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Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 16, Issue 882, 2 December 1870, Page 2

MR BUCKL4ND ON THE DEBT SIIJDME. At the meeting at Otahuhu on Monday evening, November 14, Mr W } T. Buckland made a speech on the policy of the Government, from which we the following extracts: —

Mr. Bucklasp said; One of Mr VogePs statements was that whoever went down should go down bound hand and foot to support the Vogel policy. He denied that utterly. He would not go down in that manner. It was degrading to accept such a thing. It was beneath the dignity of a Minister to go about hawking his wares as Mr Vogel was doing, and saying that *'• Codlin was the man and not Short," as Dickens so aptly put it. Since New Zealand had been a colony it had never paid its expenses. I'wice or three times the Home Government bad advanced money. The first thing that was asked for by the constitu,tional Government was a loan of half a, million. JSfext a loan of three millions was obtained, and now they sought to borrow ten and a half millions. Last year thq balance of Government expenses over income was about ,£236,000, and this year it would probably be .£400,000. There were two ways open to remedy this—r either by borrowing or by retrenchment. To retrench, the first thing to be reduced was the civil service. In America, at every election, the civil servants all went out, and a new set were employed. In New Zealand, in order to get votes, the Ministry of the day were obliged to give appointments to the friends of those whom they wished to support them. The appointment of these persons had been going on from year to year until the number, at present, was 4000 adult males, and these to govern some 250,00 Q without including the constabulary. And what was money borrowed for ? To continue this state of things ? The Government servants were now such a power that New Zealand Jay prostrate at their feet. Unless this were remedied, inevitable ruin and misery awaited the people of New Zealand. They had such a power jn the State that in 1866, the first session of the present .parliament, they passed, or caused to be passed, a Civil Service Act ? which was chttraccerised by Dr. Featherston as a most gigantic swindle. -'J.'his bjlj was of a a character that in five years no less than 1873 peop{e were to be pensioned off at a price mat would nearly pay the debts of the country. Was he \o be sen.t down to Wellington pledged to support sudi a state of things ? Who had to pay tlie

Government debts ? Was it those who drew the salaries ? Was it the shopkeepers? No, it was the hard toiling man who was to pay the Government-ra large amount, everything he ate, drank, or wore was taxed to pay this debt. The debt of New Zealand was at the rate of ,£3O a head of the population, and, added to the proposed loan, it would amount to JB7O a head. And why did the Southern members vote for this borrowing ? Because they expected to be able to realise the value of their runs and then leave the country. If this scheme were carried out, failure and ruin would be the lot of the present generation ; disgrace and iufaniy would be the Jot of their descendants.