GENERAL ASSEMBLY ELECTION.

Inangahua Times, Volume VIII, Issue 1253, 2 April 1883, Page 2

GENERAL ASSEMBLY ELECTION.

.' Mr Wakbpdbldat Pebfton. The Ministry of that day, however, fell under the influence of the wealthy class, and niade railways through private land, increasing It enormously in value, to the advantage of men who subsequently so^d it, and left the Colony. In this way a great and grievous wrong was done" to 1 the people of NewJSealand as a'w'hole, for had that land remained ilifr- property of the State'the increasedrYalue given* to it by the public worts expenditure, would have gone far to 'ligtfteTi. the burde,n| l wlrich4lm ctilonMs E n<C)w Have yd* bear.;', (Ap^fa«ife^ : -iDhVre3u^ptidh^ of -land*' by tlie.'GrQ'Wn-.'sh'oiiiid have-Jbebnrbegun ten yfeats ag^lo«|l.i#tt^j^tajrlj. than ten yea^s ant} -I can only say that' "any 'measure* bYouglit before the House wjth that object in view will Command my most earnest support, and shot^^ci.Qther person bring forwar^ sucji. a. Bill I will do so myself. (Cheers) T . ".. .£\ now come to a brief consideration of the question of taxation. . My opinam upon this question is a very ■ simpifc'-one. It is that taxation should be^afe small as possible; The people can spend their own money very much betteri'^an the Government. Taxation. J, there must be to an extent -fsu^fent for. the exigencies of the piabltc 'service, but I object altogether : td fyxation being inincreased every 'time.-'. there- is the slightest strairj ' up^on -$he ; "energies of. the Governm^iit. jChe.ers). Taxation has now reached" fcUoh' alinutin New Zealand thaig t&hmKryri i have almost every tax known to miancers. In the first place we have the Customs duties, which reach nearly everything we use in daily life ;.th,en we tlife Excise duty, the. Property Tax, Stamp duty the tax .on. lo.cal beer, and niany others. Here we have alj_theae diatinct m(»de3 of taxation, and/ each /rg^oiring a separate Department to cojlect.orrecei\r©it. : Now, I think that this multiplicity of taxes and services is a gre^t e,vil* : ., [ The u whole .system requires reducing an.&4itfip"lifying. There ate countries which do- without customs duties altogether^, and I am of opinion that it would have been better' for this Colony, had we followed, that example at the proper time. 'But we_' cannot do now without taxation,/ and it only remains that we should have it' in the least objectionable form. The : Stamp Duty is undoubtedly one of the most inconvenient and objectiona! imposts we have. (Applause). It is one which, besides pressing heavily, causes ' endless annoyance in business, pursuits, and the- provision requiring documents to be transmitted to registrars to have the* duty impressed is the most feature of the whole system. It is in fact a relic of barbarism that ought to be put ° a stop to at once. (Cheers). The evil of this tax was not felt so keenly at the outset, but bit by, bit it has grown until it has become a heavy and irksome one, and if it could possibly be got rid of, should certainty- . go. (Cheers). The Property Tax I consider a fair and equitable one. It : reaches the irionied cliiss in the only effectual way, and gets at the wealthy absentees,— men who hold millions worth of property in the Colony, and who ought therefore to share with us the cost of Government and the protection of property— (applause)— and last year a

