PRIME MINISTER AT GISBORNE

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2148, 14 May 1914, Page 6

PRIME MINISTER AT GISBORNE

— »- A ROUSING RECEPTION S INTENTIONS AS TO PUBLIC WORKS (By Teleeraph.-Prcss Association.) CJsborne, May 13. iko Bight Hon. W. F. jHassey fultilled Ins engagement to speak at Gisborno to-night under extreme difficulty. t As a result of the delay of the War'ilm moo at Wellington on .Monday, she did ._ not-reach Poverty Bay until 8 p.m. Befl tore she could let go ho/anchors, a fast t launch, which had been lying in wait . tor her, ranged alongside,, ana the Pren liner was hustled into it and across the •_ bay into His Majesty's Theatre, where . he arrived only a few minutes late, and i ,Va o,?'^ etotl ~ nth rousi »g cheers by nearB ly 3000 people. Tho theatre was 'packed . to overflowing, and the building was surrounded on all sides by people looking in . through odd chinks and ventilators, l while numbers of men spent the evening t standing on the outside of the upstairs . windows and .endeavouring to see into , the crowded hall. 3 , r "^ ou ' rc late,'.' accused a voice as Mr. t Massey commenced to speak. •, ] "Yes," rejoined the Premier, "I'm p sorry, out it's not my fault. It's my , misfortune." . "Then build the railway here," rej torted the voice. I The Premier said the experience in I getting to Gisborne was one of the . strongest arguments he had yet felt in favour of the Gisborue-Napier railway. , (Cheers.) I Time for a Strong Forward Move. ; Proceeding, Mr. Massey said Cabinet . had' decided that the time was ripe for i a strong forward move, so far as the , development of the country was concerned. The people needed bridges, roads, and railways, if tho producers of , the country were to make tho most of ; their opportunities, and the opportunities must be improved for the people of the country as a whole. "I am going to ask Parliament this year," he added, "for a larger sum than for many years back for tho carrying on of public works." (Applause.) As to railways, the Government could not possibly comply with all the requests that were being made. ■ It was first necessary to pay attontidn to the' trunk lines, "such as would connect Napier .arid Gisborne with Auckland, (Applause.) -They would riot play the dog in the manger, however, out would give companies the opportunity of building and running such branch lines on condition that' the standard gauge "of the New Zealand railways was used, and on the understanding that .the State would some day take over these lines at a valuation. He .dealt with land settlement on the lines of his Napier speech, and said that his Government would keep every pledge and promise it had made to the people. In fact, many promises had been fulfilled already. A voice: Second ballot, eh? Mr. Massey: I promised to knork out the second ballot whenever I could do so, and I did it. (Applause.) A voice: What- did you put in it's place ? ; Mr. Massey: When I get something better I will give it to you. Until I can get something better I will not have' the trickery and intrigue of the second ballot. I would rather leave it as it is. (Applause and jeers.) \ A voice: That's politics. The Defence Question. On tlio defence question Mr. Massey said the land defence ey'sfeiv was not perfect, but it would be improved as circumstances, dictated. All the discomfort tho Territorials were receiving in camp would, he thought, make- them better men., (Applause.) When on the subject of naval defence. , .. Mr. Massey was subjected to considerable- goodnatured banter and interjections. He stated that an arrangement had probably by now been completed for a conference in the near future between the British dependencies on defence. He believed the time would come when tho people of the Pacific would have to fight for naval supremacy just as their forefathers had done. He always held the naval question abovo party politics, but emild not refrain from referring to the statement made by Sir Joseph Ward regarding tho gift of a Dreadnought. He, Mr. Massey, and others, held tho idea that tho people of New Zealand had pnid for the Dreadnought. However, Sir Josorih Ward stated in Wellington the. other night that only two sections of the community (those- who went in for horso-racinq; and those who paid death duties) paid for tho battleship. What would the peoplo of EngInnd say when they heard that New Zealand hud not paid for the, Dreadnought? It was ridiculous to make such statements as those made by Sir Joseph Ward. He dealt with the' subject on the lines of previous speeches. Other Matters. Proceeding to touch on closer settlement. Mr. Massoy said he intended to ask the Government to placo a sum on the Estimates to assist the reading of the backblocks. During the year 37,500 acres of freehold rural land had been (subdivided and disposed of. The Government was out for closer settlement, and this was nroof of it. Tn response to nn interjection, the PrimeMinister said the Government intended to sec that the intentions of Parliament in regard to preventine; ormregation were carried out. His Government had spent more than nny,previous Government on workers' homes, and this year would placo not less than £75.000 for this purpose. Mr. Massey renlied nt some length to last week's speech at To KarakabyMr. Mac Donald, M.P.. and touched oii Native lands and the strike. A vote of thanks and confidence met with a somewhat mixed reception , , hut was declared carried. Taken all round, the meeting was the liveliest political meeting held in, Gisborne for Mime years, but nevertheless the Prime Minister received an attentive hearing, and dealt in a masterly manner with the numerous interjections. Mr. IT. W. Dp Lautour, who contests the Ginborne sent in the Reform interests, " also spoke. The Primp Minister leaves for tlio south on Friday