WHAT THE STOUT-VOGEL GOVERNMENT HAS DONE.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1612, 26 July 1887, Page 3

WHAT THE STOUT-VOGEL GOVERNMENT HAS DONE.

Last Tuesday night, when speaking afc Christchurch, Sir Julius Yogel gave the following account of what the present Government has. done during the last three years. It is a record lo be proud of, and is an effectual answer to the misstatements and calumnies of the opponents of the Government. In our next issue we purpose giving his remarks on “ Retrenchment," in which he deals with the cry of “ Non-recurring expenditure, ” about which so much has been said. Sir Julius Vogel said : —He would now ask their attention briefly to what had been dote by the present Government during their term of office. That waj the period from 1884 up to the pieaent time. Ho need not repeat the account of how the Ministry was formed, they knew it was formed, and that was satisfactory for them. He claimed that the Government had been a prudent and an economical Government. The distinguishing feature of the present Government was the persistent efforts it had made to promote the industries of the colony. lie the sott'ement of the people on the land, -md mining operations. He wished briefly to pul before them some of the distinguishing features ot the administration of the present Government, A commencement w >d made by thorn of the North Island Trunk Railway, connecting .Wellington with .Auckland. The Hokitika-Qreymonth line huo also been proceeded with, and progress had been made with a lino north of Auckland, and also with that line which their

neighbors iu Otago took so much interest in—ho meant the Otago Centra! railway. It was also during the reign of the present Cfovernment that a commencement had been made with the Midland railway. (Loud Applause.) His policy was not the construclion of a number of branch liner, but the construction of trunk linos through the two islands. One portion of the line through the Middle Island was the lino connecting Canterbury with the West Coast. (Applause.) Under the reign of tho present Government the trunk system of railways in the two islands was being proceeded with, except tho Marlborough and Tophouse line, which was disallowed, he regretted to say. This line was not so important as the other truuk linos, but it would have been of importance to the Midland line, and he was sorry that members interested in the Midland line did not see the matter in the same light as ho did. It was bis opinion that it would be well for the Marlborough and Tophouse line to be proceeded with in conjunction with the Midland line. Well, during tho present administration, as ho had said, they had introduced a system of selling lands which had put an end to the baneful system of land-shark-ing. He bad also initiated a systematic defence of the colony instead of the spasmodic courses adopted whenever it was thought a European war was likely. They had also troublesome and successful negotiations in reference to the South Sea Islands. They had also succeeded in regard to another matter, which if there were more colonial feeling in New Zealand would have been hailed as a distingirshing event. Ho meant that they had succeeded In obtaining the consent of the Imperial Government, subject to obtaining the approval of tho Parliament of Ne wZealand, to this country being made a portion of tho naval station of the Australian squadron. (Hear, hear.) He had striven , for this seventeen years ago, when ho spoke to Mr Goschen on the subject. He pointed out to him that they were entitled to have a portion of the fleet on the coast of New Zealand. They had obtained that boon, which gave individuality to the colony. It was not easy to express to them in a few words the distinction the colony has in consequence of it being made the headquarters of a portion of the British fleet. Then they had been successful in saving the colony frbm a scheme of confederation of a disastrous character, which the late Government had nearly succeeded in foisting upon the colony owing to the action of our representatives in Sydney, Then they had done a good deal in the way of consolidating. the laws relating to municipal bodies, and also substituting for the Roads and Bridges Act, which was so injurious to this island generally, the Local Government Loans Act. He took office as Postmaster- General in 1884. At that time the affairs of the Office, so far as the English mails were concerned, were in a state of disorder. There was a dispute with the Home Government, which proposed sending mails by way of Melbourne. He had adopted the extreme course of threatening to put on any extra charge for letters by way of Melbourne, before he was able to obtain New Zealand letters by direct steamer, and in making a contract with the New Zealand Shipping Company. He succeeded in saving some £7OOO in the cost of the Californian service. They heard a great deal about the extravagance of the Government, but they never heard any credit given to them for the savings they effected. At the time he effected that saving a great outcry was raised that he was guilty of sharp practice. But it was only a few days ago that he received a pamphlet from the Pacific Company which completely exonerated him. They had also extended the system of delayed telegrams, so that messages could now be sent at one-half cost throughout the day, as well as at night as formerly* They had practically substituted a system of sixpenny telegrams. A parcels post would be established, and be of great assistance to the various industries of the colony, as people would not only be able to send samples but also goods at a cheaper rate and less risk than formerly, (Applause.) It would be within their recollection that they had saved the colony £SOOO a year a couple of years ago on account of the sable rates he tween New Zealand and Australia. It was through his exertions that that cable was procured. A feeling prevailed throughout New Zealand that it was little short of disastrous that this colony should be outside of communication with the rest of the world. By an Act of the Now Zealand Legislature, he was empowered, when be wont to England, to pledge the country to a payment of £35,000 a year for a period of twenty years. Instead of incurring such an expenditure as that, he succeeded in making the necessary arrangements for a sum of £SOOO for a period of ten years. (Loud applause). He read an extract from a speech delivered by Sir John Hall, who had expressed his gratification at tho manner in which these cable negotiations had been conducted at so small a a expense to tho colony. When a question arose as to the coat of his mission to England on one occasion, Dr Featherstone said “ what does it matter (the expense) when you come to consider the splendid arrangements made for uniting New Zealand with Australia.” He was afraid that they would think that ho had left his trumpeter at home, and was blowing bis own trumpet. But he was not before them as a member of the Government only but was before them as their representative to justify himself in asking for a continuance of their, confidence. (Loud applause). When they came to think of that they would see that he was not unduly referring to these I thing?. Among other tilings tho Government had to deal with one of the most difficult was tho purchasing of tho District Railways. That was a measure which was forced upon the Government. The legislation under which these railways had been constructed was so clumsy that the Government had to buy up the railways. They bought them with great reluctance. He admitted that if the legislation under which these railways had been constructed was what it ought to have been, there would have been no necessity to have purchased them. Then lie contended that they had saved iu taxation. When they took office the finance of the colony was in a riisorsanisod condition, and they had to meet a deficit of £150,000. The Government had also dealt with the question of retrenchment and had con fitaotly before them the importance of e ncouraging the locil industries of t ie colony. On the West Coast (hay flffirded facilities for bringing coal to m irkec, and

