A FIGHTING SPEECH

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2126, 18 April 1914, Page 6

A FIGHTING SPEECH

MR. REDMAN'S MEETING

GREAT GATHERING AT TOWN HALL

DECADENT LIBERALISM

.GOVERNMENT'S STRIKE POLICY APPROVED

A great gathering of citizens was addressed in the Town Hall last, evening by the Hon. A. L. Herdman (AttorneyGeneral and Minister of Justice). The hall was crowded very' soon after the doors were opened and when all available' seats had been filled somo two or three thousand people, possibly more, had to be- turned away. Tho Minister arrivedcarly and out of consideration for his audience took tho platform with cbairmanXMr.-.1 , .. Haybittle) at 7.40 p.m. .The hall was then crammed to its utmost ( seatiug capacity, and "no purpose would have been served by waiting. Mi\ ;Herdm'an tfas'received with an enthusiastic' ,dcmoustration of , '.goodwill which 'entirely drpWned ..some. attentions : of a less friendly, character. There was a hostile"section present, .but'• its; spas--mbdic attempts to, disturb, tho..meeting woro.forjthe most part feeble.and .very, poorly/sustained... Groat efforts . wore' made to, prolong" the applause when Sir Joseph 'Ward's name was mentioned, aiid'in tho latter part of the evening a sound of low hissing was raised by the would-be interrupters, .but all such at-; tempts soon dwindled into insignificance' Tho meeting displayed its truo charac-: ter in /its enthusiastic greeting of tho Minister, in tho frequent and hearty j applause which punctuated .his speech j and in tho magnificent salvo of cheers given for the Prime Minister, at Mr. Herdman's call. • There were a number of policemen present, but only one man was turned out during the evening..' Ho. hadmado himself a nuisance !by ■ indulging somewhat frequently'in noisy,' but usually incoherent interjections..-As nine o'clock approached a few ■ dozen people left the nail making a point of .walking out as noisily, as possible, with j a< view to interrupting tho • proceedings. This was one of the several organised attempts to disconcert tho speaker. Mr. Herdman was' given a capital hearing all through the evening and when he "had concludod his. speech, a vote of thanks aiid of confidence in the Reform Administration was carried almost unanimously, a hostile amendment being overwhelmingly rejected; ■•

Consideration for the Audience. At 7.40 tho chairman rose and said that, out of consideration for the magnificent audienco which that night had met so early and packed the building, Mr. Herdmau had consented to start his meeting before the -advertised hour. (Applause.) "I feel it must be a source of great gratification to him to seb such a splendid audience assembled to-night to hear an address on tho political questions of-the day. It affords mo great pleasure to preside at to-night's gathering. (Applause.) . I possess, at any rate, one qualification iorthatposit'ion, and: it is this: Although a supporter of the Massey Administration 1 am not a fanatical adherent, and therefore I can, to-night, with well-balanced mind, ask you to give ,the chief speaker a fair and genetous hearing. (Loud applause.) A Weok or so ego you had the opportunity of listening to a very able exposition'of the> Opposition politics, delivered by the; IMgkt Hon. Sir Joseph 'Ward. (Loud appGuse.) . ; ■'...- - . "To-night, ladies and gentlemen,"-, tho chairman, continued, "we are promised an,address from.a Minister of /tho Crown, to hear tho other side of tho story, t (Applause.) Wo, may not all/ possibly, see eye to eye wiiih what.the speaker may - say, • but /there ..are -attri-: butes which ho: possesses -which must, appeal to tho whole of us.. Mr. Herdman has the courage of his'convictions —(applause)—and when he says a,thing, and meinsat, ho sticks to it—(applause) —and with him, ladies'.and gentlemen, liis word is his bond. (Applause;) ~ The path of' his political,; his professional, and his private life stands-.bright and shining. (Applause.)/ I.won't 'detain you one.moment further, - but"ask the Hon. air. A. L. Herdman now to address' you."- -.-.-; i

