REFORM AT TIMARU.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1528, 26 August 1912, Page 4

REFORM AT TIMARU.

SHREWD SHOTS BY ORGANISER,

Speaking at Timaru oti Friday evening, Mr. D. Jones, "Reform" .organiser for the South Islam!, imiile «ime interesting remarks. TTo said I hni it had licen said that the Masfey Ministry would give no reform, but already the people were beginning to realise that they could expect pood legislation from the Reform parly. It had boon that the present Government got into power a policy of misrepresentation and slander. Thai: was an easy assertion to liiaiie, but it was impossible to prove it, and when the Hon. T. .Mackenzie made it in Auckland he quickly hacked down when challenged. The misrepresontati'ms had cc-m.e rather from the other side. Sir. yraigie, JI.P., for instance, had endeavoured to make out that Mr. Jfassoy jras n wealthy landowner, but ho forgot to tell the people how many thousands of pounds his own farm was worth. And it was a freehold farm, though Mr. Oraigio advocated the leasehold for other people. It reminded 0110 of the Mormon who preachcd on tho value of singlo blessedness. Mr. Jones went on to contend that the \\ ard Government was not a Government ior the people as a whole, but a Government prepared to favour certain individuals, as witness the South African eat contracts and the renewal of the Wanganui river service mail contract. Whv could tlioy not havo distributed the* South African oa| s contracts among tho fanners oi i\cw Zealand, instead of giving them v T Ul erc?>ants and speculators? Wow for tlw' first time in twenty years the country had a clear, businesslike, and .open statement of tho finances and administration of the country, 'l'ho Reform party had applied tho open-air tieatment ii < r, ,ances - , and Iln « let daylight in so that the people could see jyst how their affairs stood.