LIBERAL DEMONSTRATION AT STRATFORD.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXII, Issue 85, 9 April 1912, Page 5

LIBERAL DEMONSTRATION AT STRATFORD.

PEEMIER ENTHUSIASTICALLY RECEIVED.

"A MAGNIFICENT GATHERING."

V The Town Hall' was the scene last flight of a gathering which the Prime .Minister aptly termed "magnificent," •It was a crowded meeting, and a very Enthusiastic one, arranged in the ioljii of a social gathering lo t.o honour to Mr. Joseph McCluggage, the Liberal candidate at the recent election. Supporters of Mr. McCluggage were present from all parts of tiie electorate, including many ladies, and in addition to the Premier and other Ministers, the Hon T. Kelly, Mr W. T. Jennings and Mr. R. E. Hornblow, occupied seats on the platform, Mi. N. J. King acting as chairman. The Hon. T. Mackenzie and his colleagues, the Hon. G. W. Russell and the Hon. G. Laurenson, received close attention throughout the two hours that they addressed the gathering, tind the frequent, applause showed that the points they made were fully appreciated. On their arrival at the station the Ministerial party met with some difficulty with regard to tneir alighting from the train, as it was so long that the engines were far past Regan Street, and well over, the cattle stops. The difficulty was, however, obviated by shunting back into; the yards, and ■ sjihe party duly reached the platform. • TThree cheers were given dor the Premier, and afterwards ait the County Hotel he had an apportunity of reply- ■ ing to these expressions or goodwill. In doing so, the Hon. T. Mackenzie •said that Stratford was; the first town . he had visited as Prime Minister, and this was the first gathering he had addressed in that capacity. "You /'ii know,we're a bad lot,", he added, as • lie thanked them very heartily for the splendid reception they had given him. The Hon. G. W. Russell also spoke. He remarked that they had been told ; they whre coining into the enemy's country, -but with the policy they had to advocate, they were not afraid. (Applause.) Proceedings at the Town Hall were «f a more lively nature. Before the party arrived, sets of. Lancers were in full, swing, but at 9 p.m. sharp the politicians arrived and the dancers were not' heard of till 11.30. On his entrance to the Hall. Mr.- Mackenzie was received with cheers, and the singing of "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow." ! ' - The Chairman, Mr. N. J. King, before introducing the i Premier and his colleagues, apologised for the absence, of Sir Joseph Ward, and read telegrams from Hon. W. Q. Carncross prominent members of the Liberal ' party, expressing regret at inability to be present. Mr. King extended to the visitors a very heary welcome on behalf of the members of the Stratford Liberals. He said "on behalf of the Liberal Party" advisedly, because the other people would not thank him for extending any welcome on their behalf. ..They were very pleased to see the Premier, and the other two Ministers, among them in Stratford, much.as they regretted the , retirement of Sir Joseph Ward. (Cheers.) Still, the Liberal Party had firm confidence in the men who filled the highest offices to-day. They were j confident that they would govern well. ! The Ministers were men of undoubted integrity, and would do justice to this /grand country. The: so-called Reform - Party had made a great fuss tne oil or evening, and had called the Liberal Party everything they could lay their tongues to, biit he would hot refer to , the subject further. •'! stand up here now," continued Mr. King, "to champion the cause of Liberalism." (Applause.) He went on to refer to what lie termed the disgraceful manner in :..which the Reform Party had contested the last election. The Liberal - Party had been termed , the "Spoils Party." Certainly they had "spoiled" v the chances of Mr. Massey and his , Companions occupying the Treasury • Benches, and they would continue to spoil them for a good many years yet. (.Laughter.) The Opposition had depre- ,, cated the merits of the present Government on the grounds that they were, with the exception of the Premier, untried men. What had the Opposition to N offer ? "Wholly untried i men, and not much at that." (Applause.) 