The Minister's, Reception. Mr. Herdman, when he rose to speak, Was greeted with a tremendous burst of applause, which all but drowned 6ome feeblo ' attempts at hostile outcry. Hβ said that it was.indeed a compliment that such a largo number of people should have assembled for the purpose of hearing what ho had to say upon the' political-questions of the day. When the last session of Parliament closed the political sea was calm, but during tho •last few weeks tho. sea bad become ruffled again, and from his recent reading of tho newspapers he gathered that there wore signs or storm and Ono might almost think that ' the general election, instead of being seven months away, was to. (happen noxfc week. He believed that every* public-spirited man and woman was thinking of tho future of New Zea-, land.l what was to become of Now Zealand; what was to becomo of the people of New Zealand; what steps should a wise- and provident Government take to promote the well-being and happiness of tho men and women who had made- theso islands their homo? It- was his business that evening to 'dbal with statements made in speeches by gentlemen who.wcro on tho other side in politics.. (Applause.) Ho had read with great interest the speech delivered in'thiit hall about,a week previously by a very distinguished man (Sir Joseph Ward). (Loud applause.) After reading that. speech it appeared to him that therowwars r very little'to reply-to. (Applause.); The. right'lion, gentleman seemed to deal in tho past and gave very little information about ■what ho was doing with regard to the future. In the report of the speech almost a column of newspaper spaco was taken up with roferenco by tho right ion. gentleman to small attacks mado upon him. Another column dealt with strike matters and tho rest with matters of no great importance. A voice: To bo. continued. (Laughter.)

A Thin-skinned Politician. ~~ Mr. Hordman said that it .seemed to him a matter for regret that a man who had figured for so long in public life in Now Zealand should.be as, sencil.ive as Sir Joseph Ward was. (Applause.) One had to take tho knocks that wore, given in political life and to take thorn philosophically. Last week thoy bad witnessed the spectacle of Sir Joseph Ward crying cut like a schoolboy: "Please, sir, tho Press Association has stuck a pin into me." (Laughter.) The right lion, gentleman might nssiime that the bulk of tho people of Now Zealand looked upon him as a f/euevolent, harmless geutlemiui whose

Some members of the audionce stood up as a policeman approached an interieetor, and two men in front scats conducted a brief argument...

"It is liable to got worser," shouted a man in tho.hall, and laughter and applause hold up tho meeting for a time. Mr. Herdman: "Perhaps I.would put it more clearly by saying that, as soon as wo got up to tako control, our difficulties increased. Wo had the Waihi. strike, tho smallpox epidemic in the North Island,, the strike amongst tho engineers, and last of all the big strike at the oud of last year. Now I believe wo are entering upon a now era of prosperity. The country has gained strength; Us difficulties have, been aet-

intontions in the ■ main; were admirable, but lihose politics wero deplorable. (Applause.) The Political Menu. . He wished to speak for a few minutes about the future of political parties in New Zealand. (Laughter.) When the nest' election came round the publio would have an opportunity of considering a most interesting political menu. They would have Liberals', or so-called Liberals in the fieldj and also Social Democrats. (Applause and a whistle.) No doubt representatives of jthe United Labour Party would bo seeking-elec-tion, and last and; best of< all -there would bo tho people who wished to represent the"Reform Party at the,polls. (Loud applause.) It was a matter of great difficulty to gauge the state of public feeling. Thousands of me.n and women never attended, a political /meeting, and hundreds'of men, who thought wisely and,deeply on public.'questions, never appeared.at public gatherings. It. was,impossible to guage public feeling by public meetings.*- (Hear, hear.) At the same time, he was strongly of opinion that tho public were deepjy impressed with what the Government did during last session of Parliament. (Applause.) Ho wa6 certain that. wlfen the tiirio came-for the people-to express their opinion in a constitutional way about-political parties and politicians, it would bo found that the Reformers would bo at the top of the poll again. (Applause and some dissent.)

