MR WAKEFIELD, M.H.R., AT GERALDINE.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2416, 14 December 1880, Page 2

MR WAKEFIELD, M.H.R., AT GERALDINE.

Last evening Mr E. Wakefield, M.H.R., addressed a meeting of bis constituents in the Oddfellows’ Hall, Geraldine.. The building was well filled, at least 200 electors being present, and the Rev. George Barclay was voted to the chair.

The Chairman introduced Mr Wakefield in a few felicitous introductory remarks, in the course of which he expressed his pleasure at presiding as he knew his duties would be light and agreeable, adding that he trusted no such scene as bad occurred in another part of the district would be enacted that evening. Mr Wakefield said he proposed to deal with the principal political events of last session, the present position of the country, and its prospects from a political standpoint. At the conclusion of his address ho would be happy to answer any questions that might bo put to him, and to give any information in bis power. They would remember that during the past twelve or eighteen months the country bad experienced the greatest period of depression that the colony had known for years. The high hopes expressed regarding New Zealand’s future had been dashed by financial and commercial disasters, more severe than anything that had been felt for at least twelve years previously. When he was returned on the last occasion the most pressing question was how the colony was to stave off the bankruptcy that was staring them in the face, and make the best of its embarrassments. A new tax was proposed the session before last—the property tax—and at the beginning of last session the principal question that agitated political circles was the question whether this tax was to be collected or not. The Government and Parliament were placed in a very difficult position. The credit of the colony had to be maintained abroad, and a year before the people demanded, by a majority, that if any new tax was to be imposed it should be a general tax on property. It was only when the electors were brought face to face with direct taxation that thej' began to wince. From the first he was opposed to a property tax, and he believed in that he carried the whole of his constituents with him. 13nt he was only one of a few, and as the result of the expression of the country he believed the majority of the electors were in favor of such a tax. The question was submitted eventually to a meeting at Geraldine, and lie received a telegram trom Mr Posllethwaito intimating that the electors there supported the financial proposals of the Government. On the following clay he received a corm munication from Terauka stating that the inhabitants of that part of the district were entirely opposed to a property tax. He communicated the respective advices he had received to the Government, and acted, as he felt bound to do, upon his own convictions, and on this question of a property tax be felt it necessary to support the Colonial Treasurer whose proposals appeared to be reasonable. The Colonivl Treasurer proposed by various means to cut down the expenditure and increase the revenue, and lie resolved to give his hearty support to the Government seeing that they must keep faith with the public creditor. At this critical juncture Sir George Grey tabled a motion which in effect was simply a proposition to repeal the property tax. He agreed with the resolution as it stood, but there was ’ much behind it. Sir George Grey intimated that while he would repeal the property fax on the one hand ho would restore the Loud Tax increasing it from id in the £ to 4d. They knew how oppressive the tax of a halfpenny was and if.it;were increased the farmers would have had to bear the burden of taxation while the wealthy townspeople would escape. He considered the property tax, if no exemptions were made, was much fairer and he therefore voted against Sir George Grey’s motion. On that division the Government had a clear majority of fifteen votes, while Sir George Grey had only twelve or thirteen of his own following,the others who voted with him voting against the Government because they did not like them. No sooner was this motion lost than Sir

