THE PREMIER IN TARANAKI.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 133, 27 May 1908, Page 3

THE PREMIER IN TARANAKI.

IT,: EPEECH AT ELTIIAM. VIGOROUS DEFENCE OF THE CO- - VEKXMENTS POLICY. (By Telegraph.—By Our Special Reporter). • Elthaui, Last Sight. The Premier addressed a meeting at Elthaui to-night. The Athenaeum Hal! was crowded to the doors and great numbers were unable to gain admittance. I]is Worship the Mayor presided. The Premier was well received. lie congratulated the people of New Zealand on tin l interest they took in its affairs, which resulted in much uf their legislation lieing adopted by many other countries of the world. Men in America, Canada, and elsewhere were by every mail applying to us for information concerning the advanced legislation I of New Zealand with the object of endeavoring to do something similar ior the people of their countries. Sometime* our people were i LIABLE TO FUKUET

what had bt-eii dono fur tliem. The individual in New Zealand had so improved hi-i position that he forgot what the position once was, and forgot also those who obtained for them those better conditions. Speaking retrospectively regarding

LAND SETTLEMENT, ie reminded thorn of the great battle that had been fought to break down the old systems. The spending power o; the people engaged on the land had been increased by over five millions by bringing into operation the Advances to £ettteru' Act. Last year the Government loaned £1,303,000 to men on the land >nd men to obtain homes in cities and the country. Although some people were endeavoring TO RAISE XilE INTEREST,

the Government was still lending at the tame old rate. So long as they nad that powerful engine in tneir midst, the people need not be afraid of the int.-rct ieing raised. This year the Government would be lending JtI,(iUO,OUU, and Were getting back JtitlU.WO annually I from those who had borrowed. LAST SESSION'S WORK

Curing last session they had put legislation on the Statute llook which the bitterest opponents of the Government could not but admit was for material benefit of the great majority of the people of the country. He traced tlie aistory of Maori land and the legislation of last year, and stated that next •essiou 1,750,000 acres of native land would be ready and available for settleBent, as a result of the work of the Native land Commission. After making provision for the Maoris the whole ol the balance would be made available, half under freehold with limitations, and half under leasehold with limitations. The Maoris would be provided with the necessary cash from the sale of their lands to enable them to work the lands allotted to them. In answer to critics, who asked why the Government did not administer all native lands, he replied the land belonged to tinMaori*. Some people were Hitting about telling them that the Government were,

NATIONALISED OF THE LAND. There were thousands who were prospering on the land who never could have got there at all had the old system ■till been obtaining. Under the syv tem'now in operation, town* such as EUham were growing into active communities because of the clus© settktsent of the land, and to-day they were now endeavoring to give to the people in England, Ireland, and •Scotland land legislation yearn and yean behind what obtained in Xew Zealand. The object of oar legislation was to prevent a system to take root to wiablo any power of money to tic up the land as in the* s£l .World. Ho was not a Jielievcr in land nationalisation. Tlie charge that Ihe Government was going in for land nationalisation was instanced by the fret that last year land was srt for endowment*. That land was not, nor could it have been, nationalised, because it belongetl to the country really In-fore the Act was ever pas>e<L Twenty-five years ago the proent Opposition Party set aside thousand* of acre* of land for endowment of education, harbor*, etc., but that was not land-nationalising. Nationalising meant that nien would be compelled to give their land up tn the State to ie.-i-e out. If that principle were possible it ought to have been done before the white man {Hirc-ha«eil land in New Zetland. Today it would mean to start land nationalisation one hundred millions sterling, and the end could only be financial ruin anil disaster. OPENING VP AND SbTTUN'C, LAND. The Government, however, went *o far as to say that no man should become a t great landed proprietor. As a result ot the Land Act, cutting up lanflH chutes, of over £40,000 on very last, in lands for settleand the hind opened by the State.

No Government dare repeal the land ■ettlement legislation in operation, so long «s there was a system of seenrity of tenure, which he claimed they li.nl in New Zealand. No farmer; could urge

that an unrestricted area should l>e •Tailalde to any man. XEW ZEALAND PROSPKRITV

•was based on the fact that we were producing that which other nations of the world could not get enough of, and so long a' that obtained we need have no lear for the man on the land and th,e prosperity of the whole country. On the question of taxation, Sir Joseph Claimed that no country in the world showed an equal amount of realisable {wealth aa New Zealand, which now out- J stripped the countries till recently in a better position. The Premier referred to {the drop in wool. They had gone through prosperous times and the result was abnormally high pricos, which ruled for three years. He referred to the causes of the present fall as being the mult of the-financial panic in America im.l the dislocation in Gfcrmany, but, epeaking with a knowledge of statistics and the requirements of the people of the world, be believed it would not be long before wool would again attain a fair value Because there was a black cloud in the sky they should not cry -"Pcccavi.'' All their eggs were not now in one basReferring to the pro?[>erity of uie c-o ibnv, the Premier quoted the figure? of the past financial year showing unprecedented revenue It \vu-. h<- claimed, vital to all that we should not in public finances have anytliiug in the shape of a weakness.

