THE PREMIER AT HAWERA.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1164, 12 April 1884, Page 1

THE PREMIER AT HAWERA.

The Premier addressed his constituents at Hawera last Monday night. He regretted that there was not an Opposition capable of doing its duty to the colony. The deficit upon the operations of the last financial year might possibly amount to L 170,000. This was to be regretted, but to talk of it as a serious matter in the way in which critics of the Government talked of it seemed to him to be entirely a misapprehension of the meaning of the present position of the colony. The deficit did not equal the amount of the Property Tax which was remitted the year before last, together with the cost of the Armed Constabulary, which in that year for the first time was thrown upon the Consolidated Revenue. There was no doubt that the very considerable falling in the price of wool had contributed largely to the deficit which had occurred. The Customs had not come up to the estimate by about L 120,000. The not receipts from railways were LBO,OOO short. Postal was L 20,000 short. Stamps had reached the estimate. The deficiency in Customs was partly owing to savings on the part of the people. The loss on wool amounted to something like 1.400,000, because all the expenses had to come out of the reduced amount received. If wool had not fallen the Customs revenue would have reached the estimate. The frozen meat trade had made up the loss to some extent, but it had increased the value of the flocks rather than added to the revenue of the year. The falling off in the railways had arisen because the tariff was undoubtedly too low, and the increase of the expenditure owing to the deterioration. It had not yet reached its maximum, nor would it do so for nearly two years. The net receipts were less than expected by L 60,000, while the expenses had exceeded the estimate by L 20,000. Excluding the railways, the expenditure on salaries, wages, and certain departmental expenses amounts to about L 460,000, and that of the three departments of Justice, Customs, and Post and Telegraph amounted to about L 237,000. Ho appreciable saving could be made in tbe Customs, Post Office or Telegraph Departments, but in the Justice Department there might be a reasonable increase of fees, so that, as at present, it should not cost the Slate L 20,000 a year to enable traders to collect their debts. . The scheme of Government, was, however, shortly this: to reduce Under Secretaries to a definite number to be fixed by law, about eight, and to group the departments under them. Ho fresh department to be created without the express consent of Parliament. The clerks in the service would be divided into grades, each grade to have its maximum and minimum salaries. All persons to enter as cadets after undergoing competitive examinations, and the advance from one grade to another to be decided on after examinasion as to the person’s fitness for particular office. This Would secure a cheap and efficient service, and make the service thoroughly contented. There must be pensions and retiring allowances. He hoped the House would consent to a scheme to compel civil servants to make contributions to a fund which would make provision for them when they should become unfit for work. The Armed Constabulary might be reduced to 500 men, but it would not be safe to go below that. It was now costing something like 1/100,000 for charitable aid and hospitals. Perhaps more. He favored the idea of hospitals being supported as of old partly by the General Government and partly by the district. Local control was wanted, but even that was not always sufficient. Something like L50,000a year could be saved by reforming the hospinal and charitable aid system, and the people of the colony all the better for it. As to the education system, the cost of primary education was L 284,000, of which L 21,000 came from reserves, and the balance from the consolidated funds. The Cost of secondary schools, excluding fees, was L 26,000, of which L 22,500 came from reserves, and L 3500 from the consolidated revenue, and the Colleges and Universities cost also L 26,000, of which LBOOO came from the consolidated revenue, and LIB,OOO from reserves ; so that the total cost of education from the consolidated fund was L 384,000, and that was to the exclusion of interest on money spent in buildings. Since 1876 £600,000 had been spent on school buildings. If the interest on this £60n,000, and an allowance for depreciation for buildings (another £30,000), were added, it would be seen that the expenditure on education was something like £400,000 a year, without making any provision for new buildings, on which £50,000 was spent last year, £62,000 the previous year, and in respect of which there were now demands for L 150,000 to meet what were termed by the Boards necessary requirements. He could see very litjtle chance of curtailing the expenditure without injuring the country schools. The amount set apart for educational buildings out of the last loan was exhausted, and in future the money required for buildings wou'd probably have to be raised by general taxation or local rates. The charge for interest and sinking fund on loans was between L 500,000 and L 1,600,000 a year. During the last year by the conversion of loans L 30,000 a year had been saved, and as the Imperial Government did not require further payment of sinking fund on the guaranteed loan of 1856 another Ll n ,o(>o had been saved—in all L 40,000 ; just the amount payable in respect of the last LI ,000,000 loan He then referred to the increased railway tariff and defended the action of the Government. The rates were reduced some time ago as an experiment, the revenue at that time from other sources being elastic, but the experiment had not proved a success. The railways were not n turning 2 per ceil’., and if the low rat- ■ had been continued there would have been L 50,000 to LGO.ooo more of a deficiency to make up. The Government had power to raise the rates, and lie ventured to say that Parliament and the country would say that the Government had only acted right in doing as they had done. The country he believed was delermined the lines should pay so long as the tariff was not made burdensome. The Canterbury people had made the mistake of persuading t bemselves, or of allowing themselves to be persuaded, that tbe lines were local property, for that was the point which underlaid the whole agita lion. Apply that to the post offices and telegraph offices, and justice departments, and the result would be the splitting up of the colony into little districts, weak districts being allowed to do the best they could, while strong ones grew stronger. It was argued that directly a district was populous enough to make the railways pay 5 or 6 per per cent, all profit above that was to go into the pockets of the people in that district ; then it mutt be acknowledged that Hew

