REFORM PARTY.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 573, 30 July 1909, Page 8

REFORM PARTY.

AN INAUGURAL "MEETING.

THE WATCHWORD "ORGANISE."

ADDRESS BY-MK; V. F, MASSEY, . , i Politics wero touched on by tlio Imndor of tho; Opposition (Mr. \V. l'V Alnssuy) »»rd. other speakera nt the first annual social and dance of tlio Wellinr/.Um woimm's branch of tlio New Zt*;il»n<l Political I Worm Wiguo, held in tlio .Sydney Street Hall Inst evening.

. Mr. A. 1.. Hortlmati'B Sjicooh. Mr. A. L. Ilcnlmnn, M.l\, who spoke first, said that tho gathering wan of a remarkable character, as it marked tlio coinincticoiitoll l" of a determined oil'ort that was being made to organise tho Opposition party throughout Now Zealand, 'In-tlio past,, tlio party hml not made very vigorous ell'ortn in the direction of organisation, but polities'at tlio prosont timo wero'in rather an •extraordinary position. "Never before linvu -tlio- fortunes of tho Opposition seemed brighter; may I put it this way, that novei' bcioio iiv the history of tho country havo tho prospects of gotting good, respectable government -'boon better than they are 'at the present timo." They would havo on opportunity Inter of- hearing a speech from tho Leader of tho Opposition, a gentluman for whom he had u profound respect, bceauso for years past ho had shown a pluck, a courage, persistency, and high spirit very few men'could .'equal in this country. , (Applause)' It was tho duty of men and women at this time to try to raise tho tono of public life. What was wanted was strong, courageous) honourable- 'men, who would fight tho fight 'throughout this country, Their dilliculty in the past, Jic believed, had been that, there was a certain amount of reluctanco on tho part of mcii of knowledge and capacity to como out and" talto part in tho fight. This should not bo, and if it had not : been for that rcluctanco in' the past ho did not boliovo that tho country would havo ,got into the unfortunate, chaotic state it was in:.at present. He hoped olio of tho results of organisation would bo to encourage men whose abilities qualified, them to take part in public, life to come out into the open and light. - Those present wero all interested in the' good ' government of this country. -He believed they all recognised' that' British institutions should' bo'preserved, that everything should : be fair aud square and above boiird in' public life, and that the business of tho country "should 'be conducted on sound' business lines. Recollecting that they were' part of the greatest Empire in the world,- it was surely their duty to try to maintain tho traditions of the race to which they belonged, to 'preserve their' rights and liberty, and to try to introducs into-tho public life of'the community some high souse of honour, something that would preserve them as a raco and make them respected and venerated.' in the time to come. (Applause.)-

Mr, Fisher on Covornment Dootr|nos. ; Mr. F. M. B. Fisher, M.P., said that quite apart from the Opposition platform, in his judgment,-the party were Doing furnished with a policy by the Government; which wa-s far more formidable to the latter than.anything that the Opposition .could possibly frame themselves. 'When, they considered theidoctrines that were emanating from'the Government, the invasion. 1 , of : private rights and interference, with the liberty of thesub-; iect; and .when they were, told that a man had no right to leave his property to.hisown relatives,' it was "time for thcise .who valued the liberty of the subject to;rise up .and say that, those doctrines were going to .be scattered to the four winds.; They •were very much indebted to an ex-Minister -of' the Crown and a Ministeri who had spoken at Dur.edin recently.. To Dr. Findlay they' wore! indebted for two or'three" strong plank's: in their platform. .Much as they'dissented from; his views, they could not-but-admire his courage,, in expressing them, and the Opposition, had been furnished by. him with tho strongest, planks it could desire. -The country.was iu the paradoxical position" of. having; millions of acres of land- .unoccupied, bush, lands .waiting,--for : f.the,,;a'xe;-,richcjsoir wafting' for i .the.' spade,-.-, and thousands ■ -..of.people: anxious to igct ..at it,,!and .the., only, , thing that stoodibetweenthemjand the/Jandwas '.the Government in ofßce)[ ;Hc thought; 'if should, he'a'pri'mol object ,'ofj tho Opposi-, tiori';to .bring the producer and^tho..means;of production. into,, the. closest r possible .'contact.'For years, h'o had .wandered about I .in.politics, as an; Independent,, and. during that .time,' 'whatever his; political views had. been, 'he;had alwaysihau* a very high regarfl-for.: the loader of a decimated party,.:' .whom (ho,, saw sitting in the House night after nighty week, after week, year,after .year,'fighting against battalions of men. .who., would not, listen .to reason,.audi his isympathy, ;had .always-.been extended to the Leader of the Opposition, whether, he had agreed'with liimor not. Ho was delighted, that, now he had'been -able ,to throw in his lot; ; with7tho Opposition party, :and/lie .hoped that, the present, social would bo' ; only;'one of many ,'pleasant functions to bo held-during the ensuing winter. \ : - : . '..

