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MR. MASSEY IN AUCKLAND

QROWDED - MEETINGS

VOTE OF CONFIDENCE IN REFORM

GOVERNMENT

j< ■By .Teleerarh.—Proas -Association. 'r ■ ■ Auckland, December 8. The Prime Minister addressed two political meetings in Auckland to-night. Hβ ■, first spoke .at Newmarket, in the land East district, where Mr. Clutha Mackenzie, , the blind soldior candidate, isop'posing tho Hon. A. M. Myers. Mr. Massey was in good form , and scored heavily in several good-humoured exchanges. •'■ Tho great majority \ of the audience were with him, and occasionally objections to Ins statements were speedily drowned in applause. i Mr. .'Massey said that ho was not going "to indulgo in any party wrangling. Ho left that sort of thing to others. If ho was attacked ho could defend himself, . whether in tho House or anywhdrc eifie, but that was as far as ii went. Tho war, continued Mr: Massey, was a thing of the past. ' Tho question was now of the future and what use was to bo mado of the future. The,, country was faco to faco with the results oif war, tho most pressing of which was the total debt of dK200,000,000 on which wo- had_ to pay interest .. and simung fund. In order to meet this enormous liability, continued Mr. Maseey, it was necessary to.go in for a policy of-development such as this country had never known before. The output of produce and the volume of exports "must be increased.' The experiences of tho war hod shown what tho country could do even with i all the best men away. Thoso. who were left, and the women • and children as well, had worked so that the yield of produce and the volumo of' exports had been maintained and increased. Since , March, 1915, tho dato when tho Imperial requisition of produce • commenced, • tho Dominion had received from tho -Imperial authorities the sum of ,€113,000,000. 'When the present arrangements came to an end in June next, ho believed that ''the total would have swelled to ,£125,000.000, and porhaps more than that. This, he repeated, was done when all the best men of tho Dominion woro away on service. ' They were now back,. save for 17,000, who would never return, and with them back. , a vigorous policy of development must foe pursued. Tho figures he had quoted, said Mr. Massey, spoke volumes for tho industry of tho people, and for tho of tho .country, and these were two things upon , which we must depend if wo were to overtake our liabilities. •■•• When tho. war began public works had beep dropped, It ivas now essential to prosecute a scheme of railway construction. Lines north of Auckland must be pressed.on, particularly one milking connection -with- Whangarei..- So'must the great East Coast line, which would eventually run to Napier. _ .Then there was that line connecting with Taranaki, running, from some place. in tho Eing Country, tho name of which had escaped his memory for tho moment. A voice: Waiuku. (Laughter.) , Mr. Massey: Thank you for reminding me pi Waiukn. I was up there a few days ago, and it is no mean city. (Laughter and applause.) The Prime Minister continued that improvement? must be mado in tho Maia^ /Trunk lino and the service. Disregarding 'some attempted interruption, he said that wo must look forward. In the yeare to come railways would bo built where they were not thought A of to-day. "At five shillings a day," persisted an interjector; who insisted on having his voice heard. . ' '

Mr. Massey: Thafs all right. A man is generally taken at his own valuation, and if that is all you aro worth I am sorry for you. Continuing, the Prime Minister said that wo had to go in for a Toading policy in. 'this'country. Another thing that was urgently required in this country was ¥i hydro-electric system. The value of water power was now realised. A few .year* ago never a thought was given to .the power that was being allowed to run •i to waste in tho rivers and streams of the Dominion. In years to come these would be fully developed.

';■"■" At Parnell. 'At tho conclusion of his speech at Newmarket Mr.- Massey motored to Parnell, where ho arrived at the conclusion of tho address by Mr. J. S. Dickson, the Government candidate for the seat. . There •"was ; a distinctly hostile element in the audience, but Mr.' Massey, in masterly fashion, succeeded in getting on good terms with his hearers, and was- given' ,an excellent hearing during the remainder of his speech.' ' ■• ■The-,next question was that of land settlement. More nyist now bo dono than had been dono in the past. During tho war the policy of land settlement had •largely been suspended. It would not have been fair to men who wero at the ■".front to have to carry on while -they *were : absent and unable to participate • in it. Jjand settlement had been pressed "vigorously during tho last 'twelve months. There were still millions of acres, however', not' yet' touched, A voice: Why don't .you lot working people get some .of it? Mr. Massey: Thoro is no man in New Zealand who cannot get land if ho has the same grit and enorgyas those who have already taken it up. A voice: Where is tho money to come from?

Mr.. Massey: Go to, work, earn the money, and do as the early cettlers of this country did. (Applause.) Somebody spoke of the people of Pnkekoho. They went thore into the heart of the bush as it then was, and without half-a-orown in their pockets, and look at'the position they are in now! A voice: 'All good land ha 9 been snapped up.

Mr. Massey: "Thore is as good land as any in this country which has not yet been touched, and in saying this I know what I am talking nbant." There was also land, ho continued, which was not producing up to its full capacity. It was being held by land speculators and othor3; These peoplo had to be mado to work it or get out. . ■■ A voice: They are pretty slow in doing it!

Mr. Jlossoy: "Yes, and some of them are good Liberals, ton." (Laughter.) Dealing with Native land, tho Primu Minister said that some 700,000 acres had been purchased by tho present Government, and so far as he was a judge the whole of it would ho on the market ,<vnd available for settlement within tho next two years.. Mr. Massey also dealt extensively with the cost of living and the steps taken by.the Government to deal with tho question. . At the conclusion a vote of thanks and continued confidencn in Mr. Massey and tho Deform Government was carried by a large majority.

Both Mr. Massey's meetings wore crowded to the doors, and many were un(ibis to obtain admission.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DOM19191209.2.72

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 64, 9 December 1919, Page 8

Word count
Tapeke kupu
1,129

MR. MASSEY IN AUCKLAND Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 64, 9 December 1919, Page 8

MR. MASSEY IN AUCKLAND Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 64, 9 December 1919, Page 8

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