THE ELECTIONS.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1615, 6 August 1887, Page 3

THE ELECTIONS.

MR TWOMEY AT PLEASANT POINT,

Mr Twomey addressed the largest and most orderly meeting ever seen in Pleasant Point last Thursday evening in Mr Murphy'a Assembly Rooms. The chair was taken by Mr Butler, Chairman of the School Committee, who briefly introduced the speaker, and asked for him a patient hearing. He urged upon the people the necessity of taking an interest in theae mutters. They had been too indifferent on the subject of politics up to the present, with the result that the colony was sinking under its load of debt. (Hear, hear). Mr Twomey, who was received wi f h great applause, said he could not hold himself responsible for the debt of the colony, as he came before them politically Binleso. He felt sure of getting a patient hearing at Pleasant Point, as threo years ago he had experienced at their hands the greatest kiodnesß. If they had, bb less intelligent communities would have done, treated him three years ago as funny candidates are generally treated he would not possibly be before tbem that night. But they gave him a reception of which a Premier might have been proud, and he need not tell tbem that he felt grateful to them for it, and if he ever reached any position in politics he would look back to his first appearance in that hall and say ha owed bis success to the generous treatmeat be had received at Pleasant Point. (Applause). He now came before them with a good character from his own fellow citizens of Temuka, who had expressed their approbation of his views by giving him a vote of confidence, and he felt certain that he would receive a patient hearing from bis old friends at Pleasant Point. (Great applause). ELECTION CRIES.

Tbree years aga they might remember that the election cries were more confidence, further' borrowing, and more immigration. He told them then that these cries were empty ones, and now they could see for themselves that he had been ■ right, and that the only leaps and bounds the colony took were taken backwards. The cries now were changed to RETRENCHMENT. Before dealing with this question he desired to say that auy retrenchment possible he would favor, but at the same time be would not hesitate to say that the cry was as empty as any of the others, and the colouy would not be saved by retrenchment. If there was nothing wrong with the colony except what would be effected by retrenchment it Was very easy to save it. It vas amusing to note aome of the speeches on tho Opposition side. Mr Manchester would save the colony by retrenchment, but he would build grain sheds and buy tarpaulins for the farmers' grain. Mr McGregor, f Akaroa, would make a railway to Akaroa. Mr Rhodes would repeal the Crown and Native Lands Ratiog Act ia order to effect a saviog, but he took care not to tell the people that that very Act was passed .by the Hall-Atkinson party for the corrupt purpose of buying the votes of West Coast aud North Island members. It was on the North Island mombera the Hall-Atkinson Ministry mainly depended for replacing them in power, and they certainly would not be a party to repeal that Act. Mr Rhodes was nnwiße in selecting this item of retrenchment, as it was with this party he had allied himself. He noticed how ready young candidates were to enumerate the items on which retrenchment could be effected, but the old members and ex-ministers did not come forward with figures so readily. " Fools step in where Angels fear to tread." Sir John Hall had said that be could not say where retrenchment could be effected until be had full data before him, and Mr Rolleston said if he had a department behind him he could show where retrenchment could have been effected. When politicians of their experience could not positively point out where retrenchment could be effected he (Mr Twomey) thought it would be too presumptuous for him to say where he could retrench. (Applause). The present Government had effected retrenchment of between £BO,OOO and £90,000, and that made a striking comparison to the extravagance of their predecessors, who had increased expenditure by £BOO,OOO in two years. (Applause), It was Liberal Governments which reduced expenditure in every country. Who was it reduced expenditure in Victoria ? Was it not the Berry Ministry ? Was it not the Liberal Government of England that was the most economical 1 Were not the Conservative Governments of England notorious for extravagance ? Most undoubtedly it would be the Liberal Government that would reduce expenditure, and it was in them he (Mr Twomey) would place his trust. (Applause). THE DEPRESSION. Three years ago he told them *hat would remove depression, rnd he had no j new remedy for it. , His cures for the depression were cheap money and industrial development, and he believed the cheap mo»ey could not be'obtained except through the means of a NATIONAL BANK. He had spoken aod written on this subject, and it was impossible for hira to discuss the subject at aoy length that night. Mr Rhodes thought he had completely demolished the National Bank by quoting a speech delivered by Sir Robert Stout on the Land Associations Bill, which proposed to iutroduce a system of paper money of which nobody could approve. He (Mr Twomey) had condemned the same proposal more emphatically than Sir Robert Stout ever did, and he would always condemn any paper money achome which had not tor it« basin a gold currency. There was no one more ready to realise the evils of paper money thm he W'B, but his was not a paper money sehem j . Siuoe ihe came to Pleasant Point that evening a gwnt'eman had told him it was a very good scheme, but it could never be carried

