The Feilding Star. THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 1892. Mr Steven's Address

Feilding Star, Volume XIII, Issue 150, 16 June 1892, Page 2

The Feilding Star. THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 1892. Mr Steven's Address

We have heard Mr JStevens on the Feildine platform, and we ' have read his Marton speech, and we i cannot understand why he should lay claim to being a supporter of the present Government. His ideas on the question of land tenure are entirely divergent from those of his nominal chief the Hon. Mr Ballance. Mr Ballance believes in land nationalisation —without understanding what that means— while Mr Stevens believes in freehold tenure. He defends the monopoly of vast tracts of land by individuals, while Mr Ballance is quivering with desire to " burst up " the large estates, When the Hon. the Minister of Lands reads the views on the Small Farm Associations as ex pressed by Mr Stevens, he will be somewhat surprised, and ask by what right Mr Stevens expects the Ministry to support his candidature. In our humble opinion we think that Mr Stevens has said too much, and that the Hon. Mr McKenzie when he addresses the electors here— if he does Ido so now— will have a lot to explain away. We notice that Mr Stevens does not stand on his own merits so much as on those of Mr Arkwright who was defeated at the last electiou for the Kangitikei seat. This is a pity because it exhibits a weakness or want of faith in himself we did not expect to find in Mr .Stevens. In order to catch the support of thoae electors who voted for Mr Arkwright on the previous occasion, Mr Stevens promises that if elected now, at the next general election should Mr Arkwright stand, he (Mr Stevens) will give away to him — that is he will act aa a sort of warming-pan for Mr Arkwright. Whether the electors would allow that easy transition from one to the Other remains to be seen. In order to " explain " the famous letter episode Mr Stevens read that precious document. It had been addressed to a gentleman who was not " of the right color " in error, but for the good of the " community at large" it unintenioually reached the right man. It was from the private secretary of the Hon. Mr Seddon, and suggested that a requisition from the residents inviting the Minister of Lands might assist matters materially, and in order that full -value might be given by the Government if their nominee were elected it was promised that " the question of a bridge over the Rangitikei river above Huntervilie will not be lost sight of. " Truly this smacks of bribery and corruption ! Mr Stevens has fallen into the common error about the Property Tax, and the Income and Land Tax. It was the people who were not paying any Property Tax at all who objected to it, and had not those who were paying it submitted with a good grace to an impost which they understood, the property-less people who howled against it would not have supported a Land and Income Tax which is inquisitorial and unjust, and which nobody understands. It is their taxation policy which will ruin the present Government; and Sir John Hall, when he advised the Opposition to give Ministers enough line, only foretold what must be the inevitable result. " Keep the Ministers in but their measures out " may again be a useful cry. In concluding we can only urge upon the electors that while Mr R. 0. Bruce is a determined opponent to the Government and their taxation and land nationalisation policy, Mr Stevens is only a halfhearted supporter at the best. How Mr Stevens, who is a shrewd, hardheaded man and an experienced colonist, can advocate the right of freehold tenure and yet support the present Government, whose main policy is land nationalisation, is a complete mystery to us. We are requested by Mr John Stevens to state, in connection with the now celebrated letter addressed to Mr B. Simpson by the Minister of Public Works, concerning the latter's visit to this district, that the letter was dated antecedent to the commencement of the present contest. Such being the case, the letter and its contents will hardly bear the political significance they otherwise would.