SIR GEORGE GREY AT THE THAMES.

Waikato Times, Volume XVI, Issue 1378, 3 May 1881, Page 3

SIR GEORGE GREY AT THE THAMES.

Sir George G-rey addressed Ins constituency at the Theatre Royal, Grahamstown, on Saturday night. The time announced for the chair to be taken was 8 o'clock, but at a very little after 7 o'clock the doors were bebieged by persons caget 1 to be admitted The gallery of the t|»satro had been reserved for ladies, who attended in largo numbers with their friends. At 8 o'clock the houbo was crowded in every part. There was some delay in electing a chairman, some of the electors calling for the Mayor, and others for Mr. Ehrenfned After a (short interval, His Worship the Mayor was voted to the chair, and opened the proceedings in nu initiatory speech. Sir Goerge Grey, on presenting himself to the electors, was again received with loud cheers. He said : Mr. Chairman, ladies and gentlemen, I should aluo add electors of the Thames, as it is in that capacity that I have to address you tonight, I come here as your representative, to afford to you explanations on many points ;to speak to you on the present aspect of public affairs ; te point out what I think you should do to secure your tuture welfare, and to try to convince you that in mo you shall always find a friend ready to support you to the utmoit in all that may bo for the good of youiselves and your descendants. (Cheers.)

Personal—Major Atkinson. Now, firstly, I shall go into a little perBonal matter with you : that is, personal to myself, as your representative, and which I think is of importance to you, as showing bow your money goes in thin countiy. You mutt not think me joking m "What lam about to lead to you. lam about to read to you extracts taken out of the I'iitea Mail of Tuesday, March the 22nd, repoiting a public rnoetiug which •was held on the evening oi the previous day. It was a meeting held by tho Colonial Treasurer with his constituents This is not the ropoit of an ordinary speech by an ordinary public speaker, about which there might be a mistake It is rather a lengthened conver-ation which passed between the Colonial Treasuier and the Chairman of the meeting. It is peifeotly natural that such a conversation should have taken place. The report bears truth on the face of it. and it has been contradicted by neither party. If Ido them any injustice, dearly the reporters or the speakers are responsible. If the reporters were wrong, tho speakers should have protested aaain-«t what is sdid in their name. But there is such an air of truth about tho wbole transaction that I am satisfied this conversation did take placo. Mr Sherwood, who was tho Chairman of that meeting, puts a question to Major Atkinson, aud he sayp, " You have stated, this evening, that you have got everything that has been got foi the Patea Plarbour from the Government." "Except the £10,000," replied Major Atkinson. Now tho £10,000 was a sum of money of this kind. There is a Post Office Sivings Bank in which poor people place thuir money. Large; sums of money accumulate in thin dcpaitment, which bums of money are at the \ • control of tho Postmaster-General ioi investment, and with which tho Premier of the colony has nothing to do. They arc the savings of the people, and should bo used for no other purpose. Mai k now, ho (Major Atkinson) &ays, ho got everything except this £10,000. Mr .Sherwood then replies, and Major Atkinson &.iys again: "Mr Sherwood has never got a single thing, or done what has been for the Harbour Boaid. He has never come down to Wellington. You got e\ crything through mo. ' A " voice" in tbo meeting cued out, " Who else should wo come to?" A Mr Rhode then interposes, and the Colonial Tieasurei again says, "About the £10,000. I gave gidit help in that, if not directly.' 1 That is, he n»eans that he gave indirect help, as you would say. "Mr Sherwood did come down and consult me about tins I think he will tell you that I have been very kind to him. I do not know whether lie will say &o, but I have been veiy kind to him, and ga\c him every assistance I could, lie came to me when out of office m regard to this €10,000. and we had .sevcial com eisations about it He met me one day, and I said, 'Your safest way to get this ClO.OOO is to telegraph to Sir Guotge Grey that you are iroing to oppose him at the next election, and I feel quite sure you will get the £10,000.'" Then he goes on. "Mr herwood was very indignant, and said he would ceilamly not descend to such a thing as th.it " (Choeis ) Ido not know what took place, but we do know that he did ; but this we do know —thai he did oppoae me, and that he got £10,000. Mr Sherwood haul he was honestly indignant that such a proposal should have been made to him, and rather than make any such proposal, he would go back to the distnct without any money. Now, electois of the Thames, I will leave it to youiselves could a moic improper transaction take place, that the Colonial Treasurer, who holds the place, so to speak, of Chancellor of the Exchequer of the colony, should suggest a diabolical plot, that a poison wanting to borrow money should threaten to' oppose me, that I might bubo him with public money '! I ask you whether such un idea would enter any man's head who did not woll know that in such circumstances money had been applied in that w<iy'! I now wish to drop the cut tain upon what I must regard as a disgraceful transaction. But this I must way, that if a New Zealand htatesman can boast that he hah done auoh a thinjr, or that public money em be applied in that way, ho not only injuren his own character inseparably, but the chwaoter of the colony at large wherein such things could bo done. I say moreover that if the .British Chancellor of tho Exchequer did a thin t of thin kiud he would be turned out of office, and would not be able to show his facu in Parliumeut again. (Hear, hear.)

