MEETING IN THE VOLUNTEER HALL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 985, 1 August 1882, Page 2

MEETING IN THE VOLUNTEER HALL.

A meeting' convened by Mr John Talbot, Chairman of the Tcmuka Rond Board, was held in the Volnutcer Hall last Saturday evening. There was a very good attendance, and Mr Talbot occupied the chair. The Chairman after haying read th» advertisement calling the meeting said that the requisition did aot state the objects for which the meeting had been called, although he thought it sufficient to warrant him in calling it. It left a v«ry wide scope for discussion. He understood that one question would be the construction of the Temuka-Oxford line, and as there was a bridge already erected he believed it would be more profitable work than the extension of the Albury line to Burke's Pass. The National Insurance proposals of the Government was another matter which might be considered. There were several matters of great importance which might be discussed, and he would now invite anyone who had any resolution to propose to come forward.

Mr Elisor paid ho had been a resident in the district for several years, and knew the Fairlie Creek to Burke's Paag proposed extension well. It would be simply * waste of money. It was proposed to be extended from Fairlie Creek to what was known as the Horse-shoe Bend. When once Fairlie Creek was left the land narrowed itself to a gorge through which it would be difficult to construct a liae. There was a very expensive road constructed there recently and the line would render this perfectly useless. The object of Government was to try to sell land in the Mackenzie Country, but that was nonsense. There was no agricultural land there. So far as ha could recollect it was all composed of sand, stones, Spaniards, and niggerheads, and the railway would do nothing more than bring down * few bales of squatter's wool. It would b« nothing more nor less than a politicaHin© calculated to benefit bankers and largo companies who were owners of land up there. A line from Temuka to Kakahu would assist in the settlement of thousands upon thousands of acres of first* | class land and open up the N coal fields that was in that district. A -bridge had already been constructed, and the lin» surveyed as far as Mr Hay's. This line wo\ild pay handsomely, and nothing was more absurd than the expenditure of money on the Fairlie Creek extension. It would be a great waste of public money. He moved —" That this meeting is of opinion that the extension of the Albury line from Fairlie Creek to Burke's Pass would be a waste of public money, a.id would request our representative in Parliament to ask the Government to re-allocate the amount proposed to be spent on that line to the construction of the Teniuka-Oxford line as far ai Peel Forest."

Mr K. F. Grey had great pleasure in seconding the motion. He quite agreed with Mr Elisor as regarded the uselesaneas of the Fairlie Creek extension. There was little or no agricultural land in that district. The line to Peel Forest would pay better than any branch line he knew of, and it would open up a good dea.l of agricultural land, besides the mineral wealth and timber trade of the district. It would be a mistake to take it oyer the Rangitata bridge. The bridge was too fur down the river, and it was not construrted suitably for a railway. The line should be constructed so as to tap the foot of the hills, and if that were done it would pay handsomely. He would not support the line being carried right throogh to Oxford. He would rather a loop line to join the Ashburton Forks line. The only thing the Fairlie'Creek line would do would be to enhance the value of big blocks of laud held by banks and big companies, which were now lying idle, and would be idle for a long time f Mr Talbot said he would not like to influence the meeting in any way, but he fully concurred in the opinions expressed by the mover and seconder of the resolution. If no one else had anything to say about the subject he would put the motion to the meeting. The resolution was then carried unanimously.

No one coming forward with any other business, Mr Talbot asked someone to take the chair, as he had something to

Mr Ensor having volunteered to take the chair, Mr Talbot proceeded to explain Major Atkinson's National Insurance scheme, which he s>id was worth looking into. He read several extracts from Hansard, which in effect have already been published, and expressed his opinion that if those proposals could be carried out they would do away with all distress and poverty. He doubted whether they were practicable as they stood, but something might be done in that direction. It was a great mistake to suppose that land monopoly was the cause of all the destitution in the country. The causes were various—sickness, accident, and vice were amongdt the most fruitful causes. These were not to be got rid of, but their effect must be ameliorated. The payments required from each person were large, but the benefits to be derived were correspondingly large. The scheme might be impracticable as a compulsory scheme. He thought good might be done by a voluntary scheme on a similar basis. There were numerous friendly societies and life insurance societies, but neither of these quite met the case. The friendly societies failed to reach a good many people. Catholics objected to join any secret society—and there was moie or less secrecy about friendly societies —but if a Government system was set on foot tliat objection would not be against i*, and there would be no paraphernalia, ro offices and buildings to keep up. Something should be done to secure the people in the future from the demoralising influence of poor laws, and the 'pocr basket' of the rich man's kitchen. One of Mnjor Atkinson's proposals, not corn' nected with his national insurance schema, could be,, very advantageously This was that the rents received from Crown lands should be set aside for necessitous widows, and to provide an endowment for each child born. There did not seem to he anything impracticable in that. He concluded by moving—" That in the opinion of the meeting Major Atkinson'* scheme of national insurance could be advantageously adopted by making the contributions voluntary instead of compulsory; and that the rents of CrowA