out. So long as that was the feeling it could no', but if the people said " it shall be" it would bo. During the last three years a resolution in favor of it had passed the Dunedin Chamber of Commerce; a resolution affirming the principle of it passed tlie Legislative Council of New Zealand ; a Bill embodying a similar principle passed the second reading iu the House of Bepresentatives; a Bill dealing with the same subject had been discussed in the South Australian Parliament, and Mr Gladstone in moving the Home Bule Bill recommended Ireland to adopt a similar system. This was the progress it had made in three years, and he thought it wai sufficiently encouraging to denote that something might ultimately come of it. enough to induce them to continue agitating fo* it, and if they were able to hand down to their children so great a boon he considered they would be wall repaid, and future generations would bless their memory. (Applause). The first article in his political creed, therefore, was Cheap Money, the second IHDUSTEML DEVELOPMENT. He had published his views in full on this subject in the form of an address to the electors. He might say that this had attracted some attention. He read from a copy of the Otago Daily Times the report of a meeting held in Dunedin where it was resolved to purchase from him (Mr Twomey) 2000 copies of his address on Industrial Development. He oho produced a Dunedin paper called the Budget which was reproducing it in extenso, and hinded both papers over to the Rev. T. Jasper-Smyth so that there might deceptions. (Great Laughter.) In this the great question of the financial position of the colony was raised. It was thi most important question ever raised in New Z-aland. He had been three years trying to drive it into Mr Kolleston's head, and he hud only succeeded in driving it half way, but if he had never rendered any other service to the colony except this he thought he deserved the goodwill of bis fellow citizens. (Applause.) They were sending out of the colony 4 millions a year in interest and 7 millions for imports and they exported only less than 7 millions. The colony was therefore going to the bad at the rate of 4 millions a year. It was one of the canons of politic tl economy that a country had no means of paying its foreign liabilities except with exports, and thus the colony was going to the bad at the rate of 4 millions a year, and the debt must be increasing at that rate. Now, were they to allow this to go on 1 Would it not result iu Bankruptcy if something was not done. He thought it would, and that the only means of averting such a disaster was to import less and export more. A bountiful Providence had given them the most fruitful country on 1 th» face of the earth. Their mountains were full of minerals, and they could grow twice as much per acre aB any of. the other Australian colonies, yet it was a strange fact that many of the other colonies exported nearly twice as much per bead of population. It was no wonder therefore that they were depressed when they allowed their resources to lie dormant. And there was no means of removing the depression except by their own work. A policy of

SELF-RELIANCE was what they wanted. Previous to the introduction of the Public Works Policy the colony was in a more depressed condition than it was in at present, How was the depression removed thent By Government borrowing money in England and spending it in giving the people work. It was exactly the same policy that would remove depression now, but it must be done in a different way. To contiuue borrowing was simply madness. Instead of bringiog the borrowed money into the country they must keep the money they were now sanding away in the country, and do their own work. (Applause). It was impossible to keep any of the 4 millions we have to pay in interest in . the country, so thsre was nothing left but to fall baek on the 7 millions we send out of the colony for goods which we might make ourselves. To effect this the. industries of the colony must be protected. (Tremendous applause). This was the great question on which the salvation of the oolony depended. When the word

