SIR GEORGE GREY AT THE QUEEN’S HALL.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2244, 27 May 1880, Page 2

SIR GEORGE GREY AT THE QUEEN’S HALL.

Sir George Grey addressed the people of Tiinaru at the Queen’s Hall last evening. There was, in spite of the damp weather and muddy roads, a large attendance, a considerable number of ladies being present. His Worship the Mayor occupied the chair, and briefly referred to the object of the address, requesting at the same time a fair hearing for the speaker, and expressing himself as satisfied that they

would accord honor where honor was due.

Sir George then came forward and was received with loud and prolonged applause, in return for which he repeatedly bowed his acknowledgements. Speaking in his habitual measured voice and impressive manner, the ex-Premier remarked that he was not there that night as the champion of any particular man or measure, but was there because he believed it would be to their advantage. He asked them to be careful how they adopted measures, without regard to the mere names of those who were instrmental in introducing them. Hethne proceeded to unfold his views on taxation. He considered the laboring population who could least afford the ourthen, were the actual bearers of it. Under the present system the taxes were levied almost entirely upon the necessaries of life. This was an unfair, because it was an unequal method of taxation. The people who really reaped the advantage of the system were the large landowners, who were, he considered, unduly favoured by it. He believed that the present system of taxation was grossly abused, and had, with his friends, endeavored to reform it. He had endeavoured to obtain a reduction of the Customs dues, and to impose a tax upon land. But the latter scheme at once made him enemies. Now what was done in this matter of taxation ? Did the great landed proprietors contribute to the source from whence they were deriving such enormous revenues? Not at all. They simply met the difficulty by putting duties on the necessaries of life, such as clothes and food. They all knew what the infamous system of gridirioning was, and it was by this and similar means that men obtained possession of enormous tracts of land, and applied ( hem to vain purposes or did not apply them to any purpose at all. Until such abuses were swept away, the future of the colon}' must be doubtful. In introducing the land tax, his object and that of his party had been to provide that there should be no favor shown to anyone, and that all laud should be sold by fair and legitimate means. (Applause.) They were not to tell him that there was no danger to be apprehended from these things in the future. If a special settlement was to be purchased, the purchase should be fair and open to all, and there should bo no interference of middlemen. (Applause.) If these things were seen to they would not be suffering from the present depression, and men would not bo sailing for the Cape and elsewhere. The whole land question required reformation. The Pakcha-Maori was enabled by the present system to get possession from the natives of enormous blocks of land. The most nefarious methods were constantly practised to induce the natives to part with their land, such as keeping them drunk for days together, &c., and then inducing them to dispose of these enormous blocks to white land sharks. Now this must be put a stop to. Every man in New Zealand ought to have the right of competing for the purchase of the land if he liked. He had now- traced out the present system of taxation, and had endeavored to point out to them that the public at large were expected to bear the chief burthen of that system to the exclusion of the land monopolists. The best of the land was now taken up, and some new system must be introduced. The tax upon land proposed by himself and his colleagues struck terror into the hearts of the opponents of the scheme, but it was in his opinion n perfectly just tax, because it did not interfere with the progress of the country in any way, and it was proposed to levy it upon the individual actually concerned, and not upon the shoulders of other and irresponsible persons. He would now refer to the Property Assessment Tax, a tax which bad nothing good in it to recommend it, but possessed every vice that a tax should not have. It was a heavy burthen for the man possessing money, but for the man who pleaded that he had no money, or whose capital was locked up in his business it was no tax at all. Sir George gave as an example of the pernicious effect of the tax the case of a woollen manufacturer. He traced the wool from the back of the sheep to the manufacturer, from the manufacturer to the wholesale dealer, from the wholesale dealer to the retailer, and from the retailer to the back of the individual purchaser in the form of a coat, and contended that as the wool passed through every one of these stages it was made to pay duty. He pointed out that each ! man through whose hands the wool passed endeavored to recoup himself, until at length the wool reached the retail purchaser in the shape of a garment, and upon him the tax actually devolved. The consumers had thus to bear the burthen of a kind of taxation which must interfere with colonial industries, and open the door to foreign competitions. Men at Home had formerly brought out large sums to the colony, imagining that they could expend their capital to better advantage here, but what man would now bring his capital out with him to have it taxed as it would bo under the present system ? (Applause.) A property assessment tax should bear on all classes alike, but this tax did not boar on all classes. The honest were placed at a disadvantage. When people were expected to be their own assessors there was always danger of dishonesty. In a compensation claim the other da}', a man had valued his property at thirty times its value, and who could say that under the temptation offered by this tax people would not assess their property at one-thirtieth of its value ? (Applause.) To take another aspect of the case : They knew the system obtaining at Home by which men were enabled to become possessors of large tracts of land—sixteen men, it was said, owned one-third of Scotland while millions were starving. Did they wish to inaugurate a similar state of things in New Zealand? (Applause.) He would repeat once more that the ownership of vast tracts of land meant the ownership men. Supposing a very few men held possession of the chief part of the Middle Island, to the exclusion of the general public, would they not be reducing the people to slaves ? Supposing that disgusted at the treatment the people went Home, what would the land be worth then? Nothing—nothing at all. It was the hardworking laboring men who made the land what it was worth ; it was by his labor alone that it acquired its value. (Loud applause.) Land should be cut up into small portions for the many and not monopolised by the few. All sorts of benefits would then accrue. Otherwise the prosperity of the colony must receive a check, and immigration of the healthiest and best kind would entirely cease.

A voice—Why didn’t you stop immigration 15 years ago ? The Mayor asked that there might be no interruption, and fcir George remarked that he would answer lh ' question that

had been put. He had not stopped immigration 15 years ago because it was his duty as Governor to hold his tongue and do as he was told, (Laughter and applause.) The speaker then expressed his views upon education, the advantages of which could not be said to be too highly prized. Let them look at the wonderful discoveries of science—the steam engine and electric telegraphy—inventions that had spread all over the wox’ld. Now, these great inventions were generally the work of men of the humblest origin, whom some benefactor had taken by the hand and educated, and they became an honor and a glory to the human race. (Applause.) This was the result of education. Now supposing all boys had received similar advantages, would the great discoveries he had referred to have been so few ? No. He thought there would have been many more of them. Therefore let them establish a sound educational system, and this could not bo done until the teachers were offered adequate remuneration, and provision was made for them and for their wives in their old age. He had already detained them too long and would say no more, except that he had endeavored to the best of his ability to place his views plainly and clearly before them, and to point out what he considered points of the greatest importance to their consideration. (Loud and prolonged applause.) Mr Turnbull, member for_ Timaru, briefly addressed the meeting, expressing his warm approbation of the policy pursued by Sir George Grcy,_ and the views laid before them that night. He referred to the existing depression, and pledged himself to do his utmost to relieve it by getting the construction of public works pushed forward, and wound up his remarks by urging upon his hearers the necessity of being prepared for the coming political struggle. The meeting terminated with votes of thanks to Sir G. Grey for Jus address, and to the Mayor for presiding, which’ were carried unanimously.