scheme was brought up which effects this object. One man owned property in the Colony to the extent of £400,000, his name is Mr Tollemache, and lie has lived in England for years. Under the law as it then stood he was exempt from the payment of taxation upon that vast sum. Sa strong, however, was the spirit of the colonist in him that he voluntarily paid £1600, the duty he would have been liable for had he , resided in New Zealand (Cheers.) He two is one who likes money as. well as any man, and knows how to keep it, but his sense of justice was such that he .paid., it. honorably, and we immediately decided to invite other absentees to follow his laudable example and this we did by compelling them. (Laughter.) In this way then considerable revenue was raised and Government . were , enabled to relieve other forms of taxation. There can be no doubt that the Property Tax, is a thoroughly sound one. Land is taxed in the Property Tax, but under the Land Tax it was the ostensible owner who paid the tax, while the mortgagee, who was very often the real owner, eßcaped scot free. A man might own a property, worth £10, QOO, b tit it might be mo#gai^fbr^ £^,Oo^Ma|^fe^p^ ti^:inf ref^>n;Jne £p$K); but the Land ' Tax on the amount also. The injustice of this is at ones apparrent, but it-is entirely renewed by the Property Tax, for there there the mortgagee has to pay tax on the £9,000 and the occupier on the £1,000 only. The Property Tax also reaches the holders of large landed properties in the principal cities — town allotments carrying costly buildings ; it also reaches the accumulations of unproductive capital lying in the hands of the wealthy, and in a variety of ways spreads the taxation equally over all classes. (Cheers. )It is not, however, by devising or refining taxation that we have to look for material release from the burdens which we bear. For any substantial relief of this kind we must look to the extension of colonisation ; to increasing the productiveness of the Colony; fostering the industries already existing ; and encouraging the • development of others. (Cheers.) We must get new imports and exports, and this can only be done by offering extended facilities for the opening up of our great mineral resources, and unlocking the country . for settlement, (uoud cheers.) I am a thorough free trader, and" on this head can make no concession. I think that free trade is the only sure road to a country's commercial greatness. There are people who say that Protection is a good thing for a young country, but they might, in my opinion, as well say that strangulation is a good thing for young children. (I aughter.) lii my opinion we cannot offer too great inducements for the introduction of the articles we require, and there is no part of the Colony so ; directly and vitally conT c£rned in this very question, or where the advantages of free trade vrpuld be more felt^jjau ori goldfieliis. Here ;jou .ate'" without, manufactories of any .kind, ; ajicf ftiiret mriaiw so,>nd' wfrat <f*6u require 'therefore is to get the, 'things, you use at the; icjieapest. 1 possible price, no- matter .ydiere they .are made. (Cheers.) On this points therefore, the mining population should be thoroughly with me in upholding the principle of free ; trade, for Protection . would . affect the goldtields more directly than perhaps any other part of the Colony. (Cheers.) The inhabitants of . the goldtields nndoubtedjy labor under many disadvantages unknown to Mher classes, and I have been surprised to learn some of the imports borne here. The fact is, however, the miners being a contented claps, slow to '• agitate, their burdens have grown with their patience. For instance, in Canterbury £1 per acre is the freehold price of fair agricultural land ; here you pay £1 per annum rent for land which is utterly worthless so far as the surface is concerned. If the land yields well the rent is, of course, no burden, but when we consider that probably not She in ten is productive, I think the charge truly Iniquitous. (Cheers.) [A Voice: What' about -.the miner's right?] I think tha't'Bs., at ajl events, would be a fairer, charge. . (Cheers.) Now, I come to the question of the gold duty. This is undoubtedly a class tax, and, like all class taxes, is necessarily bad in principle; The question is one which has been before the House, jn one form or another for nearly ten years past, but it has always wet with 'the same fate. The subject would be brought up by a goldfield's member, who would Bay that it was a special tax .on the miner, .who is often called upon ■ to : pay duty on gold which cost him £4 per ounce- to get. Immediately afterwards another goldfield's member; who Happened to be Chairman of a County Council, would rise lip and say, "Do not remove the tax, for if you do;.we shall be left without funds to make roads. The diggers want roads, and unless we get the gold duty we cannot make theniVand so forth." So the goldfields'membelrs themselves were divided on the question, and voted sometimes one way, and sometimes the other. . I have often said to the members, " Show me that I will be helping you, and I will vote either way." To deprive the local bodies of their income would, of course, be to curtail their usefulness, but that the tax is bad there can be no question. It is bad because it is a tax upon the gross product instead of the nett product of the miner, and upon this ground it is indefeasible upon principle. I have, nevertheless, a cordial sympathy with the County Chairmen, and my idea is to abolish the gold duty, and give the local bodies an equal subsidy from some other source. . In this way we should be getting rid of one at least of the too many restric: tionson the mining industry. -(Cheers-) I am a strong advocate of local government, and as strongly opposed to centralisation, for it is not possible that officials in Wellington can have any suffi-

