POLITICAL CRISIS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1473, 22 June 1912, Page 8

POLITICAL CRISIS.

SUCCESSFUL REFORM RALLY.

SPEECHES BY MR. MASSEY AND MR FISHER.

REPLY TO THE PREMIER

(By Telegraph.—Prcsa Association.) ; Auckland, Juno 21. Tho adherents of tho Reform party turned out in force to tlio rally held at Devonport to-night. The chair wastakon by Mr. E. W. Alison and tho speaker.? included the Leader of .the Reform party (Mr. Massev), tlio member for Wellington Central (.Mr. F. M. B. Fisher), the member for AYellington Suburbs (Mr. A\. H. D. Bell), the member for Mursden (Mr. F. Mander), and the member for the District (Mr. A. R. Harris). Mr. A. E. Glover (member for City Central) was also present, and at tho invitation o£ the chairman took bia seat upon the platform.

Mr. Fisher, in his spe'ech, said that at tlio,present juncture it was impossible to criticise the Government policy simply because there was none. The Government at tlio present time, was talking very loudly about the necessity for breaking up monopolies, but the question iiaturally arose: AVhy did they not movo in this direction in the Parliament of 1906-190S when they had a majority in the Houso of 48, anil could liavo carried any measure they liked? They were fond also of talking of the Reform party as a collection of antiquated Tories, blaming them'for policies evolved and words spoken when many of the present party were iii their• cradies. The party contained' a young 'and progressive element, and only two of their number had been in tho House more than 20 years.

Upon rising to speak Mr. Massey toceivcd something of an ovation. Hp desired. he said, to reply, to some of the points raised by the Prime Minister at Albany. He had _ no objection, as Mr. Mackenzie seemed to think, to Ministers going about the country holding meetings. The more they did so the better for the Opposition, ami as far as he was concerned they were welcome to do so .as much as they liked. Touching upon the land question, lie said that the only definite pronouncement yet made by the' Premier ivas to .the effect that upon the death-of land-holding bachelors the Government would take their nrop'erty and subdivide it for settlement. This was the only thing in the shape of a policy to which he had given utterance, and this in view of the fact that millions of acres of land are lying idle. Some of the best sons oE Hie. soil are leaving the country in despair, and tlie peoplo aro showing an evei'-increasinpr tendency to crowd into the towns. The land nolicy j-flf the Onposition, on the other hand, was clear and definite. They stood for closer settlement and for security of tenure. (Anplausc.) "With reference to the &1,000,(ino loan, Mr. Jlnsse.v Teiterated his pre-, vinis pronouncement about tho cost involved in raising it. and the unsoundness of short-dated loins. Had the negotiations been carried out promptly, ho stated, the transaction! would have been completed before the degression in London, consennent upon industrial upheavals, o.iul the loan would .probablv have cost at least one per cent, less than was actually the case. The floating of the loan had injured the credit of t.ho country, he coiiHim'ed, and he was sorry to see this, both "s a nrivate citizen and a public man. Had the extra cost been avoided, the nionev saved might have utilised in build'"? roads and bridges. (Anplause.) Referring to the Prime Minister's statements regarding slander and misrepresentation. Mr. Massey offered an unromnromising denial to rhe inference that they emanated from his partv. He said that the Ooverament had lost ground Hiroufh nutting party More country. He wished to know whether the \Onverrnnent would stand by the pol'cy outlined in the Governor's.Rn°eeli, anil concluded with a" assurance that tlie Peform Party would abide by th°ir policy, straight and definite, democratic, anil progressive >as it was, from whichever side of the House it came. fAnplause.)

A rp? nl| iHou v.'as rnrri?d that tl"> olctors of Wnitomatn oxnr"?: 1 : appreciation of the fpl"i"ljd ."nd n-lmlo-licartod Fprricos romlovrd liv Mr;' Jtnsfor in tlio lii?lio=t intcrosU o F 11'" Ptnte. "inl its entire "rinfidnnce in tlie Tloform Party, and tlie liono Hint durinar tlie oomiiif session it will rereivo t.l\o snnnovt"of tlio working majority of the House. .

