LIBERAL DEMONSTRATION.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXV, Issue 40, 14 February 1903, Page 2

LIBERAL DEMONSTRATION.

ARRIVAL OF THE PREMIER AND THE MINISTER OF LANDS. I The Right Hod. the Premier, Mr Seddon, and the Minister of Lands, Mr Duncan, arrived ia New Piyraouih by sp: cial train at 5 o'clock on Friday morning. The Premier was accompanied by vtiss Ssddon, Captain Seddon, and Mr Smart Seddoa and his private seere-. tiries (Messrs Hamer, Stevenson, and Junes). Mr Duncan also has his private secretary, Mr Newhinney, with him. The pariy left Wellington by the ordinary evening train to Palmerston North, the special train bringing them I on frc-m there, leaving Palmerston North at 10.30 p.m. During th« morning the party were welcomed by His Worship the Miyor (Mr E. Dock rill), the President of the Liberal Federation (Mr D. Berry), and the secretary of the Demonstration Committee (Mr Hickman Russell). A considerable number of leading citizens also called upon the Ministers. Oving to the heavy rain the drive to Waitara had to be abandoned, but to keep faith with the friends at Waitara the Ministers and a consider-

able number went out by special train, returning at 6 p.m., after a very pie;sant time in the river port._ The Waitara frietids gave the party a vary hearty welcome and treated them right royally during their stay. The outdoor picnic had to bo abandoned, but the Ministers were entertained in the Town Hall, which was p.eked to eve flowing. In the course of an address ef three quarters of an hour in length, Mr Seddon announced bis intention of legislating n>'Xt session to suppress and prevent trusts, which, in his opinion, were injurious to ths colony. During the day both Ministers found time to receive deputations and attend to a good deal of departmental business. THE BANQUET The Drill Hall, where the b.\rqust was held, was most prettily decorated, and the tables made.most attractive. Soon afcer 8 o'clock the principal guest, the Right Hon. R. J. Seddon, arrived, and the business of the evening began j by Mr D. B3rry, who presided, siying a short grace, On the Chairman's "right were seated the Premier, Messrs E. M. Smith, M.H.R., Walter Symes, M.H.R., A. D. Willis, M.H.R. (Wasgauui), His Worship the Mayor (Mr E. Dockrill), and Oap'ain Cornwall. On the Mfc of the chair wero the H;>n. T, Y. Duncan (Mnister of Lands), Mews Staidisb, Major, M.H.R., Hon. Tho?. Kelly, M.L.0,, B. and MrN:cho'ls (Inglewood). Amongst the other guests present were Mr Alo (the Swiss engineer who has just arriyed in the colony), Oaptain Seddon, Messrs S. Seddon, HaiknasF, R, L. Stanford, R. Oock, Dr. McO:eland, T. S. Weston, Kerr, J. B. Connett, A. Holme', 3. B. Roy, and a ,hrge number of town and country residents. Of the banquet itself, for which Mr Frank Wat's, of the Imperial Hotel, was responsible, too much cannot be said in prais9. It was complete in every ssnse of the word, and ■! cited nothing but unstinted praise from the gueste, who.showed their appreciation of the good things provided by heartily enjoying the same. The menu reflected the highest credit on Mr Watt's, and the service was all that could bo desired.At the conclusion of the knife and fork business, the Ohiirman proposed the toast of " The King" which was heartily responded to, the Band playing a few bars of the National Anthem and the guests adding their voices. The Secretiry of the Demonst'ation Committee then read apo'ogies fjr absence sent by 'Hons. Mills', Walker, and Hall Jone=, Messrs W. T. Jennings, T. Downe, Lawrie, M's.H.R,, Rapley and others; also a letter from Mrs Dougherty,

Tha toas"; of " The G ivernor " w<s next proposed and duly honoured, the Band playing " For He's a Jolly Good Fellow."

The Chairman then proposed the toast of the evening " The Liberal Members of thu Wost Ooast," which was drunk with musical honours.

