SIR WILLIAM FOX AT WAVERLEY.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XXI, Issue 4056, 2 June 1879, Page 2

SIR WILLIAM FOX AT WAVERLEY.

— — i ] Our report of Sir William Fox's ad- j i dress to iiis constituents at Wanganni was ■ 1 neceaaarily very brief and imperfect.owing ■ ] to our publishing early the morning after ; i its 'delivery, and it was not to be expected j that either a very fair or very accurate i report of it should appear in our contem- ! 1 ponry, Mr Ballance 's paper. We there- j ; fore avail ourselves of Mr Fox's addreas- 1 ing hi 3 constituents at Waverley, to ] reproduce more precisly than before some ] of the leading points of his two speeches, i giving as nearly as we can his exact words, but omitting some of the discursive and general remarks, by which the various heads were connected or ilhiatrated. His first topic w^s the finance .oy last'skssion. 1. The Government financial changes consisted in the imposition of a Land Tax and the removal of a few Customs Duties. In proposing the first, the Colonial Treasurer found it necessary to divest it of the character of vindictivenes3, which, on account of Sir George Grey's hatred of the landed ntereat, was supposed to atattach to it, and lie did this by proposing two taxes on other species of property : notably on Beer, and in the Incomes of Joint Stock Companies. The Government told the House that it must treat the three taxes as one, " and that it would stand or fall upon the question." When, however, it was defeated on the second reading of the Beer Bill, it pusidauimously abandoned it and the Company Tax, but failed to fulfil its pledge to stand or fall by the three, and not to take the Land Tax without the others. Mr Ballano had afterwards the assurance to deny this, but reference to Hansard proves that both he and his colleagues had pledged themselves to do so, and that their more devoted fo^l^era, such as Mr Bryce and Mr Pyke, had only voted for the Land Tax in that assurance, and they upbraided the Government,in no measured terms, for their utter want of truth and honesty in the matter. Sir William read the following extracts from the speeches of the members named in proof of what he stated : — Mr Ballance, on 2nd reading of Land Tax Bill, — Now, reviewing our proposals gene^illy, I would say that honorable members must look at them as a whole. You mi(st look at tlmn as a fiscal whole— that is to say, as the policy of tht Governinmt. The custom has been for many years past in England to embody the whole of the changes proposed ia a Financial Statement in one Bill. We did not do so on the present occasion, because, in order to make our proposals clear, we thought it better to place them in separate measures. Perhaps, looking at the course of the debate, it would have been better if all the proposals had been embodied in one measure; but I would call the attention of honorable members to the fact that all our proposals are intimately connected with each other. If you strike off £30,000 in one place you must make it op in another. Ido not think it necessary jto go into all the different points which have been touched upon in the debate, as I think the case of the Government is sufficiently strong without going into it any further. I accept the division which has taken place as a test of the principle ; bnt I hope that honorablo gentlemen will not consider that, having voted for the second reading, they are at liberty to emasculate our measures in Committee. That is a cardinal point, and I think it ia a point on which honorable members should stand before the country in their true colours, and not put themselves in a false light towards tho people of this country, who, after ali, will be the ultimate judges of the justice or injustice of our proposals. Mr Stout on the same:—Notwithstanding that some of our friends iv the House, for whom we have an entire respect, and who generally think with us, are opposed to us, we have made up our minds as to these measures, and by these measures we will stand or fall. Mr Bryce on the Beer Bill withdrawal: — I am very glad that, through a misconception, I was not allowed to speak when I first rose, as I should very likely have expressed the astonishment that I felt at hearing the announcement of the Premier, in terms which I should most likely have regretted. I say, now, that his statement gave me the utmost astonishment. I C9uld not have believed that he himself was capable of taking the course which ihe Government have determined to take. WTvy, Sir, I appeal to the recollection of honorable members if they have not been assured, again and again that the Government looked