1 Three Practical Tests. 1 '.'Since the present Administration came into power there had been only three practical tests of' what public opinion was. One test was tnken at Egmont, where Mr. Wilkinson, representing tho Reform Party, was returned at the top of the poll. (Applause.) Tho Liberal Party was hopelessly defeated, and lost the seat. (Applause.) In the electorate of Grey—A voice: Paddy Webb got in! (Cheers and applause.): Mr. Herdmau: Perfectly true. Paddy Webb got in, but Paddy Wobb will go out nextj.timol (Applause.) ' A voice: What about tho Lyttelton by-election? Here a not very numerous section of tho audienco gave three cheers for Social Democracy. Mr. Herdman (accepting the cheers): I am much obliged, ladies and gentlemen! He went on to remark that ii: the Lyttelton by-election tho Liberal Party was again hopelessly defeated. (Applause.) Tho point ho wished, to make was that in these three practical tests , the Liberal Party was on every occasion defeated. Mr." Herdman went on to state that the Reform Party throughout New Zealand was supported by a large number of working men— (applause and some dissont)—of sound, solid personal qualities—— A voico: A large number of specials! Mr. Herdman said that ho spoke of working men who recognised that a country like New Zealand could prosper only if society was '■' kept in; order. (Loud applause.) The. working men who supported the Government were of the class' who hoped, by perseverance and hard work, to become masters or, perhaps, settlers in the country. (Applause.) ' ■

A Party In Decay. -Mr. Herdman said that the old Liberal party was commencing rapidly to decay. W-hab did it consist of? A voice: Good men 1 Mr. Herdman': There is one over there! (pointing fo a frequent interrupter). ' 1 ■ i'he old Liberal party, ho continued, consisted in great part of disappointed hangers-on and billet-hunters. It consisted of a gradually-declining body, of individuals who still believed that Sir Joseph Ward was a statesmen —— A voice: So he is. (Ipplause and uproar.) '

■ Mr.- Herdman resumed that for more than twenty years the, Liberal party had governed this country. (Applausej aiid: Without any' specials'!) •' It took a long time to kill an octopus tw'enty years old, but they would find when nest election came round that tho octonus had been killed. (Applause, and some hostile interjections.)

The Master of Public Servants. Mr. Herdm'an waited for a moment, and presently went on- to state that when tho Reform Government took officij after twenty-ono years of Liberal rule the condition of the Treasury was deplorablo. Every Minister who took office in 1912 was new to the game; the money market was against the Government, and in tho Advances to Setlers branch of tho State Advances Of•fico a limit on loans of £500 had been imposed by their opponents. Tho Waihi strike was on, and had not been settled. A. considerable section of the Public Service was against the Government. The members of this section regarded tho now Ministers of tho Crown as trespassers, and looked upon Sir Joseph Ward as their master. . (Applause, and "So he is!") Theso remarks about tho Public Bcrvico referred to a small section only. Throughout Now Zealand they bad as valuable- public servants as were to. be found, anywhore. but a minority had looked upon Mr. Scddon and Sir Josoph- Ward as their masters, and regarded the new Ministers as intruders. The- King was the master of tho Public Servants! (Loud applause.> ,• Continuing, Mr. Herdman said that whatever Government was in power, a Massoy, Ward, or Mackenzio Government, or whether led by Mr. : Webb, evory public servant in Ne - v Zealand owed his allegianco io only ono person, and to no politician, and that was to His Majesty tho King. (Applause.) "No sooner had we got on to the deck and begun to got control of the ship than matters got worse," went on Mr. Herdman.

A voice: "What hare you done?" Mr. Herdman: "Some of you,gentlemen don't know what wo have- done."

. (6) It had simplified and improved tho Native land legislation and put tho Crown in a better position to buy unused. Native-land.. ~

■ (8); It had dealt with.the Naval Defehco question', and endeavoured to meet tho unsatisfactory position created'by the British Admiralty.

