MAJOR JACKSON AT TE AWA- Muru.

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

MAJOR JACKSON AT TE AWAMuru.

M.uou Jacksox, M.H.R. f:>r Wnip.i, addressed his constituents in tho Public Hall (in Saturday evening, Mr Westney in the chair. There was a very large assemblage (if electors present, Mr l< , . Lawry, M.H.R., Wiis also in tlie hall. The Major on rising said that he had not addressed his constituents since the declaration of the poll. He would make a statement as fully as possible, and if he omitted anything in which anyone present felt interested, ho should be very happy to answer any questions they might think proper to put. If there was one thing more than another the country insisted mi during the late elections and to which members were pledged, it was, first, severe retrenchment, 2nd. the reduction of the number of members of Parliament, and third, that the expenditure and revenue should balance, viz., thatlosn mongylinoulel not be applied in the future to discharge liabilities which should properly be charged te tho ordinary revenue. The Treasurer said he hoped to reduce the expenditure by £300,000; the Civil Service should be graded, and that in order to stop any successive Governments increasing the number of civil servants, he desired to put the power in the hands of Parliament. In his speech the Treasurer said that greater restrictions should be placed on the Government of that day than at present, and, as an instance of how this works, in 1880 there were seventeen Inspectors of Police; these were reduced to eleven, who satisfactorily performed the work to 1884, at a cost of £-1,300, having 450 of all ranks under them. When the present Government took office there were no less than 18 inspectors, at an anuual cost of £0000, with 502 of all ranks under them. This will show how economy will bo maintained if the number of officers of the several grades are limited by act of Parliament. The Opposition tried to compel the Government to specify and show details as to how this £202,550 was to bo saved. This was done to try to embarass the Government more than for information. The majority of members being pledged to the reduction of the. number of members, that measure was carried, but an effort was made to render it nugatory, by extending the time in which it was to be brought into operation. The Government were beaten on that measure and stated that it was their intention to recommit the Bill for tho purpose of restoring it to its original position, failing which they would resign. The House met again early in May and the financial statement showed that the public expenditure had been redned £233,000 per annum. It was proposed to re-organise the Civil Service, to abolish the Public Works Department, the Native Department was to be wiped out, and subsidies to local bodies to be provided for ' out of the revenue ; school and other buildings to bo also met by revenue, to repeal the Crown L\nd Rating Act and to provide pensions and retiring allowances out of a fund raised by contributions from civil servants aided by the State. That was to his mind a good programme. They must bear in mind that hitherto loans had been used to provide for services which should not have been charged to loans which practice the present Government proposed to put an end to. The Land Bill has been amended in a direction that will give greater facilities for settlers of small means occupying tho land. The land can be obtained by lease, deferred payments, or freehold by paying cash, and those who are under lease or deferred payment, con at any time obtain the freehold by making tho necessary payments. Native Bills have been passed, which, it is hoped, will tend to tho settloinent of native lands to the mutual advantage of both races. Bills were subjected to a severe stonewalling by the native members, assisted by other members, who hoped to obtain their services for a similar favour when the Crown and Native Lands Rating Bill came before the House, it being their intention to prevent the repeal of that measure. The Corilin Moth Bill was introduced in the Lower House, passed with certain amendments then delayed to get an expression of opinion from those interested, and was finally killed in the Upper House, and no fresh legislation has taken place on that subject. On going into Committee of Supply, an amendment on the Representation Bill was proposed by the member for A.shbnrtnn of a similar character to that of the session previously. Although this was an Opposition movement, the object being to defeat the Government, but, as the diebate proceeded, it soon became apparent that there was no hope of its being carried, and would have been lost upon the voices, except that a division was called for by a Government supporter, in order, as he afterwards explained, to piace on record the names of those who were favourable to the amendment. An attempt was made to «top tho 'Frisco mail service, and to subsidise only the direct steamers. The object was moro for the purpose of assisting the New Zealand Steamship Company, which is principally owned in the South Island, and to have a dig at Auckland. The cost of the 'Frisco service is £30,601 Is lid, the receipts being £20,771 Us 4d, or a nett cost of £729 15s 7d. The direct service cost £24,94515s 7d, the receipts being £19,238 3*, the nelt cost of that line being £0,707 12s 7d. The two cost the colony £7,437 >Ss 2d, He did not think it was necessary to subsidise, either line, merely paying at per pound for the mail matter carried at such prices as may be agreed upon. There is no doubt that the different line? would compete one with the other as to speed, so as to get a greater show of the majl matter, and the cable was always available for anything important or urgent. The railways have ost in the aggregate £13,250,000, tho interest payable annually being £GG2,500. The railways for the last year earned £994,000, at a cost of £687,000. The nett return above working expenses was £307,000. That, deducted from the interest of £u'G2,500, leaves a nett annual loss on our railways of £3.05,500. This, to his mind, required some alteration, if the lines are to pay their own way. There .ire some who think that the interest on construction should bo borne by the colony. They fail to see why an iron road elmiild be treated differently from a metal road, and if the colony was in a prosperous condition, and could afford, without additional burdens being thrown upon the people, to follow that course, no doubt it would be given effect to. As for himself he should like to see Vaile's scheme tried on an extensive scale, and ho advocated that in the House and to Ministers, tho reply generally being that the House having authorised the establishment of a non-political Board to manage our railways, they do not care to anticipate the appointment of that Board, but that it would be quite competent for that body to make arrangements with Mr Vaile so that his scheme could be tried. Regarding the leasing of the railways to Mr Vaile, the same also applies. The Minister for Public Works stated that before the leasing could be entertained, a substantial guarantee would have to be given, and that he thought nothing less than a cash deposit would suffice, not so much to insure the payment of the rent as to guarantee the road, lolling stock, buildings, ,&c, would be handed back in as good condition as they were when taken over. Successive Governments have found themselves powerless to reduce expeudituro within what they considered proper limits. They could not put their hands upon anyone from a lineman to an ena:iiieer-in-charge without great political pressure being brought to bear, so that the particular person might be reinstated. Hence the necessity for the appointment of tho Board. A similar action had been found necessary in the colony of Victoria, where he understood the railways arenow working with great satisfaction. There are some members in the Houbo whose election is due to the votes of Government ciiiployeeV. On every occasion, in seasjfctand out of season, they parade their atfnjay to maintain a high rate of wages fcfr such employee*, and should the Government of tho Jay -make any attempt, even iti a small, way, ;o assimilate tho wages of its employees to ;hose paid to others employed outside the lepartinent, these members immediately make a protest. He was not an advocate of ;ow wages, but to dispense with those who ire not required, in other words, not to ioep more cats than there are mice to catch. Labour should be like every other lommodity a question of supply and donand, when plentiful the price will be ower, when scarcer the price will bo higher. When the Act appointing this Board was jassed it was tried to insert a provision. hat the Commissioners should not have lower to lower wages, but could if they iked, raise them. When these wages were arranged farm produce was belter worth ihan it is now, and farmeis have just as nuch right to insist that Government hould guarantee the past prices for their iroduce as that they should be compelled o pay the Government employees a rate of pages very m«ch in excesa.of thoeo ruljpfj

