PRE-SESSIONALADDRESS

Otago Witness, Issue 2817, 4 March 1908, Page 15

PRE-SESSIONALADDRESS

MR MACKENZIE AT WAIKOUAITI. EXPLANATION OF HIS ATTITUDE TO THE GOVERNMENT. VOTE OF THANKS AND CONFIDENCE.

WAIKOUAITI, February 26. Mr T. Mackenzie, M.P. for the Waikouaiti electorate, addressed a vei-y large meeting of his constituents to-night, the local hall being well filled with an attendance that included many ladies. Some of the people had come in from outlying parts of the district, including Palmerston, Flag Swamp, Tumai, Goodwood, Merton, Puketiraki, Seacliff, Evansdale, and Waitati. The chair was taken by Mr Arthur Heckier.

As Mr Mackenzie entered the hall he was received with warm applause. The Chairman said it gave him great pleasure to preside at the meeting, and to I see such a large number of people present, notw.ithstandin.jf that it was harvest time, which meant that many were not able to attend. Mr Mackenzie, as all were aware, had caused a bit of a stir in the political atmosphere lately, and he was there that night to justify hie action. He (the . speaker) had no doubt Mr Mackenzie would . give a good account of himself. He was quite able to do so. The position he had taken up, the- speaker understood, was that he was going to support the Government fairly and reasonably, though he would not be a dumb dog. If they looked at him , they could tell ho would not be a dumb dog. — (Laughter and applause.) Mr Heck- ' ler said he had much pleasure in introducing Mr Mackenzie, and, he had no doubt those present would give him the fair and patient hearing that Waikouaiti audiences were notedj for. — (Applause.) Mr Mackenzie, on- rising, was received with a heaity round of applause. He said he had been given to understand he was to have a warm reception. If any person .had a question to ask with respect to his ' (Mr Mackenzie's) political work ho hoped he would ask it. After referring to communications he had received from Mr John Duncan and Mr Charles Duke, he spoke in | feeling terms of the death of Mr -Seddon i and locai eettlere like Messrs Diack, Butes, Ward, Jefferies, and Mr Harry Buckland. ; Mr Mackenzie then went on to say: — It has been stated in connection with ! certain announcements that I have made | that I have been false to my political ; . pledges and a 'recreant to my trust. ' I traverse the indictment, and place tv (>;f before my constituents. If they c. "Tre the charge I will bow to their decision, nor will I try with any political legerdemain to cozen them out of their votes, or call to my aid any meretricious accessories. I am going to state the position clearly to this meeting, and abide by the results, and I hope to show you that in what has occurred I have been true to the best interests of this country. There are difficulties in the situation, and I may at this point use the well-known motto of my clan, "Recta et a-rdna"' ("Straight at difficulty "), and I hope that when I close another motto of my clan may not be inappropriate, "Sine macula." THE POSITION STATED. Before clearing the decks for action, let us first exactly understand the situation as to where we are. It may, save uncertainty during the deliverance of my speech and questions at the close ; not that I desire to avoid questions in any way. I will crystallise the position by asking two questions — (1) Was' I, by my election pledges, free to announce that I would follow any Government other than the Seddon Government as then constituted? (2) In making the announcement that I did at Waikouaiti on Dominion Da.Vj and subsequently to an Otago Daily Times reporter on December 20, 1907, was I violating my political principles or my obligations to my constituents? These questions appear to me to largely sum up the situation, unless perhaps a third question arises, and 1 that is, after all, the greatest — namely, Was the course I indicated conceived in the beet interests of my constituents and the country? ' To make the situation perfectly clear Mr Maokenzie gave the gist of the announcements referred to. He then went on to quote the opinions of several newspapers to show that he was justified in referring to the activity of the Socialist in the Dominion in the terms he did. He went on to point out his /position with respect to the administration and said: — During my candidature the question was asked me at several meetings about my attitude towards the present Administration. The reply I gave was : " I am prepared to support a want of confidence in the Ministry a 6it is now constituted, leaving myself entirely free to support any good Ministry that might be formed, no matter how composed." In connection with, that reply I may say that the Evening Star had an article devoted to it in which it said, " We take it that 'as it is now constituted' are the words of chief significance in this statement of intention. It may be assumed that Mr Mackenzie's views on general politics and the needs of the Dominion are in pretty close harmony with those of the Minister of Railways (Sir J. G. Ward)." I olaim, therefore, that I was free, as far they gave effect to my political opinions, to support a reconstructed Ministry. In regard to the second question — Wae I in making my announcement violating my political principles and obligations? — let me at once say that that declaration involved no such departure on my part. Politics with me are a creed, and not a profession. My political convictions are not caught by contagion, but are the result of study and practical experience. They are not put on and off as one changes one's garments, neither are they tattooed on be by someone else, as i 6 the moko of the Maori. What are the leading political questions of the day? Have I not from time to time throughout my political career dealt with them wish no uncertain voice? Are they not engraven on the records of Parliament, and understood by the people of Otago? Have I not given my views on land tenure, on taxation, on finance, on commerce, on education, and on representation and many other subjects? Who in this audience will dare to_ say that I have departed from these principles? I challenge anyone to come on to this platform at the close of this meeting and put his finger on a departure from the principles that have been espoused by me for a lifetime. I hold in my hand here mv

