THE PRIME MINISTER

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 44, 15 November 1919, Page 8

THE PRIME MINISTER

VERY CORDIAL RECEPTION AT PUKEKOHE PARTY SYSTEM DISCUSSED SOLDIER SETTLEMENT MILITARY, NAVAL AND INDUSTRIAL ' QUESTIONS By Telegraph-Special Reporter. Pukekohe, November 14. The Prime Minister addressed a crowded meeting at, Pukekohe Mr. Massev was given a most, cordial reception with three cheers and applause. lie spoke again 011 .lie subject of the dissolution of the National Government, sayin? that he would have preferred that the best elements of the two parties should unite to form one party. He also declared his determination not to revert, to tho old party.system. "This session. - ' lie said, "I practically went, on new lines. The old parties did not look unon eacli other as they used to look. T have 110 hesitation in saying that the method of doing the business of last session was a great improvement of anyihinz that wo have previously had in thi» country. AVhat is to happen in the future I don't know, but 1 ask the people of the country to select tha best, most experienced and trustworthy men offering. ond let them conduct the business of the country. If they no that I shall be satisfied. I do not. want lo L'et back to the old party system with which this country has been governed almost ever since representative government has been given to it." Mr. Massev excused himself from making a rigorous party speech, "l.h.nve not yet got to !he stage of making fighting speeches," lie said, "f can fight as well as anybody, but I like the other fellow to hit me first, and then he will net it back." (Applause.) Mr. Massev referred to the several proposals in his platform, mentioning, incidentally. that there were twenty-eight of them, iust twice as many points as President AYilson. had. Soldier Settlement, Discussing problems of soldier, settlement. Mr: Massey said that it was tho tiolicv of I lib Government to find for a man the sort of farm he wanted. If a man wanted sheep country lie got it; if lie. wanted a dairy farm he got it, and if lie wanted an agricultural farm he got it. It was in agricultural land that there was the greatest possibility of failure. and for his part he was not advis--1 iriEr inexperienced men to take up land costing more th.in, say, .020 or ,£25 'per acre. He would advise them rather to co on lo unimproved' land or bush country for preference. The Government had a scheme by which holders were engaged at day wages to fell bush, to erect fences. and to put in grass on areas" of unimproved land and Wihen tliie land was fit for occupation tho soldiers who had mado tho improvements _ would get first choice of sections. Large' blocks in the Auckland district had been set parat tinder this scheme. He said that generally the soldier settlements had been a great success. The setlilers were doing well, and many of them had sections for which) they could get as much as X'lo an acre more than tho Government ihad to pay for it. The Government, however, did not allow soldier settlers to sell their holdings except for special -reasons. Speculation iu these selections could not bo permitted. The duty of the men on the land was to make the land produce more. There were blocks of land throughout New Zealand wlhich wero only partially improved, and when the Nauru arrangement was in working order and a good supply of phosphates was available, production would be increased to an enormous extent. Tho speculator in land must be discouraged—tho man who held his land idle waiting for some other speculator to come along and give him a bigger price for it. Secondary Industries. AVe must, said Mr. Massey, encourage our secondary industries. We would not be able to export manufactured goods for some time to come, but we should be able to make up our own raw materials for our own use. It was already part of tho policy of the Government to develop our mining resources. A subsidy for the production of iron from our own ores had been oiferid bv the Government, and it would be renewed. Tho fishing industry was to bo.aided by assistance to fishermen for the construction of cold stores. ShiPDitifl Matters. In shipping wo should encourage a fast steamer twice through the Panama Canal. A. fast ship already trading tu New Zealand could do tho trip from Auckland to iv British port in-33 (lay,;. A sixteen-knot ship ivould do tho trip'in 30 days, and such a fast, service would he of enormous advantage to New Zealand, and'more visitors would certainly come to this country. New Zealand should do more to entourage (ratio with tho Pacific Islands, l'"iji, and the New Hebrides. These islands, _ with the exception possibly, of the New Hebrides, were benefiting by tho Panama Cann!, but their trade was going to other countries. He was doing something in regard to Fiji (working along with the. Government of the Group) to rectify this condition of things. Tariff Problems. Regarding the trade of "Fiji, Mr. Massey defended the proposal lo establish a scheme of Imperial preference in tariffs, shipping laws ami regulation.'-, finance and immigration. .We should admit British goods more cheaply than foreign goods; we should charge less rates lo British shipping than to foreign shipping; we should charge less inoolllo tax to British investors lhanUo foreign investors, and we should so encourage and direct migration as lo keep within the Empire the population leaving the-older lands of Britain. Education Matters. Education had got into a most unsatisfactory condition during the war. Children were being taught in 'buildings not : fit for cattle, and he had hoard of their being taught in tents. Teachers had been leaving the service because ths pay was inadequate. These two tilings must be corrected. Money was to ho avai!-aW« for the building of schools and other nuhs. tional institutions. He thought we ought in cln mere in tho schools in the teaching 01 British history, for only by the t'-aoninsr fit' tiie history and traditions of the Umpire couiM we properly incuScnto patriotism and pride of race in the youth of the country. (Applause.) No had a greater past than ll<? British# and the children of the Empire ought to know more about it than they wero at present being taught. In this v;e bad much to learn from the Americans, -who had not a history comparable with ours. ■ He' hoped thai we would set aside a day of thanksgiving in every year to marl: Ihe success won in the Great AVar, especially as the British had taken' the leading part in the war. If no one else moral in this matter ho would do =0 himself. . Some effort must be made to secure more easy means for (be settlement of industrial disputes or for Ihe erealion of a \better relationship between employer and worker. In England Ihe schema' of the AVhitley Councils had achieved a mensure of success. The coal mines trouble and the "go-slow" policy was one of the worst cases there had ever been to deal with. All the industries of Ihe country were harassed 'because of this wretched dispute between tho miners and mine owners. All hough there were Slate-owned mines Ihe trouble there was just as serious as in the ease of the privatoiy-owncd niiinw. Tho solution of such nroblems as Ibis might bo difficult lo find, but it must be sought. Military Training, •Mr. Massey said that lie believed in military training if only because of the improvement: of physique that military training worked i:i ihe youth nf the counIry, but lie had Ihoudil in Die past that industry had been unduly interrupted nnd disturbed by taking men a,way from work for a month at a timo lo attend

