THE LEADER OF THE

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 72, 18 December 1907, Page 7

THE LEADER OF THE

OPPOSITION.

SPEECH AT PUKEKOHS, AN ENTHUSIASTIC GATHERING, ;'~ THE, LAND QUESTION. ' DESTRUCTION OP PARLIAMENT BUILDINGS. (Br TJXECItAM—riIESS ASSOCIATION.) V Pukekohe, December'l7. There .was a largo and representative gathering at tho Masonic Hall this evening i on the. occasion of the social evening, which ■was tendered as a .lyelcome homej after the late, session, to Mr. W.' F. Massey,. M.P. for Eranklin, and Leader of the Opposition. The.Junction was held under the auspices of tho local braiich of the Political Reform •League," and was in every respect of a most 'sucfjesshil .'.'Mr. John Schlaeffer (li.'esidcnt of, tho , Branch) presided, and arjK>ng6t others , who occupied seats on the platform were..' Messrs. F. Lawson and . Mill (Presidents respectively of the One■•sVhero ;md Tunku branches, of. tho. League), •Mr. 0. Shegherd, sen. (Vico-presidont of tho Pukekoho 'branch), and Messrs. J. Bollard and.l l , Jfemder, M.P.'s, The attendance was. ieprbsoiitaiivo of all tho surroundingdistricts for , a .considerable, radius, . and the stago wasitastofully deeorated.with flowers'and ' greenery, tho word "Welcome" being displayed •in * a cgo uoral. letters in, a prominent ;posi'tile, l uKckoliG J3rass Banc! turned out p n °F ■ tO; the commencenient of the proceed- / a-ud 'rendered a number selections. 'On entering tho Hall, Messrs. Massey, BoltorcL* and -Mander were greeted - with hearty /applause. . Chairman in. a brief, speech welcomed Mv. Massey baek to - his constituency, and said that no doubt all would be glad to hear what Mr. Massey had to say regarding the ' proceedings.m connection with tho recent .session of Parliament. Many_ who carfto rather late were unable ,to obtain' admission. .. I rVi v' as VPWsived for, the, absence • oLMr. F., W. Lang, ; : ' MR. MASSET'S SPEECH. /'•/' Mr.; Massey, whp -was received .with' loud •applause on rising to speak,, referred to the change of the sfcaims of New Zealand from that of Colony, to that of Dominion,* and went on to spc/ik of the rush and scramble which took place at tho end of the session. Ho-condemned',-the custom of suspending the btandmg Ortifers at the'end of-sessions for the purpose, of getting Bills through quickly. He characMterisdd this' > practice as a most ■vicious one, and said 'that ,he would BtrOngly oppose it*in.future. ' ' ' ; LAND LEGISLATION. •'•: to tho land .legislation passed iMt-rmion} Mr. Massey said thaVtlie Taxation. Bill did not seriously affect tho working of'tho Dominion, but there was one olqectionable feature in'it, viz. j the'proposal t/iat when less than 25 per cent, of the purAbase was paid in thq case of-sale the vendora should remain liable to taxation. After a severe struggle tho Opposition succeeded in getting-i-. clause "inserted to 'the effect that whore the Commissioner was satisfied that tho transaction was a bona fide one tho vendor would bo relieved of further liability. He i,'*? ", o £> however, think that interference of .this_ kiiid.-\yas necessary at. a 11.... This .policy of interference with individual "liberty was part of a progress towards • Socialism t which a, largo number of people in this as well as .in other countries seemed to be clamour- • uig for, and which was quite antagonistic to '• .••true Liberalism,' In referring to.the,' Land Bill, he pointed out .the contrast bctwoen tho fabmn-liko measure of 1906 and the modified measure of 1907. ...The former Bill tinned .' at ■ making -th.e.au freehold sible upon the. wliolo of the Crown Lands. This had now been modified by making it possible to obtain freehold in regard to one-half of. the Crown Lands.. As to the endowment policy, he said that the lands reserved would produce no more than £49,000 a, year, whereas .the cost of'education and old age pensioners (which were proposed to be, benefited) amounted to', about £1,200,000 a year, and thb wholo land-legisla-tion was a pieco of the. most, arrant humbug. There was too much sway exercised by people who ha'd never been half a mile away . from, a ..gas Jauip. .or., an asphalt._payoment. As to tho Bill of 1906, which was brought down with such a flourish of trumpets, the Government backed, down at the first sign of attack and executed'a-strategic movement to tho rear.