MR. MILLAR'S SPEECH.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1370, 22 February 1912, Page 6

MR. MILLAR'S SPEECH.

. : SOME ANCIENT HISTORY. HE IS, WILLING TO RESIGN. , The House of Representatives, at 7.50 ' last evening, resumed the adjourned debate Dα tho Addrcss-in-Reply, unci the amendment of the Lender of the Opposition (Mr. Miisspj-) to add the. following words to the. Address:— ( > "In conclusion, wo deem it our duty, to represent to your Excellency that your Excellency's advisers do not possess the confidence of this House." The. Hon. J. 'A. 'MILLAR said that, before commencing to deal with some 01 the very'terrible charges mndo against' the Government, lib would like, to congratulate tho mover and' seconder on the admirable, speeches that they liiul made. Very littlu attempt --had beeu inacte to xeply to these speeches. Deeds spoke ]ou<fer than words, and he would show that tho Opposition party had opposed nearly' every bit of' Liberal legislation in the past, and would prove it out of their own mouths. A < new generation had nri»n Air. Miissoy: Which knows not Joseph. Mr. Millar said that the now generation did not know what had been done in the past. The Leader of (he Opposition, in .his preliminary, remark?,'had said that he was not-of the back-down party. Mr. Millar promised to surprise him before he had done. , Mr. Massey: Think of your own record! Mr. Millar declared that ho was not in . the least worried about his own record. He could look.back to 1891, when the country had been reduced to a lovely dliitfi by a Conservative Ministry. i Mr. Massev: You have a leading member of it there on your left (indicating the !Hon. T. Mackenzie), and another on vour right /indicating Sir Jas. Carroll). [Opposition laughter.) Mr. Millar continued that, when the Liberal party first took office it had the ' utmost difficulty in getting progressive legislation through at all. He remembered how the Hon. John M'Kenzio was opposed when he tried to reform tho laud legislation of this country. Mr. Masscy: You have repealed his legislation. yA Minister Rebuked. i'V The Hon. T. Mackenzie at this stage s rilled' "Order" to some Oppositionists i who v.'pto interjecting. Mr. Speaker: I mint nsk the Minister for. Agriculture not to assume the functions of Speaker of this House. The Hon. T. Mackenzie: I don't intend to assume the functions of Speaker. Mr. Speaker: I must ask the hon. rentlcmaii not to interrupt or interject. 'Tho Hon. T. Mackenzie (peremptorily): Well, don't'let them interrupt. • Mr. Speaker': Order! I call upon tho l\on. Minister for Agriculture to ; ivithlira'.? that remark. It is a reflection on tho Chair. . ~,... Tho Hon. T. Mnckenzio said that, he T.-onld withdraw his remark as it vea contrary to tho rules of tho House. Tho Last Campaign. Mr. Millar went, on to remark that the last campaign was one of the dirtiest ever ronducted iu this country. Ihe Leader nf the Opposition, in a speech at Hastin"?', hwl said tftnt tho Opposition party always played thn game and never hit below the, belt. Mr. Mnssey: Hrar, hear. Mr. Millar: I ask you to say, in youi nliice here, what you meant to convey v.-hen you-told the people at I'ukekoht that you hud only clean hands ainl no loftds'or railways to offer? Mr. Massoy: Am.l allowed to reply te this, Mr. Speaker, because I am quite prepared to reply to it, with tho greatest pleasure. The Speaker did not reply. Mr. Millar continued that at Oamaru Mr. Miissoy had said that ■ ho wanted dean administration. The inference intended to be conveyed was that the pro- ■ sent occupants of tho Treasury benches had lint clean hands. Yet in eighteen s(Mrs Mr. Mttssey had not proved o charge- against; the occupants of tlu Treasury benches. Taking, for instance the lliiw charged, the Government, lint: not known that these .charges were com Ing.oil, or that files would be asked for L'vorv filn we.,- produced. Mr". Jas. Allen: Tho file? were imperfect. Mr. Millar said tint tho files wero as :lip-Government-eot them. Mr. Mnssey: We can say that not all :1m documents were there. Mr. Millar: If you say that all, the Jnenments' were. not there, yon, lmplj that the. heads of Departments took the documents off. Mr Allen: No, w« state facts. •.-. • Mr-Millar asserted that the Oppositiot had proved no charge. Its members har dealt" in -nothing blit innuendo, and th< position had come to this, that no mar with nny solf-respect would remain ir public life. Mr. Hine: Tho public judged you. Mr Millor: Yes, on lies. (Laughter. . JTo added that bo was going to shov ■what was the opinion of the Leader o

