SPEECH BY PREMIERS

Gisborne Times, Volume XVII, Issue 1398, 8 March 1905, Page 3

SPEECH BY PREMIERS

(Per Press Association:’) •• '■ Dargaville, yestsrday.' . The Premier was entertained at a banquet isst night. Referring to tbs Advances to Settlors’ Department, he said it was preared to give Crown tenants equal terms with freeholders. Ho dwelt at X length on the question of State fire insurance; and said the Government had no desire to keop up a cutting competition with tho insurance companies, as thero was i room for both. He jocularly remarkod ■ that he had an offer to.go to to. teach tho Yankees New Zealand laws, so that when the colony was tired of him he had something to fall back on.

Dargaville, last night. The Promi'er addressed a public meeting In Walker’s Hall this evooing. Tho building was crowded. Mr Thos. Dassett, County Chairman, presided, and members of the Executive, of various branches of the Kaipara Labor Federation, and others occupied seats on tho platform. Tho Premier, who was- received with oheors, said ho believed be was the first Prime Minister who had addressed a public'meeting at Dargavilie. Referring to attacks made on him by the press, he said ho was often misrepresented,sometimes wilfully, sometimes accidentally,but this was tho usual experience of those.who struggled for reform and stood by the masses. .■ The great reception given him at Dargaville aDd throughout Kaipara j district showed th3t the people were not I yet tired of him. (Applause). Referring to the finances, tho Premier j said the revenue for the colony for the i eleven months ended February 28th was je6.305.009, as against £5, 156,000 for last year, an increase of £149,000. He wouldbe able at tho end of March to announce the usual surplus, despite the tions of tho Opposition. He also said tho I -.Cnstom3 should show an increase of £30,000, , land and income tax je40,000, and stamps £II,OOO. | TTa i-afnn-oJ tn An Article which had

TTn referred to an article which had j appeared in the Now Zealand Herald, and whioh had stated that while tho amount spent on railways north of Auckland ainoo 1894 was £400.000, in -Westland electorate £700,000 been speDt dariDg the some period. This statement was unfounded in fact, and coma only have been made in ignorance." He I would give tho exact figures as supplied by the Public Works Department. These showed that daring the time he had been I Premier, from Ist April, 1893, to February, ’ 28tb, 1905, there had been spent in West- ' '< land electorate £179,271 on 25J miles of ♦silways, whilst the expenditure north of 'Auckland for the same period (excluding £50,000 of .mortgogo on the Keihu line) was £219 854.- Ho asked them to contrast thoso figures with those given by the Herald. That paper had Baid £400,000 was apeot north of Auckland, whereas only £269,000 was spent.*.-It said £700,000 was Bpent in Westland,"but only £179,271 bad boenspont. The Herald was only out in its figures by fifty odd thousand pounds. ' Ha did not kuow why those misstatements should bo mode. If tho Herald meant ] the whole of the West Coast, or what was known as’the West Coast and Nolson_ district, it should have said so, instoad of trying to make capital out of it because he was membor for Westland. These misstatements caused readers of the Herald .- to form wrong conclusions, and in his opinion it was done deliberately. He had never read more outrageous statements Chan those made in a letter to the Herald fov W. S. Voile, in comparing tho railway -expenditure of Auckland and Westland X provincial districts; Tho mis statement could only bs accounted for by the possession of a powerful imagination and lack of geographical kaowladge. if the ; provincial distdet of Westland was meant Kiha figures were entirely fallacious. It •- -was stated that the population of Westland was 14,000, but this would include about a third of Greymouth electorate. Hi 3 eltctorats ended at Tcremekau river, tho Westland provincial district extended to Grey river. Those who had taken out the figures evidently did not know tho difference. He quoted figures to show that the f Norlhecn had been bottor treated than Continuing, ho said ho would now announce that next year tho Government . proposed to increase tho expenditure on 4; ?oads from £300,000 to £500,000. (Ap--551 Dealing with tho timber, industry anc 6b e cutting out of kauri andkahikiiea.ht a aid the question arrso whether somDthmf not bo done to keep tho timbei

farads for ourselves. ; . ! After referriag to the growth of the . dairying industry and on general manors, he, said whilst there had been &n increase in the amount paid for labour, there had a reduction in taxation. ? • Besides providing the u3U ® l3 "*P l colooy had been saved . £1,102,31 & va m direct taxation on private wealth. People had increased their savings. The bank '-(deposits had go no up from eight “ 1U,0n3 ' fco" seventeen milHona during the last ten years. No greater evidence of pros neritv than this could be desired. !: .■** the Lands for Settlement Act, Mr •Massoy had said he would not repeal the Band for Settlement Act. “ No, ho would iaot repeal it,” said the Premier, “but he •would not borrow any money under it, And the Act would tbue become a dea 'fetter.” Aftor speaking at further length "as to the progress and prosperity of the. colony; he concluded by saying that his services were at the disposal of the colony, bo long as the people wanted him. He -..-jftas, however, no time-server, and if they <r<ive him a bint that he was not.wanted he would-: be only too glad to take it. Tbe Government policy : had been. . ono of moderation,, and they might find a change JffZ their advantage. Not one measure Massed by the present Government had >sbeon repeuled, which was more thaA the Opposition could say of their Admimstra-

fil< The Premier was heartily cheered on < Jjtesumiog bis seat after speaking for. about nn hour and o half. ‘ - Oa tho motion of MrJEhomas Kennedy, seconded by Mr Clincatd, of Helensville, a motion of tbadka abd confidepce in the ~*Sovornment wno carried by acclamation. •' . * j'. the conolusfoo of- the speech Mr Soadon, as presid/nt of the Liberal Labor - ' WnderatiOD, presented the Kaipara branch I ,t, a charter jT: In iloing so ho said that 1 >g- was soiflb- mUapprebenEion as to the K TVof tho Federation. Every olass j -It was . not an exclusive '[ leaves early to-morrow I 7li i-j. £&’<. ivrknnpatnroto. V : ' ;.:l