The Feilding Star, Oroua & Kiwitea Counties Gazette. Published Daily. SATURDAY, MAY 9, 1896. POLITICAL.

Feilding Star, Volume XVII, Issue 261, 9 May 1896, Page 2

The Feilding Star, Oroua & Kiwitea Counties Gazette. Published Daily. SATURDAY, MAY 9, 1896. POLITICAL.

In a post-sessional address, made at Milton 4 on Monday last, Mr J . Allen, M.H.R., said it was not the duty of the Opposition to formulate a policy, but to criticise. This he proceeded to do in the frankest manner. With regard to land settlement he held it was not going on at the rate claimed by Government. Comparing the land settlements for five years under the present Government with what took place during j^he previous three years they found the folio wing result : From 1888 to 1 890 there were 6,62s selectors, agepfilß9'^ .neijt-Vfiye.ye^re^ vernment ;itf:gffi<se,V there were lQi74Q'

selectors, who took up 2,643,312 acres, an average of 246 acres per man. Mr Allen said that during the administration of the present Government he believed their parliamentary institutions had been sinking down to a lower level. Misrepresentation, defiance of the law, and want of candor, had not tended to raise the Government in the estimation of the people, but had brought them down to a lower level of morality. The cure rested not with Parliament, but with the people themselves. If they had respect for law, right, truth, and candor, they should speak with no uncertain sound at election time. He did not care who went in at the next election, but let an honest people be governed by an honest Government, and he could hardly say the present Government had proved themselves such. It depended on the men and women ot the colony to determine whether they would be led away by parrot eries — raising up class differences and feelings — or whether they would rise up and have their differences healed, and above all things determine that honest men should be placed in power.