PROTECTION was mentioned in the presence of some people it sent a cold shiver through them. He had been warned not to speak on tbe subject, but as he believed this was the only means of saving the colony he considered he would be an arrant coward and a traitor to his country if he did not speak the truth. (Great applause). It might be said that ho would remove depression by means of taxation, but he would remind them that they bad taxed themselves severely for the purpose of the Public Works Policy. Was not that a worse kind of taxation than what he proposed ? The tax they paid on the Public Works Policy was a constant drain on their resources, and was crushing them beneath its weight. The tax they would pay by protecting their industries would reault in increasing the wealth of the colony in a substantial and lasting manner. In 1880 they paid a tax of about £3 per head through the Customs, and now they only paid £2 10s per head, and it was supposed that if they increased taxation to Ids per head more it would result in keeping 3 or 4 millions a year in the colony. What did this mean ? Did it not mean that for the tax of 10a per head they would keep in the colony from £6 to £8 per head, while the material wealth of the colony would be immensely in* creased ? Of course the hackneyed old cry which had done duty Bince the days of Cobden would be raised that these 3 or 4 millions would go into the pockets of manufacturers, and it would mean taxing the many for the benefit of the few. He was sorry for the party that had to,i trot out this antiquated argimient-j they j ought to get something better than what | every old woman who had opened her lips for the last 50 years on the subject us«d —(applause)—Who would produce tli3 raw material ? Who produced tho grain that naa ground into flour in Bruce's Mill 1 Who produced the milk used in the Temuka Dairy Factory? Who produced the flax used by the Temuka Linseed Company? Did all profits go into the pockntsof the shareholders in these industries? Did not the farmers get their share of it ? and did the farmers think it was possible to spend 3 or 4 millions a year in this colony without some of it goins; into their packets ? Then, who would build the factories? Who would be employed iu them —wis it not the working men? Did the working men think that 3 or 4 millions a year

could: be spent in this colony without their getting a < share of it? (Applause.) If Protection were put on English capital would corao to New Zealand and establish industries. He had bsen told by a gentleman in that town that evening of an incident which explained this, When America adopted a policy of Protection Messrs Oobtes and Co. and another firm, who had hitherto manufactured thread for the Amerioan market in Paisley, Scotland, went ovar to America and started there large factories. This is what would happen in this colony. If they withdrew their austoto to the extent of 3 or 4 mlllious a,year from English manufacfacturers the capital, the machinery, the workmen hitherto employed in England to produce these goods would undoubtedly follow the trade to New Zealand, and thus foreign capital would come in, and the population would be increased. (Applause.) Farmers were fearfully afraid of this, for they were told that the present Government were their deadliest enemies. By the Bill introduced by the present Government agricultural implement were free. What a wicked Government it was that did this? (Laughter.) The Government also in 1885 brought in a Bill to exempt from the operations of the Property Tax agricultural implements and improvements to the value of £3OOO, and tried to shift the burden of taxation on the shoulders of the monopolists. Yet this was the Government that was the great enemy of the farmers 1 (Applause.) It suited thoße who raised that cry to try to turn farmers against the Government, but he believed that they would find it a difficult task. What had the farmers to fear when they got their agricultural machinery free 9 The counter proposal was to tax tea, sugar, tobacco, and salt. (Laughter.) This was the suggestion of the Chamber of Commerce, the originators of the