Mr E. M. Smith, in rcp'y, expressed his great pride and gratification at bing present, He referred to the Premier's speech at Waitara, whvn he expressed himself in favour of an iron bridge over the Mokau, thus giving the last connecting link between New Ply mouth and Auckland. (Onsets.) Now that the Premier was present, and alg) another Minister, he wanted to impress on them the n«ed of having the New Plymouth Harbour completed. If the Government took the harbour over and p>id off the present bondholders, it would piy the country ten times over, (Loud cheers.) If the Government wanted the district to help them then they must help the district. ThH Government had spent 460,000 to beautify the lakes at Rotorua, but it was almost with tears that a few pounds were dragged out of the G > vernment for making roads to the mountain. The Premier had wished for an United West Coast representation, and now he had got his wish it was hoped the Government would show appreciation of that unity by meeting the requirements of the dis- : trict, If the Government did not do what was right in this respoct, then there must be a change of Government. He claimed that this part of the colony was not fairly represented' in the Cabinet, and when the time Ciuae he hoped the Government would not forget the Norch Island, nor the garden of New Zealand, and last but not least would not forgat him (Mr Smith). He alao urged that the district was net sufficiently lepresented in the Legislative Council. Mr Symes said that the Liberals could congratulate themselves on the v.ctory, but he regretted that the women, who were the most important ': factor in the late election, wore not present at the banquet. He bad heard it said by some of tho women in tho district " Well, you're a lot of selfish btutes." Ha WBS p.oud of tha results of the late election, as he now represented Patea, which was long considered as a Cjofiervaiiva stioaghold, end now had its n\st L'beral member, H-! was proud to be koovn as tha member for ths " Back Blocks," and in that capacity hu urged a thorough roiding policy, as at prt'ssnt for half the fear many settJei-B weio in penal servitude and w. re never certain when f.hey Could get tli' ir upx-, bag of flour, If the Mirisc ra went there in the winter th"y coul i se-i i hi state of aff .ire, and would tLen help them who were the backjboce of the colony. He emphasised the fact that i f - was no 1 ; mud roids thit. were wanted, but installed roads, which, he contended, were 50 times m re ne dful than railways, He urged that the bush on 6ith?r side of roads should be

