The Daily News SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17. MR. BELLRINGER'S SPEECH.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 252, 17 October 1908, Page 2

The Daily News SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17. MR. BELLRINGER'S SPEECH.

It is not the easiest of tasks to open a political campaign to the fullest advantage before public interest and enthusiasm has reached election pitch, and before au opponent has provided openings through which, without being personal, to challenge his platform. The amlress delivered bv .Mr. Bellriiiger, candidate for the Tar.'iuaki .scut, at New Plymouth on Thursday n'glit, showed that he was ;i(»l cognisant of any tactical disadvantage as would have impressed itself ou a less experienced platform speaker bring his first si ot in a campaign, on the contrary, he delivered a lliiem. well-received verbal exposition of the merits of the dominant political party whose interests he la representing in this election.

Mr. Bellringcr's opening remarks dealt principally with his personal position as tile representative of the Government Pin ly. and he had no difliculty in justifying his claim to be the ollicial candidate of the liberal Party. He further made it clear that he hail not wavered in his allegiance to the general policy of the Government, ami although he had previously stood as an Independent Liberal, lie had since, by reason of the Cabinet having been greatly streiiglliviiod. as ho had ad vocal ed'it should he. been able to throw in his lot whole-heartedly with the Ward Government. .Very naturally he urged that Sir Joseph Ward, as the leader of the Government, having at the direct request of the Party in Taranaki, selected the speaker to represent the Liberal interests, Government sup-

porters should sink minor differences and ensure that there should not again be division in the ranks. While it is a laudabfl desire on the part of an individual to aspire to represent his fellows in the nffair» of government, tbu party system obviously exacts a considerable " amount of loyalty, and oft-times self-sacrifice and seii-efface-ment. it is a well-known fact that of the three candidates who aspired for file Government support at the late bye-election, Mr. Dockrill's claims and chances were considered paramount to those of Mr. Bcllringer and Mr. Malone. On that occasion Mr. Rellr'mgor Lowed to the decision of the Party, and loyally used his influence in support of the selected candidate, who succumbed politically to a combination of circumstances which it is unnecessary again to review.

The subject matter of Mr. Bi-U.ingcrs address, naturally, being Hie opening eli'ort, was largely cuiiiined lo a icuew of tile legislation of tlie Governmc.it. In his defence of the second ballot, lie is not likely to be challenged; tins Act. cleared of its obnoxuus "gag" clauses, ■beiii" "dierally accepted as a fair and lo ensure absolute ma ■oriiy rule. lie had no difficulty in 1 proving, from the h.,.i of the leaders of tlie Opposition, that Hie colony's finances wei'e in a lieallhy condition, and that the once di.-putcd surplus was a real one. Dealing with the cry raised against th« Gevvtimi.ent regarding unexpended votes, a cry, by the way that .Ins .been heard ever since the .Publm Works' policy was initiated, lie struck the (rue solution when concurring with (he Premier's slater,., nt that the remedy might .be found in the altering of the end of the financial year. So Ion" as Parliament meets in the win-. \ tei" it is .manifestly impossible that i monev for work can be voted until s'ev--1 oral mont'hs of the financial year, which ! commences on April Ist, have gone by. I The difficulty then is to spend all the smns allocated for works before the year has ended on 31st March. The en't'ineers are obviously unable to prepare their specilie.Uions or lay of work until thev are aware how much money is available for individual works. Tenders have then to l.v called or contracts let and men secured, and the eouiincncimeirt of tic work is delayed or accelerated aecordinsjlv as labor is scarce or I plentiful, and the weather unfavorable or otherwise. There is only one of two remedies, either that Parliament should sit during the summer months (a proposal not ' likely to be, received with favor) or the financial year should lie altered lo end on 30tili September. In advocating this change, we are satistied the candidate would be on tile right course, one calculated lo end at once, the dissatisfaction caused through unexpeiulilure of voles. lie coiubaticd the asserlion that the stringency of tiie money market was due m the slightest degree to the 100yeminent borrowing within the Dominion, and showed thai, over a period of 5 cars, the Government had borrowed from the A.M.P. and the Auckland Savings .Bank—the fwo institutions specifically named by the Opposii ion—only an average of ,t'40,000 a year, in advocating that whilst taxation should be confined as much as possible lo revenue purposes, lie agreed that the. protection of many of our industries, during their infancy. w*s rn the best interests of the people as a whole. ■ Mr. Bellriiiger had little difficulty in making out a good case for the Government in connection with the universally acclaimed Department of Advances to Settlers. The existence of the Ads vances to Settlers Office, which during the twelve months ending 31st July last loaned to farmers no less than .■61,430.033, had directly prevented the price of money being raised from one to two per cent. The liberal terms upon which the Government money was obtainable, resulted in an unprecedented demand, and the resources of the Department had been almost exhausted. As a result, and to meet the increasing claims, the Government had asked and obtained from Parliament unanimous consent to obtain, if required, another million of money for lending to farmers and worker's. Taranaki lias every reason Ic, Oe thankful for the existence of this great Depart ment of Stall', and if is not likely to be forgotten that while the present Premier was one of Che strongest advocates of coming to the assistance of farmers with cheap money, the Opposition of that period were bitterly opposed lo I il. ' I