public deliverances on most of the subjects r have alluded- to, and I stand by these, subject, of course, to such modifications as time and experience have shown to be wise. Emerson says that mere verbal consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, and he really means that the wisest of us to-day may be wiser than he waa yesterday, and to-morrow than he is to-day. It is claimed, and rightly too, that many of my views were on the lines of the Opposition. I saw good on both sides, and that with some is an unpardonable offence. I have endeavoured to follow the good wherever it could be found, and likewise to oppose whatever I considered pernicious, no matter from what &ide it emanated. But if it is contended that ray views were on Opposition lines, what is the situation of the Government in that connection at this moment. Sir Joseph Ward delivered his first policy statement in the Budget of 1907, and when that statement was delivered did not the leading members of the Opposition claim that he had larcely embodied in it that which they for years had been advocating. Did not the Christchuroh Press, a consistent supporter of the Opposition, make this statement: "The fact is the Government lias stolen" almost the entire wardrobe {policy) of the Opposition," and then follows a list of planks adoptedv by the Government fisom the Opposition platform. The Ota-go Daily Times said, regarding laud, that, the Government policy. ' approximated- so closely to that advocated by the Opposition that it mi#ht in fact be said to be the Opcsition policy. CONFLICTING CURRENTS. It is believed by some that I must have received substantial inducement to have made the announcement I did. The humour of the situation is almost irresistible. What are some | of the statements^ that" have been j made? A Clutha elector, with a friendship j for the sitting member which can bo equalled only- by that which existed between i David and Jonathan, declares that my sole object in making the announcement I did was to displace Clutha's representative. The knowing ones of Waikouaitr assert it -at it is a cunningly devised plan for securing Chalmers, and that the present respected member, Mr X G. Allen-, will be placed in the Upper House, thus making Chalmers clear for me. Many are persuaded, and so express themselves, that the price is Ministerial rank forthwith, and. I notice that a ' deputation waited upon Sir Joseph Ward, and received from him an assurance that the Government had had nothing to do in die I declaration. I have made. Tftey were then i endeavouring to extcact from the Prime j Minister some statement regarding who i should succeed the Hon. W. P. Reeves as j High Commissioner in London. They are all therefore persuaded that nothing- short of a great inducement could have influenced the member for Waikouaiti in dbing what he has done. Let me here say at once, distinctly and emphatically, that neither Minister nor members nor a single soul inside or outside of Parliament has had anything whatever to do with the course I have indicated. I had no communication from anyone, and have sent no communication to anyone, either before or after the declara- J tion I made. I remember in the olden days, j when Sir George Grey used to sit at the same dining table with us, that he told me that when he framed the constitution of this country he retired away into the forest primeval at the base of the Ruahine Ranges, and there thought out what he , considered best in the interests of New Zealand. Comparing small things with greaty I may say that I retired to the quietness of my own home, and there, wandering on the wooded hills behind Allan Grange, I thought out as best I could the intricacies of the present political situation. On one hand I saw- a band of Bplendid men called the Opposition, and styled by some the Ctonservatives of this country, earnestly devoting 1 themselves to forwarding, according to their views, the best interests of the Dominion. I realised that in their ranks there were men, inoludinjr the leader himself, who would go much further in the direction of Liberalism than some of their supporters were inclined to favour. On the other hand I saw developing in tnis country a party of men styling- themselves j Socialists, who, because of evils existing in older communities-, were endeavouring to frame legislation in this new country which, if given effect to, could not have any other than a most disastrous effect, on every industry in the community. What ere the expressions of some of their leaders? The Christohuroh president of the Political Labour League- said he was* opposed to all shades of Liberalism, and would go in for straightout revolutionary Socialism. Again in the north, where there was a large gathering- of representatives, they carried a , resolution to the- effect that they would , support member* of the Opposition, rather than the Government { not because they believed in the Opposition, but to displace Liberal candidates with fhe hope that in the j succeeding ©lection Sboialist candidates would be returned. I realised that the , points of difference fn many respects were . not great between many members follow- ( ing the Government and those constituting the Opposition, and that" if we could 1 only ', overcome those party bond* we would have , a body of men who, whilst following- sound Liberal principles, could tell thos* who had espoused the cause of revolutionary Sooialism that they could. mußter their , strongest numbers and test their full powers, but we would form a solid body to t oppose them, and give effect to what we believed were the best principles that could be advocated for our land. It i» there that , in my opinion the partjr line should be . drawn, and I feel persuaded that if you polled tbe full strength of your town revolutionaries 25 members would represent • their full power. That would leave £> members free to develop tha great industries of this country on. <Jommon-^ense lines. Sweating on the question of parties, I have always held that principles should rule party, and not party rule principles, When men are combined into parties for the attainment of certain definite aims, the object for which the parties were formed ceases when those ends are attained. . . . For my part I am for progress and liberty, and with- progress and liberty I desire to see our country built \ip on solid and permanent lines. I have given expression to my view? on the question oi party and principles, and I may sum up the whole situation in these words: For forms of government that men contest, Whatever is best administered is best. SOCIALISM, INDIVIDUALISM, AND PROFIT-SHARING. As so much, is being said at present in • connection with Sooialism, I think I might at this point devote a little time to that important subject. Dr Saleeby said that