'They had men in the present e/'abinet; second to none in the Dominion, and he said .unhesitatingly, "Give theon a fair show, and they'll govern in the interests or the people." For twenty years the Opposition had been trying to pick a. hoie in the Liberals' coat, but they had been disap- , pointed. In the past the Liberal Party had been too modest; they had spared the Opposition too »long. The Liberal Party nad a majority of the votes of the people at their backs, and they were going to give them in the future, as they had done in the past —clean government. (Applause.) He 'trusted that the present Government would be given a fair show, and that they woulu govern in the interests of the people. (Applause.) The Chairman then called upon the Hon. G. Laurenson, Minister of Labour, Customs, and Marine, to address the gathering. Mr. Laurenson prefaced his address by saying that he expected to find himself a stranger in a strange land, but instead had round that evening a host of old friends. He had met people whom- he had known in Canterbury years: ago, and he menMMpried especially Mr. and Mrs. Savage (well known settlers of Stanley Road), and he found them just as staunch Liberals as they ever had been when they were in the South. He came before them that evening as a member of a new Ministry-—the youngest Ministry that had ever been put in power. Moreover, if was a New Zealand Ministry, composed ac it was of two Scotsmen, one Irishman, one Englishman, and six colonials (Applause.) "Bill" Massey had said they 'would treat the Ministry with contempt. It was a better one than the Leader of the Opposition could produce, and they still had men left in the ranks of the Liberal Party capable of taking Cabinet rank, and, if needed, of forming- another Ministry. N . The speaker referred to,the slighting manner in Avhich the Leader of the Opposition and his colleagues had re--1 ferred to the personnel of thq new fa'iVthe virtues and good qualities apg eared to belong to the leaders of the pposition Party, according to the Opposition newspapers, and they were spoken of almost as angels of light. Mr. W. H. Herries—"a far-seeing statesman," Mr. W. C. Buchanan—"one of the finest men New Zealand M had ever had" ; Mr. James Allen—*/'one of the most liberal-minded and " progressive men that the Australasian colonies had ever seen"; Mr. Massey—"absolutely the greatest genius that the British Empire had ever produced." (Laughter.) This was the sort of thing they were treated to, while the other side was everything that was bad. Mr. Laurenson then Vent on to refer to the charges levelled, at the Liberal Party by Mr. Hine in his last speech at the Town Hall. He said he hoped at no distant date to.again address a Stratford audience, when he would deal with those charges seria-

t'm. (ApplnUso.) He would challenge Mr. Mine to come on to the platform and controvert a single one of the statements, he would make. What were those charges? They were that the Liberal Party had plunged the country Info 1 debtj that they were increasing the public expenditure at a fabulous rate; that they had ceased to be progressive j that they were corrupt. HS'w'duld deal with these one by one, and answer every single statement that 1 Was made. The Opposition's campaign was not a cdmpaign against the legislation of the Liberal Party—not a o.t'bf it—it was a campaign of slander dud innuendo. A man could deal with Ui a lie direct. For instance, Mr. Massey" Had stated in Auckland that the .'five million loan had cost 1 per cent.,' that is £330,000. That was a clear-Cut statement. As a matter of fact, the' loan cost less by an enormous sunl'th'an one raised by the Port of Londoii'.'lt had cost a fraction over £100,000,'"hr" less than' one-third of what Mr.'.'Massey had said it cost. That was 1 a "direct statement, but to deal with "the oblique statement was difficult. ''''''They have made many statement's 1 with regard to the loan, but the I 'inference is," Mr. Lauren-,-on continued, "that Sir Joseph Ward pocketed .£30,000. They don't say that, but'they give you to understand that. A statement of fact, conveying a- lie is very"simple." It was frnis. sort of game, the speaker went on'/t'b say, that the Opposition had played'.at the last election, and tneir tactics had borne fruit, but the Government', were not going to be caught napping next time. The Opposition campaign had been purely and simply oiio,. of slander. What effect would it have ultimately upon the people of this .'country ? He quoted Ramsay Macdphifld, who had said that it was a crime'' against the nation to slander even'a bad House of Commons, and referred to the amusing passage in' one of Dickens's works, where American journalism is shown up at its-jWdrsi. It was easy to viliify and slander, but it would bring bitter fruit "in the future. This fair Dominion "of" which