Mr. Rolleston's Address.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume I, Issue 111, 21 April 1884, Page 2

Mr. Rolleston's Address.

[Per United Press Association.] “ WANT OF CONFIDENCE ” VOTE PASSED. The present depression of trade. —Immigration AND THE LAND QUESTION. —THE railway tariff.—Reduction in expenditure, Mr. Rolleston addressed his constituents at Papanui on Saturday night last. About 500 persons were present, including a large proportion from Christchurch. He attributed the present depression to the curtailment of borrowing by the present Government holding large blocks of land nnproductively, falling off in the value of staple productions, and unfavorable weather for harvest. Any further borrowing should be as limited as possible, and only for specific works to be spent at a stated rate per year. What the Colony wanted was more population, and more production. Every fresh arrival decreased the rate of taxation, and it was a direct advantage to the working man that immigration should continue. Capital was lying idle, the land locked up, and in a certain part of the Colony labor was unobtainable. He explained and defended the system of perpetual leases at considerable length. Pastoral land should only be leased, but agricultural might be sold, partly for cash partly on deferred payments, and partly on a perpetual lease, and should be so cut up as to prevent absorption by capitalists. He blamed the Liberal party in the House for opposing his Land policy, in the hope of getting him out of office. He quoted a number of statistics to justify the action of the Government in raising the railway tariff, and defended his own action at great length denying Montgomery’s statement about the Government having bought support by squandering public money He also combatted the idea that the South Island was milked for the support of the North Island. Within the last two years £309,000 (sic) worth of land had been sold in Taranaki. He had in his own department effected retrenchments equal to £lO,OOO a year, and Mr. Bryce had reduced the Native expenditure from tens of thousands to £30,000, in addition to the civil list of £7,000. It would create a feeling of insecurity in the North if the Constabulary were abolished. He was opposed to any alteration of the present education system. When the Government left office they would leave behind them a record of reduced expenditure, both of borrowed money and ordinary revenue, law and order re-established amongst the Natives, taxation placed on the right shoulders—on the rich and absentee proprietors, liberal land laws, and people settled on the land, the foundations of political power widened and deepened, registration simplified and franchise almost amounting to manhood suffrage. A resolution that this meeting has no confidence in Mr. Rolleston as a representative of the Avon District was carried by a large majority, only about one dozen voting against it.