Government Insurance. Now, consider this, in Great Britain, in most parts of the British E-npiro, that individuals aie allowed to insure their livs for small sums —that is to say the industrious poor have offered to them by the Government the privilege of insuring in a Government insurance office. The family of such a person who comes deceased will be protected to the extent of a proportionate amount—say, from£looto £300. The State becomes liable for that amount —that is, the State gives it guarantee, the guarautee of tho public funds, instead of the guarantee of an insurance company. If bad lives are taken looses are nude. This business should be conduoted on the usual priuciples, which if properly applied, would keep tho public safe asr tinst loss. Now what is done in New Zealand ? The burthen of this business is thrown on tho poorer class of people. A wealthy man may insure his life for £20,000, ,£3O 000, or £40,000, or any sum he please^ but they can sweep all" these moneys into the hands of a Government to be used at the dincretion of the Minister of the day in whatever investments he may choose to give his friends. I say that, after an exposure of the kind I have described, th-y ought not to be placed at the disposal of the Ministers of the day, but should, be dealt with by some independent authority that cannot be got at by them. (Cheer*). This is a matter of more importance than you think. To my own knowledge very bad ayes have been taken; to my own knowledge that has been repeatedly tho case.

I am certain that groat lopaea have been made which you will be responsible for. You will further see that the Government by going into these great insurance transdctions are obliged to employ a large number of officers. Not only do they employ them in the office, but send them about the country as touters. These officers if they should fall under the control of any party, if they are friends of an ultra Conservative (Tovernment,by attacks made on those who are liberal, by indirect remarks made in their leotures, they will very largely influence public feeling throughout the country, thus the Government under whose control they aro would have a most effective agency to champion it to oppress those who might be opposed to it. Whoever heard of an insurance officer going to the lamo, the impotent, and the ailing to seek for business Mr. Robert Graham, who has a sanatorium at Waiwerj., may not agree in this, but the Government have established a life insurance office there. (Loud laughter.) That, I should bay, would be the very last place in the woild wherein to establish a life insurance ; but Mr. Kobert Graham and his triends would probably say that there bad lives were turned into good ones, and hence the desire of the Government to do business in that; place (renewed laughter), nnd that probably in the reason why Mr Graham put it in his advertisement. You see the means by which your representatives may be attacked. You have seen how a diabolical plot was laid to get me into a scrape on a matter with which I had nothing whatI over to do. Ido think when a thing of that kind occurs we should give it very careful attention, so as to see that tne funds which belong to private individuals (for that h the case) which pass into the hands of the Government should not run the risk of being dealt wirh in the w*y which I have just brought under youi notice. (Hear, hear) It puts one in mmd of a melodrama, A melodrama always include^ some dark scheming villain, who says, " Look here, I want to get possession of some individual who is entirely ignorant; of what I iutend, so that Im iy have his character ruined." I cau conceive of an innocent man who, thinking solely of the public necessity of ahabour at Patea, thinking whether the ventute upon public «iounds would be lcinunerative, <md whether the secuiity wis trood, never haviug the lomotost conception ot bribing any man or set of men with the mouey of the public, being bomt fide intent upon the welfare of his countiy, yet who would fall into such a trap, and hia reputation bo ruined for ever. Against such things we ought all to raaKe a stand. (A Voice: We will.)