they were' all so proud would, lie dragged down to degradation, jMhl shame/, just because of the innu'ehdos and slanders placed upon its pujjiic men. "If you have :i charge," ,p!dded Mr. Laurenson, "out with it in J the, name of God. Lay it put straight;,' and clear cut, and get the scoundrel pair shed. If you have ho charge,'/then forever hold your peace." (Applause.) "What-.ihe Government has done," was the sjubject matter of Mr. Laur- . enson's continuing remarks. He said that no Government had been able to see, such 'ah |icle of prosperity as had in the past-twenty years set in. In those yeaVs'jOf Liberal administration the population of New Zealand had increased '.by' over 50 per cent.; but, during that .time the population of Tanuuiki had increased by 125 pelcent., which was two-and-a-half times as fast as'jfhe rest of the colony. Then there was. the material wealth of the country. 1801 the exports of the Dominion.jwere valued at £6,658,008, now they to £22,180,209 in value. That is, they had increased like 240 per cent., but for Taranaki- they had increased something) |i'ike 600 per cent. The valuation of 'the lands of New Zealand snowed am increase of nearly 250 per cent.,, vvhi|e'that of Stratford showed an increase of 300 per cent. (Applause) The Opposition say what has the Government g'o't "to do with all this. Well, if the Government had nothing to do ;w.th the of' the country, way did the,Opposition want the people to 'change tneir government ? Why should they put the Opposition into power,? "J,,, say '/this," ■ said Mr. Laurenson, Mf. Government has an immense amount to do with the prosperity of the, .'country." He mentioned as a case in'lpoiht the fact of monetary interests HI Cyprus having gone up a hundred per cent, immediately on receipt or tne. news that the British Government w&k going to take charge of affairs. The,, Liberal Party had come into officejat.a time when the.country had sinking into despotism, at a tiine'ofigreat national depression, and they -nad seen it grow and swell, and nad seen other nations look on them with^pride and exultation. Referring agflin' to the increase in prosperity, thqj'speaker said that with progressive legislation the criminal statistics had bejen,.brought steadily down. Wnere formerly there were three bankruptcies in / proportion to the population, there'. was now only one. That was a rehiai'kable fact. It meant that commercial,., life was becoming more stable, and,that there was less criminality. Another point was that the span "of I human life had been lengthened. Twenty years ago the average ago. of human life in New Zealand was thirty years', and a decimal, but owing to close, inspection, strict sanitation lawsj ~,'etc, that age had been increased ,fo 40 and a decimal. These were facts,;Which should commend themselves , to everybody. - Yet they had a partly'going all over the country, and calling themselves a Reform Party. To,reform what? He enumerated such reforms as had been accomplished by, the Liberal Party in education, sanitation, etc. Did the Reform Party, want to take the people back to wh.ere they had them twenty I years ago?',He dwelt on what he termed the aptness of the remark made by the "Bulletin," that the Opposition were;the "Deform Party." To show how.much he considered the term "Reform" ,|Out of place, Mr. Laurenson referijed to a conversation he had had with ,a, prisoner in Lyttelton Gaol. The man had complained to him of the Salvation Army playing in the gaol yard. The convict did not mind them playing so much, but lamented the inappropriateness of the tunes. With war«ders on every side of the men in prison!, garb, the Army would up,: "While Shepherds Guard their Flocjjs, • by Night," and then, as they were leaving, they would play, '•Home, Sweet Home." For Mr. Massey and his party to talk about reform was just/about as singular and out of place, as for the Army to play "When Shepherds Guard their Blocks by Night." (Laughter.) In conclusion, Mr. Laurenson thanked his audience for the kind reception they! had given him that night. Taranaki was called the Garden of Nfw<Zealand, and he was much gratified nt the season of prosperity they had<J>cfore them. They must not, however, .lose sight of /this point: They must see to it that they produce a type of men and women that they in ' New Zealand would have cause to cW (proud of. (Applause.) The next speaker was the Hon. G. W. Russell, who said he was very pleased tj> have the opportunity of visiting Taranaki again, and addressing a Strafford audience. He was glad to be tkej-p to pay his tribute to the good work that had been done by the great Liberal Party, whose fortunes he had followed "unswervingly for such a long period. This was _ the first occasion he had been in Taranaki fon some thirty-six years, when ho was a,,resident of No wPlymouth. In those 'davs Taranaki was noted for two things—first, as the Garden of New Zealand, and secondly for the beauty of its maidens. (Laughter.) He could'spoak on both subjects with authority, for he was very fond of gardening, and had eight daughters of his own,',( Laughter.) From what he had seen that evening he was quite