outside for similar work. It has been thought that a time is not fur distant when it will be necessary to prohibit all who ore receiving Government mi ney from voting at the election of members, in other words it is not right that those who are receiving Government money should have a voice in the distribution of that money. He understood the wages earned by persons taking contracts under road boards and county councils rarely exceeded 3s (id to 4s a day which are very much below the average wages piM by the Government for similar work. There was a matter to which he would not refer but for statements he had heard had been made about him, namely, that all he had done was to provide a billet for his nephew. Perhaps, unfortunately for hiinselt, the officer who was recently appointed t« the charge of those works was his nephow, but he did not think that fact should stand in the way of his promotion. Ho had entered the service l;"i or 10 vears ago, had been tralnod in all its branches, anil had worked ij} every railway workshop in New Zealand, and had shown himself fitted for the appointment which was made without his (the speaker's) knowledge, and without tho knowledge of Mr Mitchelson, the facts being the changes were arranged by the late Government, Ho would merely mention that prior to this change being effected, the work (lone in the Newmarket workshops cost 30 per cent, more than in any other workshop in the colony. Ho would like to see tho Property Tax repealed, and probably it will be repealed next session, and he should be very glad if this could be done without throwing any further burdens on the people, but should the revenue yielded by this tax bo required then we shall have to conRider what must be substituted for it. Many people have expressed their objection to this tax. but when asked as to what they would provide in its place they have been unable to suggest a substitute. Ho thought that probably an Income Tax would be the fairest, but he understood it would be very difficult to collect and to check imposition. It has been nrgneri that an Income is not so fair as a Property Tax, for the reason that when a man dies his income dies with him, but property remains. There is no doubt whatever that the revenue in the future from the Property Tax will be much reduced, as the valuation of property has hitherto been very much in excess of what it should be. Not only will the amount paid by individuals be reduced, but the exemptions will be on a very much larger scale. There are some, notably "Harapipi, who advocate that tho exemption should be very much reduced, if not done away with altogether. That would press very heavily upon the small settler. Others advocate a land tax, which would be equally as bad, if not worse, in his opinion. Land was now carrying as much as it could well stagger under, being charged with the maintenance of hospitals, charitable aiii, local works, &c. As stated before, the Government had effected a saving of £233,000, but it would still require something like £70,000 more than their present sources of revenue. In addition to which it was pro-p-ised to charge tho school and public buildings to revenue, and to provide for the subsidies to local bodies, making a total of £180,000 required to balance expenditure ; that was in addition to discharging last venr's deficiency of £228,000, it being proposed te specially provide for this by a primage duty of 1 por cent, upon all imports, estimated to yield £58,000 per annum, thus clearing off the deficiency in two yeiirs, when this special duty would cease. The Government stated that after mature and anxious consideration it had determined to obtain this £180,000, by raising tho Customs duties, and had estimated that the increased duties would probably yield £207,000, leaving a surplus of £27,000, which margin they considered none too much. He thouplit he could not do better than read the remarks ho made on that occasion, giving his reasons for them. (The speaker then read from his speech). He was satisfied that these additional taxes were required for rovenuo, and he thought that was the only way the revenue could now be raised. He thought he should be best serving Ihe interests of the country by voting to keep the present Government in power, so .is to give them an opportunity to mature their plans. When a tree is planted it is not usual to cut it down before you sample its fruit. Several of those who are numbered as Government supporters refused to vote for them in this matter. Nevertheless tho Bill was carried by large majorities, the Opposition as a body voting with tho Government. It has been stated by Opposition members that they could have turned the Government out, and think they deserve credit for not doing so. There is no doubt they could havo turned the Government out then, but that would not have turned their party in. He might say tho country was passing, or ho hoped had passed, through a period of extreme depression. Tho prosperity of former yearn was due principally to the expenditure of borrowed money, and was, to a great extent, fictitious. The stoppage of the public money has led to these bad times, which has been intensified by the wave of depression which has overshadowed the whole world. Our public debt at the present time is about 37 millions, or about £lio per head, the interest for which must be provided for annually. However, we may retrench in other directions, there is no possible retrenchment here, but there are signs of these bad times passing away. The colony making provisions for expenditure out of revenue and not to use loan money in the future, except for legitimate purposes, has raised, and will tend to still further raise, New Zealand in the estimation of financiers and induce immigration and settlement, which are our greatest requirements. There is now a better market for our frozen meat, which has recently been exported with very satisfactory results. Mr John Grieg, of Long Beach, Canterbury, informed the speaker the other day that he had just received the return of a large consignment of lieef which netted him clear of all expenses 22s (id per lOOlbs. That ho thought they would admit was very much in excess of the prions that had niled for some time past. Sheep havo risen some iis or Gs in value during the past fivo mouths, and official returns show that there were considerably less sheep in tho colony than there were 12 months ago. Southern settlers hud given guarantees to tho direct steamern to supply each month a given quantity of sheep, they find it now difficult to keep their engagements, in fact a stenirer leaving the South Island hist month could not complete its load without procuring sheep from the North Island and it looks like as though the Inrge surplus has been cleared out and that they are now touching upon what may be called the reserve stock of the colony. If such h the c;ise a further rise must naturally follow. Should good times follow they will certainly be more permanent because they will be on a good, natural and sound foundation, and not of that fictitious character which has hitherto prevailed.

