Page 4 Advertisements Column 5

Gisborne Times, Volume XIX, Issue 1594, 4 November 1905, Page 4

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when a eohemb of this sort was introduced in 1894 every member voted against it. For a similar scheme £20,000 had bepn appropriated, and up to tho prosent £SOOO had been spont. Tho Government started to pay interest at the rate of 9 per cent, but Mr Massey objected to this rate and said it should bo reduced. The Government said this was absolutely impossible, but in spite of this the next day Mr Seddon brought down an amendment reducing the. interest himself, As showing how this scheme will affect the workers, Mr Clayton said that, according to one gentleman who had worked it out, tho worker would have to pay to thb Government in 82 years £IOOB in instalments, but if be borrowed thb money from W building sooiety he would only have to pay £4BB in tho same number of years. With regard to railway servants, when Mr Bedford suggested to Sir Joseph Ward that the salaries of the railway employees should be raised, be. Sir Joseph Ward, thought the railway servants had nothing to complain of. However at the end of the session when there were votes to catoh he introduced a eoheme whioh Involves £63,500 more in wageß to these railway servants,, Mr Clayton considered the railway servants the worst paid members.of the Government servants. Mr Clayton considered that 75 per oent of the working men of tbo oolony were of quite the average intelligence, and he was not going to indulge in the usual electioneering olap-trap about tbo working men, because he considered them common sense men and they could see for themselves what was to their interests, They would know that if the Government of the country was economical and the colony prospered wages would go up, The present Government rejoiced in calling itself a working man’s Government, but it was the first Government to introduce class distinctions. A liDeman bad to travel steerage, while his son, who happened to be a cadet, was allowed to travel saloon. The oivil servants numbered 23,729 employes, and their wages amounted to nearly £3,000,000, but Mr Clayton considered half the appointments and salaries were for political reasons ODly. The' Oivil Servants’ Qualification Aot, which was pushed through the Houbb last week, allows Ministers to appoint temporary olerks. They could retain these temporary clerks for five yeare, and after that time, they were put' on the saine footing for wages and everything else as a man who has been speoially trained for the Civil Service. Mr Clayton considers this wrong, as it gives an opportunity to Ministers to appoint their friends to billets, and made the Civil Service examination practically useless.. Ho advooated that there should be a Civil Servioe Board appointed. This had proved a great success in New South Wales, and tho Commonwealth Government has adopted a Civil Servioe Board. The speaker considered that the Customs shonld be for revenue purposes only. He would like to See freetrade within the Empire. In this country, whioh depends purely upon its pritnary products, it is extremeiy bad policy that every man and woman should be taxed in order to protect some particular trade. He thought it would r be better to pension the employees ratherlfhan tax the people of the oolony to suoh an extent. Beferring to a circnlar whioh had been distributed amongst Government candidates Mr , Clayton said that 18 out of 24 figures qnoted in the cfronlar were absolutely wrong. These papers were distributed amongs the candidates with the idea that they should go round and give false statements, and Mr Clayton hoped Mr Carroll would quote these figures, and so give an opportunity of them questioned;; With referenced otho, memo system, Mr OlaytOn had reliable'estimates that the country bad lost at the rate of £40,000 for six months through this system. No records were kept as they were found to cause unpleasantness to those using memos, but it was absolutely wrong that a Minister could send congratulatory telegrams at the expense of the Government while an ordinary man would often have to pay double

rates in order to get his message Bent. Mr Clayton said valhations wore high, end that Government valners had been instrnoled to keep values high, whioh he did not object to if fair. 'He considered that if ratepayers had any objections to the values they should have the right of appeal. No one had any confidence in the : constitution of the present Assessment Courts. The Government should appoint [one assessor, the local County Council I should appoint another, and the Borough | ratepayers should appoint the third. [Everybody would then be satisfied, and [everybody would have fair play. The i speaker considered the present system of 'audit was inefficient. The electors of the •colony were in the position of shareholders jin a company, and they had every right to [insist on a thorough audit of accounts by 'persons other than the ordinary Government official. Under the pressnt system no one could be thoroughly satisfied with 'the audit. Mr Olayton.also referred to the [BEoreoy of the Government in everything. [When a return is asked for it had to.be got [almost at the point of a. bayonet. They 'had been aßked for a return showing the [numbers of inspectors employed, and for other returns, and it was almost impossible [to get the information without obnsider-

[able delay and trouble. The Defenoo Department, although it cost the country ’something like £300,000 per year, according to General, fiabington’s report there was no organised staff) add the whole department which was a very necessary one •was in a sta?e of inefficiency. Mr Clayton considered it outrageous that the Government should have charged the Imperial 'Government 8 per oent. commission for [distributing gratuities amongst the officers iwho Berved in the South African war. :By the Criminal Code Aot freedom of 'speech'had been done away with. This [Act has been introduced for the express ■purpose of doing away with oritioisjns. Mr lOlayton considered that wherever the British flag flies there should be free men and not slaves. Mr Clayton regretted that he bad to refer to Mr Wall’s statements. Mr Wall bad stated that Mr Clayton’s com--imittee had been' getting people to go to his !(Mr Wall’s) meetings and make themselves objectionable, bnt this , was absolutely wrong, as he liked to see fair play, (and both he and his committee had asked: 'ell his friends if they went to Mr Wall’s to keep quiet. Mr Clayton also ‘denied the statement that a telegram had {been sent to him while in Wellington asking him to retire in Mr Wall’s favor. An-

[other incorrect statement was that Mr [Clayton had arranged for Mr Bheridan to [take the ohair at Mr Wall’s Tolago Bay [meeting, - For ' one thing, Mr Sheridan (was a staunoh.supporterof Mr). Carroll's. 5t had been said that Mr Clayton had no [platform, that .he bad- formulated no Jpolicy. Mf Clayton was in favor of optional (freehold - (enure on easy terms, facilities [for the Maoris to deal!with their own [lands provided, sbfficient. is left for their ; -sustenance, repeal of the Public Revenues [Act, a proper audit of accounts, a Civil Service Board, Customs for revenues purposes only, reconstruction of the Assess* ment Court, arid- freedom of speech for; every subject of Hie Majesty under the i Crown.

A vote of thanks to the speaker was proposed by Mr Bendall, and carried unanimously.