THE PREMIER AT LEESTON.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2239, 21 May 1880, Page 2

THE PREMIER AT LEESTON.

The Premier addressed the electors of Selwyn in the Town Hall last evening. There was a large attendance, and Mr W. C. Bluett presided. The Hon. J. Hall commenced his address by apologising for not having sufficiently notified his intention of addressing the electors, and briefly referred to one or two local works. He then proceeded to reply to some of the remarks made by Sir George Grey in his recent addresses. Sir George Grey seemed sore that he (Mr Hall) left the Upper House, and remarked that this course was pursued more than once. He (the speaker) acknowledged this,for on a previous occasion Sir George had helped him to do so. Sir George Grey had spoken of Selwyn as a rotten borough, but it would stand comparison with the district that Sir George represented. Selwyn had asked for no favors, and but for the fact that the Selwyn electors had elected a man who was the means of turning Sir George Grey out, Leeslon would bo a splendid district, having splendid children, in which ho would take the most marvellous interest, and fathers and mothers would be told that all of their sons would eventually be made colonial Governors. Some of the statements made by Sir George Grey were such utter rubbish that they would only go down with a crowded meeting at the Oddfellows, where only one side of a question was usually heard. He (Mr Hall) never aspired to be a ruler of men, but to be a .servant (cheers). He bad done bis best to help the Colony along, and he would continue to do so. (renewed cheers). The statement that he ransacked the telegraph office

for telegrams in order to damage the late Ministry, was a deliberate falsehood.' On the motion of the member for Cheviot, who had been informed that private telegrams had been sent for election purposes,' after consideration; the Government agreed to the telegrams being sent for, and he (Mr Hall) took the precaution to first go through them before ho laid them on the table. Thus the statement made by Sir George Grey was unworthy of a public man. _ With reference to his (Mr Hall’s) sneaking to an obscure village, when he sneaked he did so in as an ordinary passenger by a steamer, but when Sir George Grey went anywhere it was by a Govarnraent steamer at the public expense. The allegation that the Government intended altering the present Education Act and other matters which were spoken of as feelers thrown out by the Government were all false. Sir George Grey said nothing about sending; Home for 6000 paupers at a time when the labor market in the colony showed symptoms ef depression. The speaker next referred to the circumstances connected with the formation of : the present Ministry, the want of confidence motion proposed by the Macandrew party, and the alleged Auckland compact which ho described as merely a promise that the Government would allow an enquiry to be made into the grievances of Auckland. The Registration of Elector’s Bill over which the Grey Government had wasted two years was immediately passed and other measures having reference to electoral reform were' brought up, but time did not admit of their being passed. The Government found, on enquiring into the financial state of the colony, that the deficiency was £IOO,OOO, and now they found that it was actually £200,000 over the estimate given by Major Atkinson. In the face of these facts, it was said in. certain quarters that the Government were endeavoring to create a panic. With regard to the loan, the Government found that the colony was already liable for a million of money, and in Juno, for public works, would be liable for another million, and for native lands £II,OOO or £12,000. They would thus understand that taking over the Government under such circumstances was a moat Unenviable task. The Government having estimated what the real deficiency was, and the amount of estimated expenditure, they determined by reducing that expenditure to put the colony on a sound financial basis. (Cheers.) The Government to dp this, determined to increase the duties ad valorem, which did not press upon the working classes, and upon spirits, and if the latter pressed upon the working classes he did not object. (Cheers.) : They were told that they should have increased the land tax, and obtained the revenue required from the unearned increment. Now, he had a table prepared which showed that there were only 446 properties in the whole of New Zealand worth £20,000, and at 10 per cent, those would have simply produced £IOO,OOO, which would have required a large percentage to collect, and it must not bo forgotten that there were not many properties in the colony which were not mortgaged. Sir George Grey had suggested the taxation of debenture holders, but the refused to be a party to an act of repudiation. The property tax he contended Avas a fair impost. If it Avas inquisitorial the odium belonged to those avlio created the deficiency, and necessitated such taxation. If, as was stated, the tax pressed on the masses he was glad of it, for it shoAA'ed they held perfectly to the value of £SOO. It reached mortgagees who escaped under the land tax. Ho believed the financial prospects of the colony were improving, and that with strict economy, a sound position would be attained.. Reductions had been promised by the Government as soon as possible, consistent w r ith the efficiency of the public service, on the railways. The savings on train mileage for the present year had been £21,110; staff reductions, £7000; by the use of native coal, £8,500 —total, £36,550, or an increase of 17 per cent, on the net revenue, or nearly a half per cent, on the whole cost of construction. With regard to the Postal and Telegraph Services, which were under his (Mr Hall’s) supervision, he had been able to effect a small saving by doing away with some unnecessary postal services, but though many of the telegraph offices did not pay their cost, were he to do away with these there would be a great public outcry. Through the action of Sir Julius Yogel at Home on the inscription of New Zealand stock, a considerable saving would bo effected to the colony. Arrangements had been made which would spread the loan expenditure over three years, during which time they were bound not to go again on the London market. Speaking of the Native Department he said the Government hoped to improve it off the face of the earth. (Cheers.) In connection Avith this absurdity the savings in the number, 'of officers and pensioners dispensed Avith had been 117, besides a number of A r acancies not filled. The amount of the native Amte for salaries for 1879-80 was £15,164, Avhich had been reduced by £6527, or about 43 per cent. The savings on the civil list had been £1272. The cost of the staff of the Land Purchase Department had been reduced from £10,200 to £4708. They had heard a good deal of the Waimate Plains difficulty. The means the Government had taken to attain success Avithout resorting to bloodshed he Avas sure met Avith the approval of the Avhole colony. (Applause.) The facilities for settling-were greater now than they had been ; 71,372 acres were available at present on deferred payments. He defended the district railways purchase A'-qtc Avhich Avas not likely to exceed £60,000 or £IOO,OOO, and of Avhich only £40,000 had been expended. It Avas intended next session to introduce the Bills for effectual reform postponed from last session ; also measures for the redistribution of seats, amendment of Native Land Courts, and alienation of Native lands, Publican’s Licensing Amendment on the permission principle, and for the consolidation of the Colonial Statutes. He considered an Opposition useful eo long as it was honest, not factious. Ho Avould oppose the Elective Governor proposal, or anything that would tend to weaken the ties that bound the colony to the Mother Country. While ho lived he should use his utmost endeavors to live and die under the flag under which he had been born. (Loud applause.) In reply to questions Mr Hall said it was intended to make the dog tax uniform, to introduce a Beer Bill, and that the question of amending the bankruptcy laws was under consideration. Originally it was supposed that the Property Tax would produce £400,000, but reductions and alterations had been made in the Act which would re-

duce the amount by one or two hundred thousands. The amount which had been put on the estimates for the improvement to the Greymouth harbor would, if expended, be carrying out a very ’useful work, and one of great benefit to the colony. . The following vote of thanks was passed amid loud cheering:—“ That the Hon, John Hall bo accorded a hearty vote of continued confidence, and of thanks, as the member of the Selvvyn district, for his able, and brilliant. address this evening.”