POLITICAL REFORM ASSOCIATION. These people proposed not to increase the Customs duties "except for revenue purposes." They knew the meaning of the English language as well as he did. To tax for revenue purposes means—" Tax the people as much as you like,so long as you do not promote local industries." He said put on the tax for the purpose of protecting local industries. He was no mad Protectionist. He was a Freetrader in theory, iu fact, no man living could stand up and say the principles of Freetrade were bad, but they were not suitable to the colony, and consequently he favored Protection. He would tell them ' one little bit of Freetraders'doings. They allowed elastic-side boots to come in free, while the "brogues" of the poor were heavily taxed. (Great applause). These were the friends of the working man; these were, the people who taxed the working man to the eyes, and went sniffiog the air from pole to pole to see where they could get work done cheaper and save a sixpence. (Great applause). Protectionists preferred to pay a fair day's wag* for a fair day's work to their own neighbors. Freetraders were the.people who would import Kaffirs to do their work cheaply. (Applause). Did they object to Kaffirs? (Cries of » Yes.") Was it not better to have them here, and let them consume the products of the land and help to pay the taxes, thin have them working in other lands and sending the result of the cheap labor into this colony ? He never appealed to working men, and believed no friend of the working men ever did so, or raised class cries. He might alter the words of the great French-1 man who had said, "O Liberty, what crimes have been committed in thy name 1" He might say, "O working man, what humbugs have got into place and power on your shoulders !" Cheap goods meant cheap labor, and cheap labor _meant cheap beef and mutton. Why were* beef and mutton cheap? Because the people had not so much money to purchase them. Why was not so much whiskey drunk now as six years ago ? Because the people had not the money, and they had not the money also to purchase mutton. [Mir Acton: W» have 3 millions more sheep now than in 1880.] Mr Twomey: Yes, but our population has increased by perhaps more than 100,000 since, and the refrigerating process is enabling us to export mutton, yet mutton is getting cheaper, and the cause of it is the people's spending powers are contracted, and they do not consume so much mutton as they used to. ("Cries of "No, no.") That was his opinion. If the colony waa prosperous, and working men ware getting better wages, the price of beef and mutton would go up. He was no mad Protectionist. He would give a fair protection to goods which could be made in the colony, and let other goods come in as free as was consistent with the fiscal condition of the colony. CHEAP RAILWAYS. He always kept the interest of farmers in view, for it was on them be was dependent. He proposed that the money derived from increased Customs duties should be handed over to the Railway Department, to enable railways to run at lower rates. An increase of 10 par cent, on the Customs would enable railways to rua at half the present rates. • This would be of immense. benefit to farmers, as it would bring them nearer larger centres of population, and butchers, dealers, and others from Dunedin and Christchurch would attend their sales, and their competition would increase prices. A gentleman in the room had told him that would mean taking it out of pocket and putting it into the other. That was not so. To add the increased revenue derived from the Customs to the Consolidated revenue would mean tbet the Property Tax of the monopolists could be lowered. In that way it would benefit a class, while cheap railways would benefit all. ABSENTEES. He was iu favor of a special tax upon the incomes of absentees. If a man living in the colony made £3OO a year, he would add that to his property, and next ; ysar the tax gatherer would have £3OO I more to levy upon; but if he lived in ! Eugland the £3OO would be lost to the colony in every way. GRADUATED PROPERTY TAX. As regards this tax, he thought the corner of it was turned too sharply. He would favor giving the same exemption of £SOO to aP, and increase the tax as the value of property increased. He would, howßVir, put no bursting up tax on any one, but he believed in making those who benefited most by public works, pay in" proportion to the advantages they receded. THB LAHD ACQUISITION BILL.

