PRIME MINISTER AT CHRISTCHURCH.

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2316, 25 November 1914, Page 6

PRIME MINISTER AT CHRISTCHURCH.

A STRENUOUS EVENING. FRANK SPEAKING ON THE STRIKE. (By Teleurash.—Pmss Association.) Christchurch, November 24.. The Prime Minister (the Bight Hon. W. F. Massey) delivered a political address in Cliristcliuicli to-night at the Opera House. Nearly an hour before the commencement of tho address the building was crowded with 1200 people, while hundreds outside were unable to gain admission. The Mayor of Ohristchurch (Mr. H. Holland) presided. Mr. Massey's appearance upon the platform was the signal for a tumultuous buret of cheering, mingled with hooting, the former easily predominating: and eventually carrying the day. The Mayor, in introducing Mr. Massey, said he felt perfectly sure that as respectable citizens they would listen patiently and courteously to what Mr. Massey had to say. (Applause and uproar.) The side that would not hear the other side would bo sure to be defeated. (Uproar.) For the honour of the "city he hoped they would give Mr. Massey a patient hearing. (Applause and uproar.). The Prime. Minister said .there were many, predictions sis weeks ago' that owing to the war not much interest would be taken in the elections, but tho crowded meetings held recently had proved the contrary, and showed that the Government had done the right thing in deciding to hold th© elections at the usual .time. (Applause and cries of "What rot!") He thought even the Government's opponents would admit that it had steered the country through the most difficult period of its history. (Applause and cries of "That's enough, Bill 1") It should have been the duty, of' the Government in power just after the la6t election to have gone to London for a loan for public works purposes, but the Government failed to do this. Then came the Balkan War, making money dear. Tho Mackenzio Government, when it came, was faced with. the, financial difficulty left it by its predecessors, and.it went to London for a loan, but things were so bad that it had to take what the financiers chose to'give—a two years' loan at 3), per cent., nominally, but which cost tnis country £5 Ib. Id. per cent. Then, came another change of Government — the present—and it quickly found itself face to' face with the same financial difficulty as its predecessors. Mr. Allen was sent to London, and he secured enough to tide the country over its difficulty. There wa9 enough for the Public Works Fund, "and things began to improve and deposits increased in the Post Office Sa.vings Bank. The Government put up the limit of money advanced to settlers and local todies. When the big war came the Government had to go cautiously, so as to provide-for the publio' works of tho country, and find work for ,the unemployed.. Matters, became better again and the Government had put up the limit of advances to 6ettlers to. £750, and offered to'local bodies monoy which they required.' At this stage the uproar from a section of the audience grew so insistent that the Mayor urged the rowdy seotion again not to, disturb, the meeting us there were many present who wished to hear what the Prime Minister had to say. (Applause.)

For tho Settlers and Workers. "Mr. Massey,' continuing, said that during the seven months of the present financial year the Government had provided for considerable advances to settlers, and "workers; whioh went .to show tnat the Government was doing something for the workers and settlers. Tho Government was quickly reducing the number of unemployed. Not a single member of the present Administration,' ho declared, ever , stated that the G ovr: eminent would stop borrowing. He challenged anyone to prove either by means of Hansard 'or public print that such a statement had been made by a member of the .Government. _ Whatthe Government had done was to spend borrowed money to the best purpose. He. gave the statemen-s that' the Govern-, ment had increased taxation by 1,35. Id. ,per head an emphatic contradiction. Such a statement, if correct, would metin that the Government had increased Customs duties and the cost of living. . . ' ■ j In reply to interjections, he declared that he had nothing to hide, .and was prepared to meet any allegation. .He asked any' person in. the audience to suggest a single article upon which the Government had increased taxation. It was true the Government had increased taxation, but not taxation affecting the masses of the people. The Government had increased the graduated land tax and the graduation on the income tax. In 1910 the revenue collected per head was £4 ss. 63., in 1911 £4 16s. lid., and in 1912 £5 3s. In 1913, the first year of the present Government's term of office, it was £5 7s. 2d., and in 1915 £5 10s. For the Government's two years the increase was 6s. 2d., and for the two years of its predecessors 18s. 4d. . These figures snowed that the insinuation- that the Government had'increased the taxation by 13s. Id. was absolutely incorrect. The Government had been charged with not reducing taxation, but last 'year the strike had interfered with matters and this year the' war. It was very MnWise to attack the Government on the -platform for not reducing taxation when the Leader of the Opposition declared that it was very unwise to do so under the present circumstances. Mr. Massey quoted figures in support of his allegation that,the profits of the fitnte Fire Office and the Public Trust Office were greater durinq: the present Government's term of office than during the same number of years immediately preceding its accession to office. He also quoted the Post Office Savings Panic figures of tho last few years, to prove that despite the war the business of the country was sound, and the country in a sound financial condition.