upon these three measures as a whole. They have given such an assurance ; and are we to have our respect for the word of Ministers given in that manner alto gether destroyed f I think that some regard for truth and honor ought to have prevented the Government abandoning these measures after having adopted the line of conduct they did. I confess that I am at a great loss for appropriate words to express my sentiments upon the subject ; but I have felt the greatest degree of astonishment at. the announcement which the Premier has made. If he had made this announcement after having succeeded in obtaining a majority on the question I should have been astonished ; but my astonishment has been enormously increased by the recollection that the Government were defeated last night by a majority hf two, and it is in' view of that defeat they now withdraw the measure. I shall say no more. What are we to depend upon if we are not to depend upon the solemn declaration of Ministers that these Bills, including the Land-Tax Bill, were to be regarded as essential parts of their polictf. If we are not to depend xtpon tJie assurance of Ministers that they would stand or fall by these measures, I should like to know what tee can depend upon. Mr Pjke, a most dp voted follower of the Government, said: — "The only complaint comes from the brewing interest ; and I should be sorry if this House was so debased as to give way on a portion of the financial policy on which the Colonial Treasurer has told us he would stand or fall because the brewers and publicans objected to it. No man will accuse nic of being anything but a thick-and-thin supporter of the present Government ; but 1 say that the Goverchave committed a great fault in this : that they have treated their followers as though they were mere merely to obey orders without being consulted at all. ■After that, the only course for the Government to follow will be to pass their estimates as quickly as they may, and,

laving secured supplies, let them get the House prorogued, and then, during the recess, prepare measures for next session more in accordance with the wishes of th 9 House and the country than those they have introduced this year. It is clear that lo bring forward any new measure of finance this session would be an absolute fa-lure. Having at heart the honor of the Government, and being jealou9 of it, I ask them, distinctly and positively, not to attempt to bring forward any new financial measures this B % ssion t They have suffered already, as much degrada. tion as any Ministry could 6uffer in orfe session, and I would seriously ask 1 them not to bring more of it on their heads. I feel that I have been injured. I am prepared to follow my leader through shot and shell " into the month of hell," if he will be but bold, and have the courage^of his opinions. I am willing to go through that, and put up with any] trouble' and surmount any difficulty if my leader be but bold ; but I am not prepared, 'and never have been and never shall be prepared, to follow leaders who have notfthe courage to carry out that which, they have declared they would stand by. That is the fault which the present croverntnent have committed in connection with this Bill — that,*without even consulting their supporters, they have retreated from the fight in the most ignominious manner. In future, when the Govern ment come down with any measure to ihe House, and tell us they are prepared to stand or fall by it, I shall feel a doubt as to whether they mean what they say, That feeling will never be eradicated from my mind, and lam not singular 'in this respect. The country is in, a state of trouble, not knowing whom to trust or where to look for honesty of measures and of political conduct." These extracts prove beyond all doubt, that the Government only got the Land Tax Bill through by giving pledges, which it broke as soon as they had done so, in defiance, as their own supporters told them, of honor and ..truth. And now that they have got it passed, the heaven-born Treasurer, Mr Ballance, cannot collect it. Never was there such .a bungling piece of administration as his Land Tax papers, which have b«n hawked about the country for so many months, at so great an expense ; and it now appears pretty certain that not a shilling of the Tax will bo collected in the present financial year. There is every probability that the Treasurer will meet Parliament with i deficiency of three-quarters of a million. He estimated £400,000 to be received from the Waimate Plains. Thanks to the blundering of his colleague, the Native Minister, not a shilling of that will come in. Then the general Land