HON. R. M'NAB ABROAD.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 303, 18 December 1908, Page 4

HON. R. M'NAB ABROAD.

HIS VIEW OF THE ELECTIONS. Discussing with a representative of the Sydney Daily Telegraph the elections held in the Dominion, Mr M'Nab stated that from the Government's point of view there would be more than a good ■working majority in the new Parliament. It had to be remembered that in the last Parliament the Government had a phenomenal majority, and wound up with practically only 15 or, at tile most, 10 members, arrayed against it in a House of 80. That was a position too inconsiderable by its onesidedncss to lie maintained. Now the Government could count on a working majority of twenty-six. Despite the large majority of last Parliament, there were many of the important Hills upon which the Government could only gain a majority of twelve or thirteen, so that the real majority was not equal to the nominal une. The Government

party, as now constituted, had comparatively few changes. There were some cases where new men had got in at, the cost of old members on the same side; others, at the 'cost of the Opposition. While the Über.il party had comparatively few new men elected, there were quite a number of men in the minority uf (he Opposition. As a lighting piece of machinery therefore, Sir Joseph Ward should be fairly well satisli d with what the election had given -lim. Asked if he considered that the increase to the ranks of _Mr Massey (Leader or the Opposition) showed any growing feeling against tlie Go\eminent in the Dominion, -Mr M'Xab sniil he did not think no. The most important electioneering cry of the Opposition had nothing to do with the alleged decadence of the Liberal party. He referral

to the dairy regulations. The Government recently took over the inspection of dairies throughout the Dojimnoii, and suggested regulations '\vefle prepared and sent to the Stock Committee. Thcv were considerably modilied by the Committee, and now stood as submitted bv tlie Committee. The interference with the operation of the dairymen was used for all it was worth, as til • savin" was, by the Opposition, anil there was no doubt that the elections in Taranaki, Waimrapa, the vicinity of Wellington, and llatiuira (-Mr M'Xab's own electorate) were affected thereby. It was estimated that live elections were

!iHefted by that cry alone. If the estimate of liuiiiy in New Zeahiud to-Jay was correct, outside the dairy regulations the Opposition would have gone back no stronger than they were last Parliament. That was why he held that the change did not indicate a swing of the political pendulum. Tire truth in connection with the dairy inspections would be realised beyond possibility of misrepresentation by next election. Speaking of the Second Ballot, which was held at the elections for the first time, Mr M'Nab said that its supporters were not so numerous its bcl'ore the elections. Contrary to tile gvne.'.il expressed opinion, the voting at Hie second ballot was very strong. J ll co 1with twenty-two seats there were only 3,000 or 4,000 less votes man at the General Election, and ill some

there was actually an increase ot \ot- ! ing recorded. Ia 110 case could it be j said that the second election was neglected. Candidates alleged that in some instances the voles at the second ballot were cast to punish men who had spl't the vote in tire iirst election, but ill the majority of cases the retiring candidates oil the same side threw in tliei." oar with the remaining candidate. This was notably the case with the Llawke's Hay election, 'where the varjious Liberal candidates 'combined to Mote for Mr Dillon, thereby defeating Sir William Russell. On t'lie whole, lie would say that there was a character istic of the second election, and that the party vote followed the party man, but there were some exceptions to it. In one or two electorates the candidates stood because the second ballot ensured that they would not be splitting 'lie Liberal vote —so they alleged.

It was certainly worthy to note the phenomenal number of second ballots tluit had to be fought out, remembcrthat all the electorates were single one*. No fewer than twenty-three out of seventy-six European seats had to he voted for a second time, it might lie considered, therefore, that the first 'effort of the, second ballot tended la increase the number of candidates. Mr M'Laren (Labour) had practically declared himself a supporter of the Govcrimieut between the lirst and second ballots. The tendency of the second ballot was to reduce the number ot parties.

