Mr Pirani at Foxton.

Manawatu Herald, Volume III, Issue III, 14 October 1890, Page 2

Mr Pirani at Foxton.

On Saturday evening Mr Piraui addressed a large and enthusiastic meeting of the electors at the Public Hall. The Mayor ocoupied the chair. Mr Pirani, on rising, was well received. The first portion of his address went over much of what we reported at his first meeting, and we therefore considerably condense it. He mentioned that daring the week he had travelled 800 miles over the district. He desired to contradict the statement act forth, he asserted, by Mr Wilson's supporters, that he was a single taxer, he was not in favour of increasing the burdens of farmers, but sought to relieve such burdens. He denied that he had ever advised electors to promise one way and vote another. He had not come forward as a nominee of Mr Ballaiice's, and though he admitted that he had been asked by that gentleman, he had not replied to him. He was not making the election a battle between labour and capital. Ho favoured a Lax of 1 per cent, on unimproved land, which would produce £750,000, and would abolish the Property Tax, which pressed most heavily on the small and improving settler. He would reduce the Customs duti s on the necessaries of life. He approved of Sir George Gray's South African Bcheme. He, advocated a State issue of notes as a means to increase the revenue. He would abolish the Bankruptcy laws. He came forward, not for the working mau,.but as a working man himself, and he stood, not to represent the labouring, but the working classes, lie supported tha Eight Hours Bill. He regretted that the flax industry had only resulted in enriching the large landowners. Desired to see Licensing Committees abolished and RM. to acfc. Federation was beyond thfl bounds of practical politics. Advocated the establishment of central Government slaughterhouses.

Mr Pirani then said — I will now give the reasons why I oppose Mr Wilson. As Mr Stevens hag not yet spoken I cannot refer to him, but will do so directly ho does. Of course all I have to say against Mr Wilson ig only of" a political nature, and a public man must always allow that his public acts are open to criticism. Mr Wilson had personally no intention to- seek re-election, and it has been only at the instigation of a; portion of the conmiuuity that he now does so. It is a bad paecedent to so exalt one man and practically declare tint " we luve not one in the district to represent us, and we want you to do so again." I am sure that there is not on'y one, but half a dozen in the district who would be as capable of fil ing Mr Wi'son's position. On examining Hansard I find that out of 72 divisions, Mr Wilson only yoted in 8, and there were many very important questions under consideration when he did not vote. One peculiar instance of Mr Wilson's voting is shown in the discussion on the Estimates ; when it was proposed to strike £5 off the messengers, who are the most poorly paid servants of the House, Mr Wilson voted for the reduction, but almost following, when it was proposed to take £50 off the salary of one of the highly paid secretaries, Mr Wilson voted against it ! In everything he has followed Sir Harry Atkinson, and thus as a member of the party, he is answerable for all the Premier's acts. The Premier's bill for.thecompulsoiy insurance goes to show his madness. Not long .ago h« also introduced the Railway Insurance Bill, with the result of setting nearly, every rai way servant against it. The result has, ■.however, been of good to these servants, as it resulted in the formation of the Ufiio'ri Ihe' Registration of Electors Bill is another iniquitous measure which was supported by Mr Wilaon. The result of it would have been to practically disenfranchise country districts. The Rabbit bill is another.;, under it 20 new offences were created. A man having a rabbit skin in his possession could have been sentenced to 2 years imprisonment ; and every one who hud a live rabbit could have bean sentenced to -5 years imprisonment. Any two Justices could pass sentence. Now the injustice of such an act wilt be seen, when it is reincmb'red'fhat Justices ai'e appointed on the recommendation of the sitting member, and as the members are generally large landowners, and are elected by large landowners, they would thus aecure everything in their hands. This was a bill that Mr Wil&on did not vote against, and he may have thought it was of little consequence. However, the rabbits have been the greatest b essing for Ihe working man, ng they have helped to break up big 1 estates and have given work. (The speaker then objected to the Supreme Court Tudgeship, Native Lund Cowrt up.

pointmonts theO imam loan ) Oapt:iin Russell, in 1889, had suggested 'hit the c empti< n in the Piopeity Tax be reduc d to £250, but 1 ho d when once the Act is alt' red. all safegu ids lor the small men wit! bo d 'lie awa . Farmers pay for all. The Legislative Council wants abo. ishing.

