BANQUET SPEECHES.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIII, Issue 1864, 19 September 1906, Page 4

BANQUET SPEECHES.

I'HESS ASSOCIATION. We'lington, last night. Speaking at a banquet tu Me Slovens, M.H.lt, ut Shannon, tho Hon. Mr McNab said the Ministry weto determined it should never huppen ag.in that thoro should bo a man in the St it* who would put himself ia an ea-ly grave simply to Eorve New Zealand. The present Ministry were reeolvod that tho load should be equally distributed among membtra com-pii-ing iho Cabinet. Speaking of agriculture, ho siii tho Goveinment intruded to go into tho whole question and to arrango tho various branches according to acme poper olasei lioatien. Deferring to tho 11 vx iudustiy, be bolioved whc-u it got a proper start, and waa p opoily treated, it would prove to he ono of tho greatest industries, not only of Now Zealand, but in the Southern H' uaisphere. The Miois(9r d'-cussed hia land proposals at lcDgth, \vh : cb he declared would play an importint part in the settlement of tin Statr. Peopio were determined to have tho lauds settled, and ho thought tbo tkue was rapidly going when people would care to rido in trains and see Inigo properties with no stt'.lunent. S ;oh settlement would i.odueo and protnoto treflio along tbo railway lines. They would not riquiro to cxptnd so much money on roads and bridges as was necessary by opining up remote lands, and allogotiier the settlement of these areas would bo more productive thnn by going into the backbiocks. Any GovornmcDt would havn been compelled to fitoo tho problem of providing land out of large private estates to meet tho demand for iho freehold, There was bound to bo a row when that question was touobed on, but nearly nil groat problems bad now reached suoh mi acute stage that any Goveinment wiiob faoed them was bound to have a row. Taking that view of things, tho Givernuaent thought it advisable to face the whole lot at onoe, and let one big row do for the lot.

Mr Stevens declared himself a fre:holdar, with limitation cif aron. Replying to a deputation whioh ctked for a vote of £SOOO in tho way of bonus for the first 500 tons of pbormium tenax of good, fair, averago quality, grown under cultivation, tho Minister said tho Government wore not in a position to grant botuies for flax-growing. Tho Government knew nothing as to the best varieties, it?. Tho only research in flax had beon done at Canterbury College. If they had asked him to spend £SOOO in learning what was to bo learned, ho was with them up to tho hilt. The Governmeet wero arranging for research in tho fl .x industry, by which it washoprd to introduce abett<r method of treatment of fibre, and also to utilise the by products.