Kevenue will probably be short by a quarter of a million, and as already stated, not a shilling during this nuancul year from the Land Tax. What could the colony expect from t Treasurer who had neither experiene ncr genius ? He had been called in a South, crn paper, " The Hobblide-hoy Minister," The phrase well described him. Without any previous experience of finaace, without a particle of origiuality of mind, he is incapable of devising the means of extricating the colony from uny financial emergency, such as seems to be pending. Doubtless we shall hive more Land Tax, which suems to be hij only finance. Could anything be more unstatesmanlike than his abandonment of £100,000 of Castoms Duties, easily collected, of which nobody complained, in favour of a Land Tax, uncertain ia amount, and which so far he has failed to collect, and which it would eosS an enormous percentage to collect? It TOi a piece of political clap-trap, to carry out Sir George Grey's promise of a free breakfast table, and a spoonful extra of sugtf for his poor little starveling babes, jhoi were being deprived of tiie necessarian of life, by the cruel Canterbury laud*aj owners. He (Mr Pox) had asked u/l number of people of all classes, if the/1 got their breakfast any cheaper tiufl before; they all answered "No;" ifl anybody gets any benefit, it is the store* keeper and merchant. He tuß bound to tell his constituents thill he feared the prospect of the financed of the coming session, was one ofancifl tremely gloomy character. M NATIVE AFFAIBS. 9 When the iN alive War terminated, Sin Donaid McLean's policy was to let ting King party alone. They had retired inMB the fastnesses of their own country, nl for a number of years showed no ittleuS tions of hostility to us. His belief wu* that time would reunite them to us, ltfl 4B that they would gradually resaaß friendly intercourse. This policy lfl ß substantially continued after hia deiibfl by Major Atkinson's Government, tnfl was entirely successful. There wasnO'iiß satisfaction among the natives anywiU'lH except a little on the subject of theLmffl .Courts, which had been chiefly stirred gB by the Repudiation offine ia Hs'^H ■.Bay. Grey no sooner got into cfljffi than he resorted to his old practicßJ which he had found so profitab'e tfl through bis career, of making poliwßJ capital out of the natives. Furciog hi4B self upon the King party, be o&itgj them Royal independence, vast traciiM land, life annuities of large ainouDt, »BJ nothing to be given in return, eicepJßJ favour us by riding in our ra "!H carriages, and perhaps lunching vernment houso. This had be -n donejßJ a fearful expense to the country, bat jH natives scouted his offers, and Mj him with contempt. JN'ever before iaJHJ history of ihe colony, had any Go"™ ment been so dragged through the fi^B] had Sir George Grey and the ?*'nH Minister, iv titerr late interviews *|H T awhaio und Te Whiti. " Neff 2 eJ 'jH belongs to me," said Tawhaio, " i *]H hare none of Grey's doings. TberejHj aits, 1 ' pointing at him with £COfB iB fiuger. "You are a thief," B HH Te Whiti to fcheehan, " You hare trjß to steal my land. Heroki (the nnrw*™ }ias served you right," and in both tfjfl the crestfallen Minister had to retrjßj brow-beaten and discomfited. jH Sir George Grey and Mr Sbeebs&JH acted in defiance of the first p riB(: '|H which should guide our intercourse <|H the Natives. To make overture jB beaten enemy, wes the certain jH among the natives, to encourage '""IB stand out, and make exorbitant dein»lH This was what Sir George Grej dl |B bis attempts on the King p^J 1 IB Sheehan, with strange inconsi^ettf'lß exactly the- reverse; he atteop^B 11 bounce " & big chief on a land qtf 3 JH

proceeding which has never yet, and n e?er will aacceed. Bat mark the inconsistency. They crawled into the preience Tawhiao, on all fours, uninvited guests, and meekly sat in the presence o f murderers ; and they Bhake their fists j tt TeWhiti's face, and demand the immediate surrender of Hiroki t Of "course ,ueb absurd folly has produced its natural [fuits, and what they are, the exhibitions ,t iopua, and what is now going on a? f ar auaki sufficiently prove. Where is ,l, e boast that Peace Is at last made? Where is the railway from Taranaki to Auckland, over the lands of the King party P Where is the grand territory which Rewi was going to assist t g to colonise P Where is the acceptance w that chief of a seat in the Legislative Council P Where are all the other benejtg which were to flow from. Sir George g re y'B exhibitionjof;' himself as^thc great jlaori tamer, and Mr Sheehan's as the »voice crying from the wilderness jP " (To be continued.)