. .The Railway Problem. . It- , had grappled with • the railway problem, and placed at.tho head of a ';concern in'which 28| millions of money was'invested, a gentleman of great ability amj,' experience. (Applause.) That gentleman would no doubt have .something 'to : say about■.'•tho managc- ; mcirfc '.of the New; Zealand railways in ,the'course of a/few rnbnths' time, and he'was sure that New-Zealand,' in the course of a y«ar<or oighteen .months, (would havo. reason to-bo pleased with tho fact. that.the .Government took ■ steps to import into New' Zealand a gentleman who had had- largo experience in" assisting in tjie control of a large and important railway system in the' Old .Country.. •. "'.'Now what'else ha.s.tho Government done?" said Mr. Hordman, and "Nothirig!"'caißC in a loud cry from tho •hall. ■ ' , ■ ,•■'■.

."Just you wait and eco," replied Mr. Herdman, and went on to deal with further achievements.

The Government had, he said, levelled up the pay of all railway servants, and by improving their conditions had removed many of the gross injustices under which they worked under tho party of expediency.led by Sir J. G. Ward. It had placed tho Magisterial Bench on a more satisfactory footing.. It had improved its working conditions, and it had. simplified the- jurisdiction of the 'Court. To ensure- the speedier transaction of public business it had also altered tho constitution of tho Supreme Court and Court of Appeal. ' It had recast the constitution of the Bank of Now Zealand and secured for tho people of New Zealand a moro substantial interest in this largo and profitablo business undei taking. It has destroyed that unreasonable and ill-considered law passed by the Ward Government,: tho Second Ballot Act. - ■' :

It passed ty pieco of legislation which mot. with a chorus of approval from all sides in the House, tho Labour Disputes Investigation Bill, a measure which, by providing for a secret ballot, it was hoped would make tho as a means of settling industrial differences an obsolote weapon.

Other Legislation. In addition the Government had legislated for the plumbers; for the architects, the saw-mill hands, the prisons, the police, the Public Trust Office, river boards, county councils, municipal councils, water, supply boards, land agents, prisoners who have, no means (this at the instance of Mr. J. Hanan, JU.P. for Invercargill), and at the instance of Mr. A. H. Hmdmarsh it had made the law relating to distress moro liberal. •

A voice: Oh, you will kill us with kindness. (Laughter.) Mr. Herdmah: I can say to tho gentleman in the audience that nothing he would take would kill him.. (Renewed laiightor.)

■ Mr. Herdman went on to say that tho Government had passed legislation dealing with tho suhject of copyright. It was'tho author of a law, which provided that local bodies in country districts might combine and construct .telephones, and it had passed legislation which prolided that local' bodies might combine and borrow with a State guarantee. It has created a Board.of Agriculture, and had passed a law which' authorised assistance to bo given to persons engaged in'.tho fruit industry. It had improved thoprovtsiolis of the Workers' Compensation Act and extended the benefits to bo derived under it. It had, during its 20 months'bf life, improved the position of school teachers, of railway hands, of tho police, and of all tho Public Servants. It has caused Departments to be overhauled, inspected and reorganised by experts of long experience. The State machine had undergone a thorough spring cleaning, and business principles had been introduced, where before there was no system, no homogeneity, and.no proper supervision.

Proud of the Score Put Up. He;was sure they, would agree with him that the Government" ,hiid fought hard to'keep up their wickets, and had every reason.to be proud of the score put up against'the trickiest—— 'Interruption; stoppod "the speaker for a. time. "How do you want it?" ho asked. . .. • .'.,.'.. A voice: Tho people aro satisfied. Mr. Herdman: I know they are. Mr. Herdman: What I was going to say was that'l was sUro you will.agree wo have fought hard to keep up "our wickets, and have every reason to bo proud , of tho score wo have put up against the, trickiest and googliest of kwlers. (Loud applause) Mr. Herdman gave an emphatic de-, nial to the statement of .the Leader of' tho Opposition that tho Government had iiot I fulfilled its promises. Mr. Masscy had- —

.Chcors were then loudly given for Mr. Massey and a call mndo for cheers for Sir Joseph Ward ; and tlio.Social-Demo-cratic, party.' All hnd responses.

