The Gisborne Standard AND GOOK COUNTY GAZETTE Published every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday Morning. Saturday, September 27, 1890. THE UNIOIST PLATFORM.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume IV, Issue 511, 27 September 1890, Page 2

The Gisborne Standard AND GOOK COUNTY GAZETTE Published every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday Morning.

Saturday, September 27, 1890. THE UNIOIST PLATFORM.

Be just and fear not; Let all the ends thou aim’st at be thy country’s, Thy God’s, and truth’s.

A telegram from Christchurch states that the Trade and Labor Council have defined the lines upon which the general election is to be contested. Their nominees or those whose candidature they support must maintain the following principles:—i. Stoppage of sale of Crown lands, cancellation of provisions for conversion of perpetual leases into freeholds, and resumption by the State of freehold at a fair valuation for Settlement. 2. Triennial Parliament. 3. Eight hours to be a day’s work. 4. Special tax on “absentees.” 5. Maintenance of the Education system intact. 6. Securing of the rights of Labor. 7. Progressive land tax. 8. Elective Legislative Council. Such a platform is bound to be strenuously opposed by the Conservative element. At present the Government of the colony is run upon no fixed ideas at all, excepting perhaps, as Sir Harry Atkinson puts it, that of expediency—which, given its. true meaning, is that the Atkinson Government should remain in office. When any question now arises the Government is simply a dial hand, and its policy the mere resultant of opposing forces. To take the platform in its order, the first point raised requires the most careful consideration. Hitherto it has been deemed a political virtue to dispose of as much Crown land as could possibly be got rid of by a faulty ballot system ; in fact the whole policy savored of a gambling mania. Each political party has competed with the other, and for fear it should be outpaced the present Government has gone on, wildly claiming that it had done most in this respect. Thinking people discern that it is time there was a cessation of this sort of thing if there is to be any. advance in the theory that the State should be the landlord, and those who do not agree with that are yet forced to admit that unless further purchases are made the State will soon be without land to sell. Settlement in small areas is urgently desirable, but that introduces no necessity for the State wholly releasing its title to control the land. The cancellation of provisions for the conversion of leaseholds into freeholds is a matter of detail. Agreements that have been entered into in good faith must not be broken unless sufficient compensation is given. The resumption of freeholds, at a fair valuation, should always be kept in view. The main obstacle at present is the low state of the Treasury, and the fear that to entrust Governments like those the country has lately submitted to would be merely playing into the hands of the monetary institutions. Triennial Parliaments are now beyond question ; what is wanted is a better class of men to represent us in Parliament. As to the proposed enactment that eight hours shall be a day’s labor it is open to many objections unless exceptions are permitted for some classes of work. A special tax on absentee landowner# is very desirable,

and would have been long since in force had not the landed and banking interest been too strong for those who object to the colony being drained of its wealth to provide luxuries for those who only have connection with it for what they can get out of it. In no circumstances should the Education system be tampered with. The people are now recognising that had the cry recently raised against it been successful the system would have been crippled, to the great disadvantage of sparsely-populated settlements. The securing of the rights of Labor is a vague phrase, when there is no indication as to what those rights are considered to be, but it would follow as a matter of course that all rights should be upheld. A progressive land tax has long been agitated for, and though the property tax has been considered better for expediency, some fairer adjustment of taxation is necessary. A elective Legislative Council is the last point in the platform. If this means that the Council is to be elected by the people we cannot see how its existence at all is to be justified.