The Government Pledges. It had been stated that, the Government had not kept its pledges and this had been repeated so often that a, great many innocent people believed it. Mr. Massey quoted tho platform he laid before tho electors three years ago. Reform of the finances to. prevent wasteful expenditure had been made, reform of the,land system had been promised and kept. Such was the uproar from a section of .the audience again that the Mayor was impelled to'once more make a'claim for fair play. • Tho Government, Mr. Massey said, had kept its -pledges dealing with Native lands, and also with the reform of the Legislative Council. ' From this time forward the members of tho Legislative Council would bo elected by the people. Twenty-four members would bo so elected at the election after this, and after that election tlio whole Council would bo elected by the popular vote. Cries of: "Give us Huntly:" ' Mr. Massey: The Huutly disaster'is a disgrace to those who wish to make political capital out of it. (Applause and cries of dissent.) Another pledge kept by tho Government was to do awav with political influence as far as tlio Public Service was concerned. The Government had not yet been able to bring about tho'reform of local government', but it would do it. Tlio Government had reformed the Old Jlcs Pension Act bj. reducjgg the ago of

women participants from 65 to 60. (Applause.)

In reply to an interjection alleging - that they Jiad opposed tho Old Age tension Act, Mr. Massey stated that tho first Old Age Pension Bill was introduced in lbiJ6. . Ho asked anyone to turn up the pages of Hansard or the Journals of . the House, and he would 600 that the speaker had voted for the Bill right through. (Cheers.) After it passed its second reading and tho Committeo stage it was dropped. Nothing was seen again of the Old Age Pensions Bill for two years. One of the faults of the first Bill was that there was not specific financial provision for the scheme. Wheal it was down again this question was raised, and tho answer was that the money waß going to be paid out of revenue. If that were not sufficient, some of the money taken out of the consolidated revenue for public works would bo taken, and if that were not sufficient, salaries would bo cut down. He did Hot think that proposal a good one, and he spoke against it. This did not prevent • tho present Government making beneficial alterations to the Act during its term of office, not only in reducing tho age limit for women, but in other ways. (Cheers.) Provision had been made for pensions to widows with 'children and to women whose husbands wore in mental hospitals. (Applause.) A voice: What about Ward's baby bonus?

Mr. Massey: I think it is the most ridiculous thing I had ever heard of in my life. Sympathy With the Genuine Worker. A yoico: What do you think of tho working class 1" Mr. Massey: If you want to Snow what , the Leader of the Oppositioft thinks of the working class, read his proposal in connection with the ..baby In reply to further interjections, Mr. Massey said that as ono who had risen from the ranks himself, his sympathy had ever been with the genuine worker. : ' - Continuing his speech Mr. Massey said that if the'payments to'dependents nf men killed or injured in the war were not .adequate the_ Government would consider the position and make' the payments adequate. As a proof of this Government's willingness to.'do.' tho right thing in this respect Mr. Massey said the .veterans of tho Maori War waited for forty or fifty years until his Government came into office before they had their services Recognised. Last Year's Strike. In reply to interjections about the strike, Mr. Massey said he was not afraid to disouss the strike. . He had not , come to tho stage when he was. afraid ■ to face his countrymen from the platform. (Cheers.) He knew the Government had .incurred the hostility of a certain section through its attitude during the strike. Further uproar led Mr. Massey to say that onlv a gang of about fifty, was creatine all the noise. The allegation had Deen made that ho had not attempted to settle the strike. At the conference called together over which he presided several sittings wore held, and he could sco that no satisfactory arrangement was being come to. Ho therefore suggested that tho whole matter should be referred to a Supreme Court! Judge of this country. _ . . •' -. ■ , A voico: "You said nothing of thebind," and cries of "'No." ' Mr. Massey: "When I have proved that.that gentleman making the interjections is wrong, as a decent man, I hopo ho will apologise." (Hear, CSSf., . Mr. Massoy, continuing, said that during the marine engineers' threatened strike he waa asked to arbitrate, and at his suggestion a conference.was arranged, -both sides''agreeing -to. accept his decision. His decision was in favour of tho engineers right through, and the Union Company accepted it. He tried to do. the same thing during tho waterside 'strike. : He 'knew the men would riot accept him, but he hoped they would accept the decision of a Judge of the Supreme-Court who had been President of the. Arbitration Court. After two sittings of- the conference the strikers' representatives, said they would have to consult the men. Quoting from tho "Maoriland Workers" report of- . the addresses to the men by( their representatives, Mr. Massey read a statement by one of them that the Prime" Minister was opposed to work going on on the wharves while negotiations were in progress, and had also suggested the matter being referred to Sir Joshua Williams. "Now, I hope my friend over thero will got' up and do the right thing" said Mr: Massey, but despite the urging of the audience the interjector failed to do so. "Very well," said Mr. Massey, in reply to a remark man,' "wo will leave it at that."/ The next thing, said the Prime Minister, was that the waterside;' workers handed over tho strike to the Federation of Labour, and the other side refused, to deal with them then unless they registered under -the Arbitration Court. . Mr. Massoy quoted from the Wellington Opposition journal a description'of "a scene of wild disorder" in Wellington during - the strike.- He was afraid that any ; time there might be bloodshed. ' The police and magistrates were,consulted, and the police stated that their force' was* inadequate to deal with affairs. The Government, therefore, came to the conclusion that tho only way to preserve order was tq introduce specials. (Loud cheering, mingled with groans.) The wharves were then opened, and the business of the country resumed— (cheers)—he was firmly of opinion that two-thirds of the men were glad to go back to work, and the satisfactory thing was that there had been no bloodshed. (Cries: "What about tho Riot AotP") He,took the full responsibility for what took place, and if similar conditions arose again he would act exactly the same. A T o" self-respecting Government could do less. • \

