MR. JOHN JEBSON AT WADDINGTON.

Globe, Volume XXIII, Issue 2381, 19 November 1881, Page 3

MR. JOHN JEBSON AT WADDINGTON.

Mr Jeb;on, a candidate for the Coleridge district, addressed the electors at the Malvern schoolroom, Waddington, last night. There was a good attendance, and Mr Jebson was applauded on his appearance. Mr J. Brown in the chair. Mr Jebson said that political contests were the education of the people in a political sense, and the political parties prevented the electors from stagnation. Ho would wish to remove a misapprehension from some of their minds, and that was that Now Zealand was a Monarchical and not a Republican Government. Ho explained the three estates of the realm. The Upper House should not be elective unless the sovereign wore elective. It was possible for this country to nominate a governor, but its nomination would have to be sanctioned by the Queen. It was therefore not right that they should elect a governor, without they were willing to declare themselves an independent Republic, which was absurd. Ho would rather see the members of ,tho Upper Houso nominated than elected, provided they discharged their duties properly. The constitution of the Upper House in New Zealand was different from that of the House of Lords at home, as it was not hereditary. It was important that the members composing the executive, should bo men of the highest rectitude and intelligence. It was undesirable that they should have a long term of office, as it made them the masters of the people,

instead of the servants. It was a near approach to an autocracy, which was akin to despotism. In giving a quotation from the last financial statement he showed that £20.000,000 had been added to the colonial national debt during the last ten years. It was a fallacy for people to think that this money had, as had often boon stated, been expended on railways, as loss than half the sum had been thus expended. The balance had been spent in what were not esa.'nliilly reproductive works, nearly £9CO,OCO having been expended on public buildings. Th« taxation now amounted to £3 lls 9d per head of the population, fix! if they applied this to the population of England they would then see their real position. The present Government, with Major Atkinson as Colonial Treasurer, had so darkly pictured (for party purposes) the position of the colony that they had nearly brought it to repudiation, [Applause.] But Sir Julius Vogel, by his prudence, energy, and foresight, had brought the country out of immense difficulties. Sir Julius Vogel had said that they were repeating the stagnation of the years 1867-8 9. Mr Jebson stated that he bad watched the public career of the present Premier for the past twenty years, and that that gentleman had always maintained and favored a policy which lead the country to stagnation and embarrassment. The Premier was in the Ministry in 1863, and had then acted very similarly to what the present Ministry had done. There never had been a baser political act than that of decrying the position of the colony for party purposes. Major Atkinson hrl sent forth to the world in 1879 that the country was on the verge of bankruptcy, and that there was only £120,000 in the Government coffers, whereas in the following year it wag shown that there was more than £3,003,000 in hand. The Government had discharged servants, reduced salaries, and frightened the whole colony, in order to further their own ends, when they should be lords and we slaves. [Applause.] Mr Jebson alluded to the inconsistency of Major Atkinson in regard to the beer-tax, as wnen this motion was brought in by the Grey Government he (Major Atkinson) had spoken strongly against it, and afterwards brought forward the measure himself. Mr Jebson did not believe that the property tax was better than a land tax, as many affirmed. The former was introduced by the Government to wring money from the multitude. There were 22,087 persons who paid property tax, and 60,658 freeholders in the country, so that only one in three of freeholders paid property tax. [He here read from tables of the financial, statement the numbers of freeholders who paid property tax ] The total amount of the tax was under £300,000. Neither tax should have been enforced until a competent Board had placed a standard valuation on all the property in New Zealand. From Dr. Turnbull’s evidence before the Railway Commissioners, he showed the unfair valuations that were made in many oases, and instanced that of the estate of the Hon. J. Hall, which was valued at £2 14s 5d per acre, whilst that of his immediate neighbors was valued at from £4 to £7 per acre, so that Mr Hall paid less by half than bis neighbors. The land tax was the first direct tax that was levied. Previous to that landowners had paid no more towards the revenue of the countiy than a laborer. If the Government were in a position to do away with half the tax now they could have done without it from the first. He considered the property tax a most iniquitous one, and that the people had submitted to it simply because they could not help themselves. He thought that all depreciable property should be exempt from taxation—[Applause]—but would be in favor of taxing all real property, whether land or capital. The district had all the advantages of roads, railways, telegraph, water supplies, &0., and yet the Hon. J. Hall’s property was only worth £2 14s 5d per acre. In this electorate there were 1,600,030 acres of land, 200, C00 of which were held by 800 occupiers, the balance of 800,000 being in the hands of only twenty-three. If the Government wished to increase their revenue he would show them how to do it. For twenty-three men to keep sheep on 800, COO acres would neither increase the revenue or benefit the district. Let them settle the balance in the same proportion, and the increased number of settlers would mean a proportionate increase of Customs revenue, and an increased revenue from the railways. Portions of the Hon. J. Hall’s estate, stated to be worth only £2 14s 5d per acre, had produced some of the heaviest crops in the district. Their present system of management was really reducing the population. He thought that a landowner should be compelled to properly cultivate his land, let it at a fair rental, or sell it. It was far from his wish to set class against class, or to burst up the large estates, but ho wished to see justice done to all. In England several small holdings had been thrown into one, which was mainly the cause of the present agricultural depression. Whereas in France, where the agricultural land is in small holdings, that country had been able to pay an enormous war indemnity, and is now the most prosperous country in the world. The people who had railways and roads up to their doors were those who only produced two tons of wool and mutton to the 100 acres, whereas a farmer would produce fifty tons of grain to the same area. It was, he considered, a most absurd thing to talk of protection, when this country, which existed by ite exports, was dependent upon the English market for the sale of its produce. Her porta were free to us, and ours should be to her. The inhabitants of the colony should, as for as possible, purchase only colonial manufactures, which, in his opinion, was the best means of encouraging local industries, and he believed that free trade was the best for the colony. The railway tariff should be such as to drive away all competition, whereas many of the rates were nearly prohibitive. Wheat could bo conveyed from the prairies of Western America to England for 17s a quarter, and cattle could be sent from Chicago to New York, a distance of 900 miles, for 18s per head, including feed on the road, and by the new tariff, which had been reduced, the charge for a distance of thirty-nine miles was lls 6<L Such a policy, he maintained, was suicidal. In regard to local government, he would make the big Road Boards less, ho would decentralise as much as possible, make the County Councils much larger, dividing the provincial district of Canterbury into three such counties, with a membership of twenty-one or more each, and their revenue should consist of rents from reserves, runs, and the sales of waste lands. He would give them control over education, charitable aid, and Board of Conservators, and thus abolish all nominated Boards. They should also have the control over all main roads, bridges, and other largo public works. A Board of twelve gentlemen elected from these Councils, with the Minister of Public Works as chairman, should manage the railways. Major Atkinson was always ready “ to go with the ins, and when the outs turn came to go in with them.” His (Major Atkinson’s) proposals for local government were absurd, for instance, according to them a a district which required £IOO for a small bridge would have to apply to Wellington, and if the sum was granted it would have to be repaid by instalments. It was absurd to rate Maori lands. With regard to the Native question, Mr Jebson quoted article 3 from Treaty of Waitangi, which showed that the Natives had been guaranteed by the Crown undisputed possession of their lands as long