$ooiety to-d*y might fairly be divided into Ahree groups — men on the make, men on ' tpe keep, then on the know, — and the ' problem before the social reformer is bow $6 harmonise to the essential principles Oi eopiety so that ail may serve the j tjest interests of the people, and therefore 'of the State. Socialism and individualism mre struggling with each other, and the problem for us to-day is to discover how j these two principles, equally necessary, j .though directly opposed, are to be balanced . land made to operate for the end which fcood men of all parties desire, the greater i iiappiness and the ennoblement of mankind, j There can be no doubt- that Socialism, up I to a point, does good in the world. The j municipal services which are carried out are eloquent of that fact, but where the useful- j ness ends seems to be in the attempt to j promote industries, 'the product* of which ihave to be placed on the markets of the world in free and untrammelled competi- ! tion. One, of course, can understand that .what has aroused in the minds of reformers ' in the Old Country antagonism to the pre- , pent Individualistic control is the fact that !We have seen large accumulations of wealth secured by the few. Take Great Britain alone. There we see an annual increase of *wp or three hundred millions, and from jthe statistics, of death duties it is clearly shown where that wealth goes. Some 700,000 people die annually there, and of Ifchat number 620,000 die worth nothing, (whilst 80,000 die worth £300,000,000, and teight or 10 worth £30.000,000 or £50,000,000. One also can feel in part that the history jof labour in the Old Land must have caused -heart eearchings arid desires to Ameliorate ,the conditions of .those engaged in industry. . The Doomsday- Book tells us that in England at one time there were 25.000 .slaves, 90,000 serfs, and 110,000. villeins—and that wag at a time when' the population of England was not very large, and also that people were cold with estate J»V-p caHl». We know, too. the history of fche work effected by Stephen Langton and ci.aer reformers, of what men like John Ball, who was hanged for preachirti' '-'k'-isHan Socialism, suffered. Outside of England, too, reference oould be made to the atrocities that were committed. But 'the real difficulty arc«e in the Old Country with the discovery of steam power and Machinery. With the go-ae-you-pleaee iiv, tiiyidualiatic docfrine unchecked the iaissez faire system had fall swing. At that time youn<r children and women, and even men, were subject to most £©a*6Qme conditions, and many philanthropists nobly took up the . ,-work of betterment, and finally, under Peel ,the elder, succeeded in passing some imeaaure of relief. Then came the great .Chartist troubles, . but . which now, viewed Sn the light of after experience, eeem amazSng to tw to* have been necessary, and that. they should have almost drawn the Old { Country into a- Btate of civil, warfare. The , six planks of the CBartists' 'platform were : ; Manhood . suffrage, T equal electoral rights, ' vote by ballot, annual parliaments." aboli- , tion of property qualification for members ' of Parliament, and payment of members. 'All this has finally resulted in the representation of Labour and of Socialism in oonBiderable number in the Parliament of tl->e Old Country : and that is exactly a," it should bo. All interests in a community should he represented as n^arlv as possihlo. in proportion to their importance in tha

Parliaments of the State. Vse now come back briefly to allude to that individualism "which is condemned by Socialists. It seems to me that it is necessary to retain the individualistic influence in our industries because it is the individual who initiates and finally carries out all great and important questions. But what you have to do is to enact legislation that will require the individualist to conduot his operations under conditions reasonable to the well-being of a oivilieed community. The Daily Mail points out that the greatest weakness in connection with Socialism in reference to the means of production, distribution, and exchange, which they advocate nationalising, would be in their dealings with exterior trade. How would the Socialist deal with foreign commerce? This is a question which none of the Socialists have attempted to answer ; yet the oversea trade of the United Kingdom represents not less than one-sixth of the total trade of the British Empire and almost comprises the whole of ours. Large sections of Britain's population are principally dependent for their existence on the regular arrival of raw material from over the sea and upon the regular sale of our produce and manufactured goods to countries abroad. Who is going to undertake the organisation on Socialistic lines of t,h" great source of national prosperity which has been operated with such marvellous success by private enterprise? On what principle wall the organisation proceed? With all the drawbacks attendant on Individualism, and although all through the first half of the nineteenth century Individualism was in all directions dominant in its search for new markets and commercial gain, it has girded the world with tne telegraph, continents with railroads, and whitened the sea with sails ; yet it has developed more progress in 100 years than all the other centuries put together. The fact of the matter is this : Before you can carry out the Socialist' 6 Utopia you must alter human nature. History bears testimony to this fact : that if poetry and eloquence and learning and education could have established Socialism it would have been in existence centuries ago. When Plato was drawing his Socialistic republic hie countrymen were administering hemlock _to jSooratcs, and when More wrote bib Vlopia he was beheaded. Those who are opposed to Individualism and who do not see that Socialism has a practical outcome may be met halfway by a system called

