Sir, J. Vogel at Wellington. (BY TELEGRAPH.—PRESS ASSOCIATION.) Wellington, April 26.

Te Aroha News, Volume III, Issue 152, 1 May 1886, Page 4

Sir, J. Vogel at Wellington. (BY TELEGRAPH.— PRESS ASSOCIATION.) Wellington, April 26.

Sir Julius VooEr, addressed a public meeting at the Theatre Koyal on Saturday night, Mr John Duthie in the chair. The theatre was packed, and a large number of ladies were present. Sir J. Vogel said it was his desire to refer as little as possible to the past. In his speech at Auckland he refrained from referring to Major Atkinson, but that gentleman had not reciprocated in his recent speech. He was glad, at any rate, that Major Atkinson was w illing to increase his pace ; before he had to complain of Major Atkinson's dvice to the colonists to lie down and wait. He had advanced to permitting them to go along It was supremely ridiculous for a Treasurer who could not present a faithful budget to blame another one for doing so. Major Atkinson still appeared unable to understand the course taken with the sinking fund, for he had failed to state that of the debentures created the first year £70,000 were paid off, and the second year he (Sir Julius) had paid off an additional amount of over £100,000. It was dishonest to blame the principle of the sinking fund accumulations, for he had himself tried to get it done, but did not see how to do it. Then Major Atkinson had reviewed the wellworn topic of Captain Russell's resolution, and tried to prove it had done no mischief, or, in fact, borne any result. It was difficult to follow his reasoning, but facts were more convincing than theories. Notwithstanding all Major Atkinson could argue, if Captain Russell's resolution hai not been carried the following contracts would now be in operation .-—For bridge over Waikato, £11,500; Holensville north ward, £20,000 ; station works, Hamilton-Te Aroha, Grahamstown-Te Aroha, £11,000; Napier - Woodville, Manawatu Gorge, £65,000 ; three contracts North Island trunk, £45,000 ; four contracts East and West coast and Nelson Railway, £149,000 ; Greymouth - Hokitika, £S 000 ; Picton southwards, £S,000 ; Otago Central, several contracts, etc., £25,000 ; Switzer's branch, £25,000 ; Auckland Customhouse, £12,000; total: £375,000. With these facts they need hear no more of Captain Russell's resolution not being the cause of the want of employment throughout the country. But Major Atkinson said the Government ought to have resigned, and Mr Ormond adopted the same arguments. As a rule, the Government did not require advice from the leader of the Opposition, or other members who aspired to get into the Government, as to when they should resign. It would have been ridiculous for the Government to have resigned, because Major Atkinson allowed himself to be made the tool of twenty of the strongest Government supporters. That was the fact. Mr Ormond had just let out that Mr Montgomery had invited Mr Stout to throw over the Canterbury members. If it were true, it was not a very creditable proceeding on the part of a Canterbury member. Mr Bryce and Major Atkinson bad groat difficulty in managing native affairs. They could not diveat themselves of the hatred which had descended to them from the times of actual warfare. Now the Europeans were comparatively indifferent to a Maori outbreak. They were so strong that what in 1563 was boldness would now be rank cowardice. Mr Ballance was working on the good feelings of the natives, not on their fears. He (Sir Julius Vogel) would not reply to the personal attack Mr Ormond made on him. It was the misfortune of Mr Ormond, when he al lowed his oratory to have full flood, that the natural bitterness of his disposition came to the surface. Mr Ormond's statements wore, in his opinion, quite inconsistent with communication with Mr Ormond in ISSI, over which the shroud of confidence was imposed. He seemed also to have overlooked the old relations between them through Sir Donald McLean. In reference to the natives he did not ignore that he followed the best and noblest of Native Ministers, Sir D. McLean. They were now told that Messrs Ormond and others wished to tako the native lands at what Mr Ormond called a " nominal valuation." Confiscation of this kind would be forbidden by the Secretary of State, and indeed by the sense of the whole ci> ilised world, He was sorry to see Major Atkinson had expressed himself in the same direction. It occurred to him that the complaint of Sir George Grey and others 'about the monopoly of land by a few Europeans was very much the same as the complaint against the Maoris for having too much land unused. Mr Ballance, while treating the Maoris fairly, was fully alive to the necessity of inducing them to bring their lands to a profitable occupation.