I will now deal with Mr Wil-on's ni-inif sto, whl'h you have nu doubt noticed has be -n issued in h ilfmourning, and I hiuk tho man who issued it is also in Ijalf-toournin

Apart from its being full of grammatical error- it is full of inconsistencies from beginning to end. It is still more suprising to find that the posters issued by Mr Wilson's Palmerston committee are a'so ungramraatical. Mr Wilson commences with what he intends to be a slap at me, which is also in bad grammar, lie writes 11 1 was a Freetrader at last election and am bo still. One candidate in present election ran Mr West, who was a Protectionist, but his 'lieutenant is now a nominee of the Knights of Labour, who are Freetraders," I know as much, or perhaps more, about the Knignts of Labour as Mr Wilson does, and at no single meeting- has the question of Freetrade or Protection been brought up. Admitting for argument that I am a Protectionist, how is it more inconsistent for me to advocate it, than it is for Mr Wilson, the follower of Atkinson, the introducer of the heavy protection tariff, to say he is an advocate of Freetrade. Mr Wilson writes •■ Labour platform ; shifting taxation from the shoulders of the towns and placing it upon country lands by removing duties on necessaries of life. He voted in 1888 against imposition of Customs duties on necessaries of life. It is clear if you once give in to the principle that unimproved lands should be specially taxed it is only a matter of time when occasion will be found to increase the burden."

He says he did this in 1888, well then he must come out as a labour candidate. Firßt he states that shifting the tax on laud would not benefit labour, yet he states he voted against the duties on the necessaries of life. If this amount had been placed on the land, labour must have beuefitted. Mr Wilson assertr that he does not believe in special taxation, yet immediately following he advocate* a special tax on absentees ! On this matter however I hold that Sir Harry Atkin on has had more experience than Mr Wilson, and he declares it impossible to specially tax absentees. The only way is to tax unimproved land. Though Mr Wilson believe 3in taxing absentee lands he yet thinks it wrong to set class against class, but this is just what he is proposing. Ml- Wilson further lays down, as a factor, one of the arguments of the single taxer

'• That the produce of the land pays all taxes." : '

I strongly deprecate setting class against class, but Mr Wilson does this, and Ido not. Mr Wilson says, the owners of the land have to pay customs duties &o, there he starts to set town against the country. If the labouring classes only pay through the Custsms, how are the labourers going to cause a loss to the country ? they eat as much as the landowners, it is however only the workingclasses who pay the taxes. Mr "Wilson then enumerates the advnntages that the working men gets ; free education — so does the rich man ! It sick they have the hos-pitals-so does the rich man: It' any of them become lunatics, they have the asylums — bo has the rich man and it will be found that it is they who patronise them most. The only thing that Mr Wilson omit 9 the poor man has. which the rich have not, is a Free Goal ! I am sorry to say that Mr Wilson is bad on figures. I do not know whether he pays property tax or not, but it looks as if ho did not when l>e states that the amount is one halfpenny in tho £, because it is just double that — one permy — Ho is loose aijain iv other figures as ho asserts that the country lauds have necessarily much fewer improvements than town ltmds, yet in the figures he attaches lie shows they have 3 millions more improvements ! Mr Wilson who has voted for Mr' PyWs Private Schools Bill now asserts that he would leave the educational system practioa ly as it is ! lam uncompromising in my views on the Education question. I am opposed to borrowing-. 1 think the time has gone byo for a scramble for borrowed money. Mr WiUon now thinks that tmfiiciont energy hus not bten displayed in tho Lands Department, Such a statement made here is most misp'aced, and should have been made in his place in the House if he really thought so, but it is astonishing, considering that for the last nine years he has supported the Government answerable for the present state of affairs. Mr Wi'son lays er»at stress on the fact that he has done a lot for the flax industry. I say that he has never done anything for tho millers, as he never stirred whilst prices were high, and it was only whon h s friends the land-owners were imperilled that he moved, and those nro the only men who have made anything out of tho industry. Unless something •is done to settle the labour difficulty and the monopoly in land, I fear there will bo a social wrolutiou before many years have pMted,

