THE PRIME MINISTER AT TE KUITI

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2180, 19 June 1914, Page 8

THE PRIME MINISTER AT TE KUITI

A HEARTY RECEPTION ACHIEVEMENTS OF REFORM (By Tel"3Era,pli.—SpccipJ CoirespondonU Te Kuiti, June 18. Tho Prime Minister (the Right Hon. W. F. Massey) arrived in To Kuiti by the second express to-day. He was mot. by tho Mayor of To Kuiti (Mr. J. Boddio) and Mr. C. K. Wilson, M.P., and ho received a hearty reception from the residents. Mr. Massey was entertained at lunch by tho Borough Council at the Commercial Hotel. 'The Mayor presided, and several representatives of the local bodies were present.' Mr. Massey was kept busily engaged during nearly all the afternoon receiving deputations upon variousmatters. He was also entertained by the ladies of the ■district at a large'ly-attended function during tho afternoon. ' The Primo Minister addressed a public meeting in the Town Hall this ing. There was a very large attendance, and several people were standing in the hall. Mr. Massey, who was received with loud cheers, was accorded an attentive and sympathetic hearing. Tho Mayor presided. Mi'. Massey first dealt with tho financial position of the Dominion, and explained how tho present Government had overcome the difficult position which faced them when they came into office. In alluding 'to tho State Advances Department, he said that the Government had raised the limit of the'loans-to scttlersfrom £500 to £2000, tho full limit allowed by law. Prior to the present Government taking office, settlers were not ■ permitted to borrow from the Department - tor the purpose of paying off existing mortgages, no matter how good the security they wero able to offer. ' This, however, had now been altered, .and , a settler, if his security was sufficient, was able to borrow £2000 for .whatever purposo ho required it. The limit of loans to local bodies, Mr. Massey said,, had also been raised by the present- Government from £5000 to £6000. The latter,;sii'm was available to a~ local" body provided that-it had not-borrowed any money during the previous three -years.- :If .it had borrowed during that timo sums of less than £60,000,vthey were permitted to borrow additional amounts sufficient to bring the whole up tbthat sum. 'Mr. Massey referred to the statement by Sir Joseph Ward that when the.-late-.Gov-ernment went out of office it left a surplus of £707,000 ih.'.the Treasury.; He (Mr. Massey) admitted that was so,-but whilst this surplus'existed on.lilarch 31 it was largely reduced in April by the payment of the half-yearly interest, and by tho' time that t-ho : present Government took office in July the balance had dwindled down to a very small proportion. He quoted from an official document just supplied by the Secretary to the Treasury, which showed that before Juno 30 tlie surplus-referred to had dwindled down' to £188,000.; Consequently, when the present Government came into power on July 10, 1912, t'her'p' was very little of this balance available for expenditure. ■

Mr. Massey, in referring to land •settlement, said that the area. purchased by the Government 'under the Lands Settlement Act during the last' financial year was ,141,000 acres, as against 14,399 acres- purchased by the previous Government. He also referred to the Native lands que^tM! l ; a}id._ l sa.jd„tliatj,th.e, i Minister of Native! Affairs had done'.ii'. great deal to straighten out 'the tangles which existed in regard to this question. Tho question of naval defence and other matters were also dealt with by Mr. Massey on the.lines of previous speeches. He alluded to tho increases in the pay of railway servants and the police force, and in 'reference' to the increase in'salaries of school'teachers; which would be provided for by this year's Bill, ho said that he thought teachers would find that more was being done for them than had ever.been done before. . (Applause.) . At the close of-his speech, Mr. !Massey was accorded a hearty vote of thanks, and ono of confidence in the Government, which was proposed by Mr. T. Pino and seconded by Mr. E. Burell.. The motion was carried with a small number of dissentients, .amidst loud applause. The mover coupled the names'of,Mr. C. K. Wilson, M.P., with the motion, and Mr. Massey expressed pleasure at this, and paid, a tribute to the valuable services rendered to the district by their representative. The meeting, which was ono of the largest and most enthusiastic ever. seen in Te Kuiti, broke up with loud cheers for Mr. Massey,-followed by the singing of "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow." Mr. Massey was afterwards entertained at a complimentary banquet by the residents. At a later _hour he joined the express for Auckland.'