MEMBERS' VISIT TO NEW PLY MOUTH.

Te Aroha News, Volume II, Issue 70, 4 October 1884, Page 6

MEMBERS' VISIT TO NEW PLY MOUTH.

Nkw Plymouth, September 30. Tiik Mayor met the members at the breakwater, and invited them to land at two o'clock, and upon arriving in town a number of cabs were provided, and conveyed the visitors! to Waitara, about ten miles to the north. Major Stapp, who commanded the Volunteers here during the war, accompanied the party, and pointed out the places of historical interest in connection with the war in 1860. Arrived at Waitara, a stay of half an hour was made, and the party then returned to town. At the invitation of Mr H. M. Smith, a number of members visited the Town Hall, where samples of products from the ironsand on the beach, coal from Mokau, cement, etc. , were exhibited and their virtues commended on. Luncheon was held at the Criterion Hotel, His Worship the Mayor presiding. About fifty were present. Mr Dodson said he had always been opposed to the break ,vater scheme, but after seeing the grand country at the back, he recognised the importance of the work, and would do all he could to assist in its completion. Mr Hirst and Mr Bevan also spoko in eulogistic terms of the district. Alter luncheon, members were driven out to the breakwater, and were shown over the whole of the works by members of the Harbour Board and s Mr llhind. On the Hinemoa coming alongside the breakwater, the visitors invited the party on board to bid them fareu ell. Mr Larnach, in proposing the health of the Mayor, said he had never been in the district before, and had no idea it possessed the advantages that had presented themselves to him that day. Mr Ross, Chairman of the Dunedin Harbour Board, said he was surprised at what he had observed, and had no conception there was such a country, or that the harbour works had approached such dimensions. If the matter respecting the harbour came before Parliament it would receive ovory consideration, and to the Board every assistance would be rendered in finishing their already successful work. As the stoamer left, cheers were given and returned.

"Sir Julius Vogel's grand policy" (says the " Timaru Herald "), "which is to save New Zealand, restore prosperity, and make us all rich in next to no time, dwindles down into this : He is going to pay £244,000 of the ordinary expenditure of the colony out of loan instead of revenue, and he is going to remit £131,000 of taxation which is at present paid, and cheerfully paid, by the wealthiest class in the colony. That is practically tho whole thing, and we should be glad to know how it is going to benefit any man> woman, or child in the country beyond a limited number of those who will escape the payment of half the property tax. Sir Julius Vogel has very cunningly concealed his intention of paying current expenditure out of loan, but that is virtually what his proposals amount to. He says he intends to abolish the Sinking Fund on the public debt, wh'ch at present amounts to about £244,000 a year, and to relieve the annual charge on the revenue this year by the whole of that amount. But it is perfectly well known that the payment of the Sinking Fund cannot be got rid of all at once. What Sir Julius Vogel really means to do is this : He proposes to raise a new loan of a million and a-half, and out of that he will take £244,000 in aid of revenue in anticipation of the saving which will be effected in the way of Sinking Funds when the loans are converted. This is tantamount to borrowing money in London at 4 per cent, for the benefit of the property owners in the colony, including the absentee mortgagees. These are the only classes who will benefit by the reduction of taxation, while the whole community will have to pay the interest on the money that is borrowed to enable the taxation to bo reduced,"