Reform Party's Pledges, In connection with, the chargo tliat tho. Government had not fulfilled its preelection pledges Mr. Herdman said chat if a man'gave a promissory note to pay £100 in.twelve months no ono iiad a right to say that ho had not fulfilled his bargain when only six months had gono by. Tho Legislative Council had still to bo reformed and ifc would be reformed. Probably it would havo been already reformed but for the presence' iu it of gettflemeu placed there

■iled, and I hopo to be able to show you the' finance trouble lias boon got over, by tho wisdom displayed by tho 'present Minister of Finance (the Hon. James Allen). (Applause.) And, last of all, tho big strilco of 11)13 has been settled. (Applause.)

"I want to tell you, so that you may judge us fairly, what this Government has done since it came into office."

What the Covernment Has Done. Mr. Herdnwin ,went on to eay that Jio had taken out a list of what tho Government had dono. The list showed that: •

(1) It , had made substantial progress in the direction ■of reconstructing the. finance of tho country. . It was gradually drawing their finance out, of the danger, zone in .which'.they found it, into tho region of safety.-■ (2)~It had placed tho'.-Public Service on a footing !which.would secure to the peoplo of New Zealand their right to have a competent'and reliablo Public Service, and which would also secure to the reasonable Public Servants satisfactory conditions. (3)'lt had improved the land laws and given to Ctowii leaseholders, and lands for-settlement tenants, a right to acquire {he freehold. It had given facilities to workers : to get.land in the country, and'it had legislated to,stop aggregation. • ■•'■.''". (4) It had increased- the graduated land tax, and it had established, in conhection with both land tax and incomo tax, a scale which was logical ani equitable. (5) It had extended the <ild age pension scheme ..by: (a) .-Providing-the veterans' with a military pension; ,(b) giving women a pension at the age of 60; and (c) by extending additional bene.fits to. widows; , ' ' ' .

• (7). It hadgradually raised the advances to settlers, from. £500, to which it had: been lowered to-by their opponents, to £1000, and-- Mr. Allen had 'recently provided: that men could discharge a .mortgage:of • £500 to any society, by getting tho money from tho i Advances to Settlers/Office. . ;

by tho predecessors of the Government, who did not want a- reformed Council! The education system still had to be overhauled. At present it was illogical-, inefficient and wasteful. Legislation had still to bo introduced which would get rid of the. objectionable system of Parliamentary grants. This would Ix 3 done, next session. It would bo time enough to speak of broken promises and tho non-fulfilment of pledges when another twelve,months had gone by.

The Strike—A Simpte Duty. Regarding tho strike of 1913j and certain statements that wore matio hy tire Leader of tho Opposition about its'management, Mr. Hordinan said that tho Government had a simple duty to perform at a. critical tsnio in the history of-tho country, and did it simplv and faithfully, and, ho hoped, well. "(Loud applause.) There were certain mental principles wlik-li must bo maintained by any Administration—otlicrwiso society could not Jive. It was tho duty of tho Administration to preserve order, to protect persons awl property, and to make-provision for tho protection of peoplo who wanted to go about their legitimate 'avacations. (Land applause.) These plain and simple dirties tli© Government endeavoured to perform to' the, best of its ability, and if peoplo were dissatisied the Government conid not help it.

"Hut," added Mr. Herdman, "if snotlier occasion arose, and a similar set of circumstances, I, as Minister of Justice, would do precisely tho saißO tiling again." (Loud and continued applause and cheers.)

The Only EJeptfon. -.A man in tho-audieii-ce, who had been interrupting rather frequently, here rose, and attempted to speak. He. sab down at length without achieving his object, but a policeman- took hiitt in charge, and conducted him outside, amidst uproar and cheers.. This was the first and only ejection during tho evening. ' •' '

"I. sincerely (hope," Iv|r; "Herd-mau resumed, "that Ne«" oealajid-will never again witness the unforttiiiato condition of,things that arose at- the.end of last year, but if it does the Government wiil still have to do its (Ajiplaus*.) Tho Leader of tho Opposition had declared, When" speaking in .tho Town Hall, that he could have settled t'no strike in two days, : ■ A'• voice: So hoeouldl (Mild uproar and applause.)

