HON. J. ALLEN AT. BLENHEIM

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2181, 20 June 1914, Page 17

HON. J. ALLEN AT. BLENHEIM

•■ OUll NAVAL POLICY. ; j (By Tolcsrftph.—Pit.es Association.) . ] Blenheim, June 18. Tho Hon.- J. Allen addressed a moot- \ ing in- tho Town Hull to-night. Tho weather conditions wore very bad, and . tho attendance was not what it might have, boon. The speech was mainly on tho lines of past utterances, a • largo portion being devoted to financial questions, with the object of showing that ■ the financial position is.stronger to-day than when the Government came into office. . Mr. Allen, said ho would like to make tho Railway Superannuation Fund sound. It was going to tlie bad by £50,000 per annum, Mo was going |to make that good. .That was ono : of Uio reforms the Massoy Government [ promised, and were carryjng out. Speaking in reference to the limit on advances to settlers, Mr. Allen stated that I'm election year- the -Ward Artministration ladled out money wholesale, with the result that' money was depleted and a limit had to be 'made. When the present. Government camo into office there was a £723,945 committal and £(54,037 to meet it. In 21 months, he had met these commitments. During the term of the Mackenzie Gov-' crnmeht they had l educed the limit available for settlers, but his Government had gradually increased the limits, nnd ho could say that all limits'and all restrictions had been removed, and it was now open to settlers to get all that the law would allow. Tho Government impascd.no restrictions because the finances were so secure that he could see his way to remote tho restrictions and advance amount!' to tho maximum. AYorkers' homes, old age pensions, and education were also oneslions touched upon on the lines of recpnt addresses. . In regard to defence. Mr. Allen said that Sir lan Hamilton's .report was ready, and be hoped by Monday he would bo able to distribute copies to members of Parliament and the Press. When thev read the icport be was sure they would be pleased with it. It was n.n outspoken criticism of what General Hamilton saw in New Zealand. There was. -said Mr. Allen, no more domociatic way of defending our shores thm bv a citizen army, where poor and rich alike had the same chances of .advancement. He asked them to twitch vn 1 closely the Opposition action durin" the next few .months as regards defence Ifir.islntion. In refercrce to the N."vy, Mr. Allen slid he believed in a Navy wider one Imperial control, but he wanted New Zealand to spend the money and train her own men, win could be utilised on, nnr own const 1 ! if required. The Dreadnought New Zealand was not an additional margin of Safety. The gift simnlv meant the Now Zealand taxpayers paid what the English taxpayer would otherwise have been compelled to pav. Sir J. G. Ward went to the London Conference and proposed that all the Dominion? should ta\-. every man. woman, nnd child ten sh'llinis per head for naval deduce, an' l al-o nroposod to borrow millions and millions to heeD a h"ge IWt of Drcidnnuch'ts in the Pacific. What d ; -' thev think of that for 'aval exp"nditn-o 9 I'carding the second ballot, Mr. Allen said the' Oovonv"icp f were, tryhii' ti find some- method of renlaeini it. hut it was a very hard tnrk. At ''■" welusion of the snoocV during wliMi Hi" speaker was treated to a good deal o r pood-nalurod interruption., a. vote of thanks and confidence was <lccl«rrfl carried, atnidit ««ine dissent and fhrprr. for Sir J. 0. Ward.