CAPTAIN MACKENZIA AT FORTROSE.

Mataura Ensign, Volume 7, Issue 372, 8 July 1884, Page 5

CAPTAIN MACKENZIA AT FORTROSE.

Captain Mackenzie address^ 9. lately attended meeting oi ol&QUips 0U S^rday evening at the new hall, Fortress. Jjfy B*4? dell wag voted to the chair, and briefly bespoke a patient hearing for the candidate. The captain began by explaining how it was that he was not present at the opening of Psriiament. It was, he said, customary 'for thT&ouse to assemble formally and then aijournVfe'6'tMt'Maily a y/eej; or ten days I elapsed before" any bibineSs was done. He had, therefore, returned home from 1 'Dunediu

for a few days because of illness in his family, and by the time he "got to Wellington the whole thing was over. DBTEAT OF THE MINISTRY. He was at first of opinion that the Government had done wrong in not resigning when the adverse vote was taken, and he had said bo at the time. Subsequent events However, had shown him that the Ministry did quite right in asking for a dissolution, as under existing circumstances no Opposition Ministry could have been formed which would have lasted a week. The Opposition was so split up -so devoid of cohesion — that it was impossible to form a stable Government from it. The Government had thought it right to discover the will of the country. And they had not attempted to interfere with the country's expression of opinion, as had been asserted. He c«uld not say that this abstention from interference had always been practised by Governments, as *he had been once unfairly defeated by Government influence when contesting the Waikaia seat. It was not desirable that business should be done by men who had not the confidence of the country, and he therefore thought the Government did for the best. A dissolution must have taken place at all events within ten days, and the agony would have been prolonged at increased cost to the country. UNION OF SOUTHIRN MEMBERS. That Canterbury and Otago members should unite was no doubt desirable, but it was difficult. The interests of constituencies were so diverse that no basis of union could be agreed upon. Town members would not support any expenditure unless it was for the direct beaefit of their constituents. If a measure were proposer], for instance which would benefit the Bluff. Dunedin members would oppose it. It would be seen that country members could not act with town m •mbers. He would ask his hearers to notice, for instance, the Dune.iin railway station. They had reclaimed 40 acres from the ocean, and now proposed building a etation at a cost of a quarter of a mi lion. Then, again, the matter of the overbridgt*. Some persons mors Jgifted than others had discovered that an expenditure of LiiO,ooo upon a bridge over the railway would save save some carters two and a half minutes. This showed how anxious town members were to save money, ard to make the matter more ridiculous he was informed after all, the carters would not use the bridge. Now these very members were abusing the Government for extravagance. He was the only one in the House who protested against this expenditure. Vrom these instances it would be seen how difficult union was between town members and country members. TAXATION. He could not say that he was ' at one time in favor of the property tax. All taxes should have the. element of certainty about them, otherwise trade must suffer. He quoted the progressive land tax as an inst'inca. This if carried out meant absolute confiscation, and would paralyse trade and put a stop to all progress. They had heard the most extraordinary and outrageous proposals about taxation. Why, even ,in the most disturbed countries in the world, the Argentine Republic, property was secure and taxation stable. The property tax was quite as fair as possible if such a tax were necessary. True, under it professional men apparently escaped, but it must be remembered that they must either save their incomes or spend them. If they spent them they were taxed through the Customs, and if they Jsaved them they must invest in property. He would, if any change were proposed, advocate a land and income tax, and above all make it certain and definite. He thought further that the land tax should go to the local bodies. He now believed that the property tax alone bore hard on business men. Finally, he considered that a land tax should be imposed upon the unimproved value of land and an income tax for general purposes. ENLARGEMENT OF COUNTIES. He was surprised that Mr Dick should have mentioned the enlargement of counties as the people already had the power to alter county boundaries. He (the candidate) should like to see one large county extending from the.Clutha to the ocean. If there were, say, three counties in Otago and two in Canterbury, members for them would have much more influence and they could administer local matters much more satisfactorily. He must not be understood, however, as iH favor of a return to nrovincialism. He would not include the great cides, but would leave them as they are. BORROWING. He was opposed to borrowing on principle. When he was young he had instilled into him the maxim " Out of debt out of danger.', He had voted against the L 3,000,000 loan because he wished to record a protest against the manner of spending the money. There shonld be a schedule of proposed works for which money was asked, and they should be sure tkat these were reproductive, At present, money was borrowed and then everyone was " rugging and tearing who should have it." That great gentleman, Sir Julius Yogel, who had come back like a bad shilling, nad started a graat scheme of borrowing. But there was nothing new in it. E^ypt and the Argentine Republic had also borrowed largely, and with the same full intention of not paying a penny back. Then ensued the usual scramble. This district had a large coal resources, that one had any amount of timber, and so on, and Sir Julius had not the firmness to oppose all these demands, as he wanted to be the head man in the colony and get as much as he could. They would therefore see that he was not a follower of Sir Julius Yogel, who they might depend had not returned for the benefit of the country, but became he was at the end of his tether, It would be folly, moreover, not to finish the works already in hand. The railways in the North Island did not pay because they were incomplete. Neither would those of the Middle Island pay if they were unfinished. The lines should be connected as soon as possible. It would be fatal to stop borrowing, as all that was already spent would be lost. No railway p;iid at first—neither did ploughing, for that matter, till a cop was got. He believed almost any line in this country would pay ultimately, buf, jis he said beEo.ie, he was opposed tv borrowing except fo'v the purpose) of completing works already begun. RAILWAY MANAGEMENT. The present system of management was defective and costly. After due consideration he had come to the conclusion that, it was a mistake to have the railways managed by engineers only. They should be conducted on business principles. Engineer,* tpd certain oonpretu idqas acquir ed in the course of. their education which made them opposed to new ideas contrary to their fixed notions. He would advocate the appoiutment of a committee or commission which should make enquiry as to railway management in other countries, this ci.quiry should also extend \n the dii'cption of i^sceypain|ng what i|inea w.e^y* stiitamc' 'for construction"". ' He thought that' 'if the line's 1 were ' managed 'by a board independent ofljic Ministry 'of thes day and responsible ' only to parliament '}l VYQHlcl' tje' 'far 'j^qro a'fjtj^acjfary both ay r^garil^ the vetuy.ns and, to the joubiie. ' "" TJjey woulcj remember 'the 'recent war about ilie grain tariff,' and he was glad to say that Otago took no part in that war. They (the people of Otago) had enough sense tb Jmow that whoa you W|f OA*N Wmu'st- jfeeh VMhYihougftt f it ■&& o'ril'y ta\r that those tffio hsed'tWc 'finds moU "and derived the'greatdst benefit from them sjiould'pa'y for the privilege. O ; f course the panWW' i)a<jb}B U&Y W p'isd 5 pet cent., 'pmt xj; must be remembered; jthat tjae're \vere mi[lcs and' miles' of expensive yj# d HPt s i n Paiitprb,uxy \yftieh; would" snqrtly have to bg jEns^eq 4 g reat expense' $nd, reduce the profit considerably EDUCATION. i There was, he said in passing, great diflij culty in choosing suitable subjects to touch ! upon. There was no vital question before the country. Speaking, however, abpvjt tfdup&tion, he |care& that thereat aad grow-

