Mr J. G. Wilson, M.H.R., at Foxton.

Manawatu Herald, 11 May 1895, Page 2

Mr J. G. Wilson, M.H.R., at Foxton.

Mr J. G. Wilson met the electors at the Public Hall, on Thursday evening, when the Hall was better filled than we have seen on any similar occassion, over 200 being present. ■ > ■ His Worship the Mayor briefly opened the meeting and hoped Mr Wilson would be able to suggest some scheme for the employment of the numbers of men out of work. He pointed out that the Assets Company was negotiating a purchase by the Government of their land and he hoped Mr Wilson would advise the Government to purchase the Motoa estate, which could be advantageously sold on deferred payments. Mr J. G. Wilson, on rising, said— Ladies and Gentlemen : — As you know I have come round at every session not to so much as to make a speech but more to meet the people and learn their wants. You will allhave probably read the reports of Parliament and thus will know my political views. This district was a very difficult one to go round, and I have already been a fortnight away from horn?. I shall begin with the subject that is of interest to the wholo Cotony, that of finance. When Mr Ballance's Government took office their principal platform waa a " non-borrow-ing " one. The people declared in favour of that policy. On Mr Ballance's dea'.h, Mr Ward took the duty of Treasurer. Mr Ballance had had considerable experience in office, he having held office in Sir George Grey's and the Stout-Vogel Governments'. He however left office on both occassiong with a deficit. I think that was the great reason why he held a tight hand on his ministers in his last office. Mr Ward had not the experience of Mr Ballance,. .Ho is a successful man of business and ha'3 made money by speculating in grain, and we know that a speculator is not fin over cautious man, and thus Mr Ward might not be so cautions as another who had learnt more particularly the value of saving money. Mr Ward made his financial statement at the beginning of the session. Wo watched the statem-'iito because the Government policy would b-.> declared in it. Nowadays it appeared the fashion to leave the policy of the Government; out of the Address in-Reply and introduce it whan the Treasurer's Statement \va< was made. The proposals !ii n made created a great surprise, even to members of the Government party, The Government declared that it was.not a borrowing policy. Mr W... .]. Kelly is one of the strongest' supporters the Government had but, since last session he has addressed his constituents and " Declared on every platform and at every banquet Ministers had held forth this selfreliant and non-borrowing policy in conti'adistinctionto the. policy of previous Governments, and Ministers had claimed no little credit to themselves for the prosperity which they said had come to the colony through this policy. Not one single hint had the Government given- the people at the last general elections of the gigantic borrowing policy they were about to indulge in, not a hint until the Colonial Treasurer addressed a meeting at Oainaru shortly before the meeting of the House." From my view, borrowing may not be bad, but it is idle for the Government to declare this is not borrowing. It is like a friend asking you to back a bill, a mere nothing, he did not call it borrowing, but frequently in the end the friend has to pay the amount. The Bank business was . thrust upon the Government in a very peculiar way. At the beginning of the session the Government was told, that, without a large guarantee the Bank could not go on. I think the Government entered very hastily into the matter. . We found very soon afterwards that the Assets Company was part of the Bank which very few had any iiea .of. If the Bank had acted wisely it would have sold these estates ten years ago. Mr Glyn had told the shareholders in .London that the^se estates were held and were a dragi;o the bank. I think the Government should have made provision in granting the guarantee to force the Bank to sell these estates. The Advances to Settlers Act has been dieenssed in many Sessions and 1 have frequently drawn attention to it. We have altered the tenure of lands, and leaseholders were unable to secure help owing to tho tonuvo they held. As regards these I held that it was right for the Government to lend them money for the purposes of making improvements, and at cheap rate.B. And in regard to I small settlers I also felt they were