Three yeara ngo lie spoke against the bursting up cry, and suggested that the

land should be bought out honestly. This was adopted, y»t land-owners were now leagued against him, although he had never done anything to deserve it. They screamed now that ifc was confiscation. Their whole idea of Government waa sheep, cheap labor, kill rabbits, import Kaffirs, and Number One. (Great applause.) They did not want Number One politicians; thiy wanted men with wider sympathies. Mr Rhodes denounced the Government for settling the people on bad Crown lands, and also for propose ing to buy out good lands so as to settle thorn on it. All he would do was to settle people on good land where there was work, but he did not know where the work was. He said if he became a member of the Labor Bureau he would find out. That was scarcely satisfactory, as there was no good land in Canterbury on which to settle people. He then referred to Mr Balance's action, and went over & good deal of hie speech in Temuka, CANTERBURY LEASES. There were 27 millions of acres in the hands of 92 squatters in Canterbury at less than one halfpenny per acre. The leases «f these would fall due shortly, and there was an under-current afloat to try to get the leases extended 10 years longer. He would be in favor of cutting up these leases into decent-sized runs, and at the same give every reasonable fair play to the present occupiers. These would attract capitalists from the other colonies, | and help to bring back prosperity. This would be a very important question which the next. Parliament would have to deal with. CIVIL SIRYIOR. There was a lot of talk about retrenchment in the Civil Service, but people never mentioned what the present Government h*d done. They had passed the Civil Service Reform Bill under which pensions and retiring were abolished. As, an example of how this would work he might point out the fact that Mr Seed, who retired a short time ago, had been receiving a salary of £IOOO a year, and the man y>ho replaced him only received £550. That was retrenchment of £450 a year in that case alone. (Applause.) The present Government also abolished nomination, and by substituting competitive examination did away with favoritism . Hitherto the nominees of members of Parliament and rioh men only were able to obtain positions in the Civil Service, but the new system o e competitive examination opened the doors of tho Civil Service to the poor, and they had now as good a chance as any other. 411 the actions of the present Govern* ment aimed at extending the liberties of the people, and this was one of the reasons why they were so much denounced. CONCLUDINf RB*ARM. MrTwomey also referred to the Education question, and traversed similar ground to that in his previous speech, and concluded a speech of an hour and a-half by spying that he was not one to destroy the " upper ten " but did not object to bring them down a peg. He thought they might very well begin at both ends, and by eleviti g the lower stratum bring down the "upper ten" slightly; the condition of all would then be better equalised than they were at present. Their courtesy and kindness that evening had placed him Hnder a further obligation to them which he would never forget, and he now thanked them very heartily for the extremely patient hearing they had given him. (Great applause.) QUESTIONS. Nine questions were handed in by Mr Morris and read by the Chairman : I.—Are you in favor of resisting forthar borrowing!—Mr Twomey said this was the first of the Political Reform Association's catechism. Other candidates had received the« 3 quesiioos beforehand and had time to make up their minds about them, but it was remarkable the same sympathy which existed between the Political Reformers and the other candidates did not exist between himself and themselves. He did not wish that anything he said should be taken personally by the Reformers of South Canterbury. The Reform Association originated with the importers, meneyrings and monopolists of Christchurch, and it was against their dictation he objected. The helots of Greece used to refuse good things when offered to them by their oppressors because they used to believe that they were intended to do theu harm. He (Mr Twomey) was equally suspicious of anything coming from the monopolists of Christchurch, and this was his chief objection. Considering he had already said that further borrowing would be madness he did see the necessity of asking the question. 2—Are you in favor of Railway Boards. —Mr Twomey : Considering that in 1884 Mr Cox, when addressing the electors of Qeraldine, gave him (Mr Twomey) the credit of having originated the idea, and considering that he kad advocated it since 1881, he hoped they would have no difficulty in believing he would support it. But would the political Reform trust him 1 (Great applause and laughter). 3—Will you vote against any further increase in the Customs Duties except for revenue purposes, and do you think the present Customs Duties sufficient protection for local industries ?—Mr Twomey said there were two questions rolled up into one here. (Laughter). He was not in favor of putting on Customs Duties for revenue purposes under any circumstances This meant taxing the poor swagger, and the poor swagger had no right to be taxed. This was the programme of the Political Reformers " Tax the people, but do not promote local industries. Tax them, but let us importers keep on importing cheap goods for you." As for the second part of the question the very fact that under the present tariff, local industries did not flourish, was a sufficient answer. He would answer both questions emphatically in the negative, as they were altogether opposed to hiß principles. This was fortunate for the Political Reformers as it. save them an excuse for opposing him. (Great laughter). | 4—Would you be in favor of reducing the number of membfrs to 71, the honorarium to £l5O, and the abolition of members' free passes on the railway ? Mr Twomey said 50 would do a« well as 71, but the result of the reduction would be that the constituencies would be too large, »nd no poor man could contest the elections. The rich men woiild hive Political Reformers jn all parts of the district to help them, (Laughter). At any rate t he present Act would have to last for three years, and he believed the alterations <?f boundaries would cost more