convinced that the beauty of their maidens had by no means lessened. Mr Russell remarked that thirty-six years ago he was one of a party which had made a record ascent* of Mount Lgmont in the fastest time recorded up to that time, in those days there was no Stratford, and Inglewood was just be ng founded. Since then what wonderful progress had been made! What were the causes that contributed to such remarkable progress? First and foremost, there was tne timber industry, then in the-course of time came the good old milch cow. He referred vo tne pioneering work done by William K. Hulk, who first Imported dairy Jersey cows for the purpose ol testing their value for dairying purpose's. Jt was such men as this that they nad to thank for what nad been attained. He quoted figures to show the value of the dairying industry to Taranaki and the Dominion, and snowed ' that this industry alone repres silted one-seventh of the whole of the exports of this Dominion. During t-hr. twenty-one years the L.bcral Uoveiamen had'been in power, a Government had prevented the aggregation of largo estates in this portion of tin: country. They had prevented ti c land from falling into the hands 01 squatters of the class who were so rampant in Hawke's Hay '1 hey had enabled people to settle upon the land with good prospects, aud he hoped that tnat policy of cutting up the land for the masses of the people uouid long continue. Mr. Russell mentioned the name of Sir John McKenzie and Hon. Thomas Duncan as men whom Taranaki should be proud of fitr the great and good work they had done, lie then added to their name that of the Right Hon. the Prime Minister of Sew Zealand. Mr: Mackenzie, he said hady entered the Cabinet some two 0.1 three years ago: Since that time he Ijad administered his department with such credit as to win for himself the confidence of the entire people of tin: Dominion, and to step from Minister. fo Premier in one act. (Applause.) Taranaki had done itself honour in electing the Hon. T. Mackenzie as one of its members. He had surrounded himself with a body of men w.iu: would be loyal to him as tho : r leader, and loyal to the policy which he had taken up for the benefit of his country. This was a party demonstration, and they were there that evening nt, Liberals.. They were there to congratulate Mr. Joseph McCluggage on the splendid fight he had put up at the recent election. Mr. Russell agreed with Mr. Laurenson when he said that the Liberal Party had been weak in their organisation. He pointed out that of 322 votes in different parts of New Zealand would have gained their party ten more seats. Their organisation had been weak, but the day of weak organisation was, gone. When the next election takes \ place the entire brains of the Party would lie at the disposal of every Government candidate to assist him in securing his place in the House of Representatives. Mr. McCluggage had been defeated by some four hundred votes. There were fifty polling booths in his electorate. They had but to secure four votes at each of these electorates and Mr. McCluggage would be in. He urged the ladies and gentlemen in the electorate to see. to it that they.worked solidly in the interests of the Government candidate. The member for Ayon, continuing, said that Sir Joseph !Ward was a man who stood out head and . shoulders among the great men of the British Empire—a man who as PostmasterGeneral .was, listened, to in the Councils of tlie wprld, a man who was absolutely without a peer in the position as Postmaster-General in any country in the'world. This man had been subjected to a campaign of innuendoes and slanders. There were certain men, whom he could, name, who had, when the recording angel, the press, was not present, indulged in the lie direct. But Sir Joseph Ward had acted as a man of dignity and as a man of statesmanship. He had said that he realised that for the present he was being used as a butt, and for