. -■'■'■ ;.Wf. Mate's Mdres^ y: •.-,;■ "Mr. Massey said that it gavo-him-a,great deal of pleasuro: to bo present at the inaugural social •of the branch:.,'Ho was. de-: lighted to -see women "taking.'an interest, in politics, and on the right ■ side of-. politics, becauso as a veteran politician he knew what .their influence at election time was worth. . "I am glad'to bo ablo to tell you,"Mr. Massoy continued, "that tho, movement is spreading, and in a very short'time there will,/-not;'be a single'.electorate, through the length and breadth, of the colony without'its .branch of the "Political' Reform 'League;" ' . The platform of thp league,; ho explained,, was almost identical with the platform of flio Opposition party in Parliament.. One of the principal pianka.oi 'the league was to .'provide for honourable and; capable men being, brought forward for'the' representation of thepcoplein'Parliament. .In Weliington, he.was.glad to say, they had ..in Mr. Herdman, Mr. ■. fisher, and -Mr.' Wright, men able and .willing to represent' thpm thoroughly and honourably, and men who would keep in .their'positions'.for. a very .longtime, to cohlo. ■But.thero.were other districts..that were' nob ; so-.-well off, where .the.,, people did not understand politics W.wellas in \Yellin2ton, where polities, wore not under their , so much,; ■ and they, had .to influence these. One.of the objecls of the league:was to induco'pcoplo to take an interest in politics, and ho would sooner deaL with an' electorate, even if it did not agree with him, that had formed' some opinions than'one that had no opinions 'at'all.-'-' VL:'.' - ••'.,:,

The Essentials to Success., Organisation' was absolutely necessary ,to any political party/ and' the platform of the Political' Reform League was the most democratic platform ever put:forth in this country. ' (Applause.) /They wanted to 'be successful, and it seemed to .him; that there we're, just two conditions necessary; to tho success of tho Opposition party; first, that thoro should be as-many branches-of the Political Reform League as it : was- possible to arrange for, and second, that they should cut the "New Zealand Times" in the hands of every elector throughout tho length and breadth of-New Zealand for a month before, the elections. . Givon those.'two : conditions, he felt that success was absolutely certain.; Organisation 'was; more than ! cver necessary, because they had' a system ■'-of " government that ■'soemed doliberatoly designed, and lie believed Was deliberately' designed, so that it could' bo used" as : a level' to turn a majority of votes to the Government at election time; The extent of the Public Service was .in influence hi this direction, the public expenditure was an influence';, and the 'only way, these influences' could bo combated was by 'organisation. . : . "

Remember the' Past: Think of the Present. The preceding night, wlien.au effort was being made to rovivo a cert-ain political institution, a Minister of the Crown had asked the audience to romomber tho past. ■ Ho (Mr. Massey) asked them not only' to remember the past, but to think of' the nrei sent, and look forward to tho future.- Tho party in power had been in office seventeen' or "eighteen years; they had increased the indebtedness of the country by - considerably over thirty millions, and'-what..was the result ' to-day,?, money perhaps:, scarcer titan ever'.before, pcoplo having difficulty;in,making, ends meet, numbers of unemployed, hundreds of the very best pcoplo leaving tho colony; uud a general -stato .of .thunjß > that;

WHO dlswedltdbbt afid IffjaafifififCtofy, Thfit wnn Uii) result of seventeen or tiiglileon y<!iir« Of ho'Oiillml LlWiil liiglslalloii diid' fidiiiliilS" trillion, "Miojio tlioy- mo pfoiid of It," suld Mr, Maitooy, "nud I \hi\ki you will remember the piiot, ntid tvliwi niixi yon tm>tt\ your votes, sen'to Win picooiit «nd look forward to tlio future," Hi! did not say that tlio Litonl Administration Imdruined tho country; tho country rt'do f«r 100 wind to lii) wined-by rmy Administration, lint they had done tlioir very bust in that direction,

How to (iuro Doprocslon, If tlioy U'tiro to get rid of the present depression, wirlttiii thiiign must bo dono. First, theymust endeavour to put the finances of tlio 001111117 in n Ihofoiitfldy sound and satis■fiictory position, .Secondly, they mual restore eonfklorico and induce people who had money to invest, to invest'it'in Urn resource* of tlio country. Further,tlioymustencourage bud settlement, Kvory mfin who went on'to tlio present unoccupied lands rnn/lo itponniblo for a corresponding man or family in the cities to rniiKo « living, In a country. lilto Now Zoalwid, .tlioy should be careful to sco that tlioro was not too large, a, proportion of people resident in Die citron, for that led to dopresnion,' and , such depression would contMiuo till tlio proportion: v/a's put right' by giving sufficient encouragement to men who at present could not get on the land to tiilio up tlio arduous life of settlers. Prior to Inn leaving tho colony, the Prime Minister bad said. tlmt.when he returned to Now Zealand, tho line of demarcation would ho drawn Clearly. It roomed'to him that in the opinion of the people of Wellington the lino of demarcation was 'drawn before i.he 'Prime Minister left in a way tlioy would not bo likely to forgot for a very long time to come. They had been fighting forbears past.an iinhilf battle, but a chan/jc had come. .Tlie people' had been thinking for themselves; •rccont eyenta had opened their eyes,.and ho hoped-that'in tho future they would havo a much bettor state of things than they bad had in the past. He hoped that ho would bo ablo to be present at many future functions like the present, and that the branch would bo 1 useful, not only to tho party to which they belonged, but- also to the country■•',as a whole. (Applause.) . : ~ '!■''

Mr. Martin Sees a Contrast. Mr. R. 11. Martin (Opposition organiser) congratulated tho women's branch on the success of their efforts in promoting the gathering..' Ho would like-, the ken to emulate tho energy they had shown. He <bserved that the proceedings at tha Liberal and Labour Federation's social, as ', judged oven from tho report in their own party paper, seemed to be of'the nature of a tangi, and the .special'subject of tho lamentations seemed to bo tho Joss, of interest on the part cf tho ladies. The present, gathering formed a splendid contrast, and tho Wellington .Women's Branch of the Political Reform League would do an immense amount of good. Ho understood that'meetings were to bo held weekly, and that papers for discussion would bo provided' by members.