A STRAIGHT STORY.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2179, 18 June 1914, Page 4

A STRAIGHT STORY.

Wees he is not cracking jokes the rcrorobor for Hutt is finding marc's nests. At Christehurola lie greatly impressed his audience by rattling off a lot of figures from a fetiivn, which he dramatically flourished, purporting to show an increase in the number of big landed estates under the Massey Government. Jo prove his bona, fides, 'Jin. Wilfc&b svea quoted the title and date of ths vcturn, Bl7a. June. S3, ipjS. Whether it was merely a joke, on Mr, Witford's part, or simply another mare's. iiest, we do aot pretend to know, but the fact is that the -return, quo-tod does not deal with large landed estates at all, hat covers both city and country lands., whctliar used fox purposes of 'bfrsfsess'or lor farming, pursuits. That is to say, il an individual or a company of any sort has land in different parte ol New Zealand used for business or otter purposes, the lot is lumped together and the total valuation set out in the jetun). For instance, tha Bank of New Zealand appears in the faturn as one of the big landowners; the D.LG., which has- branches in vaviotts parts, of. the Doßiraioa, is another; ths Staples Brewery Co. is a third, Slit J. Ward is a fourth, the .Wellington Gas Company, tie JM.2L fepress Company, various .lnerobarit houses, such as Messrs. D. Uathas ANt> Co., and Messrs. .IknoooiD, 8&? t axb Ewes, are also included in the list—even tire Government Insurance Department is amongst the number. To class these as laj'ga landed estates is the sort of humbug o»a would expect- from Mr, Wiwoeb, Ghristchurch people who who do not know the member for Stitt probably imagined when they heard him solemnly reading oat his figui'cs that thoy referred to large landed estates in- fluff country Which Wert* blocking settlements and that ths Massey Government, instead of forcing subdivision, had haen oiiconragiiig aggregation. It h ■eiuwitablc to •assume that the member for Hutt- really did not know what ho was talking about wlum he tim&u the ahsu-rd use of the figtsfes mentioned. Seeing, however, that the return does, not in any place refer to "large- estates"—the words used by h-ifis—and that theportion of the return quoted refers distinctly to "persons or companies' who are owners of any land,'' even this exev.se may prove, ft littl-o hard to swallow. It may not be out of place here to quote, frain, a Wardisfc journal's report of Mr, Wsx-fow's cllmslchurch speech' t -a-nc of those admirabta maxims which always fait so convincingly from his lips: "No man," said the, member for Hvitt, !i is going to win otit in this country and. last by misrepresentation: If hr> is not going to do the square thing atul tell ih-e straight story, he won't last." And then followed, ft tew minutes later from this model of political virtue the "straight story" of Return BttA. recorded above. . '