SPEECH BY MR. MASSEY

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1285, 14 November 1911, Page 5

SPEECH BY MR. MASSEY

ENTHUSIASTIC MEETING AT EICETAHUNA. KEEN CRITICISM. TIME FOR A CHANGE OF GOVERNMENT. (By ToleeraDh.—Press Association.) Eketahuna, November 13. Mr. Mnssey, Leader of tho Opposition, visited Ekotahuna to-day. Ho was entertained at dinner by residents of the borough and county, and afterwards addressed a meeting of about six hundred people. Mr. Mnssey, who was loudly ahoored on rising, commenced by combating tlio theory that th© function of tho Opposition was solely to oppose. Tho Opposition had more work to do pushing tho Government along than acting as a brake. (Laughter.) The Opposition had dono a great deal in making tho legislation of the past fifteen years workable, and had only opposed measures that it thought against the interests of tho country. 110 denied as a misstatement the allegation that tho Opposition stood by tho wealthy man. Tho Opposition coniisted of plain, unassuming, practical men, many of whom had given years of practical service to tho country for purely patriotic reasons. He camo before them ivith nothing to offer—no seats in the .Legislative Council, no J.P.-ships. The Opposition camo before the people with ompty hands, but they were clean hands. (Loud applause.) The Opposition had to fight tho influence of public expenditure and public patronage. Still ho honestly believed there was a majority of people behind them willing to support them on the first opportunity. He said that the only policy before tho country was that of the Opposition.

A Political Phonograph. . Tho Government had no more backbone than nn oyster. Tho Government was no more than a political phonograph, ready to play freehold to the freeholders, leasehold to tho leaseholders, Socialism to tho Socialists, Individualism to the Individualists, Protection to tho Protectionists, Democracy to tho Democrats, and also Autocracy to _ tho Autocrats. (Lnughter.) Ho maintained that it was time tho continuous Ministry was outcd. It had lost initiative, and was becoming effete. In no democratic country should a Government bo in office for twenty years. Every Government should have the knowledge that it might be defeated in a year or two, or a month or two. If tho present Government had had that fear beforo them during tho past six years it would have been a good thing for them and for tho country. Elaborating his charge that the Government had no definite policy, Mr. Massey said it had made no attempt to reduce taxation' or roform its financial methods; it had no land policy; it had made no attempt to deal with the land question, or to reform tho Legislative Council to make it more representative of tho people, or to deal with appointments to the Civil Service, or to improve the railway service, or to reform local government. Thero was no reform of local government, because the present system suited tho party in power. It meant votes. Tho railway service was seething with dissatisfaction, and tho public were not ' satisfied.

The Five Million Loan. Referring to tho five million loan, Mr. Massey said tho details had not yet been furnished. Last session details of loans for two years wore laid before Parliament, but even now- details wero two years in arrears. On March 31 last the cost of tho five million loan, could not be stated accurately, but there was .£30,090 paid to tho underwriters and 30s. discount, or, on tho whole loan, ,£75,000. Theso two items made .£125,000. 'ITiere n-ero other items, sucfli as inscription fee, brokerage, and advertising. These itemswould probably run into 15s. per cent. There were some very extraordinary .concessions in connection with the loan, onoof theso being that ,if tho moriev was handt'd over to our representatives in London by December 1 last, then on January 1 tho investor would bo entitled to six months' interest. Then there was another—the loan was a loan on tho option of tho investor for four vears or thirty years, and if ho took it for thirty years, ho became entitled, in addition to his interest, to a bonus of ,£2 worth of stock on every .£IOO worth of 35 per cent, stock ho held. Ho did not know how many people had taken advantage of this concession. Mokau. Referring to tho Mokau case, Mr. Massey. maintained that the Government should have purchased the block. It would have been just as easy as to allow its purchase by speculators. There was provision that the leasehold interest may bo taken at valuation. If tho Government had purchased, settlers would havo got on the land on better torms than they wero likely to under tho company. It was onejjf the worst transactions that ever took place in the history of this conntry. Dealing with tho system of voting pnblic money, Mr. Massey referred to votes m Southland which havo been the subject of controversy. There in his (tho speaker's) own district, ono man went over tho head of tho Minister for Public Works to tho Primo Minister, and money was placed on the Estimates. He (Mr Massev) had thought the local body had applied for the money until ho was asked by the local body aljout it. He claimed tbat no money should bo voted unless applied for. or recommended bv, local ?r I nV,. Th^ 0 , 3h0111tl nlso bc reports by the Public Works Department officers, and a classification system to differentiate between district's that required money for development works, and thoso that did not. It was resolved: "That a hearty vote of thanks bo accorded Mr. Massey for his able and lucid trddrcss, and that this ir.eeti.ns is of opinion that in the interests of the Dominion the tinio has now arrived for a change of Government." o.here was only ono dissentient voice, and the mcetin? concluded with vieorou* cheers for Afr. Massey, tho singing of For lies a Jolly Good .Fcllou'."