as they wished to hold them, and also their rights and privileges as British subjects. Ho spoke in terms of ridicule of the action of the present Government in sending 2000 stalwart armed men to take two old men prisoners. In regard to the state of parties, ho likened Saunders, Wakefield and Co. (who had sold Sir George Grey to Joseph’s brethren, and said that the Premier had coquetted with the “ Auckland Four,” as Deliah had with Sampson, and having found out the source of his strength had, as it were, ostracised him (Sir Q. Grey). Sir George Grey was put out of office because he refused to sanction the traffic in Native lands by individuals. Sir G. Grey had the interest of the country at heart, and had, as it were, set the Hon. John Hall to "grill on hie own gridiron.” [Loud applause.] The Hon. J. Hall had once gone to Wellington with the avowed intention of impeaching Mr Stafford, the then Premier, instead of which, during the same session, he made one of his Ministry. Mr Jebson was sure that if the present Ministry wore again in office, they would not advise the Governor to exercise the power vested in him by the Land Act of 1877, viz , to cut up the land into 500 acre blocks for sale on deferred payments. He himself did not think it would be advisable to cut up the back country into such blocks. In referring to a letter which he said had been sent to Mr Gerard by the Hon. J. Hall, warning the electors not to split their votes between the other candidates, he contended that it was a direct interference with the liberties of the electors. Ho had great respect for the Hon. Colonel Brett, but he considered it injudicious on tbo part of any member of the Upper House to try to bias the electors by letter or otherwise. He would not criticise the views of the other candidates, but had expressed his own, and would leave the electors to judge for themselves. Mr Jeboon then sat down amidst considerable applause. In answer to questions,

Mr Jebson said ho was in favor of the federation of the colonies with a Federal Council separate from tho Imparial Parliament. Ho was in favor of local option with respect to the granting of additional licenses, and that compensation should bo granted to an owner of any well conducted house that might be closed by the vote of tho people. He objected to secular education, but would have it free, compulsory, and undenominational. Would treat tho Maoris as British subjects, define the boundaries of their properties, and if they trespassed deal with them as the law directed, Tho Licensing Bench he thought should be an elective body. Imported capital should be taxed equally with local capital, as it was property. Was not in favor of plural voting either locally or generally. There should, he thought, be a clause inserted in tho Licensing Aot, giving persons interested the right of appeal against the decisions of tho Bench. Tho West Coast railway should be constructed by the Government if possible, if not would bo in favor of a company undertaking it. Mr Popple proposed, and Mr Lilly seconded, a vote of thanks to Mr Jebson, which was carried unanimously amid applause. Tho customary vote of thanks to the chair terminated the meeting.