The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE. TUESDAY, OCT. 30, 1888.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 2544, 30 October 1888, Page 2

The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

TUESDAY, OCT. 30, 1888.

Equal and exart instice tn all men. Of whatsoever state or persuasion, religious or political.

Tiik post-sessional address of Major Jackson, the member for Waipa, which he delivered at Te Awainutu on Saturday, will be found fully reported in this issue. As in the majority of cases on which the representatives of the people come before their constituents to render uu account of their stewardship, there is little more in the speech before us than a recapitulation of the work of the session, with which the country is only too well acquainted and heartily sick of. M;ijor Jackson carefully avoids any explanation of the f'our.su of action he adopted whilst in Wellington, which was throughout not in harmony with the wishes and opinions of the people of this district, lie offers no excuse for weakening the influence and representation of the district by the divergence in the line of conduct between him and his colleague, the member for Waikato. Major Jackson attempts an (jliiborate defence of the Atkinson Ministry, and he endeavours to justify his faith in, and submission to them, by declaring that he thought he would best serve the interests of the country by supporting them. When Major Jackson was elected, although he was certainly the best out of a poor cluster of candidates, it was distinctly in opposition to thpolicy proposed by the StoutVogel Government, the leading" features of which were increased taxation through the Customs, additional borrowing, and only half-and-half promises of retrenchment. They were uiimistakeably defeated on that policy, apart from the past failure of their administration. It was their policy the country refused to accept; and in its stead was clearly and plainly demanded a policy that embraced a total cessation of borrowing, a far less costly system of government, and no further burdens placed on the already over-taxed shoulders of the people. Hence it was that theappeal made by the late Government was rejected, and the present Ministry succeeded them. Major Jackson confirms this in his speech on Saturday ; he acknowledges he was elected to represent those views, and enforce that policy. But what did we find when the hour of trial ar

rived ? The member for Waipa threw himself without reservation in the arms of a renegade Ministry, which brought in a policy that outHeroded their predecessors' in the extent of its weight of increased taxation, its determination to raise a further loan, and in the incompleteness of its measures of retrenchment. He supported through thick and thin a Government that cast to the winds the claims of their own party and preserved their hold on this Treasury Benches by truckling to the Opposition; in fact their own party was driven into opposition. None of tho things which distinguished tl«r present Government's proposals did these constituencies desire; thtrir policy is the antithesis of the one Major Jackson was elected to secure. The member for Waipa further excuses himself, in a very weak way, by spying that it is impossible for any man, after his arrival in \Vt;l lington, "to play a lone hand." But was there any necessity for him to do so? He could have remained by the side of his colleague, the member for Waikato, who re-

mained constant to his constituents, j unci was one. of a. small but compact party, who adhered to their principles, and numbered in their ranks some of the most brilliant men in the House. Major Jackson deprecates the imposition of the Property Tax, as well he may, for he must sen the effects of it in his own constituency ; nevertheless, he joined the forces of that uncompromising apostle of the iniquitous tax— the present Premier. Major Jackson believes there can be no reduction in our taxation to provide interest on our enormous debt. But had he presented an unrelenting front to secure an economical system of government in place of the sinful, extravagant one that exists, we could not only pay interest without extra burdens but also manage to make a beginning towards reducing the de'tt and so also the annual drain for interest. It is not necessarv for us to examine the statements made by Major Jackson in dealing with tlm San Francisco and direct mail services, the reform of our railways and the appointment of the Board of Commissioners, or discuss the question of wages to Government employees, and the causes of the depression. They are before our readers, who can give them their own criticisms. We will only draw the electors' attention to what ho said with reference to the Representation Act, which reduces the

number of members of the House, and the evident intention on the part of a section, a lai'ge section of that House to procure its repeal,

Tiik clauses in Mr Mitchelson's proposed Public Works Act Amendment Bill, which provide for the abatement of the spread of gorso, briars, &c, appear " to have been adversely criticised by members of the Waikato County Council. In their opinion it will confer too much powor upon local .authorities who, in carrying out the law should it come into force, would inflict great hardship, if not ruin, upon_many small property owners. It is said that a man who has purchased land partially under gorse, which has taken possession of it by no fault of his own, would perhaps not be in a position to incur the expense or clearing and grubbing the nuisance, and that to do so would mean ruin to him or serious loss. There is nothing in this that can absolve any man so placed from his responsibility to the country. If lie purchases a public nuisance with his eyes open, he is in the same condition as he who buys a lawsuit and must bear the consequences. Neither is it a tenable objection that the Bill does not deal with the land of absentees from whence the rjorse or briar may spread to the Unci of resident occupiers who are Jesirous of keeping them in check. The last section of Clause 15, of the Amendment Act of 1884, enables :he local authority to clear such ands and recover the cost of so doing in the same manner as rates ire recovered under "The Rating Act, 188-2." It is a fallacy, incl people are finding this nit as time progresses, that a man ;an do as he likes with his own. There aro numbers of cases in which he State restricts a subject's liberty )£ action when that action is a langer to the commonwealth, or :lm»itenß to indict injury on thepi-r----ions or property of others. Jndividials, who out of negligence, idleness, )r any other reason, permit their N-operties to bo overrun with wxious growths, inflict an injury >n the State by impoverishing the and, thu source of all we.ilth, Hid unnaturally depreciating its ■alue, and they do an injury to .heir neighbours by harbouring hes(i evil's alongside his boundary Did jeopardising his property. This ;orse and briar nuisance is nothing 'ess than a national curse on country ands. The manner in which both iave been a lowed to cover enoruous extents of lands in the Wai;ato, i»s far as the interior of the vinfi Country, is a standing disgrace o all the authorities who are conlerned with our public all'airs. The luisance needs to be dealt with in : very severe and uncompromising nanner, and the omission in the 3ill which we would like to see n-ovided for, is that it be made iompulsory on the General Governnent and local bodies lo keep their jrowu Lands, endowments and reerves free of gorse, briar or bramile.s, from year to year.