Sir George Grey's Land Scheme. Sir Julius Vogel then proceeded to consider Sir George Grey's speeches, paying a tribute to the public spirit which led the veteran statesman to address meetings throughout the colony. Sir George Grey's ideas were well vrorth considering. He could not agree with the proposal to issue an irredeemable paper currency. He explained the evils which would follow such a course— increased coat of all articles of consumption, and an increase of taxation. There would be a burning desire for a return to epecie payment, with the result that this would soon be done, and that a few men who had hoarded the paper money would make fortunes. In the Argentine Republic, where they had a paper currency, the newspapers teemed with complaints against it, and every evil under which the country suffered wae attributed to it — such as high prices, 50 per cent import duties, and large export duties. As regarded the land proposals, he did not think the Government ought to be intrusted with the charge of buying up estates, but ho would be favourable to considering whether such power could be given to the Government in conjunction with the county and borough authorities and the Land Boards. A great many large owners were willing to cut up their estates. He thought it possible a measure might be introduced by which, under agreement with the Land Boards and local bodies, estates could be cut up, roads marked off and made, and the land disposed of by the Government and covered with a Crown title. If this could be done it would add greatly to the revenues of the local bodies by the rates and by the roads which would be made, and the colony would gain by the increased settlement. But the most important feature of Sir George Grey's propo&ala was virtually a new tenure in the provision that every man might have a chance of securing one farm at a moderate rate This proposal aimed at bringing the residents of cities and their savings to the occupation of country lands. Mr Ballance's special settlements aimed in the same direction, but the "one man one farm " without restrictions of Sir George Grey was a new departure, and if feasible, as to which he was not prepared to express a decided opinion, would immensely aid the settlement of the country. The Colonial Trade and Protection. Referring to the present position of the colony, Sir Julius Vogel said wool,

S ,T enough at present prices, L- urn price of land was not t0 ° high. The prospects of a rise depended upon other countries being able to profitably produce at the present prices. The fall had brought one lasting advantage in the reduction of the rate of interest. He estimated that during the last two years the money-lending institutions, merchants and others had reduced the amount of interest to the extent of £250,000 per annum. They must also recollect that if their exports were of less value, their imports came to them at a less cost. He found that under the valuation of 1880, the exports of 1885 would have been more valuable by nearly a million than was Bhown by the values entered at the Customs. There was a loss, in fact, of over 14 per cent. The imports by a like calculation showed a saving of over a million, and curiously this also represented 14 per cent, as a saving in price. But taking the valuation of the imports and exports into consideration, there was a saving of £100,000, owing to the imports being larger in amount than the exports between the two falls. The speaker then urged that there was great misapprehension as to the subject of thrift and its effect upon the population. Far from their diminished expenditure being the cure for tho depression, it was one of its effects, and intensified the depression by reducing the amount of employment. The meeting would expect him to say something upon the much-vexed question of protection and free trarie. He had frequently declared that he was neither a protectionist nor free-trader. He desired to explain why this was the position he took up. It was quite useless contending against the soundness of the arguments as far as they went of free-traders. The question was their applicability to the circumstances of the colony. He thought it would be useful to reduce to a con centrated form the arguments in favour of free trade, and the rejoinder of those who rofused to be bound by them. He then read the following seven paragraphs, which he contended were a fair condensation of the arguments in favour of free trade : - 1. The freetrader contends that it is economical to buy in the cheapest market and sell in the dearest. 2. That there is a want of economy in buying locally-produced articles if imported ones can be purchased cheaper, 3. That import duties should be imposed for revenue purposes only, and that therefore they should stop short of such a rate as would, by encouraging local production, lessen the amount of revenues collectable. 4. That where the duty is so high that it encourages local production, the extra amount paid by the consumer, instead of going to the State as a whole, goes to the producers 5. That it is not fair the whole community should be taxed to benefit a portion. 6. That the benefit to the portion is fanciful not real, since it would be better to employ the capital and the labour subsidised by the high duties in other pursuits in which there will be greater profit. 7. That the tendency of high import duties is to encourage excessive production. The reply to these arguments was that they were entirely sound, if the factor of the desirability of obtaining and retaining population were left out of account. In an old country, where there were facilities for varieties ot employment, and where indifference prevailed as to retaining population, no exceptions could be taken to free trade arguments ; but the very root of them was destroyed when they were applied to a colony which required population, which had already paid large sums for the introduction of population, and which must still consider it so important to increase and retain population as to warrant a tax upon the whole community ratber than that population should be driven away and labour vainly seek for employment. The arguments were liable also to be affected by the consideration that through educating persons to certain industries these industries might, after a term of years, supply a consumer so much cheaper that, on the balance, he would in the long run benefit. One answer to the alleged injustice to consumers the arguments themselves supplied, because if it were true that protection led to over-supply it would enable the consumora to obtain what they required cheaper. He, however, did not attach much importance to this point, as a tendency to accumulations of stock characterised all factories and businesses. The largest and smallest wholesale and retail businesses in different parts of the world had constantly recurring periods of selling off at a sacrifice. Whilst he submitted those explanations he did not consider it desirable that the question ot free trade should be made a leading one, either in the House or at the next election, Their revenue requirements necessitated a high tariff, which therefore became of a protective character, whether or not it was intended to bo so. The reduced consumption of spirits made it necessary to look for other articles^on which 4 to charge Customs duty, and therefore, as "to actual duties, apart from theory, he thought there need be very little difference of opinion between the advocates of the two systems.