"The features of the local option poll,'' declared Mr. MeNab, ''were the enormous increase of the vole and I lie fact that the No-license sentiment lias uo\v travelled north of' Cook strait. In days gone by it was confined to the South Island. This year live of (he eleclorates in the North Island voted No-license, iiuul (irev Lynn retained Xo-licens'e. Of Lho dUtricts that hiivi' been lor some time under No-licens", with tin- exception of Ashburton, wJiieii was under social conditions, the .sentiment remains about the same. In sonic cases the apparent weakening of the No-license sentiment was duo to the fact that tile restoration of licenses was considered hopeless, and little work was done. Large centres, like the City of Dunedin, "were considered this time to l»e hanging in the balance, and it is generally believed that another election will see. further Nodie'ense areas." What of the revival of the agitation of Dominion Option oil a bare majority basis? —"Well, an attempt to ootain the bare majority was defeated in the last Parliament, but it may be anticipated that a movement will eome from the Temperance party asking for a majority less than three-iifths, such as n .m per cent, majority. It has -not been discussed publicly, but, judging from what J have heard, I would not lie surprised to see it put forward. The re* ipiest to the last Parliament lor a hare majority was a mistake in tactics." It lias been claimed that 'even in present conditions Xo license enn be expeeled all over Xcw Zealand within tv\i years ?—" Ido not agree with that estimate.' replied Mr M'Nab, "luil there is no doubt that ten years will produce enormous changes." Questioned as to the peculiar position of the people of New Zealand increasing their consumption of litjuor simultaneously wit]] the increased aeniand for t.he closing of the bars. Mr M'Nab said that he could 'not explain il. To him it was a mystery. Inferring to the Government's land legislation, .Mr M'Nab said to a representative of the Sydney Morning Herald "Of course, to understand the -reason for our Land Bill you must remember what we had to deal with at the time. We had, in some parts ot the Dominion, a demand for land on some very large private estates. We had also on the Statue Book legislation providing for the compulsory taking of large estates and subdividing them. This compulsory purchase and subdivision was being done at the rate of about half a million sterling per annum,' and yet the demand was not Iwing! met. We decided not to go in for I'ur-j tiier borrowing powers, but to try and meet the ever increasing demand hv the imposition of a heavy graduated' tax, which commenced at £40,000, and rapidly increased until a taxation of V/, per cent \va« reached. In assessing the land, we assessed what a man occupied, not what lie owned. We found that if we assessed ownership it was evaded, and the only way was to assess occupancy, so that If a man occupied ■200.0(10 ncre* as a tenant he paid on that area. That was one aspect of our hind proposal-. A furthor aspect was the provision to save a remnant of Die national estate as an endowment for education and old age pensions. W 1 took iUM.MMHJU acres, fur the most part pastoral country, but including m»iii agricultural and sonic town lands. Th * I revenue from this at -present is not great, but we hope that by reserving it it will mean in years to conic a fairly decent revenue. There is no doubt that the portion of our land legislation which produced the greatest light again-t us was the graduated land taxation. 11 roused up the wealthy la-id-ho)der< and brought their full powe s ! into tii> field. They endeavoured to gel the -(mall man to believe that we had started with the big man. but would later go on to the little man. Outside

that, however. ;i lierc-o light waged round what is known us tile 'giving of llic freehold.' The late Sir -lotin M'Ko"izil' ]l;l'1 ;l !<!»n years' l«»ii-c ill! rodllc <1 in 1S!I!I. ami wo found great numbers of these leases in existence when we took olliee. bands under tile Land for Settlements Aet wore di-posedof under Hint, tenure, nnd ordinary Crown lands were jjivon ns loa.=ej in perpetuity. In putting our legislation on the Statue Hook «(.' save tin' rifrlil of tlie freehold In the (111!) vears' tenants of the Crown

lauds, but aiot to tenants of lands bold '■ trader tile Land for Settlements Act. This occasioned some hostility from the latter, and, further, the terms 011 which we gave it to the Crown lauds—namely, at the present value as opposed to the original lvalue —were objected "to 'l>y, some. The Government were cliaryi'd with being a Leasehold Government, while, as a matter of fact, it was tli; first Government to give the freehold to the long leaseholders, But because it would not give it to them all and

for every tenure, and because they would not give it at the original value, they were dubbed a. Government o< ; Land Rationalisers anil Socialists, sonic people going so far as to add ' Single Taxcrs' under the impression that if was an acute form of Socialism. I be-' licve our graduated taxation proposals will in future years lie I'nundl to bring immense quantities of private land into the market. The merit is that wlrn it is in the market other huge landholders cannot buy, because they themselves <flre feeling tile pressure of the taxation on what tlicy already bold,. Some of our largest, landholders are coming across to Australia and buying, hind in the Commonwealth, at the same I time selling land in Xe\v Zealand." (