The Taranaki Seat.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 7932, 22 September 1905, Page 2

The Taranaki Seat.

Mr C. T. Mills at Xev Pljmoitb There was a good attendance at l-he Theatre ltoyat on Thrur.vday , evening, when Mr (.'. 'J'. Mijls «d- ! dressed the eleetors. In ,Ure a-hsonce oi the Mayor through iudisposi-llon, tho chair was taken by Mr W. J.', lirooking. The candid ate, who liad -a cordial reception, dealt comprehensively with the political questions of the day in a speech which took almost | an hour -and a hair in delivery- Tlw | speech practically covered tlw samp ground as tlmt previously .reported in the Daily ■ N'«\vs, Mr Mills dealing emphatically \vit-ii t'hc need of fostering colonial industry in order that the tiwlk af Ihe raw material now exported from tho colony, and returned in the shape of manufactured goods, should he treated within tho colony. Settlement and industrial pursuits .must be pushed on, for it was no use attracting population unless there was ample nnployment for the people. t'raler -this heading the candidate contended that the questioa of utilising our iron and su-jl ores should be taken in (land l,y the Government, -and mad»i:acolonial jimtt-cv without further loss of time. (Applause). If the cost of manufacture; was too -high, there must be a screw looso somewhere, and thei subject should be investigated. If it paid other countries to manufacture it and land tiro finished article in New Zealand, surely the industry could fee made profitable here if properly managed. In conclusion Mr Mills saw} that 'ho would again address the electors at New Plymouth at a later date.

A great array of questions faced the candidate. ( Mr 'iv.y,4!is asljcd if 'lit' was 'in favour of the employment of prison labour in the construction of Sir John Coode's scheme for a, breakwater to the Sugar Loaves. .Mr Mills, in reply, asked where the money was to conic from. The matter, was entirely one of finance. Liu was in favour of any scheme at all that would make our harbour tlve influential port it should be. In answer to t'he same questioner, the candidate said no one would 'be more pleased than he to sec LVvon Street widened, 'but it was hardly practicable. Ha ivould like to sec part of the railway reserve obtained to open up a street near the goods sheds. JIo approved o£ paying overtime to civil servants ; every man was worthy of his 'hire. Jle was in favour of granting suitable areas to emigrants for dairy, farm purpuses on the vastest terms possible. Though a believer in the'freehold 'ho recognised that the leasehold .system offered 'better facilities for tile poor man tolXart. on, -wild 'had done much for Taranaki. He favoured every facility being given to convert to freehold. .Mr Tregellis : Are you in favour of granting the smn of £15,000 to work the iroiisand deposits of Taranaki ? Ml' Mills : I certainly advocate the Government taking t the matter up. That sum, liowuwr, would lie a <im bagatelle. With four or live times that amount ive could do something with our iron ores. Ml' W. Sadler handed Ihe candidate a long- list of questions on behalf of tile Political Labour League. Mr Mills, in his replies, said he was not opposed to the establisliuieut of a State bank, but was agaiwst it being given the sole right of note issue ; he -was opposed to monopoly of any kind. He was not at all in favour of a mere residential qualification in regard to municipal voting. lie was not opposed to modilicd landlordism, hut 'did favour Souio reasonable restriction living placed on the area one man could hold, A question [jut <bj< the League was : "If the Government 'grant, tile option of purchase at the original value, as urged by Mr AVassvy, do you not think the same principle ( should he insisted oil by the Statu ! wlv.'ii purchasing .further land from private landholders''?'"'

Mr Mills Docs that mean llval ihe : Government should purchase it nail was, say, 20 years ago ?—Yes. Mr Mills : Then I certainly sin not in favour of it. (-Applause.) Answering oilier I questioners, lire candidate did not think £1K)0,000 a year an excessive amount to pay for defence. Ik- liacl not gone ''into Me fiscal reciprocity f|Uestion. '1 o Mr M. J. .Jones : Jlf was not in favour of jlWUki reading in schools. (Applause.) Personally'h» was in favour of tire contract system for public work. He thought the I'pper House should be kiep>t totally distinct from the im(luenc» of the Lower House, He was not prepared, before going further into the question, to support tho Tipper House being elected by the people. He thotig-ht it won hi bo a pood thing to 'lvavc a local option poll only once.in every six years, as the controversy periodically) created a certain amount of strife. (Applausu and dissent.) He decidedly favoured colonial option as against local option. I

Mr Stevenson : Are you In favour of reducing taxation on food and making good thij deficiency -by the tax on land values.! .Mr Mills.said this was a question for those dealing with the linances. Personally, lie was in favour of reducing the t on the necessary of life. Land could not byar too much taxation ; it must be a policy of give and take. '1 o Mr Tix-gellis : He was not in favour ol -extending the term for which a member was elected. Questions by Messrs Christopher and (Ireene closed -the list. On the motion of the Chairman, Mr Mills was thanked for his address.