The Ministerial Finance. The present Government boastul that they h.ivu neatly equalised the revenue and expenditure, and that it has been done by the taxation they put ou. Now, if they lml done it m «. fair way, I could not presume on your ignorauce as to make a statement of t'ns sort. They have done it by wrongfully tixing the people of New Zealand, making them pay everything, while, at the same time, they wiongfully allowed tho great holders of property who live iv .England to escape taxation almost altogether. 1 tell you that you will iind yourselves growing poorer every d>y. You will find that you luvo been gradually sinking from the position you have occupied. Articles will bucotno d'jaier. Wages will fall, so tli.it men caunot iiud employment You and your families will sink, sink, sink, so tli.it whole geneiations mv.st pass away ere their descendants will rise again to the pobition winch they should have rightfully occupied .ill along. ihn mubt happen tluongh unfair taxation being unnosed on this country. What has occuired? There is one noble minded man in England now who would not avail himself of the law. lie lcsolvod to asses himself. He found tint his pioper shaieof taxation was £1000, and he has sent that £IGOO. Ho seenis to be the only honest man of N"ow Zealand in England. What does the Government do ; What is their exuise; Secret sliamo oppeais to have struck at their hoarts, and now the Colonial Tio<isurer t-t.mds up mil says it is a ''trilling flaw in the Bill;" and lurtlie- he says "we can rectify it." I ask you, if one man has icsolved to act in this way, and he is by no means among the wealthiest of the men cleaving funds from this country and ieliding m England, what is the total amount that should be paid by wealthy men from New Zealand lesiding in Great Britain, to case the buithern that has been placed on your shouldeis by unfair taxation"' With regard to its being a "trifling flaw, 1' I myself told the Colonial Tie.isuior what was the pm port of the Bill. I taxed him of doing tins of design, and I said that his Government were put m power by these great proprietors or by their agent-,, so that the Government were unwilling to impose taxes on those pcisons who aic best able to pay, and ought to pay them. And w hat did he say to me .' I remember the Colonial Trcasui er standing up and speakin? in contemptuous teims to tins ellect: ''The lion, gentleman does not know what he is talking about; he does not understand the law." He said "J know the law.'" But i\hen a glaring instance was Inought befoio the House, then he says it is a "trifling flaw in the Bill " The whole thimr lias been shameful. Look n«xt at the Civil ser vants. Th'^y have to pay property tax and Customs duties the same as other people. But 10 per cent, was taken from their incomes without any distinction. Some of these men were iudust.rious and diligent, their labours couduciuir largely to the benefit of the country. Those had to pay 10 ier cent. Some no doubt had sinecures into which they were put bocause they could not provide for themselves in any other way. (Laucrhter.) But what do we learn now ? Now we aie told that this 10 per cent, is to be returned, and this, seeing that a new election is coming on. Now, as to these poorer and more industrious sufferers, we should givo them back the 10 per cent, at oiKe. Many cf these men have been inetrievably ruined. How many of them have had to borrow money at 10 per cent, to make up for what was nuddenly taken from their pittances? How long musb it take them, out of their small salaries, to pay the interest on the money borrowed ? If the 10 per cent, was taken from them because they were" too highly paid, they ought uot to have been too highly paid. It was clearly a robbery to have dealt with a whole section of the community without any discrimination in this way. Why should these wealthy men in England escape taxation ? Why Mi-mid your great companies escape; Why should humble, industrious men, railway oinvials, post-office letter carriers, and oven the little telegraph boys, or young ctdsts who cannot live on what they get in tho way of pay —why should they pay 10 per cent, upon their wages iv addition to the taxes which they pay like anybody else ? Why, I repeat, were the wealthy abroad spared ? Why were the poor and wretched first bolected to boar the heavy burthen of taxation ? I say the example is bad ; it w-as a most unworthy action — an action that will leave a bad impression of the country for maiiy generations to come. Whenever a time of difficulty comes again it will be remembered. Now, I say, if the revenue and expend Ituro ure to be equalised, which we all admit should be done, let it be done by a perfectly fair system of taxation. Why should there be. an export doty on gold, aud no export duty on wool? Why should a property tax bo imposed ou

the inhabitants of this county, and none on those drawing gieat wealth from the county although residing beyond its limits? In fJreat Britain every man who has propeity is reached, whether in Eag-1-tnd, Ireland, or Scotland, or in whatever part of the world he may reside. I am taxed by Great Britain just as if I were a resident m that country. Why is a New Zealand man living in (ireat Britain not to be taxed as we are ? Now, I say that the result of this unfair taxation has been that every one of you, every child you have, has suffered in some way. Some little luxary must be foiegone, some comfoit withdrawn to pay taxes which the law and custom of nations require men to pay in fair proportion. Then do not make any mistake about this. The taxes put upon the articles you consume and wear it is not the merchant who pays them. No doubt he pays the tax upon the value of the goods in his stove. But they rely on the tax, and the interest that may have accrued upon the bonded goods to be paid by the customer. They will protect themselves. You may be quite sure ot that. Thus, in process of time, as you find employment more difficult to get, wages will fall, and the price of articles will become dealer. You may wonder why it should be so, but then you wonder you must still pay. The explanation of the matter could only be that those who put on the taxes were animated by a sincere desire to save themselves from fairly sharing the burthen I