entitled to help. In money matters we are bound to act cautiously and we were not prepared for the veif large proposal made. At last it was agreed to accept 8 millions, but I think we ought to have gone more cautiously. I think valuation is the great secret in the administration of this Act, for, if not made oarafally the Government may lose. I think the outside limit has been fixed to^g high, it is the small man who wants^ to borrow hundreds which find*- the difficulty in doing so, the man wanting thousands can generally get a loan at a fair rate. A settler may also have a difficulty owing to a pest which will ruin his property. As a case in point it may be shown where the caterpillar plague has destroyed all the grass and the stock has had to be sold. In similar cases, the Government might have to make the interest good on monies advanced on sncb property. .1 The Government had another Bui to find £500,000 to buy Native Land and road it. No one would object to the principle if it was to purchase waste lands. We were not likely to make much money out of the trans** action, and the colony will have to bear the interest on these loans. Under the Lands for Settlements Act, the Minister is allowed to $tas row £250,000 per annum up to 1899, making U millions gross. If the rent docs not come in, the Government has to make up the interest. In a recent Napier paper I find — "a list of defaulting selectors laid before the Land Board at Napier recently showed that no loss than 130 settlers were in ar- ■ rears with their payments representing over £900, which is considerably in excess of any amount previously in arrear. > This may b9 $aken as a very good indication of the prevailing hard times." .. . : ■„.. It is quite clear if this land had been bought under this Aeii</ttie Colony would have had to find the money that was short. It is evident there may be a margin between 1 What is received aud what there is to pay, and the balance must be found from the revenue. The revenue cannot now be said to be elastic, indeed Mr Seddon said in two items the revenue had fallen £100,000. Ido not see how the revenue will find any further strain upon it withoufe increased taxation. In the Registrar-General's return you will find that in New Zealand we pay per tiead £3 lls Od, the highest in the whole colonies except Western 'Australia ; Queensland, £3 2s 7d ; New South Wales, £2 6s lOd ; Victoria, £2 3s Id. It would appear thus that we have enough to pay. If any of these financhl proposals fail we are bound to find some difficulty in meeting the deficit. If we bjad gone more cautiously in borrowing we need not have gone to the lion* don market. The duty of a Treasurer should be to reduce taxation. I have alway tried to place myself in an unbiassed position, I have always held is was to all our interests in getting the land settled. We need to increase our products to bring more nv.jneyinto the colony. l,ha«e always tried to assist every Minister in settling the land, and I admit that Mr McKenzie is entitled to evety credit fjr the efforts he has made. Polemically tha land policy of the Government centred in the Lands for Settlements Act. At last election I th ught ;he time bad not arrived forthe- scheme of compulsory purchase, At last, election the question waa ..brought, up in 'every electorate andUs nearly every membar doolaced W^ there* was urgent necessity for the Act, I therefore gave way. To-night i3 the first time I have ever been urged to sat the Act in process in this district. The last- Bill was a much fairer Bill than the Minister had previously brought in, which enabled' me to support it; The Compensation Court seemed the fairest Court that cbuld be proposed. I also stated, in speaking to'-*Be Bill in the House, that it was fairer to the 'tejpge improving owners* notofcßssGjll uDpn them to sell land where there was" unimproved land to be ooifitfjjed. I have always, held that the resident owner was preferable ld*the absentee or company owned land. I ateo mentioned that if there was necessity in the district to purchase land, the Motoa and Carnarvon Estates as held by the Assets Go* woulfl telHjeferable than calling upon relmAit owners to sell. I have had. inwr-.views.-with Mr McKenzie.Jate^f^aiid have reminded him of my'B^ggesfcions. He promised to s^tftfjpSlr .McKerrow to look at the Cai^jarvpn estate, and should you wis^*4^ 'I will ask him to get Mr McKer*o%*to look over Motoa, as througfrjftdr Mayor I learn that the peoplfe 1 *w*j£B land for settlement in this dfsnttrt. (Applause.) -^^uuj Mr McKerrow was a Commissioner ■d $ail#ays and has had gpgjpttpenence in land. He iwF also formerly Surveyor-General. I view his appointment with great ple&stft, as he is very cautious and a So'oren* man. Mr McKerrow reports on tip property and then the land majf -\Qr may not be purchased. My Views go in the direction that we should purchase suburban rather thaHypa»'a-l bind. Rtual land is of value only as to what can be made of it. That being the case, if produce, which comes off that land, falls in value, land mußt fall, and these fluctuations ' com? very severely. If we purchase 1 rural land we must be very cautions jin doing so. Hitherto the privMe I buyer has been at the risk but iffAe