PROFIT SHARING. This system has been established in many countries with considerable success. In France a painter called Le Claire was the first to introduce the system, and so successful did he 'become that he was enabled to distribute very considerable sums of money -amongst has employees, give them pensioned on retirement, and sick leave when aw&y through illness. The same idea has been •*, carried out in America and other places, and those who favour the principle say that it does not eliminate the individual control of industries, the owners still having the power to cay when they shall buy and when they shall sell, but from the resultant profits they give a share to everyone of their employees. This is the resport of the United States (Joimmsioner of Labour on the subject :

" What is known as industrial co-partner-ship, involving profit sharing and embodying all the vitality there is in the principle of co-operation, is the fairest practical way of producing goods on a basis at once just to capital and labour, and one which brings out the best moral elements of the capitalist and the workman." What we have to do is to find the true perspective between labour and capital, between workman and employer, and to suitably adjust it in order that each shall gain what is reasonable. TREATMENT OF CHARGES, My friends ask me to take notice of some of the charges that have- been levied against me since- I made my announcement. Personally I prefer to pass them by, acting on the Earl Marisehell motto : " They have said what they say, let them say." I know that the opinion of some of my friends regarding myself is that: Though other men have many faults, Mackenzie has but two: There is nothing wise that he can say, And nothing right that he can do. I have already alluded to the faot that I have been charged with abandoning my political principles. They have also asserted that I would swallow Socialism, land nationalism, or in fact any other ism, and that my only hope of gaining a seat in Parliament is to attach myself to the Government. Others have said that I have received payment for my services in connection with explorations and the M'Kinnon and Professor Brown rescue work. I have never j received a penny from the Government, although I usually furnish them with rough maps of the topography of the country and descriptions of other useful features. It has been stated that I received payment for the work I did in connection with, my Home produce engagement. I have never received a farthing from the Government for any work of any description. In 1888 I represented New Zealand at the centennial celebrations in Sydney, and when on a visit in 1889 I acted as Trade Commissioner in England and America, and I never charged or received one single penny 'in any way for that work. At the present time I am chairman of the Otago Education Board), treasurer of >the High Schools' Board of Governors, and occupy other publio posts, and there is not a penny received for any of those offices. Referring to the matter of my Home work, I may say that some people have been good enough to consider that I have done good work to this country in connection with education, exploration, trade, opening of lands, etc., but any work I .have done here sinks into insignificance compared with the value of the work I did at Home for our farmers in stopping frauds that were then being committed, and in working for their receiving a right price for their sheep. I intend to olear up a few of these matters. Regarding my Home work I will say that I consider it was the most important I ever undertook, certainly the most arduous. Not only did I not receive any allowance, but I ' was put to considerable expense and great risk. At one time there were no less than four actions for libel threatened against me. What other political man in New Zealand

had ever to face that for the farmers? I j quote here what was said by a leading man at Home in connection with my work: " Yesterday I had a conference lasting over two hours with some leading men and Mr Mackenzie. He is the first man who has really taken up the question of stopping abuses on Smithfield." A London journalist j makes this statement : "In conversation the other day the gentleman whose letter ! I have quoted from described Mr Mackenzie as the 113 th man who had come Home to try and correct trade abuses, and now if only he" got backing up the thing would be put an end to. A different description of Mr Mackenzie was heard the other day in Smithfield. There he has become known as the cat among the pigeons, eloquent if uncomplimentary." Another London paper had this which I quote, omitting names: "-Mr Mackenzie has been threatened with libel in connection with his remarks regarding Blank and Co., and had also been threatened by the manager of Blank with libel. The fact of the matter is that he (Mr Maokenzie) has attacked five combined and powerful interests (and the interests are here enumerated), and no doubt they are waiting to work up a combined case against him, but he has challenged them to deny a single word he | haa uttered." Continuing, I found it necessary to promote -the estab- ' lishment of a new market altogether for our meat in London, and after a good deal of trouble secured the option to an acre of land within 50ft of Smithfield, having all conveniences necessary; but owing to other work then being carried out, and the dread of this new market going on, I was finally able, after a great deal of heavy work, to bring to a close the wretched system of unjust claims that were given against perfectly sound meat sold on the London market ; and from that day to this I can claim that the price of moat in London has been fair and reasonable to the producer and seller in this country. For the whole of that work not one penny was ever charged or received by me from the Government of this colony. Another oharge that I wish to reply to is made in one of the northern papers, implying that I had devoted the 20 years of my political life to obtaining pelf and position. It is unnecessary for me to say anything to such a, charge to an Otago audience beyond this : that had pelf been my desire I may say I left an appointment in England to give the people here the benefit of my , experience, which position brought me a salary in excess of a Cabinet Minister's, and refused another appointment carrying ' a salary in excess of that of the Prime Minister; while, had position been the aim of my political life, there are few who will think, considering there are only two j members in the House now who were there ' before I wae elected, that thai honour could ' not have been within my reach before to- i day. OUR DEFENCE IN RELATION TO THE EMPIRE. Mr Mackenzie dealt ait some length with the question of the power of the Empire to defend, and the defences of the Dominion, showing incidentally the danger of invasion by the Yellow race*. He went on to say: — It is therefore quite oleax to us that we must fill

