The Wairarapa Daily. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 19, 1885. MAJOR ATKINSON'S SPEECH.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VII, Issue 2175, 19 December 1885, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 19, 1885. MAJOR ATKINSON'S SPEECH.

J? tilt "jjreeah delivered by Major AtKiHEorv before liia oona&UlletltJf &l Haw era osi-Th«rad«y ntghfe ia in uotaa respects a little disappointing, bee&u&j it contains little that is new, it i& $n tie ofcherhacd very satisfactory, bfioaiistfiii k 6 vigorous and tailing i-nn'ly iotheraceni Utterances of Sir J antra NfoatJt, sad Mr Stout. It waa not. intended to de: i with new subjects, hut with those questions which have been raised by the Premier and the Colonial Treasurer. "*"« think he described both of them viry accurately, when he naid that the speech of the latter was that of a Vain, capable : and clever man making the best of a bed bargain, whose bußlue&s Wwthat of an advocate, and he was Well skilled in waking the worse appear the better course; and that,asto the speech of the Coloniai Treasurer, he never read such a tissue of false statements as those amdo by him. We all know that ha is remarkably clever at making black appear white and' white, black, sad that it is difficult to say whether he or the Premier are the beat at.it. Major Atkikboh made a good hit whea he denied that any- measures had been brought down during the last ussaion of ParJiarasnt in a perfect Btate. There were a good number of thero, but nearly ftll.of them were nob men uhatetom, for Parliament* had to give them shspe before it could put on the flesh.;- Tboso that were supposed to he Elaborated, were cut about most unineroifiiiSy. Thei Govemrasnt ban hardly oWm oredifc for carrying ita mmuwm when they wero really the moaauraa of Parlinmcni, That the real polioy of the Government was never fully and boldly declared m alfio a fact, for in place of putting the full achemeof borrowlngbefore the country, as was done in 1870, it was proposed to raise loans by probably in order not to cause alarm. Now that this k threatening to prove a failure, the Colonial Treasurer has apparently conitidtired the adviaauletijssg of presenting the various works and ths loans which they would necessitate in a jump, in the hope that members of the House whose districts ure to be beheSted may go in for log-rolling arid sw&How the bait, Major Atkinson further points out that a pronaige was made to ab/jli-jh the''property Tax, but that in place of that'it been raised, that in- addition to this tlae 'etajsp duties have been materially iaoreaaed, and that an attempt was also made to obtain additional revenue through the Custom-hoase. Major Atkinson ie absolutely correct in his figarea when fee states that the Government has spent mors money defing the last two than their p-redeces.sor|, an.d lie might have added, and made less show, except in. the way of increased dabt, Nor can he be contradieted. when. He says fchafc J there which have been - authorized to iihe special million loan for the North Island could be diverted, as all the authorized Joansihave been provided for. Major Atkinson did not speak meialy iortj|e sake of opposition, but tr^ted'^M9pnhje,cia i pouched in and: commop. |»nse sort of vieVji it is to b'e:' hoped, m-U}- make itself felt throughput the fraginfinfß pf the present disconnected