Mr Hugh Poland at Te Aroha.

Te Aroha News, Volume XXII, Issue 42785, 30 September 1905, Page 2

Mr Hugh Poland at Te Aroha.

Last night, in the Public Hall, Mr Hugh Poland, Liberal candidate for the Ohinemuri electorate, commenced his political campaign in Te Aroha by addressing a well-attended meeting of constituents. The Deputy Mayor (Mr P. O’Meagher) introduced Mr Poland who, proceeding, said that Mr Seddon is unquestionably the true leader of the Liberal party in New Zealand, but is not infallible, and it is always well for the friends of the Government to keep an eye on all its doings. Both in Parliament and out of Parliament, he had heard innuendoes on the administration for years, but no one dare make charges against the Government until a fool rushed in where angels feared to tread, which was the case of Mr. Fisher-with the voucher incident. Mr Fisher was" led into making the charge until he was satisfied there was nothing in it. Some had been looking forward to the voucher for years perhaps, and were glad to turn a Sneddon voucher into a Seddon one. It had been proved that there was absolutely no truth iu the incident and that the charges were unfounded. Proceeding, Mr Poland said that it speaks well for the Government that for fourteen years not one change could be brought against them, The Land Question, the speaker said, was an important one at present. There was no doubt that the Royal Commission had more than justified its existence. It was all. very well for members of Parliament to cry down the Comlnission.' The question of land administration had occupied the minds of men for all time. Many of the people who cried down that Commission were the very first people to cry out if it did not come and sit at their own back doors. During the time Mr Sed • don had been iu office, the colony had experienced a time of -great prosperity. The Opposition attributed this to the introduction of file refrigerator, and other facilities, but the refrigerator had been, in use a long time previous to then. Taking the increase in prosperity for the last ten years, from 1896 to last year, the had. increased from £242,000 to £1,514,000. In 1896 the population of the colony was 686,000, now it stood at 857,000. The number of occupied holdings had increased by 22,000 acres. : Land under cultivation had risen from 10,000,000 acres to 14,000,000 acres, and the number of head of live stock from 964,000 to 1,736,000. These figures show -that the Government land policy enabled settlers to get on the land, and was now earning hundreds of thousands of pounds. This was a case in which then Government had done wonderful work. We want the expeditious opening up of land for settling, and especially the opening up of Native lauds. In Auckland province there are from four to five million acres of Native land, which are only injuring many from taking up land, and was spoiling the land of neighbouring Europeans. Another injustice was that the Government spend large sums of money in opening up land by constructing roads without receiving contributions from the Native lands. The Government had been endeavouring to settle this question. The Maori Land Council has proved a failure. The Maoris had certainly rights in this country as well as Europeans. There was only one thing to guard against in opening up lands, and that was the legal shark, there were many waiting a chance to get hold of the Piako block, but the Government would not allow that to take place. Mr Poland said he believed in freehold tenure, and that he always believed in giving a man the best title he could have. At the same time he considered the land settlement system of the Government has been a good one for settlers of the country. The Government had assisted the farmer by constructing roads and railways, and by low freights for caning manure and other commodities, and also by carrying out experiments and by appointing demonstrators to give addresses. Since the Government came into office there has been a verv steady increase in the prosperity of the colony, brought about by careful handling of finance. By statistics it was shown that the proportion of interest producing expenditure over non-in-terest producing expenditure had largely increased of late years, from fifteen to thirtyone millions sterling. The Government, during their time had made no increase in Customs duties, In connection with revenue, the Old Age Pension had been .granted, which the Opposition said could not possibly be|done, yet the Government had paid £1,175,000 to old people in the colony, notwithstanding which, a surplus had been shown, and expenses had been kept well below revenue. The flax industry too, had increased wonderfully during the last twelve years. Mr Poland said that in this district mining was a most important question, and indeed one of national importance. During the last twelve months the sum of £I,OBB was all that had been spent in the district of Waihi, by the Government, to assist prospecting, and consequently no prospecting had been done. In New South Wales, large sums of money were spent every year by the Government for this purpose. The New Zealand Government would contribute 10s weekly to a prospector provided the local body contributed a like amount. Consequently the prospector was dying out, yet there must be a large amount of auriferous deposit waiting to be opened out. Mr Poland thought that on a man prospecting and making a discovery, he should be entitled to a grant from the Government of, say £SOO. This would encourage prospectors. The Government, he thought, should also erect two or three batteries in charge of

