WOODVILLE ELECTORATE.
MR HORACE BAKER A-T THE MASTERTON RAILWAY TERMINUS.
At Eketahuna on, the evening of tho 27th inst., a large number of electors, chiefly tho supporters of Mr Beetham in the last election, met Mr Baker in the dining room of Joiies Temperance Hotel, Mr T. Bayliss was voted to the chair.
Mr Baker, who was received with loud applause, began by stating how he did not stand, He did not stand as the squatter's representative as his remarks on the Land Bill to follow would show. He did not enter the. field simply to oppose Mr Smith, he could not understand ho\v that impression had gpt about. There were not twenty men in the electorate had a bigger stake in the Forty Milo Bush than he had. He knew the bush well! Many of his early experiences were got many years ago within a gunshot of where they now sat. He wanted to be returned unpledged as to party, simply by his own convictions as to what was best for the colony in general and for the interests of the constituency in particular. It was for them to judge whether his met their approval, although he could not boast of having 400 votes in his pocket as his worthy opponent -of the neighboring township told him a few days ago. He was for retrenchment at any cost, till their expenditure was in proportion to their income. .^.'Retrenchment— In this he would begin from the, top and come down. To,start with the Governor, : 'he had no doubt they could get plenty good enough men glad of the post at one half of the salary. The Upper House—He would not refill the vacancies till this .had. been decimated, till the number was half what it was now. • M.H.R.'s-Far fewer members could
the 'population than weilSf now considered necessary, Ho woulri amalgamate departments and reduce the staffs. Was it right in present. circumstances that heads of Depart- / ments should get £IOO extra for every. clerk lie could make a billet for Railways.—Centres of population should be joined in the.North- Island, . as they were in the South Island, e.g. • - Mart'on andWaikato should be conncc*. *•. ted, and the land for ten .miles on-., either side-should be .Before hand by the Government, ,so that--there'would be no hinderance to settlement by natives holding , out for. the-;-higher Valuation. */,' Ls,nd Settlement,—Was opposed to the present scheme of.landSettlement. The propel'. kind of settler '• was not obtained. Too' many. - poor - together in one place, by the. Village -. Settlement Scheme.' A more liberal; measure was wanted.' It was a hoi© and corner scheme. ■ No outsider, evei) from the other Island had a fair,chance® although they might be all that coul'dlf be desired, and wish to'settle, The . holdings were too small. Sections of. all sizes were wanted to invite capital- , ists, even up to 1000 acres, and let. them be so advertised that all the world would have a chance.' Another point was, every section should have a ■ good road to it before it was sold, then let the section to any one who promises. to make the stipulated improvements. Under the present Land Act there were 13 or 14 systems of holding'land. There was no such thing really as Perpetual Lease. These may be reduced to four systems:—l Cash purchase, 2 Deferred payment, 3 small grazing, 4 Mountain runs. ' Judging from Woodville and Pahiatua the Special and Village Settlement schemes were failures, mainly because tho interest in them were locally confined to • Wellington, Masterton and other ~ places near. Few available men were better informed concerning the necessary condition to tho successful settlement of land than ho was not only from the studies of theories but from , favorable actual experience.' It., waff. held by some that the Village ment scheme removed tho unemployed from the towns, and settled, them in v ' tho country. The first was granted, but with what rosult ? This! That it simply removed the seat of disease and created an unemployed in Woodville, Pahiatua, &c., instead of in the towns which can give them a better chance. Land Boards aro of peculiar construction, aiid of qaestionable.elements Tho Minister of Lands'appointments ■ to the Land Boavdswere often supremely ridiculous if the issues were not of such ainomentuous nature. Whocoudl : explain the necessity for two members hailingfr6m Pahiatua on the Land... Board of the District. As inexplicable.. as the nature of the component parts of the Hawkes Bay Laud Board,' ■ where we were at the - mercy of the ; , questionable judgment of a photographer, a carpenter, an ironmonger's' assistant and suchlike. Very peculiar/, Such affairs ought to be relegated. to such bodies as District Road Boards' or Councils, heprefered the former, as ' having more knowledge, of the local requirements. There should be far/ greater facilities given to the settler, / especially easier torms as to time. They ~ would suggest 20 years iustoad of 10* in which to clear his payments, thus.' making it one-twentieth per year instead of one-tenth as at present. Would repeal Property Tax, and would advocato land tax and income Tax. Thus Natives would not be/ exempt from taxation, as small reason they should. By the land tax they also get at large holders, who are not improving their land. Would tax all incomes over £l5O. It is necessary. Education Reserves, &c.—Would support any measure to take means from secondary and put it into primary - education. Railway Management at present is. nothing but vexatious to all. Should grant sidings where required, e.g. -A large Napier firm (Freezing Co.) was refused a siding for their supply of - firewood, though they promised a' return of J33000. The railways were or would he the most valuable asset, therefore lie would not sell them, but • would try leasing one ofthem in each Island for say two years. He concluded by again stating that I will support. retrenchment wherever practible. Mr Bayliss thought Mr Baker's preliminary canter so good that if he galloped as well ,he would not bo behind when he came to the post.. To after enquiries Mr Baker replied. Ho thought tho tftnd Acquisition Bill premature, and explained, that the deferred payment system cost a good deal for administration. Clerks : and Ranger had to be paid, and every . receipt is made out in triplicate. ■ On the motion of Mr McCuvdio," seconded by Mr Bayliss, a vote of thanks was accorded to Mr. Baker. . A vote of thank's to the chair closed .the-meeting.
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Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume IX, Issue 2660, 29 July 1887, Page 2
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1,070WOODVILLE ELECTORATE. Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume IX, Issue 2660, 29 July 1887, Page 2
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