lands should be devoted to the endowment of each child born, and to provide for necessitous widows," As no one else took actbu in the nutter, Mr Gray said it appeared the proposal of a Compulsory Natienal Insurance did not take with the meeting, and he was glad of it, because it was the moßt vieionary scheme that could be proposed in a young country like this. No doubt there were a great meny cases of distress, but a very good provision was now made to meet theru in tin numerous friendly ■ocieties, aud m the Government life insurance. There was really nothing in the objection that the friendly societies were secret societies ; they were not so, and as a matter of fact several Catholics vere members of the local Oddfellows' Lodgo, There was nothing in the manner of conducting these societies to keep anyone, Jews or Gentile, out of them. But, ho had a subject to bring forward, and it was the want of a Resident Magistrate ia Temuka. Some time ago the/ had a Magistrate resident in Temuka, who found plenty to do attending the Courts allotted

to him—at Temuka, Ashburton, and

Geraldine. The Government beceming I • hard up' had to retrench, and the Magistrate was removed. It turned out that the country had not been so very hard up as was pretended ; public servants had had their pay restored, and it would be only in keeping with this step to restore public services that Lad been cut short. At present the administration of justice here was in a very bad state. The Resident Magistrate for the district had 100 much work to do, and vexations and costly adjournments had to be made. At the very least the Magistrate should be able to devote a whole day to each Court, but he could not do that ; he had scarcely sat down before he had to jump up again to catch a train for some other place, and the consequence was that lawyers had to be feed several times over. He would move the member for Geraldine be asked to interview the Government and point out the serious inconvenience suffered by this district, owing to the Resident Magistrate having too large a district to attend to, and endeavor to get a Magistrate appoinced for T«muka, Geraldiue and A.shburton." Mr B. Leach seconded the resolution. The Ashburton people had taken up the ■jf subject, and he for one would be glad to see some change either for better or for worse. The motion was carried unanimously. Mr F. Franks said he had a subject of considerable importance to bring before the meeting. He was surprised that the Colonial Treasurer, in considering the interests of the poor,did not think of what he was about to propose ; but perhaps he did, and had some special reason for holding it back, as it offered OJe means for removing destitution to a great extent. The destitution at present existing was due in a great measure to the effect of the property tax upon industries, as that tax restricted operations which should afford abundant room for the labor in the colony. The poorer classes suffered from not having the opportunities for bettering their condition that they ought : to hwe. The locking up of the good land in large unimproved estates was an immense drawback to the country. He understood that there was about a quarter of a million acres of good land in South Canterbury locked up in a very few estates. It was in the same way in Oamaru, and he bel eved Sir John Hall had about 100,000 acres lying idle. The value of these lands had been enormously enhanced by the expen i "diture of money for which all were taxed to provide the interest, and he eonsidered those lands should be charged with a fair ■hare of the burden, or the owners compelled to bring them under cultivation. The member for Geraldine promised at the hustings and on other occasions that he "would support a measure with that view, and they should remind him of his promise*. He would move—" That in the opinion of this meeting, with a view to the encouragement of the industries of the colony, both agricultural and mechanical, the property tax should be abolished, and a tax upon the uncultivated freehold land levied in its stead."