ing expenditure upon education would endanger the system. There were certain excrescenses upon the system which hmild be lopped off. For instance, thuiu we:e expensive boards of management for endowments. These were only of use to give employment to some old gentlemen who had nothing else to do. These endowments phould be in the hands of the Waste Lands Board. Then there was the Agricultural College. It had merely become a reformatory for larrikins who learned many things there that it was very undesirable they should know. HIGHER EDUCATION. The means of obtaining higher education should be available at home. The country should be self-contained. It was not desirable that professional men should have to be obtained from another country. But the parents should pay for it and there was ample provision made for the higher education of those who had the ability but not the means. LAND SETTLEMENT. He dissented from the principle < £ paying the last farthing of the value of the land to Government. He did not approve of the auction system. Certainly a small sum should be paid to cover the expense of sur- . veying etc. He, therefore, supported the perpetual lieasing system. In itself and as it stood it was only " buncombe," but if it had a purchasing clause included it would be all right. INSULAR SEPARATION. [ He had been all over the North Island in 1852. Large sums of Southland money hid ! been spent in attempting to conquer the natives but the land was now peacefully opened. There the soil was good,in fact just like that about here (Fortrose) undulating and covered with fern and flax, and by and by the Middle Island would get its share of the money spent there, sol hat it would be folly to separate now. Besides, the outlook of affairs in Europe was very bad. England had not a sing, c friend in jEurope. France though apparently friendly was at heart an enemy and he believed that we did not like the Frencu much better. (Laughter). Then thure was Tonquin, India and RussU, so that New Zealand should be united and prepared for defence. All able men should defend themselves for nothing kept a sword in its scabbard like another sword. THE FUTURE. By the future he meant the political future. The last few ministries whether Hall, Whitaker or Atkinson had all for their moving spirit, Atkinson. He was the " boss " He was a most indomitable man. Nothing could subdue him — not even illness. He was so ill last session through overwork that he had to ask for a quarter of an hour's adjournment before making his speech but that small concession was not granted. By-the-way, Major Atkinson was not a Major at all hut simply a Taranaki cockatoo— a fighting man who kept righting cocks — in fact, he was very fond of cocks (laughter). As to Mr Montgomery, he was a man who looked very wise and all that but that was all. Sir George Grey was allowed to say what he pleased and nobody took any notice of him. He thought on 'the whole that a change of Ministry was desirable and therefore although he grudged the expense and regretted that many things were thrown overboard he concurred in the dissolution. Of course there would be a new get of men in and therefore he could not say •whom he would support. He had hitherto sat on the cross benches, but did not like the position. He was very fond of speaking his mind and would rather be in opposition than silent. LOCAL MATTERS. After he was elected he had been the means of getting the rails laid as far as Wyndham on the Edendale-Fortrose line. He had done his best to push on that line at all events as far as Glenham. He quoted frum a long letter written (one of many) to the Minister of Public Works upon the subject. That gentleman had promised to come and see for himself, but did not, hence ie wos necessary to explain the whole matter to him. He found that all the available money had been spent on rails and sleepers. He did not think it would extend beyond Glenham for some time unless perhaps Sir Julius Yogel made it part of a scheme, nor was he certain it would do much good for a while yet, but if mon^y were borrowed they might be sure he would certainly get his share of it. (Applause). Everything he had been asked to do he did. His only complaint was that they had asked him to do so little. He had been the means of getting the portion of deferred payment money placed at the disposal of the country, and if he remembered aright some L9OO was got in that way for the district. He could say that , he had devoted his time to the interests