George Grey, although he must have perceive:! that lie was in a. hopeless minority, proposed a vote of want of confidence in the Government. For three weeks the House did absolutely nothing pending the debate that ensued and in which he took no part whatever. He listened to speeches such as he hoped he’should never have to listen to again. (Hear, hear.) One member for a West Coast constituency, after remonstrating against the waste of lime, talked for live hours and his speech cost the country £3OO. (Laughter.) Many of the members, wearied out, left the House, and, when the division was taken, between 30 and 40 were absent. But the result was the same as before, the Government, when the division was taken, beating Sir George Grey by some fifteen votes. The first thing he and the party who acted with him did, was to tackle the Government on the subject of retrenchment. They told the Government they had supported their taxation proposals', and they now insisted on a wholesome reduction in the departmental expenditure. Such a step was nf course very disagreeable and unpopular, for every man removed from the service and his friends, are bound to become uncompromising enemies of the Government that has interfered with them. The Government made fair promises, but they insisted on these promises being given effect to. He held that the Government should give an earnest that next year they would abolish the property tax altogether, and this could only be done by large reductions being made in the departmental expenditure. They accordingly passed a resolution that reductions to the extent of £200,000 should be made. Mr Saunders, the member for Cheviot, an ardent reformer in this direction, moved that 10 per cent should be deducted from all salaries and wages. This resolution was carried, and the Government, with considerable reluctance agreed to give effect to it. The 10 per cent reduction - might seem a rule of thumb way of dealing with the difficulty, but there was no other way of doing it. Various means, such as an amalgamation of offices, might have been suggested, but they had to strike the iron while it was hot, and the Assembly stuck admirably to their determination. One thing that greatly assisted them was the. fact the Ministry began by taking 20 per cent, off their own salaries. (Hear, hear, and cheers). Such a step had never been taken by any previous Government, for although Sir George Grey had brought forward a Bill for this purpose, his Ministers, almost to a man, voted against it. (Hear, hear.) The Premier in this instance intimated that no Bill would be submitted, but that the Treasurer had been instructed not to pay the 20 per cent to Ministers. (Applause.) He considered it was only fair also that the honorariums of members should be reduced, and he might here state that although not a rich man, he (Mr Wakefield) would do his duty to his constituents even if the honorarium were altogether abolished. They resolved to take 10 per cent from their honorariums, and although it was only a small saving, still it paved the way for reductions in the Civil Service. By these means they succeeded in saving a quarter of a million in the expenditure for this year, and this would do away with a great deal of taxation for the next year, (Hear, hear, and cheers.) The last session had been called a barren one, but as regards the expenditure it was productive of very eminent reforms. He referred to Major Atkinson’s dismal and appalling financial revelations, and the way in which the five million loan was practically spent before it reached the colony. One million sterling had been pledged for land In the North which nobody wanted, and much of which was worthless; for it was a notorious fact that the natives kept the good land for themselves and sold only the rubbish. The Government Commissioner who made these land transactions received 4d per acre on his purchases, and his object was quantity not quality. (Laughter.) Small instalments were paid to the natives, and the result was that the Government found themselves tied to a series of bad bargains. As an illustration Mr Bryce mentioned that one piece of land on the West Coast for which 10s per acre had been arranged was not flat enough to allow the surveyors to pitch their tents on it. (Laughter.) They resolved to break these bad bargains whenever they could, and they supported Mr Bryce heartily when he said he would repudiate all the engagements that he did not consider he was bound to execute. However, provision had to be made for these undertakings, the Minister being entrusted with discretionary power in dealing with them, and when tins was done the loan was found to bo exhausted. Thanks, however, to the skilful way in which these bad bargains had been receded, from he believed they would be able to get the greater part of that million back, and the money which the last Government were devoting to the purchase of scoria plains, and pumice stone reefs in the North Island would be saved, (laughter) He (Mr Wakefield) held that there was no need for any hurry about the purchase of Native lands. The land was not wanted for settlement, the natives were gradually decreasing and dying out, and if patience was only excerised they would In fifty years obtain the whole of this land. (Hear hear Jand ohcers.) Why should they pluck the pear before it is ripe, when if they only exercised a little patience it would fall into their hands? (Hear hear.) After all that was said about dealing fairly with the Natives, where did the money that they received for their lands go to? Did it not find its way to the sly-grog shops? (Applause.) If the money wont to the chiefs to be held in trust for the natives, it might do them some good, but doled out as it was in £5 notes it simply found its way to the sly-grog seller, and instead of improving the Condition of the natives, it debased and destroyed them. From a statement which Mr Whitaker supplied respecting the Patetereblpck comprising2oo,ooo acres,he found that Government had advanced on this £II,OOO but scarcely a shilling of the money had found its way to the Native owners. The £II,OOO that the Government were supposed to have paid in part purchase of tue block had been squandered in a corrupt and reckless manner on a variety of objects in Wellington, (heap, heqr,) To show how the natives and the country hud been defrauded he might mention that it was the practice for native agents to carry bundles of Government vouchers about with them. When they met the natives and made a bargain with them H* e y gave them a£lor so and, making them belieye jt was q, receipt they were signing, got their names to the'blank Touchers which they afterwards filled in according to their own sweet will, (laughter) In most of these cases the Government did not receive the shadow

