The Palemerston Election

Feilding Star, Volume XV, Issue 97, 21 October 1893, Page 2

The Palemerston Election

Mr F. Pirani, one of the candidates for the Palmerston seat, addressed a crowded meeting at Palmerston last night. The Mayor occupied the chair. After a personal reference to his candidature and ,». lengthy narration of some of the good works the present Government hacf done for the colony, Mr Pirani went on to deal with the chief measure which the Government had passed during its career, and that was the repeal of the Property Tax and the institution of the Land and Income Tax. They had repealed a tax upon industry, upon thrift* upon everything that was right and correct in our settlers, and instituted a tax which pressed most heavily upon the unimproying settler, upon the absentee, upon the lazy man, and let off to an enormous extent the man who believed in improving his property, employing labor and benefiting the colony. (Applause). He hoped that now women had the suffrage extended to them, it would follow in like decree to the way in which manhood suffrage was exercised, it would be for the good of the country, because no body could but admit who knew the history of past Parliaments, who knew the corruption and the evils that existed in Parliament in the old days. The first plank in his platform, after the present system ot taxation, in which of course he believed, was the abolition of the Customs duties on the necessaries of life. It was a strange thing that three years ago, when he advocated the remision of the Customs duties on the necessaries of life, the strongest opponents of that were the present Opposition party, and strange to say the people who were making all the noise, who were crying out that the present Government were deluding the working men,' and bringing in a policy of imposture — these very men were how advocating this remission of the Customs duties on the necessaries of life. It was very hard, he thought, that some* thing like two millions of taxation should be taken out of the people through the Customs duties, while only something like £400,000 was taken in direct taxation through the Land and Income tax; and it he was elected, they would see he would do hi« utmost to obtain that fait measure of justice for the working popo> latioa of the country in regard to the abolition of the duties on the necessaries or life. Another question .which would be of great importance during the next session of Parliament, and which was causing considerable agitation here, was the Licencing Question. He said that the people should hare the right by a majority to »y whether licensed house* should exist in their midst or not (Applause). He said that the power was a power which should be placed m the hands of the majority of the people, and until that was done they would never get fair play or iushce. Iv regard to eduea* tion, he held the same news as he hiold at last election, that our present system of State education must be maintained. (Applause). The Education Boards had seen their day and should be abolished^ The teachers should be placed under a central council or central body, which would not be influenced by the passing influence of the hour. Another neess* sary reform in the system was that every inspector should only remain in onedis* trict for a certain number of yean,. say two or three. (Applause). On the subject of the Railways he said he would never be a party to a system which placed in the hands of three irresponsible men the control of fifteen millions wortn of public property, (Applause). He did not quite agree with' the existing Land laws. He thought that every man who selected land should have the option of saying under what tenure he would take it up, that he should have the choice of the perpetual lease with the right of purchase, the lease in perpetuity, the cash system or the deferred payment system. The Legislative Council, had again caused bother last session by rejecting in a bod y, with the exception of the latest nominations, some of the best of the Government measures. It was time the Legislative Council was reformed to a greater extent than it had been. He considered also that Justices of the Peace shonld be made elective. Mr Pirani finally dealt with the question of cheap money for farmers. The idea was that the State should establish a dapartment through which money could be borrowed at Home to tend to. farmers out here on mortgage security with the Go* vernment guarantee. It was estimated that Friendly Societies at Home alone had thirty millions of invested capital, which would find an outlet in this manner, as no security could be better, and al. ready the Government practically guaranteed loans obtained through the Government Insurance and Public Trust Department. The money could be borrowed at Home at 4 per cent, and lent out here at the same price, for there would be a positive profit in handling iha money, as instead of transmitting it here, it could be used for paying the interest on our debt, while the money circulated in the colony for the payment of that interest, would likewise be used to lend to the farmers. In this way a saving of interest and exchange would be made to the extent of L 120.000 on ten millions, which could be used for working expense* and providing a ainking land. He felt sure that tbe more it was studied the greater its practicability could be seen. (Applause). After a number of questions were asked and answered Mr James Linton said he was there for the purpose of proposing that Mr Fred Pirani is a fit and proper person to represent this constituency in Parliament. The motion was seconded and carried almost unanimously.