the country's and the party's good he would stand aside. But it would never be allowed that such a man should stand aside permanently from the highest, office the country could give him. (Applause) Already throughout the country there wns a revulsion of feeling setting in; the people were beginning to realise once more that it was to the Liberal Party they would have to look to t'ol progress. He would for the moment put Mr. Massey in the witness-box. Mr. Massey had said he did not find any fault with the legislation that had been put upon the Statute-book, but he did find fault with the administration. Mr. Russell enumerated the benilicent, measures that the Liberal Government had passed, and said there was not one of them that Mr. Massey dared to oppose, or tinker with. (Applause.) The men to be trusted with the leg'sation of the country were the men who could administer them in the same spirit in which they had been put by them on the Statute-book. "Don't put upon "your Treasury benches the enemies of your legislation, but keep in the men whose hearts have been with you to carry out the proposals they have put upon tho Stat-ute-book." CAiKjlause/J

Continuing, Alt.. JKussell said Mr. Massey had spoken slightingly of the members of the Cabinet. Here a voice interjected that' Mr. Massey would apologise for it. Mr. Russell said that was too bad of the interjector to mention the word "apology," a word which was about the hardest thing one could say. to Mr. Massey, and should never be mentioned within a hundred miles of him. Mr. Russell considered that it was a most remarkable tliing that the Leader of the Oppositon should criticise the Cabinet on the grounds that they, were with one exception untried men. "What public position," he asked, "has Mr. Massey ever occupied that has given him experience in the work of administration? On what public body has he graduated in a way to enable him to undertake the responsibilities of any one of the State Departments ? 1 know of no such position. I believe lie occupies a seat on a C'ountv Council in Auckland, but I don't know whether be was ever the chairman of a Road Board or not." (Laughter.') Mr. Russell then gave a brief sketch of some of the members of the present Cabinet, dealing especially with what experience they had had on public bodies. "The Prime Minister," said Mr. Russell, "was brimming over, as they saw, with good humour. On certain occasions, however, and lie would whisper this, he was apt to get a little peppery. That war: his Highland blood. "It is we who know him as a plain, blunt, bold,man, who speaks his mind and has a mind to speak." He referred to Mr. Mackenzie's being the victim of the Tsoundnrv Commissioners, and the success he had met with at the hands of the electors; to his services on education boards, and to his being chosen by such a large body as the New Zealand Farmers' Co-operative Association to look after their commercial interests in the Old Country. The Hon. Arthur M. Myers was an office boy at one time. Responsibility came to him when he was quite young, but ho made a splendid success of his business. He was one of the greatest Mavors that tho groat city of Auckland had ever had. (Applause.) The

Minister for Justice and Education, the Hon. ,1. A. ilanan, began life in a small way in a law office. He was Chairman of the Southland Education I i',oard and Chairman of the Secondary Schools Board in Otago. The Hon. G. Laurenson had hoi the responsibility of being Chairman of the Lyttelton Harbour Board, one of the finest ports in the whole of New Zealand. Mr. Macdonald has had experience as Chairman of County Councils, and the Hon. James Colvin was Chairman of the Westport Harbour Board, the biggest port of its class in the Dominion. Mr. Russell then asked if he might be allowed without egotism_ to refer to his own services on public bodies. He had been four times elected unopposed Chairman of tho Board of Governors of Canterbury College, and institution which expended annually some forty thousand pounds of public money, and he was President of the New 'Zealand Educational Conference at Wellington in 1905. That was their record! Could Mr. Massey place alongside any public effort so far as he personally concerned? (Cries of "No! No!) ' .»