up our islands with population in order that we may be in a position to defend our homes. We should also be able in the future to help the Mother Country should Bhe be involved in any serious warfare with powerful nations. In a email degree we did it in connection with the South African difllculty, but the Empire must stand together, and the words -of Watson, the poet, are particularly applicable at this moment: ( Oye by wandering footateps 6own ! 'Neath every alien star, I Forget not whence the breath wae blown I That wafted ye, afar. I For ye are still Her ancient seed 1 On newer soil let fall — I Children of Britain's island breed i To whom the mother in her need I Perchance one day may call. Another word on the question of population. We have arrived at a most important page in our history when we must extend more consideration to families than has hitherto prevailed. Concessions in the shape of taxation should be given to families of over a certain number. Fr»my part, I would free from all land and income tax those whose value of income or land was below a certain amount, and I j think considerable differentiation is required even now in connection with I incomes derived from accumulations as against incomes derived from industry. Sidney Webb, in an article on the> dpo'inmg British birth rate, says : " What seems indispensable and urgen^ is to alter the incidence of child-bearing. We indeed have to face the problem of the systematic endowment of motherhood, aad place this most indispensable of all professions upon an honourable eoonomio basis." He nointa out th^t faTr>il»<»a *«■<•» bring increased burdens to parents, and we all know that it, is a very ser><--<« '^sadvantage even in the arm'icafion for ~npointments in this Dominion to be the parent of a numerous family. Dr Trubv King's humanitarian efforts cannot be too higrhlv approved, and the Government should support him much more substantially than it does. Reyertimr for a moTnoryfc to the position of China and the probable effects of it* development if we remain unprepared, I wish to quote some reliable opinions on the matter. "If the nation ie bound to accept Socialism or be forcibly converted to it, and if the Socialists continue to talk about internationalism and anti-militarism and disarmament, then the warlike nations of the East will soon be able to defy us, and to repeat their ancient history, and to sweep across the seas as once they did across the continents of Asia and Europe. ... It is to be hoped that democracies will reject Socialism in favour of full - blooded nationalism, and will build armies and navies, and enter into a full share of responsibility in international intercourse.

! Make it one of your regular habits to keao Chamberlain's Colic. Cholera, ani I Diarrhoea Remedy in your home as a safeguard against a sudden attack of bowel I complaint. It is certain to be- needed sooner or later, and when that time comes it will be needed bady; it will be needed, quickly. Buy it now! For eale everywhere.

