SPEECH BY PREMIER.

Gisborne Times, Volume XVIII, Issue 1463, 25 May 1905, Page 3

SPEECH BY PREMIER.

A GREAT GATHERING.

(Per; Press Association.) Dunedin, last Dight. !£• Tho Protnior, at tho Prineoss Theatre this ovooing, had ono of tho largest au moat ontbuaiaatio audiences ever soon in 5 tho city, tho passages aid oorndors being packod with pooplo, and hundreds wont away failing to oblam admission. n ' entoring, tho Premier received quite an iA ovation. There was loud and prolongc 1 cheering. Tho stago was oooupied by representative eit : zons of ail olassos, professional men, merchants, traders, am roprosontatives of tho sovoval political and social sooietio?. Tho fair sox wore also reprosonted in largo nnmbors. Tho C a |r " I man, Mr T. R. Christie, ex Mayor, read a V telegram from Mr Braithwaite, tho Mayor, /V- apologising for bia absouco owing to a meeting of the City Council, but said he 6. would have the pleasure of being prosout, although a littio late. Tho Premier, on rising, was again ro•r coivod with applause. Ho said ho had also a messago for Sbo pooplo of Now Zea • land from tho Mother Country, from Lord i : ; MTeath conveying Empire Lay greetings. & (Cheers.) Continuing, bo said it was unv necessary for him to remind them that / this was tho birthday of tho greatest j monarch the world hud over scon. Hor memory would over bo revered by all peoples of tho earth. The Premier hero % struck the keynote of tho National Anthem and tho vast audionco roso on masse and sang tuo first verso. Ho felt deeply honored bv having present so vast an assembly. Ho apologised for having had ■ to postpone tho meeting from last week, ( but it was not his faulfci and ho was befor f. them as soon as his medical attondau desired. As long as one was able to m i their dnty, thoy must take a little risk and if not exactly up to concert pitch he (the Premier) would do his best. (Ap planso ) They had had tho loader of tho Oppo Bition, Mr Massey, amongst them, and nc ono was more delighted than ho (Mr Seddon) was himself —(laughter)—because he was not in the slightest egotistioal, and he trusted that dihey might bear favorable comparisons. The leader of the Opposition had a good and a kind Dunedin reception, but ho was very sorry to say that wheD Mr Mussey got os far as Timaru he informed a reporter that if he Mfd made ths same speech in Dunedin three years' ego ho would not have been allowed to spai.ik as ho did. Tho Premier considered it an uujusb reflection, oecause his experience was that whatever a man’s t views were he would recaive a fair hear.--ing and every consideration from a Dune' din audience. He would now produce the credentials of Sic William Russell. (A voice : A good man, too.) Tho Premier : You are quite right, and this is what he suid : “ I consider that Mr Seddon is the strongest man wo have ever had. (A voice : Or ever will.) And so long as we have public works he .. will keep himself in power.” That bad \ gone through tho country, and it was not a question whether Mr Seddon’s power was on the wane, but it was a question whether the power of the 'people was on the wane. The answer was—The poople w? were true to themselves and true to them who served them faithfully, and the country was therefore perfectly safe. He now quoted from a well-known Australian paper, in which it was stated that the Seddon Government appeared to be the one permanent institution on the face of the earth. (Daughter and cheers). ✓The 3eddon Government had been assailed ~ of late, acid Mr Massey and tho Opposition had been 11 boomed” during the last few weeks. Ho never reflected on the press of • the colony, but he would S3y that the Opposition press had done a little too much booming. Thoy might have at least been fair. After a “ boom” there was was always a “ burst,” and they would have it next November. It always followed. He refute the charges made and carry - the war into the enemy’s camp in the 'interest of true justice and the peoplejof New Zealand. Mr Massey occasionally varied his speeches to suit the circumstances. m There was a groat difference between the speeches delivered by him in Auckland, Stratford, Dunedin and Christchurch. In aoe place be said Mr Seddon wonldibe the ilHigh Commissioner in a year or two, but jiJwhen he got down to Dunedin he varied "that by stating that Mr Seddon would be the High Commissioner within the next few months. The few months . had gone already, and he was not 'A the High Commissioner, and what was more than that, he would not be the High Commissioner. (Applause).* His duty was, and ho had said-it publicly and pri'K yately, to do his duty, and he believed he could d 3 his duty best for the good of this country and its people by remaining in New Zealand. (Applause). -Ho still believed that New Zealand must maintain - her position in the world. The CommonX wealth of Australia was bound to have a High Commissioner, and Canada already had one. New Zealand being the best of the whole of them they ought to have a High Commissioner like, the rest. That was why ho brought in the Bill. Tho world took them for what they asserted themselves to be, and there was a groat deal in that. Ho simply said that taking the position New Zealand held in tho mother country, and in tho world, it would be a national blunder not to have a High Commissioner, seeing that the world was copying from Now Zealand. (Applause). They would simpiy say New Zealand Ua3 only got an Agent General, and is therefore like one of the states of Australia. The Opposition had made another wonderful discovery. Ho asked them to imagine this. Could they believe it ? Did they believe all they read ? It was, nevertheless, a fact that in the -year 1900 they actually passed a Public Revenues Bill. They had been told by tho papers, and Mr Massey had told them that was a terrible piece oe legislation. Vorv wky^was^it

