NATIONAL ASSOCIATION.

Wairoa Bell, Volume IV, Issue 157, 5 August 1892, Page 2

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION.

ARATAPU BRANCH. A Committee of gentlemen was formed a fortnight since to further the objects of the National Association in this district and last week a meeting was called by circular to form a local branch of the Association. The meeting, numbering not more than twelve, was held in the Band of Hope room, Aratapu, and was presided over by Mr T. Slater. Mr R. W. Roche stated that the National Association had several branches in the country districts and with a view of forming a branch in Aratapu the meeting had been called. He then proceeded to explain the objects of the Association. He said that in political matters there had hitherto been too much local and personal sentiment and the Association wished to educate people to a broader, national sentiment and asked all who would to join and assist them. Many of the views enunciated by the Labour party are opposed to the rights and Liberties of the subject. It was proposed that Government should own all coal mines, gold mines and even the coastal marine. Luckily for the country the railways are under the management of Commissioners hut the Liberal party now seek to take them out of their hands As to the coastal marine i he idea was too Utopian ; the government should not interfere with private industries. The Premier, Mr Ballance, is a Land Nationaliser and in the platform of the Liberal Association they say that the State should own all land and freehold in land is a crime. The young men that come here say that every child born into the land has a right to a share in the land. The old pioneers have risked their lives and they are now told that they have no right to their land. The Queen’s right now runs from north to south but it was not so when the early pioneers came, and yet the new arrivals say that they have an equal right to the land. The Government gave a Grown grant.but now seeks to take it hack. He thought timt every man who has saved sufficient to buy land should be able to say ‘ This is mine aud no one has a right to take it from me.’ If a man is deprived of his money the law punishes the spoiler, but the same does not apply to land. There are some men who believe that cajutalists are thieves (Mr Roche then gave an instance of a man with whom he conversed in a oafe), Ir, was ’ttOSt absurd for working men to look upon employers as their natural enemies. The capitalist,® have developed the country at great cost—ln Waikato mftny capitalists have changed positions with their lahoureps. Ho did not believe in big estates, bqt ju jthp early Jays land was offered in lai-v-e blocks and worked of teg. at the risk of buyers lives aud now they are jsqld they shoqll rjc>t be

allowed to holt them. On an estate in Waikato the owners have spent £50,000 in improvements | and have not yet profited 50,000 farthings and I now because they are ab-ontees they are to be additionally taxed- The agitation of Mr Bust ’ -h" fink' 1 J Ins sob-- quont acceptance government lu't-t was h.i-.- referred to. The speaker theu decried the graduated laud tax and claimed that it is to the big estates we are indebted for our present prosperity for without them we should not have established the frozen moat industry and the dairy industry which followed it, The large estates breed the sheep while the smaller ones fatten them. He didn’t think that the loafers should have the same privileges in politics as ourselves. They now have the same rights as the man with £2OO ; so far has it gone that a man has a vote as soon as he gets out of gaol. In order to return capable and honorable men to parliament there must be something like unity. We want men who will vote in favour of our platform. The Government want to borrow in the Colony and ask Insurance Companies to deposit extra sums as security which would amount to about £400,000. They thus desire to add nearly half a million to the debt of the Colony by a system tantamount to confiscation. The country should live within its income and this the present Government cannot be doing or else they would not want this extra half million. Railway construction in the King country was stated by the speaker to have been grossly mismanaged and the blame laid upon present ad ministration. The Ministry hai spent a great deal too much in travelling expenses instead of looking after their business in Wellington. The Perpetual lease system was very good but if a man desired to convert his lease into a freehold he should have that- option. It is freehold tenure that has made France what she is today—one of the most prosperous lands under the sun. It has been said that the National Association is a combination of capitalists but it is not so and large numbers of working men are joining it in Auckland. Some of the legislation of last year was very much against small people, such as the Shop Hours’ Bill. It hit the small man very hard and threw trade into the hands of the large shopkeeper. The increase of the honorarium to £240 per annum to be paid monthly and to be specially protected was another instance. The country cannot afford more than £l5O and that is irore than many members are worth. Mr Slater said that those who before had objections to the Associations had probably now had them removed. Mr H. Hammond asked whether the National Association had been got up solely in opposition to the present Ministry. Mr A ache, I did nob say so but I believe the present Government are the least likely to support it. Mr Slater said that the attempt of Mr Ballance and his party to lessen the power of freehold was enough to make every man oppose them. Mr Ballance says to freeholders that they must share their land with the street loafers. Mr Hammond said Mr Ballance had not been fairly treated. With perpetual lease a man could occupy land and live on it as long as he worked it ; with freehold men held land withworking it and then took all the benefit accruing from railways and other public improvements, Mr Roche, What about the unearned decrement ? Who is to bear the loss ? Will Government make that good ? The day for holding forty-thousand-acre blocks is past, but they have served their time and have been a blessing to the Colony. Mr Harbour commended present Government but they had gone beyond their depth for there was not one of them that knew anything of the question. The Knights of Labour and other petty-fogging societies should combine and discuss matters in a friendly war under this Association. Let all combine and place in Parliament an honest man no matter what his opinions may be. Mr Roche said that in England there were definite party lines and there should be the same here. They did not want men going to Wellington ready to be bought. Mr Ballance said that no man should be in the service of the Colony longer than 30 years and now they were paying pensions as well as salaries. This looked like political patronage. A vote of thanks to the chair brought the meeting to a close.