MAJOR ATKINSON AT HAWERA. [BY TELEGRAPH. —PRESS ASSOCIATION.] Hawlra, Tuesday,

Waikato Times, Volume XXII, Issue 1835, 10 April 1884, Page 2

MAJOR ATKINSON AT HAWERA.

[BY TELEGRAPH. —PRESS ASSOCIATION.] Hawlra, Tuesday,

The hon. the Premier addressed his constituents at Hawera on Monday night. There was a large attendance, and the chair was occupied by the Mayor. Major Atkinson referred in very brief terms to the late session, and complained that, owing to the want of an organised opposition, not one real principle was discussed properly. All the Opposition seemed to think about was how to turn the Government out. Regarding the deficit, which would probably amount to £170,000, there seemed to be a great deal of needless alarm about it. The deficit did not equal the amount of the property tax remitted last year in accordance with his principle that no more should be taken from the people in any one year than was needed. There had been a falling off in the wool production of £400,000, which decreased the taxpaying power of the people, Customs had fallen short of the estimate by £120,000, the railway receipts were £80,000 less, and the postal revenue £20,000. If wool had not fallen, the Customs revenue would have reached the estimate. The frozen meat trade had made up the loss to some extent, but it had increased the value of flocks rather than added to the revenue for the yoar. It was added to capital rather than income. The falling off in the railways had arisen because the tariff was undoubtedly too low, and the increase in expenditure, owing to deterioration, had not yet reached its miximum, nor would it do so for nearly two years. The nett receipts were less than expected by £00,000, while the expenses had exceeded the estimate by £20,000. Major Atkinson then proceeded to point out how a saving in the expenditure might be effected, and leferred to the measures already taken for reducing the Civil Service. No saving could be effected in the Post and Telegraph Departments, but in the Justice Department there might be an increase of fees. He then detailed the future proposals of the Government for the management of the service. It was proposed to group the departments under permanent heads, and divide the clerks into grades, with proper regulations for promotion from one to another. The House would be asked to consent to a scheme compelling Civil servants to make contributions to a fund out of which they might secure an allowance when no longer fit for work. The Armed Constabulary might be reduced to 500 men, and it was possible to save £30,000 by reform in the hospital and charitable aid system without impahing its usefulness or efficiency. The education system was one they were all proud of, but it cost a great deal. The total cost of education from the Consolidated Fund was £384,000 exclusive of interest on money spent on buildings. Since 1876 £(500,000 had been spent on school buildings, and there was still a demand for expenditure in this direction. The amount now said to be required was about £150,000. He saw no chance of reducing the expenditure. The amount allocated for school buildings out of the last thi-ee million loan was exhausted, and he did not think the House would boriow more money for the purpose. He thought that the money must either be raised by general taxation or by local lates. The raiting of the school ago from five to seven years would effect a saving of £50,000 a year, but this would fall principally upon small country schools. It might oe worthy of consideration whether there should not be a difference of treatment as between j large centies of population and country districts. Speaking for himself, but not for the Government, he must -say lie was not satisfied with the piesenfc system, but he knew he was in a minority, and that the elector* haa determined to maintain the present syntom as it was, cost what it would. He pointed out that a considerable saving had been effected by the conversion of loans. He thon icfened to the increase of railway rates, and defended the action of the Government. The lates were reduced some time ago, as an experiment, the revenue at that time from other sources being elastic, but the experiment had not pioved a success. In the home countiy, a slight reduction of fares added another class to the travelling public and increased revenue was the result, but expeuence had shown that the population of New Zealand was not yet sufficiently large for the snmo to be experienced heie. The rates had therefore to be increa&ed again, the Government being driven to this course by the circumstance that while month by month there was lots on the lines, other revenue was also failing, The railways wove not returning 2 per cent., and if the low rate had boen continued theie would have been £50,000 to £00,000 more of a deficiency to make up. Government had power to raise the rate 1 -, and he ventured to nay that Pailiament and the country would say that Government had only acted right in doing as they had done. The country, he believed, was determined the lines should pay so long as the taraff was not made burdensome. The Canterbury people- had made the mistake) of povsiuding thenjsolvos or allowing themselves to be persuaded that the lines weio local pioperty, for that was the point which underlay tho/vholo of the agitation. Apply that to the Post Office and Telegraph Office and Justice Depaitments, and the result would be a splitting up of the colony into little districts, iveak districts being allowed to do the best they could while stiong ones grew stronger. What was the public woiks system for if not to open up weak paits of the colony ? Strong ones did not lequiie such assistance. If it was aigued that diieotly a disti ict was populous enough to make the l ail ways pay 4 or 5 per cent, all piofit above that was to go into the pockets of pooplo in the district, thon it must be acknowledged that New Zealand people were not piepared to do their duty as colonists but were merely stiiving to secure paiticulur benefits to each of their own little districts. This was in another from a repetition of the old claim that the land fund belonged to the people of paiticular districts lather than to the people of New Zealand. Ho hold that the railways of New Zealand belonged to the people of New Zealand, and the profits wore to go into the pockets of the people of New Zealand rather than iuto those of people residing to particular districts. If the fanners of Canterbury ten or eleven years ago had been told that their grain would be carried at the rates now charged, they would have been perfectly contented. In the old provincial dray's tjh.e charge for- carrying a ton of wheat 30 miles was 8a 3d, whereas at the present time it was only 7s Bd. Was not that a low and reasonable rate ? Under the rates bef oi e the recent inciease there was no piofit to the Go\ein inent. There might if the grain traffic had lasted all the year round. The grain traffic was peculiar, foi though it was confined to thiee months in the year very heavy expense was necessaiy to meet the requilßiTients of tlie fanner at that particular tune. He and the other members of the Government had gone into tho matter as carefully as possible. He was certain the colony would not make much out of the grain traffic, even at the increased rates. The amount of increased revenue, class 5, which included grain, was £40,000, while classes made up the increase to £110,000. The railway revenue during current ypar would be bub 3 per cent. on the cost of the railways, and the money to build them cost about 5 per cent. He ventured to say that the electors of the colony would not be satisfied with less revenue from the Hues than 3 per cent. As to a political Board, it might be necessary if Government were liable to be turned out of office because they framed a tariff which would make the lines yield a fair per centage upon copt. If a non-political Board were set up, he ventured to think that the direction given to it would be that lines should be made to pay so much per cent, and that the Board, acting like a company, would not fix differential rates to .suit particular parts of the golony, but would get this revenue from wnei-eveii h might be obtained. He sympathised with the Canterbury farmers under their present circumstances, but he was convinced that w hen they came to look at the question faiily aud to compare the amount payable by them with that charged for all other goods, they must admit that the charga was reasonable, and had not been imposed in any atbitcry spir-lt. Mr Montgomery had told the people that this was class taxation, but if he dared to put that view before, the House jn a resolution it Would bp negatived by a large majority. Majos Atkinspn said thg quepfcion of redue« ing the expenditure lay entirely with the people. If the people insisted on their members studying economy it would be studied. He said there was nothing in the deficit to frighten people ; no doubt there was serious commercial depression, but the falling off in the revenue flue t° the fact that people had becpjne less wasteful in their expenditure. The ' deposits in the saving's blanks were £7q,000 less than in the previous year, but the .cjepqsits in other banks had jncplaseg fty PQQ.fjOO. The payers of the property tax have Increased by 2,400 as compared with the previous valuation. On the whole he thought the position was much better than many made it out to be. Regarding the policy of the Government, ty ftfyl they bad, go^e. fa tito

