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MR. OKEY'S SPEECH.

■ Continuing our examination of Mr. Okey's speech from tile jioint where we left off yesterday, the first outstanding statement is Ins reference to the "trcmcnilous, increase in the public debt,'' which he characterised as matter or grave importance. Tlie fact that our annual interest charges amount to .02,527.070 per annum, "so that die colony now paid as much in interest as it borrowed each year.'' he characterised as ":iot a very j pleasing state of affairs." We confess we can see very little in. the analogy between the interest charges and our annual borrowing. l!y a similar species of reasoning would Hr. Okey say tire position was far less pleasing if the colony were to borrov. only one million next year, or to cease borrowing altogellUT': 'i'he inference of alalia at the increase of the public debt is onlv so much affectation: Did ill-, Okey or Ihe Opposition vote against any of the borrowing proposals? The occasion for alarm ended when file pre-eiu Oovernneys largely to reproductive works, and, as a matter of fact, the actual interest earned by the public debt is considerably greater than most people imagine, and the percentage of revenue absorbed to pay public debt charges'is steadily decreasing. In 18!lj\ it required .'iS.Oti per cent, of the revenue, but, last year the proportion had steadilv fallen to 2-5.80. Of the j;2.5.;H5.09U 'net increase in the public debt since 1891. when the present (tovonuhi'iit look office, nearly 20 millions is interest-bear-ing. The largest amount during thai term (.C10,>99,474.) lias been that spent ' on public works. Laud settlement has absorbed .tf)..l99,r>(j, loans to local bodies C2.4J8.100. loaa- which the (iovernmem lias negotiated simply to pass on. aiiil ivliich contributed ' more than anything el.-e to llie active settlement that has been proceeding in .\'e'.v

Zealand (hiring the. past, few wars What is the us,, of Mr. Okcy bewailing New Zealand increasing her indebtedness when Uic Govcrnrncit i* devoting the money to -H'li reproductive and ! advantageous purpose? \ol. only is liy fur t'll<• greater iirofiortion of ' the present Government', indebtedness paying interest, lint tlif Premier Ims Rime further jiml made provision to gradual-, ly repay loan money tu meet olilignlions in conned ion with which no sinking fund-, were .set apart. In this sum are included over £5,000.000 liorrriivo.il fur the purchase of estates and tlir Maori War loan. This in connection with our loans should occa-ion none of the grave misgivings that licit "Mr. Okey. and should further reassure those wiio profess to believe Hint the Ward | Government is extravagant and li.ianeially dangerous. The'solidify of Hie Government's financial .system cannot now be. questioned, and it is idle for Mr. Okey'to-bewail flic national in- ■ debtcdness when he knows perfectly well borrowing mini, continue until such •time ni our main publie work- »f development are completed. Mr. Okcv lelt no doubt in the iiiit.lt, of his hearers as ly his attitude on (he no-license i|iiestion, although lie expressed himself opposed to t'he absolute majority at the local option poll. There oan lie no disguising the fact that : loiisiilernblc. interest is being tah'U by i

the advocates of no-license in this question. Personally we arc distinctly not in favor of altering the present margin of majority . There is also this to be said, that should the number of prohibition electorates continue to increase, "the Trade" will before long be asking for a similar alteration in the Jaw lo that 'now advocated by the no-license people, it was only natural to expect that Mr. Okey would be against the Second Ballot Act. We do not consider there is anything in his contention that country people could not get away to vote twice within a week or so. Dealing with local affairs, Mr. Okey referred with pardonable pride to the passing of the New Plymouth Harbor Empowering Act. While not desiring in the slightest io! detract from Mr. Okey's stare of the credit, we think it is generally recognised throughout Taranaki thaf without the warm support accorded the Bill by the Premier and the Hon. Mr Millar, it could not, because of the contentious nature of many of its provisions and the jeopardous position it occupied on the last day for considering local Hills, (lave had the remotest chance of becom- , ing law.

In his support of tiie Stratford-Onga-rulie line we entirely agree with Mr. Okey, and it,is pleasing to observe that he gives tin*. Premier credit for fulfilling his promise to push on the line by increasing the vote this vear In .IMO.OOO. Mr. Okey's fairness ui this acknowledgment is in marked contrast lo Hie unfairness of Mr. iline. Opposition candid ale for Stratford, who could only see in this increased vote anil the increasing of Hie number of hands on the works, another instance of the Government rushing political supporters into tin-1 I electorate for the election. ,

Air. Okey ilnvbicd mine time to drilling with tile dairy regulations, but he could on I v acknowledge" t liat the provisions merely aimed at ensuring a clean supply of fiiilk. All the pin-pricks and all that was harmful in the nrijgiiaajl draft had been eliminated. There is, therefore, nothing in the much-abused dairy regulations to warrant any antagonism. As a matter of fact, and as we have previously pointed out, the 'now regulations, at their worst, were not anything like so "oppressive" as the penal provisions of the regulations fanners have been working under for years. And yet nothing was ever heard about them! Mr. Okey, while lie eairnot condemn the regulations, endeavors to make capita! out of what he calls "the cow-tax." Hut surely no reasonable i man can designate as a tax a charge ol 5s for registration of a dairy, of more, than 20 cows. At the same time there does not seem to be much necessity fov even a 5s tax. It is idle to compare the 5s registration fee with the sheep tax which the Government abolished quite recently. I;i addition to the Opposition proposals already outlined, Mr. Okey said the Opposition favored tin establishment of a Civil f>er vice Board. The Opposition is en titled to all .credit for this proposal which will certainly not ho adopted The country has had one experience o independent control of t. State Depart ment in the railways, and no new rea son has been shown why the control o the Civil Service should he taken on of the hands of Parliament. Notwith standing Mr. Okey's Opposition candid «ture, it was very evident from th matter of his adlr»ss that his criticisr is not of the carping, jaundiced ttypc as exemplified -by some of the Opptisi tion members, possibly because Mi Okey is fair-minded enough to recognis it is not warranted.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/TDN19081105.2.6

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 268, 5 November 1908, Page 2

Word count
Tapeke kupu
1,122

MR. OKEY'S SPEECH. Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 268, 5 November 1908, Page 2

MR. OKEY'S SPEECH. Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 268, 5 November 1908, Page 2

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