of a title to the land supposed to bo under treaty and the money was squandered in a moat attrocious manner. As an instance he referred to the case of an agent named Young, who when his brother Judge Young died in the Wellington province asked the Government to contribute towards the cost of a tangi. The Government refused but the tang! was held notwithstanding, and the expenses involved, some hundreds of pounds, were included in a voucher signed by the Natives, which Young contrived to got passed through to treasury before the Government knew anything about it. (Laughter.) Mr Bryce, fortunately, had dealt with this state of affairs .by dismissing about forty officers, and putting one or two of them on tiicir trial for embezzlement. In one direction the Government had not prosecuted their policy l " of retrenchment ns they ought to. He spoke of the Education Department Although a friend of education, as a public man, he could not support the present evtnivagant system. The total cost was about £‘loo,ooo a year, and if not checked it would go on steadily increasing, till, within the next ten years, it would be £BOO,OOO. blow, then, were they going to support it ? It would certainly break down of its own accord, and then the

cause of education would suffer more than if they.had proceeded by more modest steps at first. Mr Holleston, the Minister for Education, was crazed on this point. He seemed to think that people could eat, drink, and sleep on education, and he (Mr Wakefield) was

told that he swears at his bullocks in

Greek. (Laughter and interruption.) Mr Holleston came down with his budget and said that the system, which

provides £8 10s for each child, should not be interfered with. The Boards of Education were to have their money, but a sum of £;32,000 allowed to School Committees was to be abolished, and this threw a most disagreeable and offensive duty on the Boards. A motion was brought forward to reduce the education vote by £OO,OOO, and this, if carried, would have rendered an amendment of the Education Act unavoidable. The motion, however, was lost, and the Government carried their point, but they were warned that this was the

last time that the House would vote such a sum as £IOO,OOO for educational purposes. Free education was a delusion, the money came out of the pockets of the people, and he believed the parents would be better satisfied if they were allowed to paj r for their children directly instead of receiving education

in an apparently gratuitous manner. He considered that every child in the country should be educated, and that parents who could not pa} r should be assisted, but those who could contribute should be required to do so. In New South Wales they had an excellent system by which one-fourth of the cost of education was'cheerfully contributed by the parents. (A voice—Speak of New Zealand, New South Wales can look after itself. Cheers.) A number of Hoyal Commissions had been appointed during the last recess, and these had been abused by the . Press and people of the country in a most refreshing manner, although none deserve I it less, or cared Jess about it. He referred to the Hail way Commission, the Civil Service Commission and the Commission on Native Industries. The Commission on railways told the truth about them and performed a most important service. (Uproar—Cries of “ Put him out,” “ Let him alone,” &c .) The Chairman—l hope you are not going to repeat the scenes here that occurred elsewhere. (Laughter.) Mr Wakefield deprecated any interruption, as two could not speak at once and be was liable to lose the thread of bis narrative. The Commission on

Hallways furnished a . report on the railways that were likely to be reproductive and the political railways which did not pay for their axle grease. They shewed that while certain railways might be made to pay if economically managed, others would be a long time before they would pay for the interest