THE COUNTRY'S FINANCE Referring to attacks on the finances of the colony, he held that no nian ; without just cause should l>e allowed to foul hi-i own nest. In December he stated that at the end of March money would be as cheap and plentiful in London as it was before, despite the Aiiu-ri-an panic, and he h-id l* 0 '"" pr" l "' ■' | to be rijtht. b,.t 1,- u"' -\<» l "" rye. iu- i'"' U, ' ,t ,ll '' ' v " , '"'r' ' the croakers illicit li.im; j> l-.'-l n '"' l ; Iverv .nan who had an interest in 1 country should stand by the Mini-I"' for Finance in tunes of *•' P r ' - Bion such IU America recently 1«"«1 through, instead of croaking.

TAXxVriUN. Sle Haiined tliiit during tin- «h"!e tcr | n the Li'wral Government ''-"l office onlv one Ad had l>ecn pa^cd when-ill there hid au increase of taxation, viz, Hi" graduated land tax! of last ?c 3 sioii. Uu the other hand, the (Jovernment had given hack tl*W>oo in remissions and reductions of taxation, which consequently was saved l.y tu" community. No sane man v.ould s?<» oa "ivin" renii—ions unle-s lie was cominc!!d tin- inlouy's finances were in a healthy condition. JI'I'F.RAJTNt ATION. He proceeded to deal with the Civil fjervfev Superannuation Act of last vcar, and stated lie pr.>|>o-cd to p-u-e proposal* Ix-fore Parliament to enaMe any man or woman in the Dominion to eecure for themselves superannuation. He claimed it was l»th practical and po«il>le and would do no injury to the colony Imt untold good to individuals. Oi l; ARBITRATION' LAW'S.

Referring' to ooii'-iliation and srhitrn i tion, "ne urged, in reply t" wrker. and j lh.it the A« 1 -houhl imt repealed. What wa, wani-d «a- that* WeaknCHO* should tie fund "111 and re medial measures applied. Tin' |"-|.V had short mem'-riiM who laliexed that the Act was originally to pre. en •trikes. He claime.l that it- fir-t , '!• ' t waj to put an end to the cruel -\\eating thai was proved to c»x ,,s t in th«' <o,«»h . . The Act had made that impn--i ; >. (Applau«e). The ;-reat majority of the employers in the colony p-nirmheiv.l the unfair eompetiti'oi of -weatcd i.i'an* prior to the pa;.;,,™ the A<-t all ! did W>t want the Act p-pealed. What «,i. M-aiiled xva, that «sed on either -i,|,. )„,• 1 1,,. ,; M . tem lie improved. ,| ia( i,.',', r rai , employee cnnM » ork own interests. They should n-t ",nr•Se labor beuig at the throat ot ..-apita-l

aud vice versa. The groat majority of jwojite would always support aagainst force. Those who a--kvd for rejealing never thought of tin* consei|iienccs. lu reply to critics, lie 'aid it was not the Government who had |>nt an employer in Auckland in gaol, ami it wa» lint the Government who prevented the West Coast miners going lo gnol. I Tile Courts abmo were responsible for I thi- administration of justice. He re-1 |M'aC\l in decided term- hi~ conviction that strikers should not lie iinpri.-oncd

lor striking. That was not the solu-i tion of tile diHinilly, for men would go | to prison unashamed and l.eli<-\ iie.;. ipghlly or wrongly, that I hey were imprisoned because of >"iiie pr'in iple \'t :>I to themselves. The Aet. however, rei|uired amendment to entorce tile payment of tines, which was the only means to inaki till- men realise that they cannot trille with the law.

the yellow peril. lJealiug with the "Yellow Peril,'' lie claimed it was one of the things we were bound to bother ourselves about, as it would force itself upon our notice. The one thing we approved of as a people was that we were going to stand for the white race, in which he included the Maoris, for Xew Zealand. The shadow of the Chinese was now right on the border of Australia. We should, h' ; slid, impress on all people the danger that lies ahead, and particularly the j

need to impress on the statesmen of the Old Country that this was one thing wo as a nice would fight against to the last mail and la«t woman. England OJuld not put into operation am t'realv affecting us without our consent, and we would never consent to anv treatv| with China that would give Chinese ait entry into our country, which tliey

vould enter in hordes if the opportunity were once afforded. He held that we I could not rely on our own efforts fo r defence, and therefore should recognise our liability and contribute a reasonable amount for the support of the navv instead of the small contribution of'tenpence per head per annum our population paid at present. He intended In I propose that the contribution be increased. (Applause).

THE FISCAL QIESTIOX. I On the fiscal question, he claimed it would be a good thing that Britain 'honld give her colnnies a small measure of trading preference The colonies he-1 lievod a system rould be put into operation without injurv to anv section of the community in England' or the cnloDies, and all that was asked was that statesmen at Home should meet us oil fair lines and dfccuSg the question, ]f all the self-governing countries, as C'an- | ada hail lately done with France were to make trading treaties with other countries tlian li,i t: ,i n j t woul( , the disintegration of the Empire COXCLIMOX. The Premier concluded with a fluent peroration, finishing a strong siieech of over two hours' duration, amid lond applause.

A vote of thanks and confidence in the Premier and the Government was earned unanimous v.