Reductions of Civil Service. Retrenchment of the civil service was another very deceptive cry. He contended that our service was particularly cheap. High officers had low salaries, and lower officers had very slow promotions. The allegation that the service was over- manned was not supported by evidence, and if a system of classification were introduced it would make the service more instead of less expensive. Nor would classification have so much the effect of weeding out the less capable men, as was supposed. In no business was it possible to continually dispense with less brilliant men, and constantly make changes because more capable men could be found, or because mere boys could take their places. Moderately this was done, but if it were attempted immoderately the service would be ruined. The speaker then read a most interesting statement, showing the comparison between the Post and Telegraph Department of New Zealand, Victoria, New South Wales, and South Australia, It appeared that though the population was more largely served in New Zealand than in any of the three colonie?, yet in this colony alone there was a surplus of revenue over expenditure for postal and telegraphic services. The average cost paid to officers, exclusive of telegraph messengers and coun try postmasters, was £127 only, while in Victoria it was £151, in New South Wales £137, and in South Australia £145. The average salaries of the postal officers in New Zealand just amounted to the labourers' rate of seven shillings a day, or eight shillings without counting Sunday. The cost of the whole New Zealand Civil service, excluding Ministers and judges and the Railway Department, showed an average of £162 per officer per annum. This included undersecretaries, professional men, and hundreds of officers who spent their lives in the service. The average cost was not quite 9s a day. He then showed the distribution and cost of officers in the principal districts of the colony, and of the four chief cities, He was surprised to find the expenditure of the seat of Government so little. He contended that no part of the country was willing to accept a reduced Government officer The wants of the colony were constantly increasing, and retrechment was principally shown by arresting enlarged expenditure.

He contended that they did all that could be done in that direction.

Finance ana Public Works. He now came to the question of finance and public works. Notwithstanding all the prophecies of a deficiency, he was glad to say there was a surplus of £37,000. The object of extra taxation was to gradually put the colony in a position to take as a charge on the revenue expenditure which should not come out of borrowed money. Thia indiscriminate borrowing was what his colleague, Mr Stout, spoke against so much at Invercargill. The remarks which he made about borrowing for roads were misattributed by the Press to borrowing for railways. Ab regards borrowing for railways, they could hardly go wrong. Railways might be now regarded as yielding directly and indirectly much more than interest on the capital. Directly they already yielded over 3 per cent. Besides that, no account was taken of the Government work performed. By raising the rates it would be easy to make them yield 5 per cent, all round, taking into account the Government work.