:ho Opposition and leading members of iis party now in the House held on such natters as Old Age Pensions, Lands for ■Settlement, and Advances to Settlors. From Hansard. By way of fulfilling hia promise, Mr. Millar proceeded to quote extensively 'rum Hansard, with a view to showing ;hnt Mr. Massey and others had opposed :hn enactments named. The Tending was ninctuated by numerous interjections Tom tlip Opposition benches. The Minister went on to say Hint Mr. Uleu hud slid recently in the country -hat "the Opposition would, not repeal :lie Old Age Pensions Act, Land for Sellemonts Act, or Advances to Settlers Act. iVhich was- tho liack-down Party? An Opposition memlier: Are the same nembsrs on the Treasury benches now? Mr. Millar: "The same members arc iver there." Ha added that they had called themselves true Liberals, but it iad been well said that it' ono took otf ho new horse-cloth there would be tho simo old "National Ass" underneath. Their former loader, Sir.William Kus;ell, hud told them that.. although they ;verc so anxious to get into office, they mist not forget the old traditions, and u'inciplos of their party. He (Mr. Milar) asked that they should be judged jy their actions—not. by talk. (Opposi;ion hear, hears.) Mr. Massey: One of your supporters ailed you "gingerbread aristocrats.' A member: .Elegant language. Mr. Massey: It was used by one of yourselves. Advances to Settlers. 'Dealing with the- question of the debt, Mr. Millar said Hint hon. members oplosito had voted for toearly every loan. What was the cause of tho borrowing? ['he Government, seeing tho people unlulv charged, had got permission to use Wcralifc of the country to benefit them, ft'hen the Liberal parcy took office in !891, monev at 5 per cent, was hardly ieard of. 'Who passed the Advances to settlers Act? Mr. Massey: Who opposed it? lou "\ir. Millar: I don't know that I did. Mr. Massey: .But I do. Mr. "Millar gave further figures., to ;how the effect of the Advances >e Settlers in reducing tho rate of interest in , mortgages, before-and .during a> lew ,-ear? after 1891. Did the other side do mythintr to bring down the rate ot an;eres; when they w'ere in _power. An Opposition member: What haa tliat rot to:do with this House? \ . .Mr Millar: The same . party is over iherc. vXo, no.) They have never deviated ono iota. ~ A member: I thought they were the 'Back-down part}-." . Mr. Millar: According to the hon. member i'or Bruce, they are, but they arc the same party. Was there any proposal lor ulvances to settlers or advances to workers icfore' this Government brought it in? Mr. M.isscy mentioned the proposal of Mr. Macandrew, which he said was opposed by the party now in power, and •■lefeated. . Mr. Millar went on to give details of :he reproductive loans, and charged the Ippositinn with never having given deU\i\a of how this money was invested. •Mr. IV.aser: We have dono so. Mr. Millar: No. . Mr. Froser: Yes, over and over again. Mi-. Hoaton Rhodes also indignantly denied Mr. Millar's statement. Mr. Millar' said it was not fair to )lame the Government for over-borrowing n the face of tho reproductive loans ho >.ad referred to. Ho challenged tho Opirsition to namp any work on which noney had been wrongly spent. The Power of Parliament. He deprecated, also, the criticism in retard to tho taking away of the powers if Parliament. He challenged_ the Opposiion to name anything in which the Govrnnient had usurped the power of Pariameut. ■ ... M.r. Mas*}-: There is the Customs tariff, n which the Minister is allowed to make i Iterations. Mr. Millar said no tariff in the world iDiild go into all details. Mr. Massey: No tariff in the British Dominions gives power to the Governnent to the extent that ours does. Mr. Millar, proceeding with his speech, efcrred to ' the Dreadnought gift, on vhich, he said, not a penny had been pent till it had been, authorised by Pnriament. Mr. Allen: We could