GOVERNMENT POLICY SPEECH

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 255, 21 October 1908, Page 3

GOVERNMENT POLICY SPEECH

[_ THE PBEMUER AX FEILDING. I" B; lelcgraph.-—Press Association. Fcildiag, Last Nignt. The Drill Hall was packed this evening, wl'en Sir Joseph Ward delivered a policy speech a great deal on fltc Maes of tne one at Palmerston last night, but the following new matters ■were dealt with:— . PROGRESS OF THE DOMINION.

Referring to the progress of the Dominion, Sir Joseph quoteu aiaiiaiics showing tihat during the seven years from 1800 to 1897 the population had increased by 48.00 per cent; imports by 178.1)7; exports by luUtw; New Zealand produce exports by 100.82 per cent; Customs revenue by !)!).78; excise duties l)y 100.11; butter exports increased by 843.315; cheese by 485.48; frozen meat by 101.07. SETTLING WORKERS ON THE LAND.

He considered that special efforts

thould be made by the Government on the lines they had already initiated of •ettling workmen on Hie public works an land in the vicinity. Two years ago in the Financial Statement, tiiis (had been outlined. No rent would be fhid for the first three years, avm alter that Kie rental to be paid in the usual manner, tluig enabling a man to go up•n a small piece of land rent free, and afterwards the rent of thoso iljree yi'ars to be added to the rent being paid. Workmen of six months' branding are to be treated this way. The Tevenue on timber from this land is to be paid into a special fund, for his use under restrictions preventing speculation. The land would be leased to workmen for 06 years, and they would thus be 'encouraged to settle in the vicinity of- the land, instead of drifting back to the towns, and would thus become New Zealandere attached to" the soil in tne true sense ol the iword. REPLY TO AN ALARMIST.

H«then referred to the BUU*m»at made by Mr. George Windw, a candidate for a Wellington seat in tilie Liberal interest, who recently resigned the chairmanship of the central Wellington kranch of the Literal Federation, to the effect that whilst supporting I3ie general policy of a Government which was honestly trying to do justice to every person in the land, he wished tp wain the country that New Zealand vieg face to face with a great crisis. Mr Winder went on to say that hs disclaimed tone role of an alarmist, but it was to the alert business man impost-; sible to be blind to the sign that fin/ ancial stringency stared New Zealand In the face. The elections were to take place early because the Government expected news of great portent in regard to the London money market in December.

There was nothing, said Sir Joseph, that d'd more harm to New Zealand, and he was not only alluding to Mr. Winder, but to the cry of "stinking fish" set up by people who ought to know better, especially wfoen the finantial position of the country was strong and impregnable. The statements made by Mr. Winder and the meaning which might be attached to them had no justification at all, so iar as ute Government were concerned. At any rate, all tiheir financial arrangements had been made for montas tu cvmc, and tiiey were not in the slightest degree dependent upon the state of the London money market. The Government was not leaning on its basks, and the Government was never in a stronger position than it was to-day.

Then as the reference to the date of the election made by Mr. Winder, that bed nOthng to do at all with

THE MONEY MARKET. ] As a matter of fact, the elections were fixed for a date somewhat similar to the usual time after the rising of Parliament, and in doing so all that had keen looked up was that the day should not conflict with the shows at Palmer-! (ton, CSiristchiirch, Oamaru, and Dunedin, and should not bring the second ballot too close to Christmas. He .said he had many times posed as a prop'irct in matters financial, and a successful prophet at that, and he was going to prophesy again this time. He formulated tic opinion that the existing" stringency ia the money market would he over by December next, and he bas.ed that upon the belief that productiveness of the Dominion in the direction of butter, aiheep and other produce would have brought, to the market such a large output that an enqrmous amount of the indebtedness to the banks would have been paid. In addition to that, he personally knew of very large sums of money which were coming to New Zealand in the near future for investment. STANDING TO THE FARMERS AND WORKERS.

, In this connection it was only fair to the Government to point out that while the Advances to Settlers and Advances to Workers Department uan It-nt to settlers over throe millions of mo ney, yet while monetary institutions throughout the colony had been taking advantage of the stringency of the money market to squeeze high rates of interest out of the necessitous Miller, the splendid. Government Departments be had alluded to had never raised th-o. rates of interest one sixpence. THE SECOND BALLOT.

•After referring to the "gag" clause ;of the Second Ballot Act, he dealt with. the question of proportional represen iatkui. In Queensland, the Premier said, the system was a failure because "only five per cent, of the people going ;to the ,)0l! used the preferential vote, and the only way to make that system perfect was to compel every man u> jKe his contingent vote, and that was an impossibility. He had eonre to the. conclusion that the only way to let ihe people 6ay which man was the po-1 puku choice was to have an election between two men, and tilic second 'allot gave that. In a country where the second ballot had been in use lor 40 years it had been found that more people went to the poll on the second occasion than on the first, and he felt sure tlwt the supporters of a candidate would support him on the second occasion as on the first. Personally, he apprehended no difficulty in the working of the second ballot in New Zea-

land. THE QUESTION OF DEFENCE. In connection with tJie questira of defence, he pointed out that there was a development going on in the Old World that they could not shut their Byes to, viz., the race for the siiprc-. macy in commerce. "In our small way w« should do our part as effectually as we can," he said. "First of all ■we have carried out a system of preferential trade to the Old World which lias not gone as far as it should go., •but H showed we were earnest in our desire to do our share, and for the reason that the real protection to our products is to be obtained from the British Navy we should have given £IOO,OOO a vear towards it." He was certain that the heart of New Zealand "■was in favor of that grant, but wc had to safeguard any insidious system of militarism in this country in the shape of compulsory military training being driven down the throats of tne people j of the Dominion. New Zcalanders should be practical and re, ognise•there was need for internal del once lhe existing military system was ;1 o as good ns it mi"ht be. and it was their duty to see limit it was effective, and tnat the voung men were trained to be of. fectivt! soldier*, to reduce the age ol volunteers to Hi. and to see that sencol «ulets passed into tile volunteer corps. It was upon those lines they ought to ' work, and upon those lines the Government was working. He referred briefly to the necessi.y to keep New Zealand for the white •race The people were determined to kwe.il out the Asiatic races, to keep the white race of the colony pure, and tiro onlv wav was to ensure that was to make sure that the Dominion was strong in defence, the men of the Dominion were traineil for its defence, and that nothing likely to -tn-nstlion the position of the colony was On the motion of Air. E. 1 . f .abb. a vo t e of thanks was passed to the Premier and confidence in the Government was carried with enthusiasm.