on the money spent, while others were projected wdiieh it would be downright folly and madness to construct. The latter were stopped, the result being a serious hubbub and consternation among- certain members, which he regarded as a sure sign that the Commission had done their duty and that they had put a stop to the prosecution of bogus lines. In one instance, however the Government yielded. The Otago influence was apparently too great for them, and they placed on the Estimates a vote for the Otago central line, which had been reported against by the Commission. But the vote was refused by the House, and though the Government voted with the minority he imagined they were pleased rather than otherwise at their defeat. This big work was stopped and the smaller ones followed suit. The West Coast line to Nelson was put a stop to and so was the Canterbury midland line, which was too serious an undertaking in view of the straightened condition of the colonial finances. They had spent twelve millions of money on railways for which they paid per cent, and realised in return only 2 per cent, and it was only reasonable that they should try to make the railways already constructed pay before they went on with new ones. (Hear, hear, and applause.) As for the Civil Service Commission it only dealt thoroughly with the railway department, but it made a number of recommendations that were startling. The Commissioners recommended that the services of Messrs Conyers and Lawson should he dispensed with immediately, that the large salaries should be cut down, and that the department should he generally overhauled, After duly considering this report the melnhcrsfelt that the only course to he adopted was to begin at the top of the tree and cut downwards. The Government had, however, to deal with personal considerations, for Mr Conyers had many Otago friends, and required delicate handling. But no sooner was the session over than Messrs Conyers and Lawson were dismissed, and reductions in various shapes and forms were made, so that the railways from being a dead loss were now paying as much as 1) per cent on the outlay in Canterbury. (Hear, hear.) He willingly joined the Commission on Native Industries, and proceeding to Wellington, he was appointed chairman, and the duties of the Commission fell chiefly on his shoulders. There was an impression abroad that the Cornmisioners were paid for their services, hut he desired now to state that they received no salary whatever, and some of the members not only did the work for nothing, but even defrayed their own travelling expenses, A work was thus done for under £SOO, which would otherwise have cost the Government several thousands. As one of the fruits

