SPEECH BY MR MANDER

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1073, 11 March 1911, Page 9

SPEECH BY MR MANDER

REPLY TO Ml. I'INDLAY. AN ADDRESS AT WIIANGAKEI. Mr. F, Marnier, member for Marsclen, addressed a well-attended meeting in tho Thcatro Hoyal, Whaugarei, recently. Tho Mayor (Mr. T. 11. Stcadman) was in (ho chair. Mr. Miintk'r was greeted with loud applause on rising, and liis-address (says tho Auckland "Herald") was \teil lcceivcil throughout.

The speaker explained Hint he had met tho electors in order to reply to the eloquent arguments set out by Dr. I'iiullay » few nights ago. Tho Minister had tho advantage of a special training, and so had made nn impression, but he (Mr. Manlier) had the advantage of right on his side, and would make a belter impression.

The Five-Million Loan. Tho Minister, said Mr. Mandcr, had signally failed to criticise the Opposition Leader's statements regarding (ho .£0,000,000 loan. Ho had not shown Mr. Massey to bo wrong when he said that tho loan had not been well received on the London market, that only seven per cent, had been subscribed, that tho.underwriters had to guarantee tho balance at a. cost pf .£50,0011. .and that tho cost. of flotation ran into ,£250.000 (which had since proved to be .£300,000). He maifo no reply to the statements anent our crcdit and high taxation. In short, ho passed aver Mr. Massey's criticisms very lightly. In Dr. I'iudlay's allocation of (hat loan, lie did not mention .£'2,000,000 for a Dreadnought presented to Great Britain.

Government's Policy. Dr. Fiiultay had said ho agreed -with Mr. Mussey that there was a great'gidf between the (wo parties in tho House instead of showing where the disparity existed. He inado the chasm appear to narrow, when he recounted the seven planks of the Government platform, that the two parties eonld almost shake hands, across it. He would lake the lion, gentleman's seven planks seraliin: —

No. ]. "Access to land, with security of tenure." The right to acquire the freehold hail always been tin; battle-cry of the Opposition, and had it not been for Iheiv eternal vigilance, it would have been, impossible for nnv man in the Dominion to secure a single acre of Crown land under tin* freehold tenure, which was surely the n.ost secure that could bo acquired.

No. 'J. "Access to capital nt Ihe lowest possible rate for all who can profitably employ it." The Minister luul tried to'make capital out of (his plank by savin*? Hint the Leader of the Opposition had opposed the State Advances io Settlers Act 011 tho ground that two-thirds was too much to advance. Tho Opposition was just as anxious to Rive the people cheap money as the Government was.

No. 3. "Access to means of communication and transport." Hail not the Minister for llailways said that the railways must be made to pay, and had he not raised tho charges whenever possible? Had not tho Wliangarci line paid nine per cent, for years, and what concessions or rebates had t hey received ? Were not their carriages tho refuse of other lines? If tho railways were to pay they should be constructed, as cheaply as possible. The Grahamlown extension from the Whanj»aroi Kail way Wharf had been estimated fo cos! Jt:i2,o!)o, whereas the bridjo and v;harf alone had cost nearly that amount. He was of opinion that .CGO.OOI) would not cover the total eo.'t. Then fully /J]flo,ooo was being wasted over ono deviation (Bickers!all'e), and the construction was costinc 25 per cent, more I lian it ought. -\"o. 4: "Access to motive power, light, and heat nt tho lowest possible rates." Tho Opposition was quite willing lhattlio Stale should undertake this work provided that it did not shut out from private enterprise those work? for which they, had no money available to develop the power; always reserving the, right to take over at a fair valuation. His*.party would-op-peso a policy of allowing power to run lo waste rather than let it be utilised by private enterprise, which, if projierly controlled, was n good l thing. ■ No. 5: "Access to justice." Mr. Slander instanced tho Crown Knits Act by which the Government could not be sued without their consent. It was the incessant hammering of the Opposition which brought about, tho repeal of this Act. it was tho Opposition who had assisted in getting a measure of justice meted out lo Captain Knyvett. Ho often heard Government supporters in this electorate say-' ing that we would never get justice until a Government member got in. What (lid this say for the Government? No. G: "Access to insurance." : Generally speaking, Sir. Slander agreed' with this policy. The old-age pensions scheme, lie said, was not universal enough. Although amendments had been made last session, he did not think this should bo brought about by direct contribution, but: by same system such as placing a special duty of one-third 011 the necessaries or life, and two-thirds on the luxuries of life, so that tho wealthy would havo to pay tho greatest share.

No. 7: "Access, free am! universal, to education." It was the to-called Conservative party, said Mr. Slander, who placed tho present free, secular, and compulsory education 011 tho Statute Bool;. Tho Opposition was in accord with this plank of the Government's platform. The Opposition Platform, Mr. Slander then gave six planks of the Opposition platform:—

Mo. 1: "The freehold (enure, with right to acquire it for rich and poor alike?' No. 2: "An elective Upper House." No. 3: "All appointments to the Civil Service to bo made on merit, and apart from that political influence which plays £0 large a part in the formation of tiie service at pres-enf, and which under tlio present system is to. hard to avoid." .

No. -i: "Private enterprise without a monopoly." In this respect he said wa were not cfT-ering sufficient inducement to enterprising men. Our population wan not increasing as it shoulu do, and many of our best men were deserting our shores. The land laws were'largely to blame lor this. The papulation w»s not increasing in proportion to the taxation.

No. fl: "Moderate borrowing and judicious expenditure." The Opposition, said. Mr. Wander, would borrow lor the iicerssary public works, and try la get better value for the money.- As instances of Government expenditure ho mentioned lliat the Aiielcland-Penrose duplication was estimated to cost ■£"3,0(10, whereas it cost .C1,'i9,000. The Primo Minister said that all he would want to draw for the Hutt duplication would be ■C10l),tll)il, whereas lie drew something like .£370,000. The Governor's House cost £50.000. Something liko £27,000 was spent in patching up the Parliamentary Buildings after'tlie fire.

Xo. fi: "Local bodies (o be provided with an assured finance so that justice would be moled cut to all alike, apart from political influence." Roady for a Contest. Mr. Marnier said that Dr. Findlay had set up quite a lot of dummies just for tho pleasure of knocking them down again, precisely as ho would do with the Opposition if they would let him. "I have served this district for nearly nine years," he concluded, "and have given such satisfaction that it becomes necessary lor my opponents to invite no less a person (halt the Attorney-General to come and oppose me, and I can assure you that if he dors 1 shall stand to my guns. ]' have been told many times that if 1 would come, out, as a Government supporter 1 would have no opposition, but I would rather dio game than live ill shame, as J. would bo compelled to do if ] changed my coal for tear of a contest. The Leader of the Opposition is a man whom anyone, should be proud to follow. He has done gom! worl; for the country, and ) hope s kmi In see him at the head of the Oovennnen!."

At the conclusion of his address, Mr Marnier was accorded a vole of apprreia lion by acclamation.