THE PRIME'MINISTER. RETICENT ABOUT APPOINTMENTS. The Hon. T. Mackenzie (Prime Minister) returned from Wanganui last evening by the New Plymouth Express. 'Asked by a Dominion reporter whether it was intended to deal with tho appointment of tho New Zealand represenative on the Imperial Trade Commission as a matter of urgency, Mr. Mackenzie stated that Cabinet would sit to-day, and that the appointment might possibly be made to-day. He could not say with certainty that this would be so. On tho subject of tho Attorney-General-ship, tho Prime Minister resolutely declined to be drawn. • He was asked whether the position had been ottered to Mr. Wilt'ord or to any other person. "I cannot discuss a question of that sort," replied 3lr. Mackenzie with decision. < It was submitted that it was a strange proceeding to approach so near to the opening of Parliament without appointing a Leader of tho Upper House, but Mr. Mackenzie merely rejoined that difficulties sometimes aroso. To a remark that delay such as had occurred was unusual, Mr. Mackenzie said that similar delays had occurred before in Now Zealand. It was pointed out that the delays which had occurred.in. the immediate past supplied ail additional reason for making tho aopointmeut without further delay, but the Prime Minister still declined to make his intentions known.

. On the subject of the three Royal Commissions now sitting, Mr. Mackenzie had no more to say than that the Cost of Living and Public Service Commissions would doubtless be granted extensions of time, as had already been done in the case of the Education Commission. Tho Public Service Commission, Mr. Mackenzie added, might not need tn pursue its inquiry ill other centres than Wellington. In any event, it would do the bulk of its work here. THE PREMIER AND THE PRESS ASSOCIATION. THE MEETING AT ALBANY. The Hon. T. Mackenzie (Prime Minister) last evening made tlio following statement in regard'to a Press Association report of his recent meeting at Albany:— "I notice that you have received a report through the Press Association, professing to be a statement of what occurred at a meeting at Albany, where I addressed tho settlers. To begin with, the Press Association had no representative there. The account you received is misleading. , . • "Briefly, what occurred is that, alter a. vote of thanks and confidence in the Government had , been carried with acclaination. the member for the district, Mi-. Harris, wanted to speak. Thechairman (old liim that this was not usual. The meeting would not give Mr. Harris a hearing; and ho v;ould have been heard lied I not risen and said that, although, Mr. Harris's action was unusual, I would never allow it to be said that the member for a district, in mv presence if I could help it, could not obtain 'a hearm?. The meeting then, nt my request, allowed Mr. Harris to speak. Ho thereupon began to traverse my remarks, using terms that I di<l not cmploy. Tlie meeting again became strongly antagonistic to liim, several gentlemen on the platform being exceedingly mdig.nant at the unusual attempt of a man to take part in u meeting when he had not been invited to speak. The meeting then .closed with very hearty cheers for myself. "I was told nt tho time that it was mistaken generosity on mv nart.- mid that 1 ou«ht to have allowed the meeting itself to "deal with Mr. Harris, especially as ihe chairman f.Mr. Alison), and Mr. Knight, a farmer in tlio district, exnlained that the niectini had been called for the purpose of liearimr the Prime Minister, and therefore tliey considered it not right for anyone else to thrust himself in. If Mr. Harris had desired to take part, it was competent for him to do ;i.= Mr. and Mrs. Harding did at D.irgavillo, namely, to move an amendment .to tho motion. The o.uestion pf sood

tasto could then 1)0 left to the public to judge. "I am getting but scant justice at the hands of the Press Association just now, anil in somo instances even telegrams that arc sent through are altered _by Conservative papers, and leading articles are written 011 the mutilated reports. I am not in the habit of taking exception to reports, but the mutter is now reaching a stage that is becoming very trying for a public man to stand up against."

SPEECH BY MR. YOUNG. REPLY TO HON. G. AV. RUSSELL. (Uy Telegraph.—Press Association.! Hamilton, Juno 21. Mr. Young, M.P., addressed a meeting in reply to the Hon. (j. W. Russell. lie criticised the personnel of the Mackenzie Government, and attacked -the Hon. A. M. Myers's railway administration. Ho also condemned commissions, and strongly denounced the party government system. A vote of thanks and confidence in .Mr. Massey and his party, as tit persons to guide the destinies of the Dominion, was car-, ried.

A PERIPATETIC MINISTRY. HON. G. W. RUSSELL'S DEFENCE 01-' IT. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) Christchurch, Juno 21. Tlio Hon. George AV. Htissoll delivered ft speech at tlio Choral Hall The speech was on the lines of 1 previous addresses. Tho speaker ridiculed the coalition theory, and stated that, if tlio inistry wore defeated in the coining Parliament, ho would accept the position, but would make it hot tor their successors. Ho did not think that thero would bo another election. He replied to complaints ro Ministers going about tho country stating that it was necessary to put their position and policy 'before tlio people directly, in view of tho tarradiddles of tho Opposition speakers and organs,, and tho fact that Liberal newspapers were being, bought up by Conservative proprietors. lie also defended the setting: up of Royal Commissions. At the close of liis speech he was accorded a vote of thanks and confidence.