MR BEETHAM'S SPEECH.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 6, Issue 1809, 9 October 1884, Page 2

MR BEETHAM'S SPEECH.

The following speech by Mr G, Beetham in the debate on Supply is published in Hansard:—Sir, I regret very much that I feel it my duty to rise at this late hour to make a few remarks on the question at issue, I should not have done so had it not been for the remarks of my honourable friend the member for Napier in respect of the Wairarapa Railway. I probably should not have deemed it necessary to answer them had they fallen from other members of the House; but, from the leading position which he holds in Napier, and from his position in this House, I feel that, if I did not notice them, outsiders, and many new members of-this House, may form a very erroneous opinion of the district that would be benefited by the railway from Masterton to Woodville. I was not in the House when the honourable member made his, statement, but I understand that he said that the extension of the railway towards Woodville from Masterton would not open any, considerable area of available land, or aid in increasing the receipts of the line from Masterton to Wellington. I think .that the honourable member for Napier has certainly made these remarks without due consideration, He may perhaps have passed over the main road from Masterton to Woodville by coach; bnt if he has done so, walled in as it is by bush on each side, he would not be able to appreciate the land that lies on each side of the road for a very considerable distance. I know the importance of the question, and, had I known that at this juncture the matter would be

brought before the House, I should have been prepared with figures to show the large area of valuable land in the district. I-have no doubt the Minister of Lands is in possession of the information. A valuable report, prepared by the Chief Surveyor of the Wellington District, has lately been published in the papers, in which the excellence of the land and the large area available have been fully set forth. I think, if honourable members would study that report, they would find that the honourable member for Napier had really no warrant for the remarks he made in respect of it, I should like to make a few remarks, as briefly as possible, on the subject of local government, I have always listened with great interest to whatever has fallen on the subject from the honourable member for Napier— notably what he said in 1881. One statement he made was that the question of local self-government should be relegated to the constituencies for their verdict. I take it that that has been done. After the session of 1881 the House was dissolved j a new House met in 1882, and the result was that a series of measures were passed which, in my opinion, were of a very desirable character, It is my impression that no one has brought forward any argument ai all, that I could consider worth listening to, against those measures, up to the present time, I can only say this: that, if the present Government are successful in retaining their seats for any length of time, and if they can bring forward any measure of a useful character on this question of local selfgovernment in any way superior to the I Acts now in force, it will meet with my ready consideration, and I should be only too glad to support them in bringing it and all kindred measures into operation, I think I can prove I am right by referring to figures to show how much members approved of the proposals of the Government. The new House that met in 1882 passed the second reading of the Roads anil Bridges Construction Act by a majority of seventeen, and, after carefully going through its provisions in Committee the third reading was carried by a majority of thirty-three, forty-seven voting in favor of it and only fourteen against it, I think that is proof enough, unless you consider that the whole of the members who voted for the measure wero entirely without common-sense, and had no idea of what they were doing in the way of assisting local government, I think you must admit that that is a fair argument to show that the question was fully considered, and fairly met the sense of the I House. lam well aware, from having assisted in ihe management of local affairs for many years, that that measure is fur from perfect, I believe the difficulty is one we can all easily and readily recognise—it is want of funds; and, if the Treasurer at the present day finds that he is in a position to put a sufficient sum of money to the credit of the Main Roads Fund and the District Roads Fund, he will find there will be little difficulty arising as to local self-government. The question of money is the great difficulty that we have to contend with. Of course it is said by some that, if a land-tax is levied and made local revenue, that will remove the difficulty; but, as far as I have been able to ascertain, in every district throughout New Zealand the ratepayers strongly object to the levying of taxes on themselves for any purpoee..whatever. If fchey wished to levy a land tax for local purposes they could .do so- now, for they have quite sufficient power under the existing law, However, sufficient attention has been drawn to this point for the present, though possibly I may refer to it again in the future. As far as my relation to the present Government is concerned I think it is pretty well known throughout the House, at any rate, that I cannot be considered a supporter of the Government; but, at the same time I should like clearly to state—what I stated to my constituents—that I did not come to the House with any wish to factiously oppose the present Government. And if the constitution of the first Ministry that took office after the House met had been one that I felt I could support, I should have been only too glad to do so, because I did feel—and I think now—that the country desired a change; and had a satisfactory Ministry taken their seats I should have been only too glad to give them a fair support. And I say now that I am prepared to offer no factious opposition whatever to the Ministry now on those benchas. If the present question is pressed to a division I shall feel it my duty to vote with the Government, and I think that will be the case with a great many others with whom I have hitherto worked. But I should not like to do so without stating distinctly that it is not because I am a thick-and-thin supporter of the Government, but because I intend to give them a fair amount of support so long as 1 think their action conduces to the benefit of the country.