conclusion to consolidate the larger towns into single electorates ; proposals would be made for the periodical puiging of the electoral rolls, and to make better provision for striking (iff the names of those not entitled to be on. With reference to the land policy, it would be the aim of the Government to discover some more satisfactory title than that of freehold, keeping in view the fact that land would not be properly cultivated unless the cultivator had an absolute title. E<poriment3 in perpetual leasing were being tried, but the country might ro->t assured that nothing would be done rashly. Looking at the fair rentals now obtained for the pastotal lands, Government had come to the conclusion that not an acre should be parted with. If a better tenure were given, there would be a still larger addition to the levenue. The policy the Government intended to pursue in lespectof the natives was one of firmness and justice. It had been said that there was no native difficulty ; but any shrinking from the policy of firmness and justice would soon precipitate fresh difficulties. Government thought the present methods of dealing with natiyelandsextremely unsatisfactory, and were in favour of a return to the system of pre-emtive right, under certain conditions which Mr Bryce would fully explain. The general idea was that natives should sell through the Crown, or to the Crown, but that payment should not be made in each case ; some of it should bedefeired. This seemed the only way to get rid of the present difficulties, and settle the North Island. In regard to public works expenditure, the Government had not yet considered the question of further borrowing, but his own impression was that as the present loan was not intended to complete all the works on hand, further borrowing for some time would be neces sary. It wai, however, a matter which should be carefully looked into. A coming difficulty was the means of keeping yip expenditure on open lines. Money was not to be borrowed for this purpose ; how was station accommodation to be increased or rolling stock obtained. In connection with public works, there w,i< the main trunk line to Auckland. Its importance could not be exaggerated, and Government hoped to be able to make representation to Parliament with view of its being v pushed as rapidly as possible. The Minister of Public Works would personally inspect the pro posed route. At present no Minister had made up his mind on the subject. As in duty bound, they were simply anxious to find which would be the best line for the country generally. Provision would have to be made to meet the deficiency of which he had spoken. On the question of Federation, he said it was necessary for the Australasian colonies to band togethei for the protection of their joint interests in the Pacific. The Imperial Government would only listen to their joint voice. The .French agressions would soon leave them with no port of call between the colony and Panama, and as the canal would he opened in a few years, this would be a sei ions drawback. It was necessary to federate, in order to prevent these islands being populated by French criminals. He ridiculed the schemes of the Opposition in the direction of the financial separation of the two islands, and said that though the tendency atpiesent was towards disintegiation, by the splitting up of counties, the tide would soon turn. He denied that there was any power now exercised by the General Government which could with more advantage bo excicised by local bodies, but if it could be shown that there was he should be in favour of tiansfeiring it. No country in the woild had more or complete or efficient local government than New Zealand. After announcing that he should seek no other seat than that of Egmont, Major Atkinson concluded with an appeal to the people of Now Zealand to endeavour to properly estimate the dignity of labour, and by economy, both personal and public, to stiive to realise the condition of a happy, contented and prospeious people. At the close of the address a vote of confidence in the Piemiet was cariied.

Replying to questions put last Might, Major Atkinson said he held that presently the colony would revert to denominationalism in a modified form m the large centres of population. He did not think the country was yet ripe for the change, but he did not doubt that it would shortly come to it. As t'> the totalisator, he disappiovod of any public lecognition of gambling. The matfcei iiad not yet been considered by the Cabinet, but enquiries would be made, and if the Government found that the totalisator was the evil it was implemented to be Parliament must deal w ith the matter. Major Atkinson was interviewed this morning re the Tiunk Railway, but he only repeated what he had said in his speech the previous evening.