A great number nf questions were asked, to which Major Jackson replied. He said notwithstanding the fact that the Government took credit for retrenching they Imd to put on a tax of £300,000, because there was a deficiency of £280,000 from tho previous Government. Was not in a position to say whether the expectations of the Government as to the revenue from the tariff were realised. Knew there was a loss of £300 by one firm alone withdrawing a lot of ten whan the bill was carried, and before it came into operation, Tho two million loan c»st about t'102,000 to raise, and had to be borrowed to meet liabilities. He voted against Mr Withy's motion, because it was being made use of to embarrass the Government, Mr Withy himself voted against it, and he (the speaker) thought he did right in voting as he did. Did not promise some settlers at Kaniwhaniwha to get a road made in a district that was not included in any highway or county district. It was not for those two settlers in that district only. It was a break in the road which had to ba completed. Tne Knmwhaniwha bridge useless till the road referred to was made. It was really the Raglan people who wanted the road made. Mr Mitcbelson'said allocations would be used from time to time to complete the railway works in hand as far as the tunnel at this end and the l'ohanga bridge at the other end. Did not voto for the reduction of Mr Maxwell's salary, the Government said it was not too high. It was impossible for a man to play a lone hand in the House. It was a series of compromises, if yon did not eet what you wanted you had to take what you could get. Mr Withy who had been held up to him as an example voted with the Government on that question. If it came to a vote whether Mr Maxwell should go or stny ho would vote for him to go. Considered the mismanagement of the railways would be a very heavy indictment against any Government. After answering several other questions with more or less satisfaction to those asking them, Mr Sorby moved and Mr Andrew seconded a vote of thanks and confidence in Major Jackson. There being no amendment the chairman put the motion whigh was carried ununiinpwiy.