cient knowledge of local matters. I have on many occasions advocated the extension of power to local bodies, for I believe that that is the only solution to the difficulty, and I went so far as to tell the Government that unless they went into the matter thoroughly they could not depend upon my support. Some time after this Major Atkititjon introduced his new Local Government Bills, but I could not support them. One point I agreed with, namely, making. Crown lands rateable, but the principles of the Roads and Bridges Construction Act were quite inapplicable to the circumstances of many places, and particularly in scattered districts like this. That Act will no doubt be repealed next session, when the whole question of local government will be reopened. In my opinion the County Councils should be made as nearly as possible independent, instead of being left to squeeze what they can out of the Government or any official visiting their dißtrict — (applause)— and if you return me I will apply myself diligently to the task of working the reforms I have indicated. (Cheers.) I how come to a subject which is. undoubtedly, a very important one I niark that^jiip the year 18?|$iere. was no such thing as a public system 'of education in this Colony. The system, such as it was, in each of the provinces' -was carried on independently, and very often the systems in each district were entirely different — some being good, and others bad. In that year a circular was sent round to the different superintendents, asking them for a report upon the system of public education carried on within their districts. To this circular various replies were sent, all, however, being in the main unsatisfactory, and in one case— that of the Province of Taranaki— a reply was received that in that district there was no such thing as public education carried on. (Laughter.) Every year the feeling grew stronger that we must have a comprehonsive National system of education, and at length my friend Sir William Fox, one of the best men in the Colony, took the subject in hand and determined to bring in a Bill on the subject, but there was such a conflict of opinion at the time that the Bill was laid aside till 1877 In that year Mr. C. Powen, then Minister of Justice, brought in a Bill on the subject, and the question was again brought under discussion. It was admitted on all sides that the time had arrived when the State should provide some efficient and recogganised system of education, and that it would be a Bharae and a disgrace to this young country to allow the youth to grow up without instruction. I applied myself carefully to Mr. Bowen's Bill There i were some features I objected to, and which I know would be fatal to it. He proposed religions reading during school hours, and capitation for the support of schools. I made a speech, in -which I warned him that, if he parried; the Bill retaining the Teligious clause, .theTmeasure j.would be v a prolific source of strife and bitterness, and prove a curse instead of a Messing to the Coloqy. I then moved that the religious clause be expunged, and that the whole cost of education be thrown upon the conso idated revenue, and thus succeeded With my friends in securing a purely secular system of education. (Loud cheers ) My reason for thus acting was that if we allowed the religious'question to remain we should have done an act of injustice to a very larye section in the colony and whose feeling, were as much entitled to be considered in the matter as others. (Applause.) It has been said on this account that I am a Freethinker and an atheist, • but no- more false accusations were ever made ; no man in the Colony has a higher sense of the importance of religious teaching or of the sacred truths of Christianity, and for my own part, I would rather follow my chi dren to the grave than that they, should be brought up without religious education. (Applause.) I hold it to be one of the highest duties of parents to bring up their children with a knowledge of. the sacred truths of religion, and I hold that the parents are the properpersongto; instil that knowledge. (Applause.) We .in Canterbury allow the school-room "after schoof hours for religious instruction, and in many places the clergy avail themselves of the boon every day in the week, and the plan works admirably, and there can be no possible objection to it. For my own part I recognise, the necessity, for the- very broadest toleration in religious matters, and believe that without it the bonds of society would fall asunder. (Cheers.) After we had carried the Bill in ifersecurar form*, warning wtwr at once given us by the denominationalists that in the following session they, would move for a'hearing They said " Don't close the Subject, let us have a hearing." To this 1 agreed, and in 1878 a bill was brought in modifying the system and allowing the existence of denominational schools. I told the framer of the bill I would assist him in every possible way to get it before the House, and if he could convince us that his demand could be satisfied without imperilling the national, system we would go with him. The matter was brought on and carefully considered in a full House, but no agreement could .be arrived at, a n cl that in my opinion was the last time there was anything like a chance of obtaining any modification of the system, because men's minds had become closed to the System, and the verdict was final. (Applause.) To say, however, that the system hjjd giv<?n the fullest satisfaction is impossible, because there; is one considerable? section of colonists who steadfastly refuse to accept, it.,.,.. Whatever may be the motives or the resonablenesß of the refusal on their part, the fact remains that they do decline to avail themselves of the sym- j tern, and I as a politician thought that if the whole population of the Colony could be brought into harmony, a great and iAi-