East ana West Coast Railway. Concerning the East and West Coast and Nelson Railway, he eaid the bitter opposition of its members did Wellington harm. There was no doubt, he believed, now that the railway was taken up by powerful people at Home, it would be carried out. They had sufficient subscriptions, he vas i.Joimed, guarunteed, to warrant them in proceeding. A quarter of a million of share capital was subscribed, and a quarter of a million debentures Shortly after Easter the shares ot the Compiny wore to be offered to the public, but the opinion of the Agent-General waa, that already he considered the undertaking assured, even if the public did not participate. All the points in connection with the signing of the contract were virtually agreed on. They were not important, and the Agent-General had undertaken that the Government would bring in a Bill to ratify them. He expected to hear every day of the deposit being paid. Still, he would like to show that the Government would have been justified in makine the railway itself. It was said the gradients were impracticable and expensive. Of the 95 miles over which the East and West Coast line would extend, GO miles were much easier than the average of New Zealand railways. The remaining 35 miles were heavy, but, leaving out the tunnelling, not much heavier than the Port ChalmersBlueskin section, or the Taieri Gorge section on the Otago Central. Of the 150 miles of the Greymouth Nelson line, 120 miles were quite easy, and the remainder presented ne special difficulty, On both these lines tho same loads could be carried as on the Main Trunk South Island line. Heavy goods engines would pull 100 tons up the steepest gradient on the line. The heavy gradients on the East and West Coaet line were ali concentrated to one part, which made it very much easier. Mr. Richardson also exploded the idea of the country being a wilderness. There was a great deal of it fit for settlement, and the population per mile now closely approached that of the district through which the New Plymouth to Foxton line travelled, as also the Napier-Woodville line.^ There had been so many conflicting statements that it was thought desirable the Assistant Engineer-in-chief, Mr Blair, should make a thorough examination of the resources of the district. He was chosen not only because of his ability and high character, but because he examined the line in 187S, when he thought its construction premature. He had been engaged some months in the work. The report waa not ready, but he evidently thought highly of the railway. Sir Julius Vogel then read some particulars that had been jotted down as the result of a conversation between Mr Blair and himself.

Borrowing. The Government adhered to the policy of borrowing on railways, and lessening the expenditure of borrowed money on other purposes. His great object was to enable the revenue to bear its proper expenditure, and not be mixed up as it had with borrowed money. The finances were now in a good position, and owing to the fall in value of goods the Customs taxation never rested more lightly on the people. If Major Atkinson came into office he would find the finances out of the muddle in which he left theru They did not want to rob the civil service. They did not require to lecture people who found economy necessary because of the reduced value of wool and wheat. They wanted to look at the subject intelligently. Here was the position : Labour was plentiful, monoy was che&p. They should make their railways, push on settlement, and encourage new industries.

Development of Industries. The main dependence had been hitherto on imported industries, especially the industry of wool-producing. They had, so to speak, a treasure ready to be realised in the timber, coal, and gold on and under the land, and in the fish with which the seas swarmed. If a fraction of the capital which had been spent in developing the wool industry had been expended on these industries he had named, the wealth of the cpuntry would be immeHsely greater than it was at present. The three hundred millions of private borrowing was in the major part devoted to wool. He felt most warmly that New Zealand was unduly affected by the existing depression elsewhere, that indeed it ought really to benefit by its world- wide character. What was the depression in this colony to that of England, with land falling in value and farms unlettable and rnanufactorie° closing? What was it compared to that of New South Wales, South Australia, pnd Queensland, where the drought effected t'en far more than the fall in wool, and v>li-;ic ihe reduction on the value of properly wns much greater? There was scarcely a country in the worM without thousands of people asking where they should take the capital they had remaining and their brains and sinews. He fdid to them that no land offered greater inducement than New Zealand. Sir Julius Vogel was well received, and on the cor elusion of hia addres?, which occupied one hour and three-quarters in delivery, Mr J. K. Macdonald moved, " That a vote of thanks be accorded to Sir Juliua for his address, and that this meeting approves generally of the policy indicated in such address." Mr T. Buown seconded the resolution, which was carried by acclamation.

The London " Times " states that the art products of the colonies are very striking.

To the Public. -I, the undersigned, do thia day make the following statement, in hopes that others who have gone through a similar affliction may profit thereby :— For many months have I been sick ; so bad that life was a burden lhe mental depression and physical prostration were something that cannot be described. Doctors and patent medicines I have tried without any relief, but getting worse all the time. As a forlorn hope I called on Dr. Speer, Palmerston Buildings, Queen-street. Ho examined me, and without asking a question, gave nic every symptom I had. Said he would treat me. From the first teaspoonful of his medicine I felt relief and have been constantly getting better ever since. Words cannot express my gratitude. The above statement T make without any solicitation, and I am willing to verify the same