Eelled a chain wide to let the sunlight j ■ in to the roads and dry them. j * Mr. Major (who met with a very I hearty reception) said it was very * flittering to find himself one of tho j A centres of such a gathering. It was | * one of the most important political ' epocs in the history of Taranaki. He,' hoped that the Taranaki quartette, of j' which he was one, would be found very ' solid and lasting. He ssked those ' present to compare ths advantages of to-day as against those of 10 years bsck and to trace the reason for the progress which, he was confident they would find, was due to the Government of that period and its progressiva 'policy. To-day New Zealand held a proud position in the Empire and this was due to the wise administration of which the Premier was-the head. Max O'Rell had stated that NewZiakhdj was one of the two best Governments in the world. He claimed that the! honest requests of tho farmer should have the first and best consideration of the colony. He considered that tho best thanks of the Taranaki members were due to the promoters of the banquet as tbere was a great advantage in the people ef the cslony meeting the Premier and hearing his views on important matters. He concluded with a warm expression of thanks for the hearty reception accorded to him. Mr Niehols, in apologising for Mr. Jennings' absence, paid a warm tribute to that member's abilities. Mr T, 8. Weston, in proposing " The Government of NewZaalaod," congratulated the Premier on the success of the last election, also for the length and value of his services, which constituted a record for the colony. The Premier hid anion just at tha right time, when his exceptional gifts were most required by the colony. When at home he stood h«ad and shoulders above the ordinary s'atesmen of the day. Mr Ssddon, on rising to reply, was received with a wild and prolonged outburs 1 , of applause. He said it was a great pleasure to be present, and taking the events of the day and evening it required no explanation as to how there was a united Liberal representation in Taranaki, This result spoke well for the patriotism and intellect of the electsrs. In a few yews he anticipated there would be an united Liberal reprrsentation throughout the colony. Liberalism was spreading so fast that ere long the Conservatives would almost be as scarce as the Moa birds, and in years to come it was probable that such a thing as a Conservative would oaly be found in the museums pf the colony. It had been irid that an] Opposition was a good thing to have, as it acted as a check on lusty legislation. He admitted that there were vehicles on which it was nece?sary to have a brake, but in dragging the chariot of New Zealand from the slough in which it was found when the L'beral Government came in'o office there fnd been no need of a braka for it hid been a hard and a long pull. Thank G)d, however, the wotk hud been accomplished, and the clocy now in a pesitioa of solid p ospeiity, As he listened to Mr Smith it rccured to him that the Opposition Pivss would s y that the Premier sat there and was (ojd what to, do, and if hj« did not dq as he was bid then all sorts of psualties would follow, As many of th as press nt were farmers they would have had some experience in de-Lug with colts (laughter), and he felt he was undergoing the same exp~rien"e. When he sawyoungcol's,l ketl)o<se Members who had spoken, showing their paces] ' it only caused him to smile. He knew, however, that their hearts were iu the right plaee, and that they would prove trua to thair constitu "itr", 'heir country, and their party, a&d that s .tisfied him, ' (Ch'ers.) Some people said that the supporters of the Government had to do as they were told, Tnis was not so, for the men he lik*d to haw as supporter! were those who bad minds of their own and were not simply acting at the dictate of any man or particular set of men, The Government's strength lay in givine freedom of action and freedom of thought, as thesa ensured good laws and freedom of Gavernment. He referred to the fact that outside Ta r anaki came Wansanui, which was represented by Mr Wiilis, who was a good Liberal, then came Rangitikei, which was represented by another good Liberal, and with tha exception of one electorate and Mr Lethbridge's 1 constituency thfre wasao united Liberal represeotation from Te Kuiti to Wel--1 lington—a unity that would be for the good of the colony. Looking back to 1 the past they could see what the last ten yrars had done for Taranaki. Lands had been opened up, roads made, 1 bridges built, and the dairying industry placed on a firm and prosperous basis. It was only since 1890 tint Tiranaki had Had justice done to it. Ht> tried to thick that those who opposed the Government were sincere, but had fa'hd to see what was for thej aoo 1 of the country, but when he heard it siid that in the past there were "giants" in the land, he could not help contrasting the state of afl'tirs then and now. Then the farmers were I in a wretched condition, with mud holes for roads, miserable homes, and rough ene horse conveyances only fit for th?ir thon surroundings. In travelling through the country to-day, however, he saw smilißg homesteads, well-trim-med hedges, good wire fences, and smart buggies. It seemed like a transformation scene. What had caused this change ? The progressive policy of the Gevernmant, • It was cheap money and a sound land policy that had enabled the settlers to h*lp themselves and raise themselves from misery and poverty to that of enviable prosperity, This was shown by the fact that whereas 10 years ago laud in the district was only worth £5 an acre and butter 4d per lb, while to-day the sama land was worth £25 an acre and butter lid. This difference had been nude through an intelligent system of government instead of.that in vogue in the dark ages of the past. It was gratifying to know that those who did their duty to their country need never Fear the verdict of the people, especially of those of the west coast of the Norto Island. In the days he had referred to there was the obnoxious land tax, which had now bean replaced by the income and proparty tax, as the former operated so that the more a man improved his property the mor•• tax he had to piy. Referring to the land policy of the Government, Mr Seddon pointed out that it was from the land that the wealth of the colony wasderived. Put, said he, peop'e on the labd on fair and equ litems and they nead not fear. I', wr.s the increased output of thi land that had brought about the increased cadis of the olany, which never stood higher than it did today. One of the taunts flung at the Liberals was that they would drive cipital out of the colony, but to-dvy capital in New Zealand was doing ) better than evsr. There wero no mil- j ( liou 'ires in New Zmland, and he hoped' there nsvar would be, for he desired to '■

jee uod a good gitts equally distributed. He claimed that no part of the Empire could show such an advance in prosperity as our colony. This was evidenced by the increase in the Savings Bank deposits which had risen by over five millions *te;ling since the Government came into office —a fact which spoke well for the thrift of the people and for the successful policy of the Liberal administration. He deprecated political differences being imparted into private life, and he mentioned that after being in Parliament for 29 sessions he did not know that h* had a single private enemy. In this ceanec'ion he stated that the Hon. W. 0. Walker's absence i from the banquet was due to his attending the funeral of the late Mr Rolleston, one whom he (the Premier) differed from politically, but for whom he entertained personally the greatest resprct, and as this was the first opportunity afforded since the hte members death, be would like to tak« advantage of it to give utterance to a warm measure of praise and esteem, With regard to industries, the colony was attaining to that desirable end—making itself self-sustained. They had in the past bean sending thousands of I pounds annually out of the country for I the purchase of iron and steel, and all the time the raw material was here iu I abundancaand only waiting to be manu-