thoroughly competent battery managers, so that the necessity for conveying to Thames would be obviated. Another important case for attention, Baid the speaker, was that of the children, on whom the future of the country depended. The present system was the only proper form of national education. This great advantage the people got out of Customs taxation. He believed that the people of a district should have a say on who represented them on the Edncation Board. The Civil Service examinations t were gradually getting so different that in a few years only the children of wealthy people would have any chance of passing, Superannuation schemes were well known. They had one for teachers, another for police, and others, and one was now talked of for all classes of Government workers, and had been sug-' gesfed that there should he one for working men, for they earn a precarious living, yet are taxed to pay the superannuation for others. They had a certain amount of comfort in the Old Age Pension, but few could avail themselves of these, as the conditions are too stringent. With regard to combines or trusts, the Government had started in some cases to combat these—fire insurance, and coal mines—and had, in the case of the former, caused a reduotion in tariffs 50 per cent, on some risks. \ The inen we want in the House, said Mr Poland, are men who will maintain the country in a prosperous condition. You have had fourteen years of a Government doing its best in the face of fierce opposition from those that fids country had been made for- their benefit: the moneylender, absenteo landowners, and others. At this election these were trying a I loud cry about freehold ; sometimes their tactics had succeeded. Mr Poland said that AP. doubt the coming election would 1® the strongest contest that they had had for years, and he felt no doubt that if he was elected for Ohinemuri he would do his host. The Chairman then announced that Mr Poland would be very pleased to answer any questions. The questioner stated that he had noticed for months what he considered a great waste I of money going On in the Dojpaiu, and asked if. instead of this, money would not be better spept il bft tvaok to the Trig station, tp enable people the more easily to . enjoy the fine view which the summit commends.

Mr Poland said he had wanted to see this track put years ago when there was no, track at all up the mountain. Are you in favour of bibje. reading being

made a compulsory subject in the State , Schools P Mr Poland stated that he was not in. favour of this. : What has caused articles to be dearer in New Zealand, but the Preferental Tariff Act ? Mr Poland said he thought the Preferential Tariff Act had little to do with it. He though} it was through the combination of shipping companies to keep freights high. Do you think that Te Aroha has a fair allocation on the Estimates compared with .\>t Rotorua ? Mr Poland said he was not aware that Te Aroha got anything. If returned, will you try to further matters for Te Aroha district ? Mr Poland said, on the Ohinemuri County Council he had always done his best, and if chosen to represent Ohinemuri electorate, would do more. WTiat is your opinion of . th© new syllabus for schools ? * r ■' Mr Poland in reply said he thought some good improvements had'been, made: in some parts, especially in the teaching of measurements, but he thought that too mnoh cram- • ■ ; ‘liing had been introduced. Also, a cause for complaint was the constant expense to parents for books, pencils, etc.,' and the fac chat a family moving to the next town, found that their childrens’ school books were no longer any use, a different set being re- N quired. He thought this ought to be remedied. Considering that Mr Poland supported the orovemment, wonld he support every measure which the Government brought forward ? ■ j “No,” said Mr Poland, “I should not like to, and never knew a Government • supporter who did.” Do you consider the Land Commission was a service to the colony 1 I thing it was necessary, and showed the opinion of the people, was the reply. /' "'■■ ■> ‘V;. ; Do you not think that 3d a gallon beer ‘ 'J.) is an extraordinary duty ? : Mr Poland said ho considered it' a very light duly. it;’. _ ' j Asked his attitude with regard to prohibi- ?■ tion, Mr Poland said he was against it. Can you tell what benefit was derived from the Land Commission, and its cost? Great interest was aroused throughout the country, and it provided an amount of information for members of Parliament. What do yon think of the voucher in- ' eident? _ vJ I think I certainly ought to be in favour of the Government. The charge has been investigated and proved to be absolutely . o without foundation. jM What grounds have you for saying that the case has been thoroughly' investigated ? F There is the report of the Auditor-Gene- ■•• ral. He would not have made the report unless he were satisfied of the truth of that report. . . ' ; : \i; Are you in favour of reducing the duty on tweeds etc? ' - Other things are perhaps more necessary but we certainly must have clothes. Are you in favour of taxing bachelors ? ) No, I think their lot is bad enough as it is, 'i | and should be sorry to make it any worse. _ Asked if he did not run in Mr Moss’s in- v terest at the last election, Mr Poland said it was an unfounded rumour, saying, Have I not as much right to stand as either Mr Mo. l *: or Mr Palmer, I would not stand in the yj| interests of anyone except Hugh Poland.” A vote of thanks was proposed by Mr '' Mclndoe and seconded by Mr Shaw. The meeting then'concluded. . y'l