POLITICAL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1176, 10 May 1884, Page 1

POLITICAL.

Mr Joseph Ivess, M.H.R. for WakaniT, addressed ft well attended meeting of his constituents at the Ashburton Town H ill on Wednesday evening. He spoke for about an hour and a half, giving an account of the work of last session, and stating that he was in favor of tlie Opposition programme as foreshadowed in the speech of Mr Montgomery. At the conclusion of his address he was accorded a v< t# of thanks. Mr Pearson, M.H.E. for Ashley, addressed a well attended meeting of his constituents on Wednesday night at Ohoka, and received a vote of confidence. The Hon. Mr Richardson at Kaiapoi, on Thursday night received a vote of thanks and cofidence. In his address he dwelt at considerable length on railway management, declaring it required sweeping reform. Re also declared he was in opposition to the Government. Sir George Grey addressed a crowded meeting at Lyttelton on Thursday night,

an i rec« ve 1 a i n nimous vote f thanks. He expressed his wish to secure for every youth in the colony an equal chance of entering the Civil Service, and to have the advantages of higher, education brought within the reach of all. The meeting held in the Tuam street hail, Christchurch, on Wednesday evening, under the auspices of the Working Men’s Political Association, to hear Sir George Grey’s lecture on political topics, was one of the largest political gatherings held in Christchurch, The building was densely crowded, over 2500 persons being present. The Mayor occupied the chair. On the (uriain rising and showing Sir George Grey seated on. the platform, loud and prolonged cheering burst forth, which was renewed when Sir George Grey rose to apeak.* -“a referred to his return for Chris - idi at the last election, and for whici* riot lie was unseated, and said tiiat theg )ss of his seat had noi deprived him of his place in the House or impaired his power to do them good. None of the speeches yet delivered on the political situation touched on the real point at issue. The Government m particular had neglected their duty in not lying their full policy before the public. He then referred to-the time when New Zealand wan first colonised, and said the reason the amount of £2 per acre was fixed as the price of the land in Canterbury was to keep the working men slaves us long as possible. If they wanted fifty or one hundred acres of land they had to work as slaves for many years before they could accumulate enough money to buy it. The rich men in England who first formed the settlement believed that they were the class to rule the country, and this was their method of securing that end, of keeping the working men slaves. While the working men were working hard building the railways, and trying to save enough money to buy a piece of laud, they were increasing the value of the land held by the rich to an enormous extent. The landowners held that the workmen had received remuneration enough in Wages,hut he held that they had a right to a share in the increased value of the land, If the pom- asserted their rights they would soon become landowners themselves, but if not they would become poorer. The North Island people understood tlric in the South Island people were wild with the Ministry because ic had raised the railway rates. What did that matter to the masses, who had no produce to be carried on them ? If they had a land tux put on the unearned increment, which belonged to themselves, they would have the use of the railways for a comparatively small sum, and they would not feel the tax. At the present moment the interest on loans was one and a half millions, and was paid annually by the 500,000 people in the colony. It was qust £3 a head, and was paid to make otlier people rich. It seemed to him incredible that a married man with three children should pay £ls a year—for that was the average amount. What did it signify who was in office? Let them put men in office pledged to put this land tax on. People had said to him, “ Why don’t you go in for nationalisation of the land?” He would answer, ‘‘Take the unearned increment first, if you wish to nationalise the land afterwards, well and good.” He believed it would come to that with a more educated race, but he believed also that the desire to. possess land to transmit to one’s posterity, was still strong in New Zealand. It was said, why not buy up large estates and nationalise them ? But would the people in addition to the unearned increment agree to give the landholders a large sums for their land and thir.;by and still further to their own burdens ? Why was a nation to consent to pay even a little more fer year for holding their land than they should do merely because they had been wronged in the first instance ? Let them put on a laud tax first. He had vainly pressed the Governrnent year after year to publish i Doomsday Book, giving particulars of all the land held by every man in the colony. When that information was made public he would be ready <o see if he could work out a scheme of laud n-n ionalisation. With reference to immigration he said he had no objection to people in the Old Country sending their friends out here if they had sufficient money to keep them-elves for a short lime afler they landed, but he did not think it right that those struggling to exist out here should be taxed for the purpose of bringing others out, to make the struggle harder. Aft r touching on a number of ’esc important subjects Sir George Grey sat down, being loudly cheered foi his speech. Among the questions asked him was one as to whether he would follow Mr Montgomery. Sir George Grey rep'ied that some years since he had resigned the leadership of the Opposition because u was said that if be did so they could turn the Ministry out. He had done so. but the Ministry had not been turned out. He would make no promises, but he would support no one who would not carry out bis principles. He would not compromise with any one man to gain his support. He would have all he was entitled to or nothing. A vote of thanks and confidence was unanimously carried.