PREMIER AT BLUFF

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIV, Issue 1934, 16 November 1906, Page 3

PREMIER AT BLUFF

A WARM WELCOME,

PRESS ASSOCIATION Bluff, lasi night.

e Sic Joioph Ward has a ways been sure s of a groat welcome on visiting tho place of • his boyhood, but no gathering in tho Bluff - has ever equalled that whioh assembled I t).night at a complimentary banquet ■ tendered by citizen?. Tho largo assemblage was drawn from every quartet of Southland, and iuoluded promioool reprei sentatives of every walk in lifp, men of all shades of political opinion. The funotion was brilliantly earned through. The Hon. R. MoNab and several membora of Parliament wore present. Replying to tho toaat of his health, felioitously proposed by the Mayor, Mr G. A. Wheeler, Sir Joseph Ward reoeived an ovation. Ho expressed gratification at tho enthusiasm and good feeling fa prevailed, Ha was pleased to anno--oe that ho had just reoeived a telegram that Colonel Pitt's condition was muoh more hopeful. (Applause.) Hon. J. Carroll had also been able to leave Wellington for bis homo at Gisborne. The Premier sympathetically toforrod to the Hun. Millar’s sai bereavement, and after eulogistic reference to Mr Seddon passed on to the prosperity of Bluft and the South, and thence to politics, avoiding anything of a party nature The prosperity of tho colony, he said, was not duo to unusual or temporary causes. Tho high prices ruling for agricultural products was likely to continue, and Government was bound to exert itself to enable products to be placed in foreign markets cheaply in good condition, and of even quality. Tho scientific operations of the Agricultural Department would secure the maintenance of good prices even in bad times. In the budget he estimated an increase of revenue for tho 12 months of L 829,288, but the increase for tho first seven months amounted to L 89,160 as above tho corresponding period of last year. Sir Jjsspu Ward jueu ilealt with Osago’d complains Chat Cho dtstrioi had not been fairly treated in tho allocation of pubiio money, Dunedin representatives would boar h'in out shat Otago had been fairly treated, The Estimates provided for £777,837 net to be tp.mt on railway oonetruoitoo ; £300,000 wa3 aet aside for the North Island Ctuuk, whioh everyone agreed eaould be pushed oa ; that left £477,837 to be divided between the remaining 19 linos ; £IOO,OOO wens to the Midland line, to bo spent on the siotioau in Canterbury, Nelson, und Westland. The Otago Central reoeived £50,000. The complaint was grossly UDjusS, und unfair so Otago members. The money voted far Orago railway purposes was £122,000, ; Then there was £475,000 additions to i open lines, £42,091 fur roads, £28,760 for buildings, £49.575 for utoer services, £14,000 grants for school buildings, £3OOO Huoken library, £2OOO denial hospital, share of £IO,OOO maintenance of school buildings—a tuial of £357.624, which did | not include tho expenditure on railway , yards and the now station, The , total available for tho oolouy was , £2,282,000, and Otago got the best share j of it. He believed in focussing attention , on the most important railways until , completed, and was opposed to borrowing , more than a million until the population , had greatly increased. The Government ] must not yield to pressure, and try to | make too many railways at one time. Ho , deprecated provincial or inter-island jealousies. ' I The land question campaign, said the i Premier, would shortly be opened. To j correct misrepresentation, he said no member of the Government wanted to injure farmers. It was an illusion that , the Farmers’ Union was anti-Government. • Two-thirds of the members were sup- ; porters of the Government, and there would bo sucessions from tho ranks of the union unless a statement made recently by one of the officials was corrected,