portant good would be done. I therefore made a suggestion of my own to test the question, and it was this ; Supposing that in every large town where there were children enough and a sufficient staff for 100 scholars a grant should be allowed, provided that the school answered the required secular standard This seemed tome to contain something of the germs of a solution of the difficult)', but it was not accomplished. I did not bring it before the House, but canvassed it in the country. . The question piesented some difficulty for from large schools the grants would no; doubt be carried to smaller ones, and thus the whole system would be ruined. (Applause.) Last session Mr Pyke brought in a Bill, but it was rejected, and we had a House elected upon the new representation and upon the broadest possible basiß, and I am of opinion that every reasonable man must accept the verdict as final. Any man therefore who goes to the House upon a promise that he will or can obtain aid for denominational schools • would be- pro--raising beyond his power to perform and telling an absolute untruth. (Applause.) This I cannot upon any considerations do, and would rather lose fifty elections than <go-into the House upon such a promise. (Cheers. ) I propose now to say something^ which affects you only in pocketi, for every man in New Zealaud ;i contributesequally, and those who pay the piper have a right to chose the tune. I refer to native affairs, and my opinionis that the sooner we can sweep the whole thing away the better. (Applause.) T believe that native matters are now in thehands of a man who has the requisiteability and determination, and if he only" has his own way, and is not hampered, he will sweep native affairs from the history of the Colony for ever. (Cheers.) 1 The Maoris have received a large amount of consideration at the hands of theEuropeans. They have been scolded ami cuddled alternately, and all the time an immense staff of officials have been kept up, who, for the most part donothingbutrnihi ister to their own private affairs. (Cheers. )■ Now, in conclusion, I desire to say that, coming amongst you as a young man, and! a personal stranger, I think it is duel should, toll you that I have never in politics identified myself with a leader | in whom I had not the strictest confidence. I have had my opportunities and temptations, but I have never wandered from what I consider the proper duty of a public representative, and in Parliament you must therefore allow me to speak aft one possessing a long abiding interest in public affairs, and with a just sense of the responsibilities of the position. (Loud cheers.) I have heard a report during my short stay here which has pained me very much. I have heard it said that there is a great swell of a fellow going about — - a regular stand off, haw, haw, fellow of the name of Wakefield (Loud laughter ) My own impression, however, is that, like Mrs. Harris, the friend of Mrs: Sairy Gairip, "There ain't ntf siteh a. party." (Renewed laughter.) : No, let. no one accuse me of being a stand off man ; I am a born colonist, and have made my ■own way in "the world, and if anyone imagines me such a man as that described let him come to me and see whether I cannot identify myself thoroughly witli< his representations and complaints. During my stay I shall not • only be glad, but be proud to meet with as many as may favor me with their acquaintance. (Applause.) I came here that you might see me, and that I might meet and mix with you, and I am sure that when I leave there will not be a man who will accuse me of being v stand off " (Cheers.) Another matter is that some of you here expected to ace a- much older man, and were quite shocked at. my comparatively youthful appearance. ,1 am sorry to have to admit that lam not quite so young as T should like to be —(laughter) ' — but the mistake seems to arise from my having entered Parliament very' young. I cannot think, however, in a young country like this that it is an evil to have young representatives. I believe, on the contrary, that many of the evils of the Colony have been due in the past to a perhaps too large predominance of old ideas in Parliament - (applause)— and t may venture to express the opinion that the affiussrof the Colony will never be more properly and satisfactori y conducted than when, they are wholly in the hands ofcftJonists (Loud cheers.) C<mugmiiig my ac& I may say with Pitt that the difficulty is one I shall endeavor to correct every day of. my life, and I have no doubt I -shall eventually grow out of ife altogether (Laughter) I have- not touched upon local affairs,. and the reason is that I have already., detained you perhaps too long, and as I shall be remaining in the district for some time I prefer gaining all the information possible on the subject, when I will hold another meeting, and deal fully with all matters of the kind. It cinty remains, then, for me to say that in comiug here I have made some sacrifices, but have done' so willingly, for the compliment you paid me was more than an ordinary one. I have now to ask you to give me your loyal sup port, and I think I shall have that. Any man who aspires to a seat in Parliament is worthy of respect iv my opioion, and whoever my opponents may be in this contest, I trust I shall not be found wanting in that respect. I have had -many contests, but only once failed, and I have found the necossity in each case of myself setting an example of courtesy and forbearance to all opponents. (Applause.) I hope then we shall havo a fair fight, and whatever the result may be I hope I shall come out with the respect of every elector. (Prolonged nppianss,)

A number of questions were then put to the candidate, and answered satisfactorily. Mr Chas. Cohen had much pleasure in proposing a vote of confidence . in Mr Wakefield. Tnere could be no doubt whatever as to Mr Wakefield's ability. We had had a good many amateur politicians, but in Mr Wakefield we would have a worthy and able representative. (Applause.) The motion was seconded by Mr W. Hindmarsh, and carried unanimously. A vote of thank 3 to the chair terminated theproceedings.