THE GOVERNMENT.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2327, 21 October 1908, Page 2

THE GOVERNMENT.

THE PREMIER AT PALMERSTON

NORTH.

A REVIEW OF THE SESSION.

[Press Association.]

T - PALMERSTON N., Oct. 20 At. last niglit’s meeting Sir. Joseph Ward delivered Iris maiden speech here. The meeting was much the greatest ever held on the. WestcCoast. The municipal Opera House is one of the largest in Australasia, and yet it was packed to the doors in all parts. The whole of the big stage had to be cleared of scenery and filled with people, and even then hundreds were unable to gain admission and had to go away. At the. close a vote of thanks and continued confidence in the Government was declared unanimously, one solitary ‘.‘no” only being heard. '. " , ■ Sir Joseph dealt at length with Mr. Massey’s recent address. The Audit Office- he said, gave the Ward Government a clean certificate for its public accounts last year. Mr. Massey said we were playing second fiddle to Australia in the mail service, but no one who knew the facts would blame the New Zealand Government for discontinuing the ’fi'risco service. He himself was dissatisfied with our passenger and mail service. He then dealt exhaustively with Mr. Massey’s statements re land policy ; as to the latter’s suggestion of no taxation of mortgages, stating that under those circumstances there would be no reason why every man in the country should not have' a mortgage. Regarding taxation, there was persistent misrepresentation, and lie emphatically stated that no increase of taxation had been placed on the statute book for many years. /He denied that the Govemmen had proposed to spend half-a-million for Parliamentary buildings in Wellington. The whole proposed cost of the erection of the Parliamentary buildings on the Government House site was £225,000, and the cost had been exaggerated by the Opposition. The Government was anxious to be economical. [Regarding the gag clause, it had never been intended to gag the press, but it was merely desired to prevent criticism which a candidate could not answer. He denied Mr. Massey’s statement that thousands of articles for use in mining and agricultural industries were now taxed that were not last year. Re the complaint by Mr. James Allen, that insufficient money was being spent on roads and bridges, it was impossible alwavs to expend the amounts voted by tiie end of the financial year. Regarding expenditure on public works, it was proposed to spend £250,000 per annum in addition to what had been spent previously, and it would be devoted t 0 roading the back-blocks. Ho then reviewed the ■ work of the last session, stating that a Liberal and progressive policy had been carried out in respect to legislation. He referred at length to the progress of the Post and Telegraph -Department, saying that the development for the past 17 years read like a romance. As to the dairy regulations, the object was to improve the quality of butter. He referred to the tremendous strides made in dairy produce during the last 17 years, which was admittedly due to the Agricultural Department. The regulations would not come into force for nearly, a yeai, and dairy farmers would have ample opportunity to nfake suggestions. They were in the best interests of dairymen. They would give free opportunity to workers and employers t 0 improve their positions; He felt he could appeal with confidence, based on a record of good, useful work and valuable reforms to a people neither .ungrateful nor Insensible to the work of the Government, and.to show that the Government desired to help them, the registration - fees would be reduced, with a maximum of 5s or 10s. After dealing with the expenses of the Native Land -Commission, he spoke of the criticism of the advances t 0 workers’ scheme, denying that the Government were opposed to applying it to rural lands. Ho himself had suggested the Advances to Workers’ Act,_ and not Mr. Massey, as claimed by him. -He hoped the new Arbitration Act would improve the relations of the employer and employee, as, the law was now nearer a system of conciliation than before. Dealing with the Government legislation, he claimed that itwas in- advance of most countries. The Government had dealt with some of the greatest and most difficult subjects' affecting this or any other country. Concluding, he said the Government wanted to make the conditions freer and better for-all,’not to legislate for one class against,, another. He advocated progressive Liberalism, not wild, unconsidered laws. At the close of liis address, a vote of thanks and. confidence was carried, with only one .dissentient voice. .