factured. Added to this, if ouly the motive power of our rivers was utilised the progress of the colony would be expedited. He urged that this end should be attained. Farmers ought to realise that it would be batter to find a market for their produce within the! colony than to sand it away. Frem| ths last communication he received j from the Hon. J. Oadman (who was' not the man to stay in England unless; he had success within his grasp) hsi (Mr Seddon) was confident of Mr] Cadman's success, but should he not succeed then the State was prepared to make another socialistic step and take! up the industry, (Cheers.) Mr Seddon j then referred to tha presence in the' Hall of j Mr Alio, an eminent electrical j and hydraulic engineer from Switzer-! land, and said he was confident that I after that gentleman had seen the water falls in Taranaki and other places iu the colony he would say —" Why, New. Zealand has been asUep." Probably the tims was not far distant when our j mountain gorges would furnish the motive power for tha railways of the colony, I Referring to tha question of roading, Mr Seddqn agreed with Mr Symes that baek blook settleis should have roads, and he recognised that for years they had laboured under the greatest difficulties. The Government, however, should not be blamed for this, as they could not find roading money without borrowing, and yet those who were strongsst in their opposition to borrowing were the first to endeavour by back stair maans to get a share of the money. H 8 would not depirt from a moderate borrowing policy and would rather be ralpgatsd to the shades of private life than be a party to unlimited borrowing. The cheap money scheme was strongly oppossd by the Conservatives, but they wer»th»fi-st to »sk for it when it was available. jHe believed that by this means j the people of tho colony had saved paying at least three per cent, for interest on advance?. Notwithstanding all the attacks on the Government, they pursued their progressive policy, and the colony prospered, and that policy would be continued, as it proved beneficial to the country, j Referring to finance, the Premier said it had always been stated that I the Liberal Government could not financ», but ever since they took office they had shown an annual surplus, and he was confident that on March 31st next, he would be able to announce the usual dividend of a quarter of a | million. In the past eleven years, the increase in the revenue of tha country was over two millions, so that the 1 Government had shown how to rule, jand Max O'Rell was net far wrong jwhen he said that New Zsaland and 'Jerssy were the two best governed ! places in the universe. He I announced that a loan of a [million and a quarter was now i being placed on the London market, j ;The Government had been told that! | they dure not go to the Lmdoa market for money, but he had good reason for stating that the loan would be well received. A few days ago the New Zealand three per cent, stock was the | highest in the maiket. The drought :in Australia had to some extent affected the credit of New Zealand, as it was difficult to get people at Home to understand that New Zealand was not associated with Australia. He expected, hewev*r, to see the loan floated at a becter price than tha last loan. He would like to say a word on this matter to the Opposition Press, j He would ask thsm to realise the difficulties he bad enumerated, and not to do as they had done is the pas*, write in a strain that had only for its object the injury of the colony's credit. In-1 stead of this he hoped they would be patriotic, and help the Government and by so doing assist in promoting the best interests of the colony. They did not go cap in hand to beg for the money, but offsred a security which was sound and good, and therefore they had a right to expect the loan would be issued on favourable terms. (Mr Seddon's speech to be continued.) Hon. T. Y. Duncan also replied to j this toast, but we are compelled to hold over the report of his and the remain- j ing speeches. The other toasts were " The Farming and D .frying Industries," proposed by the Premier and responded to by Messrs. McKeown, Cock, Harkness andOonnett,. " Tha Army and Navy " proposed by the Mayor of New Plymouth and responded to by Captain Cornwall. " The Members of Parliament," proposed by the Chairman, and responded to by Mr Willis, M.H.R., Wanganui, and the Hon. T. W. Kelly, M.L.O. "The Ohairman," proposed by the ,Right Hon. the Premier, and responded to by Mr Berry. " The Ladies," proposed by Mr S. Hill and responded to by Mr Claud Weston. " The Press," propossd by the Premier, and responded to, on behalf of the pre-smen present, by Messrs Penn {Herald) and Allsworth (News). Dr McOlrl-ind proposed the "Caterer," eulogising tha manner in which Mr and Mrs Watts had catered. Tha arrangements, etc., being equal, in ths Doctor's opinion, to anythiog he had ever seen in thii or iha Old Country. " Auld Lang Syne" and " Gjd Sive tho King " brought the proceedings to a clote shortly after 1 a.rn,