Mr...Herdinaii said that no jsoto absurd and ridiculous statement had ever passed the lips of '.a man, (Loud applause.) . . Mostly Wind. ■ A'number of people reseat- this'time •and watched the ctii of a Maori whe walked out waving his hand to tho Minister. As tho latter resumed lijs speech a sibilant sound was raised ;n concert by a section of the audience. ■ • ■■ Mr. Herdman said that tho I/Citder of the Opposition was in tho habit of making statements which, were mostly wind . like tlio woise , he heard. (Laughter. ■ and applause.) Sir J. Ward's statement about tlift strike was on a par with the statement, mado by his political ally, Mr. David Nathan, in Sydney—it was just as absurd and ill-consitioted; it was on a> par with thp ■ Opposition Leader's neurotic speech in tho House witeu hotacked . tho men who did ' tiioir duty in tho Post Office Square. (Applause.) Tho fact was that tho leader of thoOpposition, ■ and 'tliose- behind him, throughout tho whole of tho strike, wero all tho timo considering politics and not the country, (loud applause-.) Every speech made-by'the right boll! . gentleman 'and his colleagues.'kepttin, strike hear, -applauso, and "Hot!") —n»d led tho nieii down on tho wharf (who were misled) to think ; that some good would come to them by i going pn striking. If it Was the ease ■ that Sir Joseph Ward tould have settled tho strike in two days, why did, not- this Heaven-hoTti genius wKo had this Tieaven-sent message in liis- breast J remain in his seat ifl tjip. House am} nej ' tell tho Government how to settlo the, strike in two days? ■ (Appjause.) .If] 'there had been any foundatkii for the: claim advanced by i Sir JEoseph A&fd ho would have beoii gmHy of t -criminal; neglect in not letting tfoo^GoVeniiiront ' know how the" strike cou-14 have loon | settled in two &ys. (Applause, . and | "You wouldn't listen to hini."} 'It was , plain that the strike could only have been settled by an agreement of the parties. Sir Joseph Ward might- h-avo brought in legislation which would 'have comixilled everybody ,tfl climb down and givo in to him—that was the kind of : thing lie did—but ))o- settlement could have taken plaee escopt by agreement." Anyone who looked into the matter must recognise that tho Prime- Minister, from tho day tho trouble began until tte day it. terminated, did his lev*} beit to bring about a settlement- (Loud a,nd continued applause.) ' It was ft mftlivnekriy page-in our history, Mr, Hordman add-. ed. Hundreds of men' wtio did not want to go on strike wero misled by senseless ; loaders. (Applause.) And if anybody had suffered the blame must- lie attlie : door of the men who led them astray. Tho Financial Tfansforrnatlpn. j

Mr. Hcrdnisn dealt iv.ith tho. subject of finance at sijmo le'iigtli, Afer uetaiiing tho tin-satisfactory .•condition of tho public finances when the Reform Gwernnient took effioy ho remarked that Sir Joseph .Ward-, had said that tho present Government had enormously increased borrowing. Tho actual position was that in the twenty months before tho Government took office bomny* ing totalled £18,868,000. -"Since-taking office the GoverKlttcnt hod raised loa-ns totalling £13,SW;000. The Minister ef Finance, , apart from tho resterratiosi of tho Public Wotks Fiifid and the Advances Account,,had been s-:idd!od with tlio duty of providing for tho renewal of loans borrowed by tile Government's .predecessors. A total amouEit'o-f £13,907,000 had to Ire ren-owed before March 31, 1915. Already Mr. Aliea had renewed, redoeiiiod, or arranged for, loans totalling .£9,319,000, leaving £4,387,000 stilt to bV renewed, before March 31, next year. Amongst.other details Mr. Hentean tins local authorities' account hi ths State Advances Office. Hare Mr. Alleii haduot only cleared off commitments amounting to £659,Di"i0i b-ut there- was on March 31 last a credit balance of £293,000. (Applause.) Mr, Herdmau brushed aside a contention of tho Opposition that they had left plenty of unexhausted loan awtlieritics-j irith the.remark that these we to useless when money could not bo obtained or could be obtained only at .exorbitunt interest. Tho figures ho had quoted revealed tho fact that opponents of the Government had been muddfed in their finance, and had cared littlu about the. future, and that the present satisfactory state of affairs had brought about by tho prudence, care, and ability displayed by the present Minister of I'iuan'ce. (Applause-.) On the subjscb of finance! ho thought he had said enough to enablo tho peoplo of. Now Zealand to iiiider* fitnnd how near t-bo edge of the precipice the Wards, and Eussells of Kow Zealand politics had driven this couiw try. (Applause.)