No one appearing willing to second this resolution it was on the point of falling through when Mr J. M. Twomey said that sooner than allow a subject eo important to lapse he would second it. He had .go intention of taking any actual part in the meeting, but he did not like to let so important a matter paw without giving ifc an opportunity of going to the vote. It was a great mistake to tax industry. The Kaiapoi Woollen Factory, which employed about 700 hands, was taxed for over £IOO. Besides, tlnse 700 employees paid through the Customs a large taxation, while extensive blocks of land escaped nearly scot-free. He was not prepared to enter more fully into the question as he had not the slightest intention of taking any part in the meeting. If he had thought it would hare become necessary for him to speak he would have got up a few fdcts to lay before them. But he had no doubt it would be unnecessary to say any more after the forcible m«nner in which Mr Franks had put it before them, and he would therefore content himself with seconding the .motion. •r- Mr Lsao-h said that the property tax and land tax wJuld never go together, and expresjed himself in favor of the land tax.

At the request of Mr Talbot, Mr J. M. Twomey temporarily took the chair. Mr Talbot said ha wished to say a little on thi-matter, and proceeded to read extracts from Hansard t, ehow that the industrial classes did not pay eo much taxation as the mover of the resolution represented. He quoted from tua financial statement to show feast the amount paid by the working classes was 16s 6d per head while the property class paid £6 per head. These figures were not, however, quite fair, because the line between those who paid the property tix and those who did not was a very narrow one. It must net be forgotten that land ia property, and that the property tax falls upon land as upon other property. The land tax did not work fairly when tried. Ono man with a few acres of grazing land had ti pay the land tax, while a wealthy neighbor with a smaller piece, bub with a £IO,OOO house upon it got off sc3t- r ree. Then the tax wa* only put on to balance accounts, and \d in the £ was found to be sufficient this year. It was nonsense to say that the large landholders were ruiniug the country. They were the pioneers who opened up the couniry, and it was hard that thoy should be hauled over the coals for it. At the same time, he did not believe in kni monopolies, and he would go into the London market, and bor. row money to buy up some of the Urge estate?, and make the owners take a fair price for them. Mr Franks asked how was the land valued. Mr Talbot said the machinery for valuing wsw very fair. The valuation of land under the property tix was too. Ha hiid to pay more under the property tax than the land tax j still he thought the property tax the fairer of the two.

Mr Twomey siid he believed Mr Talbot had net noticed that the resolution only referred to uacultivated land. Aa to the fairness of the taxation he had no 1; pointed out how muc.i servant girls were called upan to pay. He would remind the meeting that farmers who cultivated their land contributed to the revenue of the colony in various ways. They contributed through the customs, through the railways, through their employees and in rrany other ways,. but those who owned large blocks of uncultivated land paid very little, as they only kept a few shepherds at work. He reminded them again of the amrant the Kaiapoi woollen factory contributed, and urged that if the resources of the colony were to be developed, they should be protected in place of haviDg to pay taxation. American goods were allowed to come into this country free, and under sell the local productions, but America would not allow colonial wool into its market withou 1 ; piying high duty. He would ask, Was it commonseme to allow American goods to come in free and then tax local institutions so as to doubly handicap them ? Not alone was he in favor of relieving industries of taxation, but he would protect them from outside competition, and if they were to come to anything this should have to be done. On the growth of industries the prosperity of the colony depended, and if they taxed the means by which these industries were developed they wculd be retarding its progress. The Chairman would read a little more of the financial statement. The Colonial Secretary had taken 56 typical families, and found that they only paid at the rate of 16s 6d per head. Mr Twomey would ask the Chairman to point out to the meeting that it was 16s 6d a man had to pay for every child he had. There was a man ia this town who had nine daughters, and he had to of them. Multiply 16s 6d by nine and the result would be found. (Great laughter.) Mr K. F. Gray thought the resolution too sweeping. He agreed with Mr Twomey that it would be well to relieve as much as possible the industries of the colony, but would not abolish the property tax. He considered it as fair a tax as could be imposed. He had no objection to a special tax on the large freeholds ; he would go as far as to say that they should pay three times as much as at present. But the property tax oould not be done without. The resolution should be amended by striking out the reference to the property tax. They could fairly remind their representative of his promises regarding the taxation of big •states, but it would nullify this reminder to attach to it bo sweeping a proposal. He would like to see the large freeholds taxed even to the extent of Is in the £ ; that might induce the owners to put them into the market, and allow them to be properly settled.

Mr Franks declined to alter the resolution, and on being put to the meeting it was carried by a majority of six votes. Mr Twomeypropoaed a vote of thanks to the Chairman, and the meeting terminated.