POLITICAL ADDRESS. MR MOSS AT NEWMARKET. Auckland, June 15.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 378, 19 June 1889, Page 4

POLITICAL ADDRESS. MR MOSS AT NEWMARKET. Auckland, June 15.

Mb F. J. Moss, M.H.R., addressed the electors of Parnell at the Newmarket Hall last evening. There waa a small attendance, only about eighty persons being present. Mr W. Dinnison waa voted to the chair and bespoke for Mr Moss a fair and impartial hearing. Mr Moss said he proposed to deal with the position in which the country stands, the danger of it getting worse or the prospects of it getting better, and to consider how they were tofact to extricate it from its present difficulties.

HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF. Going back for a period of 23 years, when Sir Win. Fitzherbert was Premier, and Sir Harry Atkinson a member of the Ministry, Mr Moss said the country was then in a similar position to that in which it was just now. The colony was thon very depressed, and for six years they left it to drag itself out of its difficulties'. In six years the population increased from 100,000 to 260,000 without borrowing a farthing, and there was also a decided improvement in the exports and imports of the colony.

THE BORROWING POLICY was, however, resumed in 1871, and the result was that they added thirty millions* to the public debt, and t>penb thirteen millions of land revenue. Out of this vast expenditure the whole railways of the colony cost only fourteen millions, and ifc Avould be interesting to know what had become ot the other twenty-nine millions. Immense sums were absolutely wasted on works ior which it should never have been used, and during that eighteen years the country went to the bad to the oxtont ot twonty-three millions of money paid away in interest. Was it any wonder then that the country had got into difficulties and that everyone was more or less in trouble ? He (Mr Moss) had always been opposed to this borrowing policy, but he did not see that there was any use groaning over it now. On the contrary, he rejoiced that the country was fully awake to the position, and determined to put matteis right.

POLITICAL CORRUPTION. The political result of this borrowing policy was also bad. There was nob a single constituency which did not value its member? exactly according to the amount of money he brought back to his district. All self-dependence and all self-reliance had been completely sapped by that system, and the Government had been practically uncontrolled. Year after year the Government set aside £60,000 or £70,000 for contingencies, enormous sums for public works, and for defence, of which no detailed .statements were ever laid before the House. It was nob right that the Government should have such enormous power. Last year, the Government appropriated £294,000 for public roads, and a large portion of this money was spent in Avays in which it never ought to have been spent.

THE GOVERNMENT BEYOND CONTROL. This, unfortunately, could nobbe checked, because the Government were beyond control. What was wanted was a long pull, a strong pull, and a pull all together by the whole of the people to get the country out ot its difficulties. It was said that there was but one man in the 95 members who went to Welling-ton who could save the colony, and that that man was Sir Harry Atkinson ; but he (Mr Moss) maintained that no man was more answerable for the present) deplorable condition of the country than the present Premier. (A voice : " Why don'b you put him out?") Unfortunately he could not be put out of office, because he had the money, and, consequently, the power. The whole of the retrenchment that had been dono by the Government was done by a committee of Under-Secretaries, and when the Government held up this retrenchment policy to the people they were simply bamboozling them. vVhile they were talking about extricating the country from its difficulties they actually put down £298,000 for roads.

HOW RETRENCHMENT WAS EFFECTED. At the end of the year the Premier was delighted to find that they had not spent half of the money voted, but they had obtained the votes all the same, and they had the balance with which to get support again next year. (Applause.) He (Mr Moss) maintained that there had been no change of policy on the part of the Government, and that the only remedy for the country's difficulties a\ as to stop borrowing altogether for a time. Nothing else would restore confidence in the country. He knew people who were very anxious to settle in New Zealand, but who avoided us because of the prospect of their investments being swallowed up by taxation. He would ostracise every man who had anything to do with a further increase of the debi~(applause), and he thought it would be a good thing were the people of the colony to rise and say that not a single man who would consent to further borrowing should have a seat in Parliament. (Applause.)

HOW VOTES AllE SECURED. The whole Government of New Zealand at the present moment consisted of some half-dozen men who constituted the Ministry, and their sole object was to secure a majority of the members of the House of Representatives. They need not mind the Upper House, and they need not mind the o' over nor. Sir Julius Vogel saw that, and the temptation was too great for him, and millions of money had been spent to get a ' majority of members. Under these circum- |, stances it was pleasing to note that there I had been so little personal corruption in j the House of Representatives. Mr Moss then went on to di&cuss the best way of ' putting things on a pioper footing. He I said it was impossible to have a committee [ of investigation appointed, for that would be accepted as a no-confidence motion.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT WANTED. With provincial governments we had a check upon the General Government, and the former could not go far wrong 1 . When the whole contral was handed over to the General Government we placed unlimited power and unlimited resources in their hands. In Melbourne, Sydney, and London, they had a check on these things, by their newspapers, but in New Zealand there was no single paper that could be said to have a commanding influence over the whole colony. In New Zealand there was no public opinion, except in the provinces ; and except an great occasions it was impossible to get a concentrated opinion. It would, however, be very easy to divide this country into districts, with governing bodies representing the views of the people of, those districts, and by this means they could at once relieve the General Government of all the politioal corruption inherent in the present pqsiciqn of affairs. .(Applause,) He was perfectly convinced that the scheme was feasible, and ' that if they had New Zealand in thao, pqsition , they could Btop borrowing, restpre cpnfidenpe, and make th@ colony onge \wy% a. fa.you.rite field. fqv

immigration. The "man to bring this forward was man pn jthe ( Government Benches, and if t tliat -man was Sir Harry Atkinson he would give him hearty Bupport. He confessed,- however, that he had not such confidence in any member of the present Government.

RETURNING PROSPERITY. Just now our exports were exceeding our imports, and he accepted this as a very reassuring sign of leturning prosperity. (Applause. ) People were reducing their expenditure and increasing their production, but yet they had to face the payment of a million and a half per annum to English creditors. It, was however, an extremely healthy thing that they were able to meet this demand, and ho believed bhaty if they on in this way, a much better state of affaire would shortly be broughb about. There was only one way in which this was 10 bo done, and that was by taking all local works out ot the hands of the General Government. He was firmly con\inced that the present Government would attempt to raise a further loan as goon as they had exhausted the balance available for roads and works, which could not now be much more than ,€150,000. He expressed his intention of opposing any such step to the utmost of his power.

QUESTIONS. Mr Moss was asked whether he thought it right that Good Templars should be allowed to occupy seat 3 on the Licensing Benches while publicans and brower3 were not allowed to do so ? He lcplied that this was rather a question for the constituencies to deal with. He did not see how they could prevent people frcm occupying such positions because they held certain opinions, when elected by the votes of their fellow-citizens. He thought, however, that the voting power should not be confined to ratepayers. In reply to a further question, Mr Moss said he was opposed to the property tax, and was not in favour of granting a monopoly to the Gas Company for electric lighting. On the motion of Mr Isaac Hill, seconded by Mr Bishop, a vote of thanks and confidence in Mr Moss was carried unanimously.