the preyiaus year. The tax on absentees had been first proposed by a member of the Opposition with the intention of embarrassing the Government. He called on his party to yote against the proposal which was done, and the 20. per cent tax on the absentees was afterwards proposed by himself in committee. His sole reason for not making the proposal originally was because he doubted the advisability of attempting such a large reform in one session as the measures then contained. Mr Ballance said the Government had been charged by the Conservative papers, with borrowing £400,000. whereas a loan of the former Goyernnient had been renewed. And during the year the floating debt had been reduced by i' 200,000. With regard to future borrowing, there was the issue to be faced as to whether public works and settlement should come to a standstill or there should be recourse to the London market. This wbb how the politicians who had spoken against borrowing should have taken up the question, it was their bounden duty as representatives of the people. The Government did not wish to shirk their duty, and when the Financial Statement was brought down about the middle of June next, a few days after the meeting of the House, the matter would be put plainly and the solution of this problem pointed out. Speaking of the Labour Bureau, the speaker said it was the duty of the Government to see that the whole of the people were employed. The responsibility of supporting men out of employment from the Charitable Aid Board or in gaol as vagrants had already been accepted ; better, however, to make them honest men by finding them employment. Over 3000 men had been found employment by the labor agencies, and when necessary they were provided with means to take them to the employment found for them, but such advantages were not held out to men who were known to have spent their money in drink. After criticising the platform of the Conservative Political Associations, the hon. gentleman said their motto was, " One man oue vote', and one man one roll, one man one registration." He believed the proposed dual vote, if broughtinto operation would result in faggot votes being created among unworthy men, while a great number of workineu contributing to the revenue through the Customs, perhaps to a much larger extent, would have but single yote. Mr Ballauce spoke strongly in favour of nationalisation of the land and advised that no more should be sold. He described the system kuown as gridironing, by which he said much of the Canterbury land had beeu taken up. Speaking of the constitution of the Legislative Council he said that it was necessary that it should be in harmony with the House of Representatives, or Liberal legislation would be an impossibility, at anvrate within any reasonable time. He was not in favour of an elective upper Chamber as such a body would probably strengthen itself behind a property qualification, but one containing men in touch with the people. Many of the present members probatlr had that qualification when nominated but a long continuance in the Chamber apparently had the effect of rendering the brain hard. Mr Ballance concluded by saying he desired to pass a measure empowering the Government to buy land by private contract, cut it up in 20 acre sections and give people facilities to settle on it, by which means he believed a great stimulus would be given to the prosperity of the country. (Applause). Mr George Wilks, asked on behalf of the Women's Christian Temperance Union (1) Whether the Hon the Premier would in the early part of the coming session bring forward and pass a measure for the enfranchisement of women ; (2) Whether he was in favour of the direct prohibitive local option vote without compensation. Mr Ballance replied that he supported the Woman's Franchise at the last session and did all he could to pass it, but it was not a Government measure and could not say whether it would become one, but he would always give it his support. He did not quite understand what was meant by the direct local option vote, and as for compensation he considered it should be given in the case of property being taken away, directly or indirectly. He was in favor of a reasonable compensation being given to existing licenses, but not to ones which would be issued in future. Mr Aldrich asked how the Government could expect a settler to reside on bush land one month after a burn, and 50 or 60 men, all in the same neighborhood and without capital. Mr Ballance said his proposal would go further than placing land at men's disposal, and would include a loan at the rate of £2 10s an acre for bush land, and means to erect a dwelling. The selection to be by ballot. Mr Ashworth asked whether the Government had requested the use of a man-of-war vessel to briDg out the new Governor. Mr Ballance replied that no such request had been made. Mr J. Stevens moved a hearty vote of thanks to the Hon. the Premier for his very able and instructive address, and, also, a vote of confidence in his Goyernment. Mr Stevens said that he had become convinced that party Goverment was inevitable, but that each could do the other justice in their criticisms of each other's policy. This had not been done by the Conservatives, in whose programme for the formation of the Assocision the Government had been practically charged with dishonesty, for which reason he could not join them. Mr Chamberlain seconded the motion, which was put by the chairman, when a large number voted for the resolution. After a vote of thanks to the chairman the meeting terminated.