t had placed in the power of the people the opportunity to develop industries which : would bea source of enormous wealth to the 1 colony. It was well known that they had not neglected the question of the settlei ment of the people upon the laud ; in fact, if he understood matters rightly, those having largo estates in the colony, objected to the negotiations for settling upon (he laud small holders. It was not their fault that there was not an increase in the tariff in 1885, as was required for revenue purposes aud also for the purpose of encouraging the industries of the colony. They had dealt with the most difficult question of charitable aid, and in the charitable institutions of the country, though not brought to that state of perfection desirable, considerable approach to it had been made. They had reduced the cost of administration of justice, end had introduced important measures dealing with legal reforms, among them being that beneficial measure, the First Offenders’Probation Act. (Applause.) They had virtually stamped out scab in the colony, and were upon the point of having removed that serious harm imposed upon the colony for many years with regard to the importation of stock. It was said that their taxation system bad been of a crushing character.. When they came into office the property tax was |d in the £. During the time they had been in office the average property tax* was 11-16ths of a penny in the £, or l-16th less than when they took office. Objection was made to' f ,the properly tax the Government now proposed to levy, bat for four years the properly tax would hardly exceed what it was when they took office. It was true that'the Customs revenue had fallen considerably; that meant that there was loss taxation. This falling off was due to a smaller consumption of alcohol. It diminished also because of the fact that a great part of the duties dependent upon ad valorem duties had fallen, because of the decreased value for commodities. If it were not for the diminution in the price of commodities, those imported last year would have been worth more than two millions more than they were. The result was a great difference in the Customs duties. No matter what Government was in office, it would be necessary to re-institute Customs duties, and raise them from the low amount to which they had fallen at The present time. Dealing with unauthorised expenditure Sir Julius Vogel said : Another charge made against the Government was that Mr Ballance had incurred a liability of £60,000 on account of Tillage settlements. They were to understand that this was partly expenditure and partly advances to those settled upon the land, Ha admitted that it was irregular to incur such a liability. The Government was, however, allowed to spend £IOO,OOO without authority, and such ; an expenditure was not without precedent. It had been customary in the past to give orders to the Agent-General to send out emigrants and the accounts would be passed at a future time. Still, he admitted to a certain extent that the expenditure was 1 irregular. (Hear, hear). He believed. ; that it was partly incurred because of a great emergency which arose in consequence of a large number of unemployed i coming to the Government and asking for . work, and representing that they would i starve unless they got it. Land had been i found where it could, and they had in i duced these men tQ go away from tha i towns and settle upon the lands. It was through this that the great responsibility i had been undertaken, which they heard ( so hostilely criticised in different parts of I the country, in different papers, and by i different Associations. As they had beard so little in respect to the Opposition in matters of this kind, he wished to bring j up a case in which Major Atkinson incurred a liability without the consent of t tbe colony. He informed the House in 1884 of it, and said it slightly exceeded the authority of the Government. Tbe ; Government of which he (Sir Julius) was ( a member did not say that at any rate. But when the interpretation came to be put upon the word “ slightly” it turned , out that he (Major Atkinson) lad ordered i the expenditure through the Agent- , General of £261,000 without the authority , of Parliament—(Laughter)—and he said , he thought it was his duty to inform the House, and in doing se he posed like the boy in the nursery story who said: “ What a good boy am I.” (Laughter.)— Press.