Tho Land Question. Tho land question, he said, n%a cm of'the most important of the day. In Now Zealand there was.call for sotlement of the land. Their possibilities, a's-a-producing country, were inimenso] They-had elected to haro.a kigh-wago standard, and it was impossible for a country situated like New Zealand, formany years, to qiier into competition with other countries, as a raa.mifactDring country. They had to look to settling tho land. Thriso in power vip tiil 1910 could not elaim niufh credit for settlement of Groins lands,'but the Ma-s----sey Government had sent ottfc more surveyors than there had'over been in tli-o land before. At tho present time, in tlio North Island, they had available ,'m areabf'2,oGH,sooaefTs'of Cmvn Imu!. . Of that area, ho was iufdrmed by the Lands

department..' that only'about a , million actes was lit for closer settlement. Tho rest wiw only lit for μ-astoral purposes. A million acres was lit for fairly close sutllcmeut in the North Island) and had to bo settled. Tho question was how to do it, lie wanted to make it clear that ho was not propounding a land policy then. There were various kinds of Sand; ordinary unoccupied Grown land. Native land, privately held land, and land in the hands of gentlemen who dad had pressure brought to bear upon them through the medium of the graduated land-tax. It was quits clear that if tho.ordinary taxes wore not sufficient tef'orco speedier settlement, othw steps would have to bo placed on tho Statutes, It was not for him to propound any land settlement policy, but before next election they would havo a policy.. which .would win the confidence of everyone, {Applause.) Mr. Herdman enumerated various suggestions that had bwn made to him as a_ solution of the difficulty. In connection with Crown land, it hod been suggested .the Government might take tho laud, sell it, and sow it, and then put tho settler on. There were other pro Dosals; that in the case of very valuable estates tlip Crown might pay for them hv debentures, and then pay casts after the land was occupied by the owner -or tenant. He merely mentioned these things as they had/been suggested to iiim. Public Service Act. Mr.'Herdinai*-dealt, at length with tho I'ublic Service Act, passed in 1913, ti> do away with political patronage, and to .enable a man to advance only by ability. This, white meeting with opiiositioii from men vaa had been up. political privilege* had been thwoittciily appreciated by tho majority of the Civil Servants. Tho Coffisnis-sio-ners, Messrs, Itoberfeoh, Tiiggs, and Thomson, had tlotte. a great deal for the country. Tho public did not realise ■ hew fliey htxl taken conThey had classified the PuWie Service, and the publfc servants had tlio right of appeal against their.ciasssfieatiou. They were- working under infinitely better cofidit-ions' then ever before. (Applause.) ■ Advantages had resulted botii to the public and to tljo ptrbiic servant*/, as tlio re-suit of the Act. -Amongst tho benefits to the Sorviro. was a minimum salary of £100,payable to inaie 'officers en attaining the ago of 21; the salaries of low-paw officers bad isceii levelled up, with a view to providing tho , humblest members of the Service with a living wage; and provision had "been.- nia.do for. , {'lie paymont;oi a .iohg-se-r.yiee. increment, of approximately (id. per day, W officers of tno OeMoral division, whose salaries did not .oxceed. £180 !.pef ftwiijm, and who had 1 15 years' service.