. . . One million Chinamen in Australia would shake our social fabric to its foundations. Four millions would overwhelm it completely and irremediably. No nower of trade unionism, no legislative^ enactments could prevent them from monopolising gradually all skilled and unskilled occupations to the exclusion of the Australian ■worker." ' THE LAND QUESTION. I come now to the question of land. I think my opinions are pretty clearly known in. this connection, but I. intend briefly to restate them, adding such reforms as I think are necessary in the interests of the country. First, I may say I approve of endowments being set asfcle for State purposes, and in that connection I consider much more should be done* for keeping those endowments- in heart, and for retaining the natural pastures thereon. The neglect that has occurred in our pastoral country would never have been had the lands been held in freehold by private individuals. Firing and overstocking has transformed into desert much country that at one time carried large numbers of sheep. The Agricultural Department requires to carry on extensive experiments with the remaining native grasses that are now to be obtained, and see to what extent the pastoral country can -be restored. There are large tracts, too, of fern country in the hands of the Government which are capable of being brought into profitable use. I believe in the subdivision of our Crown country into reasonable areas, and that those who take it up shall have the right of option of tenure. I believe in limiting the area that a person can. take up, either ' from the Crown or from a private person. You must have population within your country. Of course, the areas may vary with the changing conditions. It appears that science h*s been called now to the aid of the production of wheat. On the question of population this is what an ex-President of -tke Prenck Republic (JML. Tkiers) said about small holdings.: " Every acre of land in the hands of a small holder furnishes a musket for the protection of property." At a recent agricultural meeting at Paris the president of the Agricultural Society referred' to France's Z^OQOjQDO agriculturists, and spoke of them as the ballast of the vessel that carried the fortunes of France. I believe in a vigorous Native land policy, with optional tenure, 6ubject to the reservation of certain Native rights, and I be- ; lieve that policy is now being carried on. Regarding the land for settlements, I am in favour of that policy, but I do not think it has been' carried out satisfactorily — at least, so far as Otago ie concerned. Have we not seen that magnificent M-oa Flat Estate lost to the Government, which could have been bojaght at about 25s per acre, and which those who took it up made from £70,000 to £100,000 profit out of? Did we not see the Clydevale Estate also pass into the hands of the syndicate, and large sums of money made out of it? Even the settlement of the Otekaike Estate contains elements that are v highly unsatisfactory. We hear that the present official head is to be retired under the superaniHiation scheme. Let us hope that the Government will appoint one who is thoroughly conversant with land — not a mere office civil servant, but one who- has knowledge and experience that will enable him to handle these estates in a manner that will be more satisfactory than has been done in the past. My conclusions retarding the* handling- of land are the result of careful observation and experience extending over many years. In connection with the handling of land, we now occupy a vantage ground unequalled in the history of the ages. We have the best experience of every nation to guide us, and there is but one conclusion to be derived from a careful study of the whole subject, which is that as large esta-t*^ ag-gregate nations decay, but where subdivision occurs, and the plough is in the hand of the owner, and not in the hand of the hireling, prosperity and success attend the individual and also the nation. Siemondi says: "Wherever we find peasant proprietors we also find the comfort, security, confidence in the future, and independence which assure at once happiness and virtue." Another writer says: "It promotes greater economical and moral prosperity in the people. It raises a higher standard of education, and it increases the natural standard of defence ami taxation." j EDUCATION. The Minister of Education tells us that the expenditure on education has risen from £578.000 in 1901 to £923,000 now. Might I ask, What have we got for it? I take it that the primary schools are the most important consideration in connection with our national education. For every child that takes advantage of higher schools 20 children attend the primary. Yet, what are some of the salaries paid to our primary school teachers? According to the Education Journal there are 708

adult teachers receiving from '£40 to £95, and 695 teachers receiving from £100 to £125, and the average pay for teachers is something like 7s 6d per day. We in Otago a few years ago had not one uncertificated teacher. We have now over 80. New Zealand in 1901 had 2537 certificated teachers; now 2418. I cannot quite make out the number of uncertificated teachers we had then, but^-in 1903 we had 340, and in 1906, 428. It v. ill bo seen, therefore, that we have "increased our uucextiucated teachers and reduced our crtificated teachers, and we have lost a great number of our best men from the service. This is surely highly unsatisfactory. Then we have confusion in regard to our secondary work. A child may win a proficiency certificate and get free secondary education, if he secures a competency certificate he does not. The whole of our regulations in that connection require sweeping away, and a clearlydefined regulation ehould be substituted to the effect that children under the age of 15 years who pass a cenaai standard during, we will say, 1907, shall without other examination or restrictions obtain two years' free secondary education, beginning with the opening of the high schools in 1908. I believe our system is entirely wrong in this respect : that it is devised by city people and professional men for the purpose of making the goal the university, the civil service, or the learned professions, whereas the brightest of our youths should be educated with the object of leading them on- to the great primal industries of our Dominion. Who sings the praises of a successful •farmer lad or of a competent miner or tradesman? No one. In the days of Virgil I the occupation of husbandry^ was raised to 1 one of the most honourable of occupations, and it was said of it, " The ploughshare glitters by the furrow worn, ' and the peasant's homestead was called his little realm ; while Carlyle sums up the position when he says, "The land is mother of us all, and nourishes," snelters, gladdens, and lovingly enriches us all." WTij should our primal industries not be the main consideration ? Of tho annual exports from I this country, amounting to £19,670.000, no ! lesa than £19,250,000 comes from these industries, besides £14,000,000 for local consumption. Great sums of money are being I spent just now upon technical education, ! but is there a farm in this country to ! which a lad can go if he wishes to become an agriculturist? Thi6 work, I believe, will be taken up by the department on the recommendation of the education boards, and with the co-operation of the Hon. Mr M'Nab. In the meantime there are other reforms required — the improvement of tiie quality of education given in the country districts, and the fixfug of a minimum salary for teachers. I struggled in vain to carry these matters through Parliament last year, and I was soundly abused; for my efforts. We require to guarantee to teachers some hope of promotion, and that their salaries shall be contingent on the quality of their work rather than on the nature of the weather. Better provision must be maxta for children changing wet garments and boots. That should* become part of the medical care bestowed upon them Better provision for driving children to school is required, and the staffing of the district high schools should be restored to its former position. At present teachers with high scholastic attainmentsand absolutely lacking in -teaching experience are entrusted with the secondary work of these whools : and there are other improvements which I purpose placing before the Government of the country. TOURIST TRAFFIC. This can be made one of the most important departments in the country. I believe that, much as our gold yield has done for ue, we have a field of wealth in the grandeur of our scenery and the curative properties of our waters that will in the future bring in a sum in excess of all that our mines have yielded. France annually obtains £100.000.000 from her j tourists, which is equal to £3 per head of her population, whilst £5 per head is the ▼alue of her exports. Italy receives £20.000,000 per annum. In Lucerne last year no less than 200,000 visitors wore there within a few months, and the money they left averaged £69 for every inhabitant of the place. We in this country j have unequalled attractions -o offer. In the North Island you might say there is a perpetual Bethesda. and a perennial Siloam, to which invalids from all parts of the world may come. The North Island may fittingly be said to be the sanatorium of the Southern Hemisphere, as the South Island | will become the health recruiting ground of Australasia. "What can surpass the grandeur of our southern scenery? Thore ' are the great Southern Alps extending throughout the whole length of the island, culminating in Mount Aoranj?i (the sky piercer), from whose shoulders great snow fields extend for hundreds of miles. He may be said to be the veritable throne of