than the honorariums of the members cut off. With regard to the honorarium, he was opposed to reducing it on similar grounds. Poor men could not afford to leave their business for less. As regards the free p»sses, it was a paltry subject for the Political Reformers to bother about. For his part he did not care whetbor there was a railway or not, and as he hoped to gat their support he would make them a present of the pass. (Great laughter). s—Are you io favor of retrenchment in matters of education!—Mr Twomey : This question has a history. When the Political' Reformers first met they proposed to reduc* the Eduoation vote tremendously, and oq this ground Mr 0. 0. Bowen left them. They then reflected on the subject, and placed an addendum at the foot of their programme, intimating that it was not intended to impair the system ia the least. When Mr Poatlethwaite started the Reform Association in South Canterbury at Hilton they changed the system to denominatiooalism. Altogether their indecision on this subject reminded him of the ass between the two stacks of hay, which starved before it could make up its mind as to «»hieh stack it would feast first upon. The Political Reformers suffered from the same indecision as the ass. (Great laughter and applause, which lasted for about a minute). He would retrench if possible. If it had ornaments he would take them off, but would by no means impair the efficiency of the present primary system. 6—Are you in favor of making the Legislative Council elective? Mr Twomey said he was in favor of abolishing it altogether, but the question was whether th6y had the pos-er to do so. He was not a lawyer,but it appeared to him that the Constitution Act would have to be altered by the Imperial Parliament before any change could be effected. (Rev. Jasper Smythe; Hear, hear.) People talked glibly of these matters, and of the Governor's salary, but they did not reflect on the difficulties in the way. What would the Government of EngUnd think of it ? (Rev. Jasper Smythe: Hear, hear.) He believed in a Revising Chamber, composed of able representatives of the various industries and professions, but thought it should be non-partisan. (Applause.) 7 < _-\V"ould you take the Saviogs Bank's deposits to start the National Bank?— Mr Twomey : Yes; he would keep the accounts of the Savings Bank in the National Bink instead of keeping it io the Bank of New Zealand, as at present/ This did not involve the confiscation of the Savings deposits. Tbey would be safer in the National Bank, for the Bank of New Zealand and all the other Binkß, as well as every taxpayer in the colony, would be security for the Nationnl Bank. (Applause.) He s»* that the question had been put to him to try to catch him, but the Reformers would have to have all their wits about them before they could put him out in political questions, (dreat laughter and applause.) B.—Do you believe in the correctness of the article in the Lyttelton Times which said that Mr Twomey w*b the best of the new bloods ?—Mr Twomey : Certainly I do. (Laughter.) A more sensible remark never appeared in that paper. (Great laughter and applause.) Speaking seriously, he regarded this as a personal question, which the Political Reformers might have let alone. The people had that evening an opportunity of seeing for themselves whether he (Mr Twomey) was capable of giving expression in Parliament to their wants, their feelings, and their aspirations, and be felt confident that they were intelligent enough to judge for themselves independently of what the Lyttelton Times or any other; paper said. (Great applause.) Mr J. C. Reid then asked a few questions concerning a personal grievance of his own, the audienoe meanwhile showing great impatience. . After some time the Rev. T. Jasper Smythe asked if Mr Twompy was in favor of altering the present laws relating to succession duties t He explained his question to the effect that corporate bodies were at present exempted from succession, duty, owing to the fact that they never die. He thought that actuaries should be employed to ascertaio the ordinary duration of life, and make corporate bodies pay a tax every 30 years, or whatever period was arrived ac—Mr Twomey said the question was a most important and novel one and ought to be looked into at once. These were the very people who were screaming retrenchment and Down with the Government now, and bethought if they paid their fair share of taxation the revenue would be augmented by a sum equal to any retrenchment which the greatest reform could effect. He would, if elected, certainly pay particular attention to the subject. (Hear, hear). Rev. Mr Wbite : If elected, and a pro» position was made to reduce the Educition vote by £IOO,OOO, would you be in favor of the reduction being made in primary or secondary education t- -Mr Twomey said he would take as much as possible from the secondary education, but the only way it could be taken from primary education would be by raising the school age to. seven. For bis own part ho thought children would be better at home than at school until that nge, but if this plan were adopted several of the country schools would have to be closed, and be certainly would do nothing that would have that effect. He did not see 1 why the line should not be drawn between country and town schools, and not allow children under seven to enter schools which would have sufficient attendance without them.

Mr Acton then moved, and Mr'Mee seconded—" That a vote of thanke bo accorded to Mr Twomey for his address." Mr 0. J. Dunnage moved as an amendment, and Mr J. Crawford seconded, a vote of thanks and confidence.

The amendment on being put was carried, nearly every hand in the room being held np for it, while only three were displayed for Mr Aoton's motion,

The Chairman declared the amendment carried amidst great sheering and applause. Mr Twomey thanked the electors for their expression of confidence, and moved a hearty vote of thanks to the Chairman, for the very ab'e manner in which he had fulfilled his duties. The meeting then dispersed.