The Temuka Leader THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 1885. SIR JULIUS VOGEL AT AUCKLAND.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1305, 19 February 1885, Page 2

The Temuka Leader THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 1885. SIR JULIUS VOGEL AT AUCKLAND.

b ir Julius Vogel’s speech at Auckland last Tuesday evening was in many respects a reiteration of what he said at Ashburton in June last. He delivered the same lecture to working men. He warned them that capital was the most valuable friend of labor, and that any interference with its rights meant killing 11 the goose that laid the golden eggs,” The working men, we do not hesitate to say, know this well, They have no desire to rob capital of its rights, but they have a desire to prevent capital from absorbing all tights, and leaving none to labor. Working men have as good a right to look after their own interests as capitalists, and we deny that they have done any mote. Sir Julius Vogel’s lecture to them was therefore unnecessary, because the working men have no such communistic ideas in their head as his speech would lead us to understand. They object to land monopolies and other monopolies ; they hold that they have as good a claim to be considered as any section of their fellow colonists, and they are certainly right, In dealing with the question of local industries, Sir Julius Vogel said he was neither a protectionist nor a freetrader. He said the same thing at Ashburton, However, we shall let that pass, because if the present Government have any virtue at all it lies iu the efforts they have put forward to promote industries. They have made every effort so far to get all the work of the Government done in the colony. They have thus shown a good example, together with providing work for persons much in need of it. When they came into power it leaked out that certain railway materials imported from Horae were completely rotten, and utterly useless, and no doubt that had the effect of forcing upon the Ministry the conviction that the work might be dona cheaper in the long run in the •olony, The proposed Exhibition also will have a good effect, but we would rather see the Customs increased. Sir Julius Vogel’s views on Federation are certainly more sound than those put forward by Major Atkinson. The latter gentleman’s proposal amounted to creating a supreme Government for the whole of the colonies, of which B the present Governments would be dependant institutions. It is plain that it would not be wise for us to merge our individuality as a State into a great Federal Union of the Australian colonies. It would amount to giving up pur .National independence ; and to placing the power of making our laws in the bands of outsiders. Sir Julius Vogel’s idea is to establish a sort of Convention for legislating on intercolonial affairs, and to leave each colony perfectly free with regard to the management of its own affairs and its relations with England. In all probability this would be good thing for all concerned. We are evidently on the brink of troublous times, and it would be well for the Australian colonies to be united together for defensive purposes if they found it necessary to defend themselves. His views on Local Government, however, are just as undecided as those of the Hon. Mr Stout’s. “ What was wanted,” he said, “ was to give the local bodies power of combination ; also larger and more elastic revenues,!’ They would willingly accept the latter, no doubt, but Sir Julius ought to know they possess the former already. The local bodies can combine, abolish, or disintegrate themselves at pleasure under existing laws, and Sir Julius Vogel cannot find for them increased revenue except by extracting it irom the pockets of the ratepayers. Mr J. S. Mackenzie, M.H.K. for Mount Ida, the whip of the present Government, in his recent speech condemned the Governmant for the noise they were making over Local Government, and said the best thing they could do was to let it alone. Mr Mackenzie, iu our opinion, is quite right, and all the nonsense that Mr Stout and Sir Julius Vogel have spoken concerning Local Government will go for nothing. Sir Julius said at Auckland that he intended to summon the Mayors of Towns and Chairmen of County Councils to Wellington to confer with them on the question of Local Government. Something of the kind has been often done before, but never so well as by the late Government. The Atkinson Government sent to all public bodies circulars asking certain questions with regard to their respective institutions. They got in this way the views of all bodies in a concise form, and they embodied them iu the measures which were afterwards passed into law. Under these measures local bodies are at present woaking, and we doubt very much that Sir Julius Vogel can improve upon them. To take all the Mayors and

Chairmen of County Councils to Wellington would cost a considerable sum—to adopt the late Government's plan of asking them questions would cost nothing and would be better, because then the views of the whole of the bodies and not the individual views of the Mayors and Chairmen, would be got. But though wo differ from Sir Julius Vogel on some points we are on the whole satisfied with his Auckland speech. There was an absence of the self-suffi-ciency which characterised his former utterances ; he appears to have given his views without any boastful references to himself, and to have spoken like one who understood what he was talking about. This was so refreshing that we have been in a manner Vogelised by his speech, and if he continue to speak of politics and ceases to boast of hi? own doings we may in time come round to respect, if not support him, One noticeable feature of his speech was that he did not refer at all to the Women's Properly Act. Messrs Ballance and Stout made this an all-important measure: Sir Julius Yogel never noticed it. Ho is not a Radical, and he had no necessity to boast of it. He has carried his own views and it was not necessary for him to rely on this miserable bit of Radicalism like bis colleagues. However, he disclosed no future policy, but he may be excused for reserving anything new he may have for his own constituents, whom he is sure to address shortly.