POLITICAL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 1057, 17 October 1911, Page 2

POLITICAL.

MR LAURENSON AT SHANNON.

Mr George Laurenson, M.P. for Lyttelton, addressed a crowded meeting at Shannon on Saturday night. The chairman, Mr J. G. Barclay, in introducing Mr Laurenson said that he had come to Shannon at the request of a number of electors to reply to the speech Mr J. Allen had given at Shannon on the previous Saturday night.

Mr Laurenson, who was cordially received, dealt with Mr Allen’s speech in detail. Regarding Mr Allen’s statement that the present Opposition had advocated the Advances to Workers Act and the National Endowment pointed out that the parent of the Advances to Workers Act was the Advances to Settlers Act. That measure the Opposition opposed tooth and nail, Mr Massey saying that it meant “A State Pawnshop.” In his Budget speech of 1905 Sir Joseph Ward announced his intention of extending the workers under more liberal conditions. Mouths afterwards Mr Massey, seeing which way the wind blew moved a motion in favour of the State advancing money to workers. That, in view of his previous actions, was a strange performance. As to the proposal to set apart national endowments the present Opposition, headed by Messrs Massey and Allen, opposed that measure tooth and nail. Mr Allen said that the Opposition had advised re the Aid to Water Power\ Act. After describing the far

reaching potentialities ot this great measure, Mr Eaurensou pointed out that the Opposition as a body had voted solid for Mr Herries’ motion which was designated to cripple the scheme.

Mr Allen had also referred to the Old Age Pensions Act. Mr Allen, Mr Massey, and the wAstle Opposition party had fought and voted tor weeks against this great humanitarian measure. Mr Allen had said that the Opposition wanted an Elective Upper House.

Mr Eaurensou showed how, under Mr Massey’s scheme, this meant putting the country under the power of a Conservative chamber. Mr Allen had also attacked the Government at Shannon for giving a Dreadnought to Britain. Mr Daurenson showed how the offer was made when the British people had suddenly awakened to find themselves a march behind Germany. To be effective the offer had to be instantaneous.

The trade ot New Zealand oversea was ,£35 per person ; for this their contribution to the navy, which policed and guarded our trade route, was, including interest and sinking fund on the Dreadnought, 3s pd per head. The oversea trade of Britain was £ 2B per head, and Britain’s contribution to her navy was xßs nd per head.

Mr Allen had said that the construction of railways had gone up per mile of recent years. Mr Eaurenson pointed out thatf this was owing to two factors, tlm first being that when the Opposition was in power they paid railway labourers 6s 6d per day, as against the present rate of 8s and 8s qd per day for single and married men respectively. The second was that now we were tackling the more difficult country.

Mr Laurenson then replied to Mr Massey’s statement about the increase of the national debt and the increase of the annual expenditure in a very effective manner, and after indicating the lines of progress for the party of progress concluded his speech amid loud applause. After the speaker had answered a large number of questions, he was accorded a hearty vote of thanks on me motion of Mr Lind,

seconded by Mr Venn, the latter saying the speech was one of the best ever delivered in Shannon.