of tlicir labors tenders were invited for 100 tons of cement to bo made in tiie colony, and ho was in a position to state that the article would bo supplied, and that an incentive would be given to an industry which once properly established would keep ,£200,000 that was now annually leaving the colony within it, and give employment to scores of men. (Applause.) The Government had issued bonuses for starch, linseed and its products, sulphuric acid, and other articles, and as he was going into the train he received a telegram from the Colonial Secretary, Mr Dick, stating that he would bo in Timaru to-morrow, and asking him to meet him, and confer witii him on the subject of these iuw industries. He believed if proper attention was now devoted to the development of the resources of the country they would never again hear the cry of the unemployed. (Applause.) If these Commissioners were political hacks they had done good work, and in the future they would probably receive the thanks of the country instead of the blame. Speaking of the legislation attempted, he, was driven to the conclusion that the Government had tried to do too much, They had brought down a grand scheme of local Government, which on inspection proved a bad scheme indeed. Then they introduced a Licensing Bill, and several other important measures, but as the result of weeks and weeks of barren effort, not a single Bill of any consequence was passed. At last it became a standing joke that the Ministry could not pass a Bill. They began the session by passing a Pharmacy Bill. (Uproar.) The Chairman (pointing threateningly) —Upward ! Upward !. If you don’t keep quiet, you will have to go out. This Pharmacy Bill, and a Dog Bill, were about the only measures they passed. In fact it was a regular farce. He felt bound however, to give the Government a steady and enthusiastic support because he believed them to be honest men. Mr Hall, and Mr Rolleston were thoroughly honest, their objects were straightforward and good, and they could always in any difficulty count on the vote of the Member for Geraldine. But he did not agree with Ministers in everything. He differed for instance, with the views of Major Atkinson, whose sole remedy for the principal embarrassments of the country was a reduction of expenditure and what he called an increase of energy. Major Atkinson thought an increase of energy signified increased taxation, while he (Mr Wakefield) considered the tax-payers were already excessively burdened and that additional taxation would hinder enei’gy rather than develope it. (Renewed uproar —The Chairman deprccatingly, Upward, you’ll, have to go out if you don’t keep quiet. You must behave yourself.) Next year if the Government brought down any more taking bills, they need not count on his support. They would shortly have the collector coming round for a penny in the pound on the value of their property and many would find it hard work to comply with the demand. He considered that the members of the Ministry represented localities far too much. There were ministers for Auckland, Otago, Canterbury, and that fortunate place Taranaki. At present a quarrel was raging over the railway rates between Canterbury and Otago. Although he knew that Mr Oliver did not approve of the Canterbury rates, still he had to appease Otago and he found it necessary to take money from Canterbury, where the railways paid well, to assist the badly paying lines in the South. (A voice—“ The money goes to the North Island lines, not Otago.” Cheers). A Representation Bill had been prepared by the Government, which proposed that representation should be on the basis of population, every 4000 in the country and 5000 in the towns receiving a member. He (Mr Wakefield) held that town and country should be served alike, but he would support the Bill as it would give Canterbury four or five additional rcpi-esentatives. He had done what he could to secure an additional representative for South Cantcrburjq and it was proposed that Waimate or Gladstone, Timaru, Geraldine, and Seadown should each be constituted electoral divisions, thus giving South Canterbury four instead of three members. The Bill after having been presented for the perusal of members was very property withdrawn with a view to its being reintroduced and passed next session, when it must be passed seeing that the session will he followed by a general election. He would now explain why his name so rarely figured in last session’s debates. After the first few weeks, seeing how time and monej' was wasted, he and certain other members made up their minds to get all the reductions possible made in the estimates, and save “ Hansard ” as much as they could. He was not silent, as they were aware, because he was uuable or afraid to speak, but because he thought by exercising so much control over himself he was best serving the interests of the country. (Applause.) This explanation was necessary because some constituencies were dissatisfied unless they saw their member’s name very frequently. (A voice—“We don’t sec yourself here very often, either.” Laughter.) He should have been glad to have met them, but after the fatiguing duties of the session the state of his health was such as to demand some rest and respite. Having now reviewed generally the proceedings of the last session he would answer any questions that might be put. (Loud and prolonged applause.) The Chairman rose to assure Mr Wakefield that any interruptions he had received were from most respectable men if they were only Good Templars, and that they bad no political significance. (Laughter.) In reply to Mr Upward, Mr Wakefield expressed regret that his absence from Geraldine had occasioned any annoyance, but promised that be would always bo at the call of the electors, Air Mcthven asked his opinion re payment of Members of the Upper House. Air Wakefield replied that the Members of that House were not the wealthy squatters they were popularly supposed to be, that they performed a valuable service, saving the country from many blunders, and as they were put to considerable expense and had to keep up a reputation for liberality in connection with Wellington subscription lists which the members of the Lower House escaped, he thought it would be unfair to reduce their honorariums unless they thought fit to do so themselves. Mr Methven wished to know whether Mr Wakefield thought a nominated individual, who represents no one, should be

paid the same as an ordinary representative.

_ 'M r Wakefield said lie had not considered tlie matter from that aspect. Ho acknowledged there was a great difference between a nominee and a representative. Still he did not see how they could interfere with the Upper House honorariums.

Mr Amos Shcratt asked how he would provide for education if the vote was knocked on the head.

Mr Wakefield replied that he did not desire to expunge the vote, lie considered the present system too ambitious ami too expensive. There was far too much cramming. A knowledge how to read, write, and cypher properly was better than a smattering of all the ologies under the sun. Mr Mundell asked if anything had been done towards opening up the town reserves, and -securing the racecourse.

Mr Wakefield said he had urged the sale_ of the reserves, and would do so again. He had written respecting the racecourse, and would renew Ids application until it was vested for racing or recreative purposes. The Chairman called on Mr Angus McDonald to propose a vote of confidence and thanks, and Mr.McDonald cheerfully complied. Mr Maslin at the invitation of the Chairman, seconded the resolution, and in doing so remarked that Mr Wakefield’s opponent at the last election— Mr I eldwick—was a poor specimen of a liberal. (Hisses and groans.) The Chairman thought a show of hands could be dispensed with after the expression of opinion witnessed. Ho congratulated Mr Wakefield on having received a vote of thanks and confidence which was quite unanimous. Mr Wakefield returned thanks, and the meeting closed with the usual compliment to the Chairman.