-.'(Laughter.)"- If the Bill was right) the; Government should have, stuck to it, and if. it. was wrong they, should have taken tho consequences. Ho could not imagine a man with self-respect, after stating 'that:ho would stand or'fall by his Bill; allowing it to bo torn to pieces .by. his. colleagues ak had been done in this case. Tho Act first passed was intended .partly as a sop to tho freeholders and-partly as a concession to the Socialists. It gave , tho option; of tho freehold to tho holders of leases in perpetuity of .ordinary Crown lands, but at a price which included the value represented by the offorts of tho settlers themselves. "Do not let anyone iningino," Mr. Massey went on to say, " that - the last -has--'-been heard of, tho land question. It will come up again at the next election, when the Socialists will ho asking for more." The freeholders, ho said, would endeavour to liavo tho existing , conditions : modified so as to make thor torlms of obtaining ; tho freehold easier thaftithdV wero under-the present law. (Hear, liear.)r-.'rhey ;w,ould i not, rest until they obtained for future Crown tenants tho option of tho, freehold in regard to lands for settlement a3 well as ordinary Crown lands. , If the .principle' was right m" the one case, it wis-alsd'right,in,tho other. (Hear, Hear), By tho recent legislation, a great' blow';'had boon struck -at successful land settlement, from which a recovery would he impossible . until TOmo'ainuhdmentis had been, made in tho oxisting law. ' He regretted that the' proposal to rointroduco tno old homestead sys-. tern, which had been ■so successful in the north of Auckland, had: been defeated, and, .in concluding his remarks on the land question, Mr. : Mii-ss6y said that' tlie' ainv : of his. party "wbtokl always be to secure the 6ption of..- tho freehold wherever possiblo.. (Applaitso.) . -N-M'IVE-;-LAND- - MATTERS, , In ,regard to Nativo lands, ho picl that this " question ■ had not . been satisfactorily dealt-with, last sossion, when,, as was usual, a . .Bill;'.had been introduced- and rushed 'through-:in tho dying hours of■ the-session, and these belated .Bills invariably consisted 'Bf'sirtSridindntj which' wero necessary tt> ro.medy defects in provioii's' Acts, and tho conscquenco was that tho Native land laws had got into-, such -a' state that nob6dy could understand thorn. What was required was a simplification and modification of tho existing laws, so that tlioy could bo generally understood. THE PARLIAMENTARY BUILDINGS. Coining 'to tho recent fire at Parliament House, ho said that serious as this disaster whs it was a matter for congratulation that tho library, which was probably tho best in tho Southern Hemisphere, had been saved. i : ltl wasijnlpossihlq to say what would bo the - actual amount of the loss, but ho was quite certain that no less than £150,000 would bo required to rebuild and relit tho buildings for use. Tho firo had disclosed a iriost serious defect in tho financial. policy of tho Dominion. . In tho first place, thoro was no iiisuranco" on our public buildings. Thoy had a Stato Fire liisuranco Dopartilieut sot up for tho pnrposo of insuring tho property' of private individuals, and if it was right to thus provide fo.- private property it. was also right to insure Stato property. Thero was another and an ovon more important point, and that was there was no provision for depreciation in connection with the public buildings. A bunding was erected and paid for-'out of' Public .Works .Fund. In tliis" coxirse "of timo. it bccamo dilapidated and unsuitable for tho purp'oso for wliich it was intended. It was then burned or pulled down, and tho cost of replacing it again becamo;..a cliargo upon the Public Works funds. _ Tno. money saved by not having a depreciation' fund might help to swell tha annual surplus, but it was not sound finance, (Hear, hear.) If tho fire did nothing els# ,