The Land Question. Thus it will go until you will see with terror that, as in Great Britain—where one-fifth of the whole land in England, Ireland, and Scotland is held by 520 persons—the land of this country is m the hands of a few peisons. Degradation and wretchedness must be the lot of the masses. There is every reason to believe that you will have three thousand of persons here from the Celestial Empire. These people wilJ woik for the smallest possible pittance, and they will take lepios}' with them Avheicver they go. Indeed, I ha\o heard of tins state of things contemplated, under which every kind of wealth \\ ill accumulate, but the labour which prodncos it will be at the cheapest rate. " What we want," Mid a gentleman to me, "is cheap labor." And they will have cheap labor, but the laborer, as the laborer in the old country, will have no remedy except what hie master may please to give him. That being the case m the old country, are we going to set a worse system than prevails tliere ? Will you be content that 96,000 acres of land should be sold to a few men for 2s Gd an acre ? Are you content that bad lands should be purchased and laid out in small lots, and then sold to poor men, who will hang to anything for the purpose of grasping a home? Is that justice? Is it right? Shall we set up a worse state of things in New Zealand tlun exists in England, or shall we dcteimine as one man that an end shall be put to such a system ?

Political Institutions. Now, I say it has occurred here that you have been robbed of everything that gave you any system of true liberty. 1 drew up that system which worked so well heie. It was enacted by the British Parliament. It was one of the principles of that system that representation should be according to population. Under the system of pioportion to population, have you ever had your fair share of representation ? You never had. Taranaki has had three, and Nelson five, and Hawke's Bay has had more than that district was entitled to. With the fluctuations of paily, as certain persons obtained power, ceitain places and interests with which they w ere connected obtained increased lepresentation. The Legislative Council was med —or rather abused —in a most unworthy manner. If you turn a member out of the House of Representatives, because he did not represent your interest^, the Government of the day put him in the Upper House. If such a thing weie done in the House of Peei-i in England, tho British nation would rise as one man, and protest that it should not be done, and that an end should be put to any attempt of the kind, If a public officer in New Zealand was subservient to one Minister, or Ministiy. there were ti lends ever ready to get him mto the Lower Housn, and, if no constituency would have him, then he was thru-t into the Upper Chamber. Theie was one case where Iho fact of his being put into the Upper House was notified, and they got him into the House of Repieaentatives. It w.is uot long before we dv" out the fact that the gentleman was already a Legislative Councillor, Now, you cannot have leal fieedom while such abuse-* as these exist Under the old provincial system this district of the Tlumrs mijrht ha\ c been a province. Much smaller places vi number of population and wealth were made piovinoes. Marlborough was made a provinces, for instance A man could only ha\ c one vote, and therefoie, it became possible to give fieodom to the people. I s.iy you can Tiever have free institutions under the preseut system. I would not vote mysilf to give any great powers to our existing local bodies. In a (ounty you have plurality of voting. Oue man might have fifteen votes or even +oity-fivo votes against another man's one vote. That must lead in time to the creation of an oppressive oligarchy. Every man should have one vote Why bhould the steps of a door have a vote ? Why should tho wall of a house have a vote ? Why should the fence round a field have a vote ? Why should sheep or cattle have representation and men not have it ? (Cheers.) You have no original legislators m New Zealand. You have a vast number of laws, but most of them are made with paste and sciss u'S. (Laughter.) Most of your Acts have been copied from the Melbourne Statute Bo k. There they found this plurality of votes, and they copied it in the laws they made for this country. You can never have true local self-govern-ment whore you have such an enormous disproportion m the distribution of powers. You can never have complete local self-government while your looal legislatures can be overruled by an irresponsible nominated Upper Chamber.

