The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. WEDNESDAY, MAY 6, 1903. MR MASSEY AT THE THEATRE.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2183, 6 May 1908, Page 2

The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. WEDNESDAY, MAY 6, 1903. MR MASSEY AT THE THEATRE.

The largo audience which attended His Majesty’s Theatre last evening must have been fully repaid for tho interest they had thus shown in the political affairs of the country. Mr Massey succeeded, in tho brief space of a couple of hours, in dealing in a masterly way with tho chief factors affecting the political welfare ol the people. His speech included none of tho rhetorical adornments which mark the utterances of the professional orator nor the empty vaporings of the speaker who says-a lot vet leaves his audience at tlio closo wondering what it was all about; but there was instead a plain statement of facts by a mail who thoroughly understood l his subject and who was. so completely in earnest that he took caro his audience should likewise realise the position. Mr Massey is a fluent sxieakor who has improved considerably in recent years, and by rapid speaking and the entire avoidance of repetition he succeeds in dealing •with more matter in two hours than many speakers would in double that time. From every point of view our visitor made a most excellent impression last eveuiug. His criticism of the Government, though trenchant, was studiously fair in method and moderate in tone, whilst he backed ivp his contentions by evidence that readily carried conviction to his audience. Oil tho land question lie showed conclusively that the Government is practically being guided by the land rationalisers who, though prevented by the valiant work of the Opposition from getting more than a small instalment of their desires incorporated upon the Statute Book last session, will undoubtedly seek to secure the remainder later on. In this connection, iMr Massey did woll to remind his hearers that the land question is by *no means permanently settled and that it depends largely upon tho result of tho next elections in wliat direction subsequent legislation will go. If the Government should be returned to power any fresh legislation will be in the direction of making it absolutely impossible for the settler of the future to ever acquire the title of his holding under any circumstances, whilst, if. tho Opposition should be returned to power, new lauds for settlement would contain the optional provision. On the Native Land question, as on the other subjects treated, Mr Massey left no room for doubt as to his position, but made it thoroughly clear that once the Natives were allotted just so much land as they could themselves cultivate, the remainder must he made available for European settlement. There was, moreover, considerable appreciation of his remark that he could choose half a dozen men from his audience who, if given the opportunity, could, in a few months, put on a satisfactory footing the Native Land question which, by the incapacity of the present and past Governments, lias been permitted to get into such a chaotic condition. 011 the pressing subject of Socialism Mr Massey loaves no room for compromise and no one can fairly accuse him of coquetting with the new party which is making such strenuous endeavors to secure control of the legislation of this country. The Leader of tho Opposition draws the line very cloarly, stating that the function of the -Stato is to assist private enterprise, but not to replace it. die was definite and emphatic that Socialism is not at present, nor likely to bo in tho near future, a practical system for this country, and lie administered a very timely warning to those unionists who have shown a disposition lately to permit tho Hood a lists to shape their actions. The Arbitration Act was touched upon and most persons who havo given our economic conditions any consideration will agree with Mr 'Massey that a weak feature of our present system is the tendency it has to reduce all classes of workmen to the one dead level. The position, of course, simply bristles' with difficulties, but the attitude taken by the speaker lint night, that there must be more conciliation and arbitration and less irritation and exasperation, is undoubtedly the right one. Unless the Government can succeed in allaying the feeling of uneasiness which exists just now amongst those concerned in the conduct of various industries, a very great injury will be done to our manufacturing interests. Mr Massey did not go fully into the financial position of the .Dominion, but he did well to direct attention to the necessity for a much more rigid economy in public expenditure than has been displayed in recent years. His contention, in this connection, that the public accounts should be so kept th it they can be available for perusal by any member of Parliament and so simply kept that anyone can understand them is one that most joeopu will agree with. It is simply .intolerable that only ministers shall have, access to the Treasury accounts, but the Continuous Government has always refused to remedy the defects of the -present system. Occasionally from behind tlie mystery of these star chamber methods is unearthed some scandal which leaves a very uneasy feeling that there are many other improprieties bolow tlie surface One of the most- notable weaknesses of our present legislative system is that dealing with the construction of local works', and Mr Massey made a very important point wljen he referred to the necessity for an entire reconstruction of the existing system.

As wo have pointed out on many occasions tho present methods cause on • representatives, whom -we fondly imagine are watching tho expenditure of every penny of public money,to pass blindfolded: every session hundreds of thousands’ of pounds for works of which they hare not tho slightest knowledge. As Mr Mass ay said, ovory successive Government si-nco his advent into Parliament has promised each session to bring in a local Government Bill, but apparently nothing will bo done, for the use of the roads and bridges vote for party pa tronago is too powerful a iiolltic.il lever to bo relinquished by the present occupants of the Treasury Benches. If the Massey -Party were given a term in office merely for tho purpose of getting a proper system of local government introduced, the change would prove to have been well worth tho making. Mr -Massey very appropriately referred to the party in power as a “Government of compromise.” Over the Land -Bill it had retained the endowment clauses merely as a sop to tho land nationalists while the option of purchase in the case of Crown tenants of ordinary Crown lands was -for the benefit of tho freeholders. Over tho Customs Tariff the freetraders had been mollified by the removal of duty from -sugar whilst the Protectionists had been placated by the placing of a heavy impost upon agricultural and mining goods. In regal'd to Native Lands the Natives were being mot by having -reserved for themselves one half of the land dealt with, whilst a happy mean was again sought between tho Socialists and the freeholders by allowing half the balaneo to bo leased with tho right of purchase a'ml tlie other half, without the -freehold clause. This same spirit had revealed a- 'ludicrous position in regard to the -Gambling Act -where both ho anti-gamblers and gamblers were .v>poaled to in the same measure. WC might Mr -Massey ask his audience where was tho Government policy and defy any Government supporter to inti ion 1 c it. ißut. the Leader of the Opposition did not confine himself to a, criticism of the Government and its legislation, nor with twitting Sir Joseph Ward with his lack of policy, but lie himself propounded a programme which must for ever free his party from tho charge that it is merely ail organ of destruction with no constructive abilities. His proposals include the freehold for all Crown settlers, an Elective Upper House, tlie establishment of a Civil Servico Board, a local Government 'Bill, economy in administration, the immediate opening up of surplus native lands, tho better roading and bridging of the backblocks and proper provision for the education of the settlers’ children, equal expenditure of public money in the different parts of the Dominion, which in this caso would mean a great increase in tho Poverty Bay vote, the oncouragement of industry and freedom of industrial enterprises -from unnecessary harassing, restrictions. These are amongst the main planks of a platform that with which Mr Massey should be able to make a very confident appeal to the electors during the coming election. However the -position may be viewed from a standpoint of party politics, the people of Gisborne owe a debt of gratitude to Mr Massey for coming to the di'trict and for giving them a most interesting and ,lucid account of present day polities from a standpoint that is not frequently put-be-fore them.