the ice king and the birthplace of tho glacier and^ihe avalanche. Down his huge sides there coarse vast rivers' of ice towards ' the eastern pLains and tho Tasman Sea. ' Then away to the south there is our grand ' national park, with scenery unrivalled on the face of our planet. The development of our scenic resources is as yet practically j untouched. Queenstown should be made , the centie, and connected with Mjiford j Sound at the earliest possible date. A tunl nel 400 yards long would bring it within [ touch of Milford, which Vould make a ! western port to it. The possibility of j development by such a process is practically I unlimited, which I have not time here to detail. The development also of Mount Cook and Lake Wanaka should not be over- . looked. But New Zealand requires to give ! her Tourists moro ihan scencrv. She must j stock her rivers with trout and salmon, and I her alpine heights with deer, chamois, and j other big game. New Zealand, our scientific J people tell us, is the most interesting country in the world ovnithologically, geologically, and botanically, and it is our duty in dealing with a country such as ours is ] not to carry on one interest alone, but to \ unite in carrying all, in order that we may I derive the greatest possible benefit from the resources at our command. AGRICULTURE. I should like to say one word in connec- | tion with agriculture. We require to establish a system of irrigation in the interior of our country. Anyone reading what has recently been done in this connection in America. Egypt, and Peru can at once realise the enormous advantages likely to accruefrom the wise expenditure of money in that direction. We have to stop the destruction of our good lands by dredging. There is a great development going on in scientific agriculture which promises to largely revolutionise the production of wheat in the world if the scientif c processes foreshadowed are a success. The process is that of 1 extracting from the air nitro-b&efcerin-e, and the conversion of nitrogen into nitric acid. OUR. FISHING GROUNDS. Wo also require on the coast here to develop our fisheries. lam persuaded that in this connection there is room for the employment of a, large number of people who not only will be valuable in developing the industry, but it is the fishing population in other countries that form the basis of their naval and mercantile marine, and this industry, from every consideration, should have the fullest support of our Government*. THE IMPERIAL ASPECT. j I desire to draw my remarks to a close, and in doing so will deal first with the ■vrider aspect, and secondly with the personal i and representative view. The subjects we j have dealt with to-night are of world-wide j importance, as well as being of an Imperial j and Dominion character. We must hold our Empire together in order that, we may j retain the peaceful and prosperous posi- j tion of not only New Zealand, but all the j various parts. We must do so also because our trade, because trade follows the flag, and if this be not true, then all past history is false. We must stand together not in order to be formidable, but so that we ' may be free. In the . words of the poet, j "The house must stand together, and the j pillars shall not fall." We ask, shall states- , man arise endowed with knowledge sum- j ceintly great to provide a constitution | strong enough to hold all these various, parts , in one. and yet at the same lime sufficiently elastic to permit that freedom to each which [ alone can make for independence and pro- ' ! gress? It will require men of no mean | order to guard us against danger and preserve our integrity in ord* • that the j British dominions may endure. The em- ! pires of antiquity; great as were their achievements, and splendid as were their J promises have vanished as passing pageants. ' and the glory that belonged to Greece, and the grandeur that were Rome's have gone. " The British Empire," says Cowan. " has become a model of public liberty and personal freedom as firm as the earth and as wide as the sea." It appears to me. considering all the various interests, that some scheme must be devised which will afford the whole Empire an opportunity of voicing its aspirations — a truly imperial senate to which every part of our Empire shall have J tho right to send its representatives in proportion to its interests. The time is I ripe for such a senate. How long. I ask. is j it to be expected that population so vast , and areas so unlimited and interests so far- • reaching shall be content to abide by a polity controlled by Parliament elected by unlimited franchise in the United Kingdom? PERSONAL AND REPRESENTATIVE. • T now come to tho close- of my remarks. I claim that I have demonsti-ated that I was free to act as I thought best, and that is the course I have pursued. The great object before me was the interests of this , Dominion, and the action I took mates' for j that end. I claim to have been faithful to j principles and loyal to my pledgee. For