not go back on vhat had been dono by the Prime Minster. Mr. Millar said the Opnosition w«ra iv.ch strangers to the truth that they lid nor know it when they heard-it. Mr. Massoy asked if such language was n order. Mr. Speaker said he did not think there ras any objection to the language in the :enpral sense in which it had been used. Mr. Millar went on to refer to "an illeeed statement by Mr. Massey that tho ,'ivil Service was corrupt. Mr. Massey: Not as a whole. What I ay is that improper appointments have ieen made. ■ . ■ Mr. Millar: Well, why don't you tell is what they are. Mr. Massey: Ton give us a list, and ve 11 soon show you. Mr. Millar (warmly): Yon can get the vholo lock, stock, and barrel from The Dominion Office, for we know the men who ;o there. Mr. 'Ma-ssev: I am not in the habit' of !oing thf-ro. Mr. Millar: We arc- acquainted with Fhk DovriNJOx and the men who go there. Mr. Alien: That's t a serious charge to nakea«ainst the Civil. Service. Mr. Millar: I make that charge, and I »n r.rove it because I know the men who ;o there. In conclusion, Mr. Millar referred to ;lie prosperity of New_ Zealand since tho Liberal party came into power. There was an old saying that a corrupt tree xmld not bring forth good fruit. If they L'ould show after 20 years of their adiiinistration a colony unsurpassed by any jthor part of the world, workers and farmers more prosperous than ever they were before, then they could show that ihey had done absolutely good work, and they hail done it in snite of the opposition of those hon. gentlemen who Mishcd now to come on to the Treasury benches. Hf lonld show where the Government had taken away the -privileges of the few, but they ha'd given them to the many till there was a greater equalisation of the wealth of tho people than there was in any country except France. Ready to Resign. During the course of his speech Mr. Millar remarked that time was going on, and ho could not say all he wished 10, but he added: "I may have a fuller opportunity and a wider audience than 1 have at tho present time." Mr. Millar's enigmatic reference seemed to puzzle members a litlle. Its import may perhaps bo surmised from Mr.-Millar's concluding remarks. "If," he .said, "it is in the interests of our parly t, like my chief, will hand in my resignation. Jf it will be of any service to tho party t\\ny can have it at any time 1 have no desire' to retain office unless I can dn some "ood for the party and can do it with fheir support. I have hnd ft pood, spell of party life, and if. in the interest? oi the party clearing out will do. arij gcod I ain do quite the same thing as my chief." (Applause.) Mr. Massey and State Advances. Fii'teon minutes were occupied in <\ discussion in the form of personal explanations between Mr, Millar and Mr Massey, regarding tho manner in whicl: the latter had vo:«d upon the Advances to Settlers and upon the Old Act Pensions schemes. Mr. Mns?py said thai most people understood his position u regard to the former matter, out tw

Minin'er for IJu.ihva.Vß had chosen to revive tho old story. When ho first stood for Viirlinmcnt h« win pledged on every platform to oppose, wholesale borrowing, and when a Bill was introduced proposing a loan of three millions for advances lo settlers he felt it his duty, to oppose that loun. Ito explained his pow.jon Mien, and suggested that borrowing would ho avoided by utilising the l'ost Office Savings Bank deposits. lie had siipporhil everv AdranMW to .Settlers Bill introduced since that time, ft conic! nol lie denied (Ministerialists reinauied silent.) The charge that he had onre opposed an Advances to Settlers Bill mis the onlv point that could ba made against- 'him. He had proposed a system of enabling workers to build homes tor theiufslvcs. That was in 1900, and it had been opposed by every member ot the Government party except the Hon. T. Mackenzie, who was then in the Opposition. He also contradicted the statement thac ho had voted against the first. Old Age Pensions Bill, which was before Parliament in ISM. In 1301 he had opposed ,i Bill proposing a loan o. two millions for Advances to Settlers, beCP.USO at that time there were , £, 50,000 available, and ho argued that there wa> no necessity for a further loan.