of his consltuents, even to private requests. He had not 3pared hia time nor his intellect and influence. Hs would now speak oE his opponent. He had known him ever since he was a led and nobody knew anything at all against him. He was a highly honorable ( gentleman, and there was nobody he should like better to see their member but hims»lf — the speaker. (Laughter), Had it not been that a number of things were unfinished he would not have opposed Mr Richardson. He might say that he (the speaker) ha I got experience at Wellington, and ho would say that whether they voted for him or not he would still work for them as he had always done. The Captain concluded his address amid loud applause. QUESTIONS. The chairmain having invited questions, Captain MacKenzie ans veroil as follows : — He was not sufficiently acquainted with the place to say whether a harbor i scheme was desirable. Jlo would like to sec the harbor impro/cd, but was afraid that unless they could point out some suitable land for an endowment it would be difficult to get a bo.ird established. He would do all he could for it. The only money voted hitherto for harbour works was on the West Coast, and there there were special reasons for it. He saw no reason why the Fortrose harbor should not have an endowment. He had voted for the Bluff bcin<^ th^ first port of call by steamers. Q£ cqujv-se it would be remembered that the steam services got nq subsidy, but only their share of the immigratiou. But if a subsidised line were established^ho would pledge himself to. see tliat tho lilufl was not forgotten. The Seaward Bush railway should not go any further at present. It would do very well for a suburban line. However, he did not know much about it, but what he had heard from Mr Kichardson. He thought it was a pity that public nnuey should be spent up,on. it if it should be impossible tq fy^sh, jt. 'He had t^q pay.tioulay v^e\v3 upon education, paving said all he' thought in his speech. He was in favor of education. He also believed in rcligion,and wouldl ike to see- some system adopted whereby the bible could be read, without endangering the existing sys^e.^, He would be in favor of enlarging t^e 1 - pow.e'r. ofCounty Cp^nc^lq, b^t w_oulja $.ot give theu\ control over the' railways. 1 'They could very well manage such 'things as rabbits, hospitals, roads,etc. ~Jjt was not right that tb^ey sbouM havi-fto go to Wellington for ev.e^. single copper to ' ~¥fi\f\\ you " reached Wellington it was fuimu that a. northerly current set sa, and ihat s-houll be counteracted. He was not in favor of reducing the honorarium Members should be independent. He though^ iiowercr, that less might do if rs.e.mbetjj i^fira moderate, Bellamy^ \v.^s a 'glHjat oauso of (jsuyaiht'upe, Una member "had to do as btiiei'B did, and tho honorarium was not too grdat "unless a member wished to leave in debt. Personally he was m favor of abolish^ ing Bellamy's. He had n Qy.gr ace^ "y^' 8\ VTjj^irLpay, i;.e;v,ifcw:, tut £eiie,ves ijh $he jjystem,. fle jiaq" touu,] that 'a man who could defend himself was always respected. At. this stage the captain said thftt had obtained circulation. \]]a,% jf a rajl'vy-ay wo'c&'ittade the jieopW would have to pay a rate for it, tho same as the "Waime* settlers. Such was not the case. The people had the, power power to say how when, a line should be made. In the,c.a,sft or" the Wairaea j line a yoto of inhabitants had to be taken and they guaranteed, the company aga^nMj lpss(. "" ' * ' "• . %

CmfiTiinnr his replies to questions, Capt. MacKeuzie Kiticl he was in favor of perpetual leasing of education reserves, or perhaps their sale on deferred payment, which ever was the better mode of disposing of them. Mr Elliott pointed out that a large quantity of land was unsold and was held so, pending survey of the Edendale-Fortrose line. Would it not do for an endowment for the Harbor ? The captain agreed that it would ; and went on to say that he was in favor of granting bonuses for the establishment of manufactures. Tie would like to see every thing made here that would pay. The captain then said that he would not ask them for a vote of confidence, as they had not heard the other candidates. Mr Why brow, however, moved a vote of confident in Captain MacKenzie. Mr Nuts fovd seconded the motion. Mr Proston moved that a vote of thanks without prejudice be returned. Mr Miller seconded. The amendment was carried by a large majority, aud after the usual compliment to the chairman the meeting adjourned.