MESSRS. TRAVERS, PEARCE, AND HUNTER AT THE ODD FELLOWS’ HALL.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4604, 22 December 1875, Page 2

MESSRS. TRAVERS, PEARCE, AND HUNTER AT THE ODD FELLOWS’ HALL.

£1,(505,000. Another test was the Imports. These were, during

Last evening there was a crowded meeting at the. Odd Fellows’ Hall, when Messrs. Hunter and Pearce met Mr. Travers in answer to a challenge from that gentleman, who proposed to show that the Government had not done its duty in respect to public works in the province of Wellington. Mr. il. J. Duncan was called to the chair, and Mr. Travers was the first to speak. He referred to the Wanganui road, and descanted at length upon the difficulties to be met with iu travelling upon it, and asserted that inasmuch as this was the only means of communication between the chief port of the province and the best land to be found in any part of the colony, the Government had been guilty of laches. He next dwelt on the alleged slow progress of the Wellington and Masterton line, and said although a vote had been taken for its completion to I’eatherston during 1877, at the end of which time it might be supposed the Feather-ston-Masterton section of the line would be commenced, not a word had been said about connecting Masterton with Foxton, Wanganui, Napier, and Hawke’s Bay. In fact, work had not been at all pushed on iu the southern part of the North Island as it should have been. The result would be that Wanganui would be tbs port to which all the produce of the Mauawatu, Rangitikei, and other districts would flow, to the injury of Wellington port, and that very shortly there would be clamor for expenditure iu harbor works for Wanganui. He then went on to “Hansardise” himself 1 and Sir Julius Vogel, to prove his own consistency, and Sir Julius Vogel's inconsistency, and challenged the New Zealand Times to publish any of his speeches from which it could be gathered that he had been opposed to a policy of progress. Mr. Pearce, who* was loudly applauded on stepping on to the platform, expressed surprise that on nomination day Mr. Travers should have denied that he and Mr. Richmond, at the last general election, took up the position of opponents to the proposals of the Government in respect to public works and immigration. Mr, Hunter, and himself distinctly avowed on coming forwarxl that they supported the Government scheme, while Messrs. Travers and Richmond, on the contrary, intimated pretty plainly that if elected they would do all in their power to turn the Government out. At one meeting, held on To Aro flat, Mr. Travers distinctly said that railways were not necessary, and that as England had waited eighteen hundred years, for her railways, surely New Zealand might wait longer. (Cheers and uproar.) Speaking of the remarks made, by Mr. Travers as to works being pushed ahead iu one part of the province and not In another, Mr. Pearce said he had never heard a more narrowminded speech. In effect, he said that the Government were to be condemned because they had not done everything at once. With reference to the road from Masterton through Manawatu Gorge, it should be remembered that £28,000 had only lately been spent upon it, including the cost of fifty-seven bridges upon the line of road. Further, by a telegram in the evening paper, he saw that a line of coaches was to be driven right through shortly. Yet, Mr. Travers said there was no road at all. In respect to the cry about Foxton and Wanganui becoming great ports instead of Wellington, he (Mr. Pearce) thought there ought not to - be any jealousy of these places they should rather be encouraged. (Cheers.) Depend upon it, when the lino was completed, the produce would come through to Wellington, but in the meantime they ought to be satisfied, for it came to Wellington by steamer. He pointed out that really a great deal of money had been spent in the province. £2,188,000 had been spent in railways in the North Island, and £3,900,000 in the South Island, and of this sum of £2,188,000 £627,000 had been spent or voted for the Masterton line. The country through'Which the line had hitherto been carried had been of a most difficult character and the work was most expensive, whereas the railways constructed farther North had been carried through level country, where the engineering difficulties were comparatively light. The railway plan in the province was Y shaped, and the two sides were completed, and the tail wasnowbeing constructed. The connecting link would be over flat country, and once commenced would be speedily finished. On the whole, he thought it must be admitted that the Government had done well for the province, for it must be remembered they had to consider the colony as a whole, and not Wellington alone. (Cheers). ' Sir. Hunter,' who was also enthusiastically received, remarked that Mr. Travers had not disputed any of the figures he quoted on a former occasion, and therefore it must be assumed that Mr. Travers admitted their correctness. He believed the Government had done the best they could with the . funds at their disposal, considering tho difficulties there had been iu the way of getting money. He corroborated all that had been stated by Mr. Pearce, and said that so far as tho construction of the line from Masterton was concerned, it must be remembered that it had been the endeavour of the Government to make all the railways productive as quickly as possible, and as a result of this policy it might be stated that thoincorae for the present financial year had been £291,000. But this would not have been tho case if the railways had been constructed in the middle of the • country first. A proposal to cart material to Masterton to commence a railway there would have been scouted by all men of common sense. The lines must be constructed gradually. In reference to the position of Mr. Travers, Mr. Hunter corroborated what had fallen from Mr. Pearce respecting tho expression of opinion which had come from Mr. Travers on Te Aro flat in 1871 respecting the railway policy. He had distinctly asserted that the colony could not grapple with the scheme, and that if persisted in it would end in the ruin of the colony. He then spoke of the progress of the colony under tho rule of tho present Government, aud quoted revenue returns, as follows Consolidated Revenue collected during 1870-71, £936,000 ; 1871-2, £1,031,000 : 1872-3, £1,119,000 ; 1873-4, £1,420,000 ; 1874-5,

Bank deposits were also an interesting study, as showing the progress of the colony. The results of his investigations in this direction were as follows —1869, £3,174,000 ; 1870, £3,127,000; 1871, £3,334,000 ; 1872, £3,919,000 ; 1873, £4,713,000; 1874,£5,549,000; 1575,£5,894,000. The Savings Banks’ balances were as follows : —1867, £71,000; 1868, £163,000; 1869, £231,000; 1870, £295,000; 1871, £357,000; 1872, £490,000 ; 1873, £664,000 ; 1874, £770,000. He also mentioned the increase in Government Life Assurance business and the business of other companies as indicating progress, and proving that there was no reason for taking a despondent view of the prospects of the colony, or for believing that the policy of the Government had been other than conducive to the prosperity of the colony. With reference to the imposition of an income tax, Mr. Hunter said since he had last appeared in the Hall, he had learned that the 1 income tax in England was levied on incomes over £l4O, and presumed what they would have to consider here in case such a tax was levied, would be what was the equivalent in Hew Zealand of £l4O in England. As to the £4,000,000 loan, he thought Sir Julius Vogel was to be complimented on the manner in which he had negotiated it. Mr. Tkueman moved, and Mr. Moeixeh seconded, a vote of thanks to Mr. Travers for his address; and on the motion of ’ Mr. Tbaveks, seconded by Mr. Phaeazyn, a similar vote was accorded to Messrs. Pearce and Hunter ; and after mutual congratulations, the meeting closed with a vote of thanks to tho chairman.

1867—£5,344,000 , 1808—£4.985,000 1809 —,£4,976,000 1870—£4,639,000 1871 —£4,078,000 1872—£5,142,000 1873—£6,464,000 Exports, another test1874—£8,121,000 1860— £1,390,000 1807—£4,479,000 1808—£4,268, 000 1809—£4,090,000 1870—£4,514,000 1871—£5,171,054 1872 —£0,107,000 1874—£7,241,000 1873—£5,477,000