Mr Pirani, who hid been frequently greeted with Hpplause, here resumed his seat, wuiuh was the sig al for a very emphatic clapping and stamping.

h" Chairman intimated that tin candid «te would be wi Aug tj rep y to qu- s'irms. Mr Wil iama Do you Vnow bow many hoars m ; ll ha d> work ? Mr Pi»ani I ku w thit on tlie Oroua Dowi s th< y wnrk ten hours, but I am not sura k what they do round here Mr Wiliams-Do you thiuk it right that the man who has embarked his capital in a mill should b© con sidered. Mr Pirani— No man has a right to embark hig capital and crush down the man he employs. If the business cannot be carried on, on the 8 hours system, that which has been in force in the colony for years, it had better be closed. Mr Williams -Are you aware how many unemployed there were before this industry started ? Mr Pirani -I say that the land monopoly was to blame for that. Mr Williams - Which do you think is hardest, 8 houi'3 work in a gravel pit or 9 hours work in a flaxmill ? Mr Pirani— l would rather work 12 hours in a gravel pit than 3 hours in a flaxmill. Mr Williams — Have you ever tried to work either at a mill or in a gravel pit ? You fence my questions. Mr tfirani — It is merely a matter of opinion. Hands might have a different opinion to you of the qualities of a flaxmiller. Mr Russell— l would like to ask whether, in the event of the two political parties remaining as they are, after the election, which party would you support ? Mr Pirani - 1 would do nothing to upset the existing state of things, unleg something very different occurs. I have pledged myself to no leader, and I will not be bound hand and foot to any one. An elector — Do not you think the time has come when we could do without publicans.

Mr Pirani— l may say that it is only natural, my being a teetotaller, that I should be in favor of doing without pub icans, but I would be no party to any oppressive measures.

Mr Harwood — Are you in favour of woman's suffrage.

Mr Pirani — I am not in favour of woman suffrage, but I would give her the power to yote in licensing matters.

An E'ector — Would yoii be in favour of putting the police under the control of the County Councils.

Mi Pirani,— l would be in favour of the police being placed under a non political board.

An Elector, — Can you explain tho whole meaning of the Single Tax. Mr Pirani, — I cannot, but I believe it to be to make all taxes payable by the laud. Mr Stan>ell — Are you iv favour of tax on single men. Mr Pirani — I am not, I object to singling out any special class. Mr Stewart — How do you propose to raise the revenue if you abolish the Property Tax and decrease the Custom duties ? Mr Pirani — By taxing the 75 million pounds worth of unimproved lands, one per cent. Mr Stewart — What is unimproved laud ? Mr Piraui — I do not say, I only accept the Commissioner's statement. Mr Gower — Is the 75 millions worth of laud in the hands of private peop'e. Mr Piraui — It is in the hands of private owners. Mr Russell — Can you tell us if it takes in land on the ranges ? Mr Piraui— lt takes in all. Mr Gower - Supposing your statement is incorrect would not your one per cent e>tiinite bn wrong ? Mr Pirani — No, because there are othor moans to raise revenue. I might mention a tax on totalisators, economy in defeuco, and many other ways. One half per cent should b« suttieient. 1 may state that lam in favour of an income tax. Mr Ellis— lf the 8 hours bill becomes law. how would it work on stations '? Mr Pirani - T wou'd exempt farmers, ami make the hours apply only to trados. Mr Stewart — Suppose the whole of the absentees returned to the Colony how would tho Government then g-et the revenue to replace the tax on absentees. Mr Pirani— There are only 114 absentees and they have only ono million worth of property. Mr Wilson only approves of specially taxing them to carry favour with tbe working c' asses. Mr Staniell moved, and Mr Williams seconded a vote of thanks to Mr Pirani, which was duly carried. Mr Spriug roso to move a vote <i confideuco but at th* request of Mr Pirani, withdrew it, the candidate stating that he objected to such rotes and would pr-ier receiving their confidence at the billot box. A vote of thanks to the chair concluded the m^etiug.