The Daily News TUESDAY, FEBRUARY. 11. PRIME MINISTER'S SPEECH.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 44, 11 February 1908, Page 2

The Daily News TUESDAY, FEBRUARY. 11. PRIME MINISTER'S SPEECH.

The Premier's speech on Friday night at Auckland, i In- first policy address delivered by him suae llie close of the session, should give .-atisfaetion to tlie great majority of moderate political thinkers in tlie Dominion. While the policy briefly sketched provided nothing revolutionary in character, there was evidenced no lack of that spirit of progression and development marking the history of -New Zealand during recent years. Reviewing the legislation of the past session, Sir Joseph gave chief prominence to that affecting the land, particularly to the provisions stopping the future aggregation of large lauded estates. The real effect of this new departure cannot lie estimated by the po pie of to-day, but the fact that one re suit has liooii a largely increased revenue irom the large landowners—a class, I>.\ the way, unknown in Taranaki—shoulc

afford general satisfaction to the great body of taxpayers. Respecting the new land tenures, now the law of the laud, it is wise to suspend judgment until the system has stood a reasonable trial. Tenures apart, it is cheering to learn that the Government appears to have thoroughly grasped the importance of that great brake 011 the wheels vf ! progress and settlement in the North Island—the opening up of the millions of acres of waste native lands. Of the 701U164 acres dealt with by the Royal Commission up to August last. 311,7:10 acres have been recommended for sale or lease to Europeans. As, after eliminating useless lands, the Commission will probably deal with between four and five million acres, it will be realised that, should anything like the present proportions lie maintained, an area should be available for European settlement sufficient to meet the land-bung', r for years to come.

After dealing with tariff reductions, estimated by Sir Joseph Ward at £405,250, and Civil Service classification, a subject that must evoke universal interest was broached—a general scheme of annuities. Tlie Premier announced that opportunity would be afforded the employees of municipalities, couuty councils, and all local bodies to secure the advantages of some similar system of superannuation to that granted to all branches of the Civil Service. Outside employees of public bodies, however, the great majority of the Dominion's workers are to be found, and it is the Premier's intention to submit a scheme next session under which reasonable provision for every section of the community will be provided. Mi evolving a scheme of universal insurance against poverty in old age, the Premier is facing an actnarial problem the solution of which would lie acclaimed by public opinion.

The remarkable prosperity New Zealand has for years enjoyed is increasingly reflected in the revenue returns, which for the ten months of the present financial year exceed those of the corresponding period of the preceding year by over half a million sterling, and the Premier estimates the increase to reach three-quarters of a million bv the end of March. That no difficulty' has been experienced in raising all authorised loan money and making arrangements ill advance to meet the greater portion of the £8,250.000 debentures falling due during the next three years, on satisfactory terms, is but the natural corollary of our financial buoyancy, and unanswerable proof that New Zealand securities occupy an unassailable position in the money market,

The incessant and hitherto inadequately answered appeals of North Island settlers for "roads, more roads." would seem to have at last touched a respondent chord in the Government policv, under which Taranaki should profit. Tlie Premier proposes, in addition to the large but inadequate sum now allocated iiunnally for roads, to provide a special sum of c-200.000 a year for five years to be spout -in certain portions of the country which require more attention in the way of roading than otln-1-s. From following n course sin h a- this." s:i,l Sir Joseph, "it will have the principal advantage of providing for some of the most necessitous roads in the couutrr. and it will enable those concerned, after the passiiig «,f the first vote, lo know exactlv what amount, and upon what road, for a period of live years this expenditure will be incurred."

nil the subject of-immigration, we are constrained to think the Governmeit should adopt a more vigorous -policy than that at present being pursued. That a general scheme of unrestricted immigration is neither politic nor desirable, we agree with the Premier, but there is no gainsaying the fat-t that the Dominion from practically end to end is at the present moment understaffed. It seems to us that it only requires the putting into operation of' the administrative machinery that already exists in the Dominion and at Home to initiate a bold and comprehensive immigration scheme on sound lines. Shortage of farm labor, domestic labor, factory female labor, and in manv trades' and manufactories skilled labor, is seriously hampering enterprise and development. Instead of, as at present, bringing immigrants out "on spec," as' it were, we are convinced that by extending the functions of the Labor Department to supply labor where it is unobtainable, the usefulness of that Department would lie greatly enhanced, to the immediate benefit of tlie Dominion. Call it contract labor or not, it is surely sounder business to have every immigrant a producing factor i n the community from the moment of his arrival than 'to have labor ageneie, scouring around to find employment to suit his particular training. By this means, also, only tiV classes of labor of which the colonv j stands in actual and urgent need would lie attracted, at the people's expense

In his delerii)inan«n to prevent the pollution of New Zealand by the yellow races of Asia, Sir .losepli inis the support of the great majority of the people and Ins scheme offering the dual purposes 01 lessening the attraction this country unfortunately possesses f,„these undesirable immigrants, and nt the same time rendering productive a'l 1 '" '< measure sclf-sopporting our prisons' population, is on,, worthy of being trie! "'." /''''"'"'i- proposes to establish, on -uitalile areas near the principal ,-ili-s market gardens to be worked by pri-' -oners, and thus break up the Chinese monopoy and supply the people with that a most unobtainable commodity vegetables grown by Europeans The prisoner,, he propo.es. s |,„ llM ,„, -, ■"•'•'"ding t,. the work they perforin, and ~"'■ "'"'"'.V 11-cd to ,„,,,„„■, tllt'il- wiyo, ■'"' ;l''P"iidanl. and to ,|ofra.v the ~„, "' Hie upkeep ol H,o ~, !<„„„. T|„, usefulness ~t the -advances to settlers and workers is i-uncoiled by alnio-t every J'""- and Sir .|„sop], has' every reason to ieel gratified with the results of the scheme, under which no less a sum than Ui,.i-!(i.3-I.) lias l.ee„ loaned to l!)I7o settlers, and £1!i,5.-)40 in 777 worker--111 the preceding lines we have little more than indicated a few of the more salient points in a masterly speech; with the interesting portion dealing with the Government's attitude towards socialism j ■»ii\ defining (he aims of Liberalism we shall take an early opportunity of dealing. ' I