a

Government buy the State stands the risk. As- a rule a man buys land tieai^e town for building on or for a :> Bitlall garden, ther* ift much ;le^B likelihood in this laud fluctuating like rural land, and therefore there is not the same chariqeof the State losing by 3uch *~" purchases. Men working in towns earn good wages and desire to move j^fto the open, and around large towns wp^aught to buy land to resell. to IwflflfflHg"' .men tenants. . Wo ought aMjrtjp buy small blocks for village B<Htn«thent3 in the centre of a agridijltyraT 6r mining district so as to' enable men to make homes, and not .to be dependent entirely for their living off it. If I find there is a desiro to get these lands I shall think it my duty to draw the Minis* -ter's attention to it. (Applause.) am entirely against the Native polipy of the Government,, I am wlfolly unbiassed as I have never djeshed to buy Native land. How-, eyer in a district like this under the hfit no Native land will be sold. The Natives are distrustful of its provisions. In some districts in the colony it may not be desirable that persons- should be allowed to buy it. In this district the land is only dotted about in small lots and its sale would be beneficial. The Natives have become accustomed to sell their own lands and the stores keepers have been accustomed to give the Natives credit. By the passing* of this Act those who had given goods are now unable to recoi«r their debts. My own idea is, leji the Government give the people an opportunity to buy Native land in certain districts, barring them in others, but let them so alter the Act as to' open the land in such a district a^ftlj^^fppla^se.) - - - The future can Ibe but little speculated on, Ministers have always told us what they had done in the past but given no hint of their policy. We have, however, the Local Government. My own view ia that the people in different locals ities know what is suited to them best. In Canterbury largo boards might suit, but on this coast, whilst roading is going on, smaller boards are needed, for; if there was' only one representative for a large area it would be impossible fer him to extheir wants. TfiaSospital and .Charitable-. Aid hafcibflcpme. a very severe burden and the t Hutt and Horowhenua Counties hav£'-frsc(° all their work to make ends meet. Mr Ward said to a deputation he feared the Government; could not reduce but might have to in~ crease the burdens. If this was so I will oppoFe'Ui I do nob think the Government has gone far enough in their assistance to the Flax Industry. I always declared the bonus was too small. I have pointed out to Mr Ritchie that m they could not get any machine for 1 £2000. Ho, however, said he in* tended to place that sum again on the fesiSa^eß. I urged a larger sum bat jftnuCpot get him to agree to it, but Fratetid to press on the Govern.* msnltoplacea larger sum on the estimates this Session. (Applause.) I. think it only right that the Opposition should give all the assistance to the Government to help the un* employed. It had been mooted the Government proposed to start saw mills. This I think should be left to, private enterprise. lam prepaml io consider favourably any plan brought forward by Ministers. The Premier had predicted at Marton that the Opposition would be wiped off the face of the country. I look upon the Opposition as moat useful in the interests of the colony and I hope it will not bs wiped out. The ploßp'ect8 ft 'of the Opposition is however more hopeful. Captain Russell has lately made a tour of the colony, ajad lias received a better support. tTiari^e. had looked for. It was fair: to ask, has the Government been bo successful as they had claimed ? Wbfefcpartieular reason had they to congratulates theraselve on their polipy.? are the people better off and happier, than they were ? Is it not a fgbtrtbat they are worse off ? I hope, to.s^e. that the people may get a better price for their products, if we ipkWafiiithe^peoplerwill . be better. and happier uo>«attetf' what Government fetfßf- and if the Opposition is •nly able /tQViShapa the course of politician ji #fore cautious direction, then inj Winy part I do. not care what(?oVeinmejpt,isin. (Applause.). Mr Wilson then intimated he would be glad to answer any question ; . ;...... Mr Startup : Are you in favour of the^tepa #am»Act. ..-,.. .<.,., Mfc Wils° D : Not as it is at present, it has reached a farcical point. I can understand the right tor assistantfMt#fcfive a half-holiday, but I thoftfiffi 'when we had to obtain the .. assistance of the S.M. to define whether a man's wife was his assistant or not, that the Act ought to be altered. Mr Stansell : Is it true that against the wishes of the people you •had tlift Mail service from Fox ton to Shannon altered to Shannon to Foxtail "' It had been rnmoHied vou did. M*3Wk»on: No I did not. The first I knew of it was what I saw in the paper. What I did suggest was thafC; a* l servico from Foxton to Shannon might" suit the Foxton residents. : Mr Winter: What is Mr Ward

supposed to do with the it million loan ? How is he going to pay the interest on it. ■> Mr Vfilson : Tie probably hopes that the interest will come from the advances made under the Acb. We must wait for Mr Ward to arrive with the money before we can say anvthing definitely. Mr Ray proposed a vote of thanks to Mr Wilson for his address. Mr J. Ootey seconded* A vote of thanks to the Chair brought a most successful and appreciative meeting to a close.