Tho Mayor had again to appeal for order, and mentioned that In that day's papers the secretary of the local' Liberal-Labour Association had appealed for trder, and had that day admitted to him that the action of the rowdies at these meetings had lost .the Liberal Party hundreds of rotes'. The Mayor's remarks were inaudible tp all but those near him owing to the din, leading Mr. Massey to appeal to the noisy element to-show more respect to the Chief Magistrate of the city. Referring to the Huntly disaster, Mr. Massey said the Hon. R. M'Keneie, Minister of. Mines in Sir-Joseph Ward's Cabinet, had stated that the non-passing of the Mines Bill had had no effect on the accident at all. Furthermore, the commission which had investigated the accident had not made the slightest suggestion in its report that the Minister of Mines or tho Government was responsible in the slightest way, by negligence or otherwise, for the accident. The attempt- to make political capital "out of this unfortunate accident was the meanest thing that had ever occurred in the history of politics in this country. Mr. Massey proceeded to outline what-the Government had done in tho mattor of _land settlement: ■ Referring, to the graduated land tax he said 'that in two years and a quarter tho number of pnvato holdings divided was 2136, and the number of subdivisions was 6196, tho area of the subdivisions being 1,125,6/8 acres. Taking that along with the Crown land sottled there was a grand total of 1,943,763 .acres, nearly two million acres subdivided flmon g new settlors during the time the Government had been in office. It, was proposed to amend tho Act. So far as it affected tho Government tax the Government proposed to discriminate between tho man making good use of his land and the man not ,making good use of it. . The mail not making good use of his land should pay more tax. >tt was no use applying the graduated land tax in its extreme to rough counjgi mi fit, for closer settlement.- hat

the Government wished to do was to subdivide the good land. on which the farmers could grow orops. The Waiuku Railway. .Referring to tho Waiuku Railwvr, Mr. Massey said he was going to ask' just one of the Opposition papers to make a definite statement instead of innuendo—just to say that he promoted that railway for his own purposes. Ho just wished the "Lyttelton Times" or the "New Zealand Times" to say it. Ha challenged them to say that he used public money for his private benefit, in connection with his proposal, and ho would give them the opportunity to ' say it in the Supreme Court. A member of the audience moved: '( "That this public meeting thanks the Prime Minister for his politioal address, ■ • and expresses confidence in the Government of which he is the head." .When the Mayor put the motion to the meeting such was the din that it ■ was only heard by a few people ,in.', front, only about fifty in the front seats putting up their hands. Immediately it dawned on the audience what the ; motion was, enthusiastic cheering and' groaning broke forth, the cheers swamprog . the groans. Without calling for a vote of those opposed to the motion the Mayor declared it carried. • "Thank you very muoh for your Unanimous vote," declared Mr. Massey. A HUGE SUCCESS .v • FROM. THE REFORM--VIEWPOINT. ! (Br Telegraph,.—Special Correspondent.) Chrlstchurch, November 24. The Prime Minister's meeting here this evening was distinctly l rowdy, as he was determinedly opposed' through- . out his whole address by"a. large opposition element, composed of Liberals and Red Feds. As compared with the'two • famous previous meetings of Mr.' Massey in Christchurch, the meeting show--ed that the Prime Minister had gained ; ground, for the disturbing element was . confined to a few hundred Oppositionists,, whose interjections, . while persistent, were not so personally savage as was the case at the previous gatherings. The bitter hostility then apparent had quite disappeared, and while opposition was' still present the general tone of' the meeting was good-humoured. 'A! ' motion of thanks and confidence in.Mr. Mas6ey was proposed, but the cheering ; and counter-cheering .15 tho crowd broke '. up rendered it impossible for any vote to be taken. From the Reform point '• of view the meeting was a.'huge success,' and a-personal triumph for . the Prime Minister-