Sp&cial irtftiitioii "was necessary for the Post and Telegraph Department, where classification had existed fer .20 years. I'he position of a number of noli-cieri.cal officers had been raised, and increases to salaries to the aiwmrt. of £32?6, ever and above tlio rorniftl classification, was arranged for. An almost similar amount, in addition to thb norma!., was provided for the de.fieal division. The position of nia«y ether officers in. the pepartnienfc had' also boon materially improved. Srrtrit of Progress,

Leaving the PuW.'e Service, Mr. Hordmatt'dealt again with the necessity for developing tho 'country; Land settlcincnt involved a large financial scheme,. and tho wjiol© question Jiad to bo seriously asnd careinjly. considered. The country was .• calling out i'or develonm&»t; ti : o spirit of ptogfes-i was evcrjVfhero- evident, and no Govenvmcnt would live whose poKey .was not progressive. It Wj'.s cbdous to nnyoiie that facilities for the (settlement of kind and the quick t.TausiKrrtation of produco to the limrkets was imperative, and necessary. Take fer .an instance. At present the produce froto tho Wairarapa and the Mdiiawatn climbed over tho /sßOinitaih tops, Tho daj* lied to ■come when the qiitiqttatcd method of transporting produce would Jia\o to lift replaced by some nwro effective system. (App'iauee.) The wlShm stock had to bo improved, and tto obsolete stations at Latirbten and Thorndon had to bo. abolished, and an up-to-date station erected. '(Applause.) ' . What ho- had said About Wellington applied with equal force to Auckland and other places. .Everywhere the population was '■ increasing sttd better facilities wero wanted. Or&at changes were impending in tho Pacific. , opening of the J?a«aina Ctuial and , ' tho stimulus it wotild apply to tiro development, of the West Coasts of North and goiitii Ainerka wottjd react in favour of Now Zealand.' Already our tftido ivitli Vancouver was expanding at n. froat rate and til* trano with, San 'rancisco whs gto-wing. • Witlj ' tho opening of tho Panama Canal other markets would appear. So mentioned theso circumstances only to emphasise tiie fact that this country was still in it? infancy, that growth was ahead of it". .

A Wow Zealantfefs Faitfv, "As one wiio has lived in tins country for years, \vh» was born in it, and } whoso fate is linked, up with its fate/ , aaid Mr. Herdrnan, '"1 want- to say thai I havo perfect faith in the future' of New Zealaml. (Appjausc;} I he- ; lieve iii its jiatttial .strength and ~ in its natural advantages and' m',tlto fttulity of the people of this country to make the- raost of tlie«o virtues. My only fear is lost this rirf-i . aftd attractive■ possession of oars should.get hVtotlio hands of adventurers, irilo, thinking not of the gnod of t-ho pouplo or of -the- ftitiire of tlie people, will uso it as a plaything -in samo ignoble There ftas a great burst of applause and ctieers .as. the Minister sat down.

Captain King moved;. "That .1 hearty vote of thanks be accorded t-o- Mr. likrclmsi'K |er his ad-dress, attd that this me-et-iirg • express its entire confidence, in t-lso Administration of Tvliieh ho is a member." (LoHil applause an 4a- few lioots.) This Wis seconded by Mr. Jones, assistant. s.Mretary of tho\ Warergide Workers' Union.

Mv. -Campbell moved hb na aßicndl»entv— i "niat this meeting, givo a liß'.srtf voto of thaiilis fo Mr, Herdmau for his addiess, but expresses its ivnnt OJ ecafidenco iti the Massey. Ctoreramenl." " . ■

' "Ayes" wero given fairly loudly for tho;a.mcj-idjnwst, but they wero quite pversividdWGcl. by tho "Noes," Ulere was a loud and hearty calt in favour o5 U:. original motion, ivh-ife tho "Noes" were of such trifling α-s. to iully jiistify. the chairtnftn in declaring tho motion carried ajmost unanimousty.

Tl'-i-ero was another outburst of applause whe-ii tho Minister ro.sb to move, a vote of thanks to the chairman. ■A man on tho platform, one of those recently fined for diMurbing. Mr, Nshnr's meetings oalkd for cheers tor Sir Joseph Ward. As.many hoots as elieors were given in response.. The mooting diipcrsod at §.5 p.m., the Minister's' speech iinring occupied an hoaf-artd, a;quarter .in delivery..