-'!.;' The Hon. Mr Russell referred to the fact that he and the Hon. Mr. Laurenson had been termed with some contempt bv Mr. Massey leaseholders. He would like to say here that there was no member of the Cabinet who was a single-taxer, and no member of the Cabinet who is a land nationalism". "We all believe," he said, "in the right of the freehold so far as private property is concerned." (Applause.) He referred to a speech ho had made in Parliament in 1910 when he had said that first and foremost there should be no interfering with the existing freehold rights, except .to purchase' at their fair market value lands that are required for closer settlement. It had been most unfairly represented that they were against the rights of the private, freeholder. They were not. But they were in favour of preserving the nine million acres of Crown lands to be held for all time as a heritage for the people of Se\v Zealand. Everyone wanted to get on to the land, and they would legislate with the view to allowing every. yo.Ung fellow who desired land to get it, unci to stop on it without being driven out by the mortgagee. Mr. Russell concluded his remarks by urging his hearers to return a Liberal member at the next elections, and was loudly applauded on taking his seat. Air. N. J. King then made the presentation to the guest of the evening. When they had first, taken the matter upi Mr. King said, it had onlybeen in a small way, but the movement had spread, until they were now able to present Mr. McCluggage with a purse which, judging from the weight, must contain at least five hundred sovereigns. Mr. McCluggage had put up one of the cleanest ana best fight's that was put up by any candidate in New Zealand, He had "had a very hard row to hoe. He did not resort, like the other side did;.to insinuations of corruption or anything of that sort, but at the same" time,he considered that if he had'fought his battle on their lines he would have got a great many more votes.; How- I ever, they were priming him up well for the next election, and he would get a very large majority this time. The name of McCluggage was a house: hold word throughout Taranaki Mr. McCluggage was known as a kindhearted man, a man who would nevejrefuse a £0 note to a really deserving oase. "On behalf of the Liberals of the Stratford electorate," continued Mr. King, "I have much pleasure in presenting you with this purse of sov- . ereings. (Loud applause, and cries of ••Good Old Joe." 1 congratulate you on tne way, in which you fought your election, and I congratulate you on the esteem in which you are''held ; by the people throughout t the '.district. May your future career be prosperous", and may the sun shine on you and yours. (Applause.) ' ■■}•■: On rising to reply to the Chairman's remarks, Mr. McCluggage was greeted with storms of applause. '1 thank you very sincerely 'and deeply," he said, "for the very great honour vou have done me this evening, and I must also thank our worthy Chairman for the very kind "'remarks made about myself. I appreciate these very much indeed. The large gathering that is here to-night shows that" tne Liberals in this district, a re keenly alive to the political situation: (Api p v lause.) Now, i am sure you;will all feel proud to have a man like Mr. Mackenzie as leader of this country. Mr. Mackenzie has always done good work in the interests of the farmers and workers of this Dominion." Mr. McCluggage went on to say that Mr. Mackenzie had always assisted legislation that was for the benefit of tin; farmers of this country. No man had their interests more at heart than the Premier had. (Applause.) He was a very keen debater, and a hrst-class fighter, and he was the sort of man they wanted at the present time as leader of their party. He congratulated Mr. Mackenzie, too, on his choice of colleagues, wiio, he said, were oleiui living, hard-headed, and practical men. He wished them every success, . and trusted that when they went to the polls- again they would come back with a very large majority. (Applause.) Mr McCluggage then briefly referred to the many beneficent measures that the Liberal Government had placed; upon the Statute-book. There was the Advances to Settlers, by which a settler was able to become independent of the money-lender and the banks. 