Zealand people were not prepared to do their duty as colonists, but were merely striving to secure particular benefits to each of their own little districts. In the old Provincial days the charge for carrying a ton of wheat thirty miles was 8s 3d, whereas it was now 7s Bd. Was not that a low and reasonable rate? Under the rates before the recent increase there was no profit to the Government—there might be if the grain traffic lasted all the year round. The traffic was peculiar, for though it was confined to three months in the year, very heavy expense was necessary to meet the requirements of farmers at that particular time. He and the other members of the Government had gone fully into the matter, and he was certain the colony would not make much out of the grain traffic even a( the increased rates. The amount of increased revenue from class E, which included grain, was L 40,000, while other classes made up the increase to Lllo,ooo The railway revenue during the current year would be but 3 per cent, on the cost of railways, and the money to build them cost about 5 per cent. If a non political Board were set up, he ventured to think that the directions given to it would be that the lines should be made to pay so much percent., and that the Board, acting like a company, would not fix differential rates to suit particular parts of the Colony, but would get their revenue from wherever it might be obtained. After briefly referring to the fact that the consumption of luxuries and necessaries of life had fallen off, he went on to say that the Savings Bank deposits had fallen off by L 75,000 as compared with the previous year but deposits in the other Banks had increased by L3C0,000. The payers of the Property Tax had increased by 2400. In reference to the private indebtedness of the colony he pointed out that while the mortgages amounted to L 30 ,000,000, of which L 15,000,000 was advanced by colonials, the value of real property in the colony was L 100,000,000, and the mortgages were there* fore about 30 per cent, of the value of the property, as against nearly 63 per cent, in Great Britain. With reference to the land policy of the Government, it had been their endeavor to see whether a better title could not be found than the ordinary freehold tenure. All who considered the question knew that it was agitating the minds of men in almost all communities. In the old country it had been necessary to limit the power of contract between landlord and tenant, and when once you had got to that it was only a question of degree, and nob of principle, as to the right of the State to interfere in freehold title. The Government, with the approval of Parliament had been trying the experiment of perpetual leasing, as well as that of deferred payment, but of course the deferred payment system was practically only a deferred freehold, and as far as he was able to judge freehold tenure was not giving satisfaction ; at any rate in the old countries where population was thick. Land would not be cultivated unless the cultivator had an absolute title. He must secure the whole of his work on the land, and he must have such tenure that he could not be dispossessed so long as he was doing his duty by the land. Seeing that there was such a large portion of the Crown lands which they could yet deal with as they pleased, they would bo wise to see whether a title could not be found which would giro more general salisfaction than a freehold. Nothing rash need be done. But let them proceed as Englishmen, always by reasonable experiment, and. then probably they might be able to come to some conclusion which would be satisfactory to everyone. A very great deal had been done in the way of settlement within the last three or four years, upwards of 11, 000 people having taken up land in the country—a very satisfactory result, he thought, of the land system which the Minister of Lands had been giving such attention to. The pastoral Crown lands were yielding a very good rent indeed. There need be no difficulty at all in selling them to morrow, for they were much appreciated, bnt the Government had come to the conclusion that it would be a great mistake to part with another acre of pastoral land, and they would ask Parliament to prohibit the sale of any more. If a belter tenure were given, larger rents would be received ; and by that means a very grateful addition to the revenue would accrue and the taxation of the people relieved. After refering to the Native Difficulty the Premier touched on Immigration and Public Works. Looking at the fact that the three million loan was not expected to oomplete all works, he thought that borrowing would again be necessary, but they must be very careful. Federation was briefly touched upon as also the Opposition, He concluded by stating that, the time would come when the dignity of labor would bo recognised, and when it would be esteemed more honorable to be a good mechanic or farmer than a mere clerk. The change in public opinion could only be effected by each in his own sphere doing his best in that direction. If they only determined to lire within their means, and to be really economical, then they would have in the near future as great prosperity as ever they bad enjoyed —much sounder prospe ity, and bo realising that which the bejt men ware loosing for with eager heart—' he condit'on of a happy, conloited and prosperous people. The usu 1 vote of confi J en e was passed.