camp at an inconvenient time. AVe did not need I his liorl. of thing in this country now. We had here 5U,111M) Irainod soldiers, and they would be available i:i • ise of need for many years to come. He did not want to see !lie system of military training dropped, 1.. i, he did think that Ihe system might iv maintained with less disturbance of industry. tie had noliccd some time ago that Sir James Alien was reported a having said that, ho intended to put ,:ien into camp for four months' training. Sir Janic.s Allen had never made any such statement, but had merely 111:11!" the suggestion that it would be it good thing to get youths into camp for this longer period of training. Sir James Allen never said that bo was going to (ii. it in actual foct. He could not do this without consulting Cabinet, and this he had never done. Sir James Allen would probably make a public statement siiuiv ly, making the position quits clear. Naval Matters. On the naval side also we must look to our protection. They would have noticed that big, fast, heavily-armed ships were being built by other nations, and they were not being built for in Our future 11s an empire depended upon sea supremacy. Old ships 01 tinllrilish Navy were being scrapped or sold, and we must make u»> oiir minds and face the fact that a shin ten years old was of 110 use—was not fit to give battle to modern ships. He did not believe that we should have another war for a generation, but we must be prepared for eventualities. Under Admiral Jollicoe's scheme we would be called upon Id pay a million a year for naval defence, but wc would not have to find i!i all at once. The first year oi' tho maximum pay-up would be 1026. Mr. Massev sat down amid applause. A vote of thanks nnd confidence was carried with acclamation.