Property Tax. The absurdity of the Colonial Treasurer's notion about the property tax is really wonderful. I had sent to me the other day a speech which purported to be by Major Atkinson. Ho says that, so far from the tax being a tax on improvements it rather encourages impro /ements. I really thought for a time this was some hoax. It seemed so ridiculous how anybody could utter a seutiment of the kind. He affirms this proposition: "The Property tax which imposes taxation on improvements if anything rather oncourages improvements." I was told this sentiment was well received in New Plymouth. Perhaps it does in New Plymouth, for there is enormous expenditure there on harbour works out of public money. If you had suoh an expenditure for six months it would secure the prosperity and wealth of this place. Major Atkinson says : •• -uppose a mas. has £100 and he wants to add three rooms to his house. If the man has it in the bank he pays 100 pennies. It would be valued probably at £80, but if he spent in adding to his house he would spend it more wisely." But I must take leave to think tha man would be better off and more encouraged to improve if he had not to pay the tax at all. Take the case of a settler under the deferred payment system who will not get an inoome from his improvements for yews. la Hi any eucou,v4gowent to

him to have to pay a tax on every improvement he makes? If they have to pay a penny in the pound per year on all their labour, will they be very much encouraged to improve ? And if this is encouragement, where is it to stop ? Verily the thing is pure nonsense. If you go through the speech you will find such nonsense apparent throughout it. I cannot conceive how any mail occupying the position of Colonial Treasurer could make it. My proposal was to get rid of the property tax, and put on an income tax. It was put in the Governor's speech, and you all read it. Then I should put on a tax on land, a good and progressive tax, a tax which would let every man pay something—the man with 10 acres so much ; the man with 100 acres something more ; the man with 500 acres something more ; the man with 1000 acres a good deal more ; the man with 5000 acres a great deal more; the man with 10,000 acres still more; and the man with 100,000 acres still a great deal more. Principles of Taxation. The principle is that every man should contribute to the State in proportion to his income.

Representation. They say they will give a Representation Bill next session, but it will not pass. They do not propose a Representation Bill to be referted to the Judges or other independent authorities who would adjust the representation to population. They talk of a Licensing Bill, but that will not pass. Licensing Bills are introduced to wear out the House, and when members are worn out the Licensing Bill is dropped, and they bring on something else when there is no oue to prevent them. What we want is to build up in New Zealand a self-reliant population.

The Patetere Block. T ook at the Patetere block. There was a case in which the Government had paid 513,000 to natives. They had also a j>roclamation over it, winch made it unlawful to deal with natives for the purpose of acquiring it. Ceitain peisons did attempt to acquire, and paid to natives money unlawfully. A telegram was sent to mo, in which I was "warned " unless I agreed to give these persons some portion of this land. They said they would await the chances of a change of Government, and they did so. Was that a position in which the Premier of the colony ought to be placed ? You may all read this telegram. Having been dislodged from office, was it right that the Government should tell one or two that they intended to withdraw the proclamation and give them special information ? The first thing should have been a notification in the public Gazette, which would give every one an equal chance. The Chief Judge was of opinion that he could not allow any native land to pass over which a proclamation subsisted, unless the Government gave notice that they intended to abandon the purchase. But the Judge is called on —a private call—and it is discovered then that he thinks the matter somewhat doubtful. The Chief Judge should have said, '"I will hear no argument on the subject in my private room." He should have said, "You must appear before me in Court, and I shall give my opinion in open Court." (Cheers). That would have been fair to all parties.

Peroration. I am growing old, and to a certain extent feeble. But whoever you choose let him be a man who will support your interests to the utmost. They will tell you that S:r George Grey talks sentimental nonsense, but I tell you what I want is practice —fair practice and sound principle. (Cheers.) In England, the Bishops of Ripon and Manchester have Htated that 200,000 children die annually from insufficient nourishment and exposure. Will the people of New Zealand ever com 9 to leave their children in that position ? Thoy will, if tho knd is to be in the hands of a few lartre proprietor-'. We hear of r. views aud magazines in England publishing articles under tho heading-, " The dawn of a revolutionary epoch," in which the whole of this laud question is considered. These wealthy men will say "tru-)t to us,'' but I .say trust to nobody but y>nu selves. You will be traitorous to yourselves and your families to follow those whose interest it is to divest you of your rights to the land. No man can have an interest in Hud longer than his life. I ask you to be true to yoursplves. A vote of confidence was passed to Sir G. Giey, and of thanks for his st.itemenslike address, with au <»xpres^ion of the hope that he might be lonsr spared to educate the colony in the principles of true liberty and honest legislation. Three cheers were given for Sir G. Grey, and the meeting separated.