, Loyalty is still the Whether we w:n or lose the game, True as the dial to the sun, Although it be not shined upon. , Charges, Therefore, that I have sold my convictions and bartered my trusts are absolutely and utterly without foundation, ! inasmuch as I have not departed in the ' slightest degree from what I held to be <rood and true. I have run a clean, and straight political course during the 20 years that I have been associated with Parliament, and ! whatever mv (shortcomings may he, and I ' am as conscious of them as any man, it can j never be said that I performed a single j action that had not. for its. object the benefit lof this country. These charges, therefore, I may be considered as merely a form of ' party attack. I have told you plainly ' what I thought was host, and acted lin keeping with my word, the j.gist of which was that I -believed ! Sir Joseph Ward was endeavouring to honestly administer the affaire of this country, and that J would support him in that good work. I ha/ye- put the issue fearlessly before you, preferring to serve your future good rather than for the moment to please you. There was never a time in the history of this country when it was more necessary for public men to speak oufc and fear not — to transmute vague thought into glowing words and living' action; men who will plae© the interests of this country and its people before every other consideration, and whose sole object will be the development and comfort and peace of the people of this Dominion. Mr Keir Hardie has said , thai there is no land under the sun wherej men have the comfort that exists- here. i Let us keep it so. Yet, what is the last j demand we read coming from Auckland, from impracticable theorists? It is a request to the Prime Minister that .he should regulate the exports of our farming ' produce, with the object of cheapening the eosfc of our meat, butter 2 etc. They want to kill th& goose -fcliatfc la-ys *He golden eggrs. Could anything be more suicidal, even in ' the interests of the working people, than that the very goods which bring money here to employ them should be penalised, 'and that the money resulting from what we send away should be diminished? In what I have said I have endeavoured to Be | educational and not. retaliatory. I have appealed to your intelligence and patriotism, [ not to your passions and prejudices. I have, during my remarks, quoted some ' opinions in order to emphasise my meanC ing, but I have not had time to acknowledge i on every occasion the sources of my infor- ! mation- I have desired to make absolutely {• clear what I consider to be in your very beat interests. | On resuming his seat Mr Mackenzie rej ceived a volley of applause, which «vac i continued for some time. | Throughout his remarks he was fre- , queatly the recipient of the heartiest and ! most encouraging plaudits. His challenge j, to any opponent to step on the platform i and show him where he had departed from any of his principles aroused tbe utmost enthusiasm, and hia declaration that he would follow the party that gave effect to his principles was greeted with acclamation. ! Replying to questions, Mr Mackenzie | said that when the Land Laws Amendi ment Bill was going through the House no ! division was called for on the clause giving preference to employees, and, for Limi self, ho did not observe at the time that it was in the bill. As far as the Otekaike case was concerned, he beleved the Otago Land Board was simply carrying out tbe law. He thought the clause would have to be wiped out of the act. Mr Allcoek said he had been asked, " What do you think of your member now ; he has turned right round?" He (Mr Allcoek) did not believe in a man who turned round, but after the speech that night he did not think Mr Mackenzie had turned round. — (Applause.) Mr Mackenzie said he would like it to be understood that he did not swallow the whole Ministerial programme. He accepted it only so far as it carried out bis principles. A Voice : That is largely independent. Mr Mackenzie: Yes, it is largely independent, as you say. If the Ministry will bring down legislation on lines that I think arc right, I do not care a snap of the fingers for party politics. I would support it. — (Applause.) An Elector: Will you stand "as an Independent or as a Ministerialist at the next election? Mr Mackenzie: If the Ministerial programme suits me I will stand as a Ministerialist, but I have not seen its programme for next election. As Sir Joseph Ward's speech in Auckland largely ■ answers what I think ia required at present I largely support that programme. — (Applause.) _. : Mr John Foote moved* — " That this meet-' 1 ing has everji confidence in Mr Mackenzie as the representative of the district."

Mr R. Templeton seconded the motion. ' The motion as put from the chair was : — " That this meeting heai;tily approves 'of ■the attitude Mr Mackenzie jias taken up, and has every confidence in him as tha representative of the district," and in this form it was carried with acclamation. Mr Mackenzie briefly returned thanks, and a- vote of thanks to the chairman closed the meeting.