to, call public, attention to! tho need tor insurance and depreciation funds iri connection with :oi;r public/ buildings it would not •bo an unriiixed' ovil. Hq bad noticM , with • surprise - thht tlie Pome' Minister had suggested that, of' Parliament House might bo moved to that on whjch,.'Government. House, at-.Wellington noiv stood. . They had;'got'to; remember: that . if* they , attempted' anything l of . the sort, .they, ivould rhavo -to find- anotheri site .for- the Governor's residence, and to buy-sufficient land- in Wellington for that purpose would I® no '"ght undertaking.','' Then again, if the *ita-of J'arliament House was,, changed,; it' would meari' that; the' value of the' preseilt library - wingj which-, orilv,' soveu or eight \ years ' ago ! cost ; £3O,000 ; or, £35,000,"'wouldentirely- lost: ( A contract, had also.', been- • - let for .another .portion . of; tho, rebuilding, s'cjieme at a : cost of soriie. £50,000, arid altogether; they could not do' better than stick' to the present site. ; They had" to make provision .for .the: future;- but thay. could .do Sis more economically, and quite as sat-is-ctorily; on. the present site as ori any other Bite that-he knew of.- \; : COUNTRY BEFORE PARTY. . ' So far-as the -policy, of the Qppositiori" wasconcerned, there was no 'obstriictioh. . They placed the interest's ,of : the. : .'couritr,V'.'bef6ro .those of party. '.'They? endeavoured,'as 'far. as possible,; to saifeguard the':people's.njoriey', lrid' he' claimed that'they,oiovrCexorcis^ 'an Tifluence for good on the legislation passed. , (Hear, hear.) ' '••'•'■■■•••v... -n: . THE TARIFF. -,' In ragaril to! the!thriff.,h'e i said..that-,whilst !' •the revision.! had, given "relief in'.certairipclirr,' the ,nei7 : ,tariff; .he w;as'sprjy.to',say,Was more protective in soriie respects than - • \he old. one. articles of'riiuiing arid igricultural.machinery;. which.! . had-vprovi-,! eusly. been .free/-were. now.sjibject, to duty. V'-^ffiE'CoiIING'STRUGGLE. '• 111', referring to,!,next/year's, .elections,!, lie. , 'said that -many" people' were, tindor irii;.;pression : .that they were ; ,goirig-to have three' parties.. Hij. HimMltbelieved'.that'.injdications' pointed jri. that direction.', He alluded . to- the- ! Socialistic party,, which bad- recently been-, asserting, itself:-,'; party' wiis : !,f6r .i long time., tlie . poyer'.,behind.-theythrbne,;,! but jit. yai no .longer, satisfied ..with, t-h'fjt, : arid. vvished & ,got ontci. the t thrpne ijfcself., Many .people, , : agreed. that tho, time, had ,como -when- the' • line should be drawn, between Socialism and- i . genuine.; Liberalism.; ,The people had :,to de- : pde-wnether-they-, were going to, be governed . Vy straight-out.'Liberals, or , by. straiglit-6ut £>ocinlisfa, cir by , opportunists who wonld pan- i der.to the, 'Socialists;,in ,the' way,experienced. .- durrng:,the : , past five- sessions:,.- The•:most. : s liberal.men .in.Parliament were those who eaton tho; Opposition, .side, of. the',House-. (Ap- : The encouragement. that.:was, given ,i (o himself'and to his party-, by such'-cordial; z receptions, as he : had:;received.> that, evening would encourage them to go. on fightirig as ' they had, been .fighting ' : •' i : : .. For-the .cause.that' lacks'' assistancej!' .'I i: - |,9. r ' the,"wr°ngsjthat'.'riegd/.resist'arice, l] ' jPor;the':futnre.TO-tKe'distence;' ' And the good that wi can do. ! - applauce arid cheers;).. J iOTHERSPEECHES, : i $ r \ .® <) H ar d, M-P-, iri referring t6 land ' , Rationalisers, fadais'ts, and' SociaTiats, said ! .hey had bui t up,,a stone wall round New /.ealand which' would, preveiit'' ijnriiigr'ants - purchasing any good . Crown land. As to the I pohcy.of the Opposition; he, said that'even Hon. llr. Fowlds had admitted that the' ■ btate indebted- to' tlie Opposition for 1 I Riding the legislation of ; the' country.-(Ap- : ' 1 plaiise'i)''. 'Ho paid a warm tribute to the ex- \ cellont- work done' by Mr.; Massey,. his re-. : this head beirig received v/itfi much applause; . ; t Mr. Zander, j\l.P,i ; rri, a-few remarks on ] the land question,, said that it was eriough - ; to give a man appendicitis to listen to some j pf the extremists in the House!—(laughter)— bpd there was not a single typical.representative of jnterests on the Treasury benches, and the North Island,..although it i yiad four Ministers, was riot represented in i influence, to the extent that: tho South' Island I . was 'represented.;».vHe..eulogised Mr. Massey's >> pastiwork in -Parliament, and said'that the i oeryicris.of their representative were only 1 , partly shown by the records of his speeches. (Applause.). ~ | Mr. Massey, in _■-moving.; a hearty vote of < thaiiks to : the chairman, expressed th'ariks for, the hearty aiid "enthusiastic reception ac-' 1 corded to Mrs'. Massey arid himself: ■'; - •; The vote was. carried by acclamatiori. " , ' i During the . evening 'an; excellent concprt ! programme was' gone through. Supjier w'as : ! v taken, and the fiall was then given rip to ] - dancing, which was kept rip with vigour till n late hour. . -