Jlr. Uellringer declared himself a believer m tiie optional tenure system in land, and pointed to the fact that the Coverumeni was putting on the market for sale J,US!i,OTO acres of native laud as a reply to the sWun.-cnt tout i.ue (iovernntcnt was opposed to the freebold tenure, lie gave his strong support to the Government's Land Settlement Associations, by which the Government proposed 10 assist associations of ten or more individuals to purchase blocks of land of not less than U4U acres for sub-division amongst themselves, the Government providing the purchase money on debentures at the low rate of iy, per cent., payable in 21 years. The candidate also expressed f lii| belief in tile wisdom of the State retaining an interest in sufficient, pubIk- lands fur reserves and endowments. On the labor question, Mr. Uellringer, shaking from experience as an employer, defended the right of labor to combine, pinning his failli -on conciliation as a menus of settling disputes. His allusion to tho -.plondid example given industrial workers by Ibe success of the co-operative establishments belonging to Tar.vnnki farmers opened the way to a big c|iiesiion, and one Hi«t many employers of labor have

found lipireficinl to themselves] their business and their workers -the application of the co-operative system to industrial concerns. (Jive a man a guaranteed wage, and an interest, however small, in the profits of iiis labor, and all concerned must benefit pecuniarily as veil as from the ensuing harmony of relations.

On (lie railway we are entirely at one wild the speaker, as we lielicvc will al-o be tin.' majority of ripjUil-.thiiikins; clcclin>. in his advocacy of (lie shikiii" of every eonstriiolion •proposition in Tavanaki in order that .■very olVort sliouid he direct.d on tile speedy construc-tini, of liie Mruffor.li\lain Trunk lino. We can also give our support lo file candidate', defence policy ill iiclvocaliii'i ilic compulsory (rniainn; of mir voulh. Jlore oneournf.'cinonl, to rifle chilis is likcwi-c a proposal thai.; •lias our lienrly •.•ii,|o l -cn,cn). The su-; iieranniia'tion schemes, rind (ho appointment of the Hon. Hall-Jones to (lie TTi.S'li C'oinmissionorsliip wore nmonast other matters touched upon, Ih-e propriety of which is no( likely (o he questioned. On. (lie much-d,iscus=o<l question of dairy regulations. Mr. licllrinjror ilefended tile procedure adopted lvr tho (Jovermiiont in 'ascertaining the wishes I

of the farmers before finally deciding cu the dairy regulations, and dunned that tlie. regulations, as now amended, are in tile host interests of tlie industry. Although ;l great deal of unnecessary alarm was created when tlie Government's proposals first appeared, wo believe that tile great bulk of tile farmers have learned blurt they have a'hsolntely nothing to fear from their operation. JYom lire splendid hearing accorded Mr. liellringcr, (lie entire absence ol' .irrelevant interruption, 01 question of liis views, it limy be safely assumed Unit his candidature, person ally ami politically, ; s , 10 t received" wit!: disfavor by tlie electors.