he Lid that of all the legislation Che Government has passed during the last twelve years there wa3 not a Bingle measure that the Opposition would dare to repeal. But what did they think the Opposition would do ? They would repeal throe clauses of that Public Revenues Bill, -■land they actually say that they _ would "'"'repeal one clause of anobhor Act. Considering that the Government had plaood ' on the Statute Book no less than 84U public Acts of Parliament, and seeing that | the Opposition were only prepared to repeal four clauses, ho was forced to confess that the Now Zealand Parliament was the best legislative machine the world h - ever known. (Laughter.) What was this clause throe of the Public Bevonues Bill of 1900 that they had so mu°h about That clause was asked for by th . Departments, was drafted by them, and . had nothing whatevor to do witn the increase of £4O that was given to memhers of Parliament. During that sess.on they intended to have passed a Payment Act .The railway service was o ass.faed a~ wore some increases which wete r hand'd and ’n “ess they were placed as , danse into the Appropriation A 0 tuat S this clause three was msort d * Public Revenues Bill of « it was not suggested by tho 4 V stall, but b.v » ‘'.SS" < ,P, which enabled the * ron3, °' u , boon t h o < from one clause ' an j although law sioce the year 1 , A 6 it wna repealed by Sir George Gwy s placed in another claus referred giving it a fuller application. c ferrod r to surplus votes and though it so it was discovered that oniy v ots. said in Christ ent Govern • the power was there the f pr “a hehad no - ; ®“i«3?£‘as2/E=' to give t !’ e^ P . c ““ ie h , 6 (the Premier) had thiß, seeing that n 1 Massey not abused the powe , - iers hip was being an aspirant foe the.Piemiersn P afraid to trust himself, wanted t^ rid of tho temptation. to v things were P>J5 C - audit, ho (tho

that, this was so, and baßod upon tbo boat I possiblo legal opinion. Thoro was soino alteration in the wording, but thoro was always the same power in tho matter of I disputes with tho Auditor-General os tho powers that no w obtain ; it was a necessary power and no Government darobo without it. That was using big words. Was it to be said that a layman who was for the time beiDg Auditor and Controller-General, was to have the powor to bring disorodit on tho colony ? On ono occasion tho Controller and Auditor-Gonornl although ho hud not prevented tho scrip being givon, tho loan being issued, when 6ho Government oatno to issue tho debentures, refused to issue them, and on this ground, that becauso thoro was a slight bonus for a propayment of interest. Ho said that mado tho rate of interest groater than tho Act allowed, and ho did point blauk refuse to istfuo tho dobonturos When tho people wont to got thoir sorip they could.not got thoir dobonturos. What I could tho Government havo said if thoy could not havo issued those debentures ? It was well when thoro was question of law that you’wore in a position to go to tho higher legal tribunal Those dobonturos wero issued, but if clause 9 had not boon tho law of Now Zealand tho oredit of tho oolony would have, got on esooedt ingly Dasty jar. But speaking with duo rospoot to constituted authority, no Government nor colony would bo safe unless that power existed. Mr Massey would not allow the solo powor to rest in tho hands of tho Auditor-Gonoral. .The People of Dunedin had Lad a taste of the Aiwlitor-Genoral. What about tlieir accounts for ‘the borough ? (Laughter.). They had. not been audited or published for the last two years, because the ‘ city, authorities had a difference with the Auditor-General. He would ‘tel

t I them thai the Public Revenue Act ,I of JLOOO went before the Public t I Accounts Committee, and the .'Oom- , I mit.tee Unanimously passed, it, and •the Controller and Audi lor-Gener al was pretent,, with the Secretary; to the Treasury, and gave evidence as to the requirements, and beyond a technical amendment, moved by Mr William Fraser, M.H,R, for Wakatipu,; there were no alterations made in the Bill, Captain Russell was I there, and bo voted against the amendment, proposed by Mr Fraser. I The press of the colony did not toll them this, and why, did they not say, that the Bill went before the Public Accounts Committee ?• Why did they I not tell the truth ? When the Bill came before the House the people wera told that it was proppsed _by I ithe Opposition!. When the motion I that the Bill he committed was put I I the Opposition claimed that they, had lIS members in the House ; hut out of these 18 members only 11 voted against the amendment. The real I opposition to hire amendment was not, I the Opposition,, hut the left wingers. Clause 3 : Out of the IS only S -voted against it. There was an unpleasant circumstance to which he would refer ,in connection with the Bill in question,.; He bad read to-nig}it [ (that the Government refused pairs. Wheu he fought ho fought fair, Mr 'Lewis, Mr Games Allen, anti Mr Massey were away througlt.circumstances over which they had no control. I say I gave the statement that the Government refused, pairs an unqualified denial. He would tell them this that last session) wL en, as they knew, his health was seriously impaired, be asiked for p.airsi and on two or three occasions the Ooposition refused to give hirn a Pair. In, view of the condition of his health, seeing be was Leader of the House, the refusal in question, wept to show the length the Opposition would go in embarasipg the Government.

(Continuing his speech, the Premior mads a masterly defence of the Government policy and a sharp and effective criticism of the Opposition. The speech was being transmitted by wire until nearly 3 this morning. On the Premier concluding, the meeting expressed unabated confidence in the Government.)