'I lie Government was fostering the dairying industry by sending along expeAs in connection with thenfarming, and providing new markets for their produce.' Then there was the Advances to Workers, by which a workman was enabled to build his own home. Likewise there was the Widow's Pension Bill. That measure alone was a monument to the Ward Administration. (Applause.) The Factories Act had regulated hours and wages. He felt sure that the good work done by Sir Joseph Ward and his party would be duly recognised. Deeply as they regretted Ins retirement,'they alb knew of the bitter attacks made on him, and the abuse heaped upon him. In the Stratford electorate they had had something of the same nature, but he did not blame the leaders of' the Opposition for thisf though he considered that they were at fault in not taking steps to prevent their supporters from circulating these untrue statements. That sort of thing was very hard for a man to pat up" with, and, if persisted in, would prevent men from coming for ward to take public positions. ihe speaker referred' briefly to reforms that were urgently needed in connection with the polling, such as the placing'of all vehicles under the control of the returning officer. .Mr McCluggage said he did not Want to be personal, but felt it his duty to refer to certain matters brought up by Mr Hine. At Whanpimomonn they had endeavoured to or.st the blame of Whangamomona not having a doctor on the present Govornment. Mr Hine know the facts of the case. They had raised money fcr this purpose, and the Government had sudsidised this. They bad advertised for a doctor, but could not get mi on their terms. Could tho Government be blamed for that ? Referring to the Mine charges, -Mr McCluggage said that Mr Hine had even

rakod these up ;it the recent rally, and he regretted this, as it was time they we're dead and buried. In his (Mr. McCluggage's) _ opinion a man who could use a private and confidential letter was not a lit person to represent them in Parliament. Had that letter been the property of any other director of the "Stratford Evening Post" it would hare been a different matter, but it was expected to find that in the close examination by a clever counsel in the enquiry he (Mr McCluggage) would have been compelled to admit that an improper act Had been done, and that he had endeavoured to get the Government to do something it should not have done to assist Mr Waller Symes' candidature. But they had utterly failed to do so, and it was shown that no charge whatever lay against the Government; and that he was not in any way improperly implicated in it. Re did .not wish to mention there matters. Lmt it made his blood boil to see the •way. in which one of the noblest man the-!New Zealand Parliament Dad ovci seen had been treated. When it came to lira ins and ability,; Mr Massey was not within a mile of Sir Joseph Ward. Mr Massey was mosi unsuitable for the position of Prime Minister of the country. _ His vision was too narrow, and his mind too small. (Laughter.) In , conclusion. Mr McCluggage thanked all those win had been connected with the gathering that evening, especially the chairman, the secretary, Mr 0. E. Wilson, and the ladies'V/ho had worked so hard to make the affair a success. (Applause.) The Chairman then called upon the Prime Minister to address the gathering. The Hon. T. Mackenzie had to wait for some time before the ap plau.se had subsided. When it did so, he said that the reception they liad given him that evening was one which would stimulate any public man to do his utmost for his country. He could assure his hearers that it would entourage* him and his colleagues ia the arduous work that lay -before. ■There were many difficulties that surrounded them, but he' hoped to convert these into stepping stones ;tc lead I on t° success. (Applause.) They had heard that they were a "stop-gap" ministry, but they could look -with indifference on statements of that sort. It was true perhaps that they had not had the same advantages in laying thoir foundations as had the prominent members of the Opposition. But there was not a man in the Cabinet who had not first of all proved his grit, and showed that he was a fit person to stand a: a member of this House. The charges of corruption and tammanysm Avert tuTae. There was not a man who would si ry five minutes at the Council table, if any one of them should suggest that they should do an improper tning. Even if'they wished to do something of .that sort, the interests of the country "were safeguarded by the Auditor-General and by the heads oi the,Departments. 'lt had been said that the Opposition Party wished to see for themselves what was in the pigeon hoes, as if they would be allowed to tamper with these documents. It was all an example of the system of public slander which would drive from public life.the class of men the;, required and bring into existence t.h< very class they were describing. Sir Joseph Ward had gone down because of the sectarianism, and the calumnj that had been circulated throughout the Dominion. Defeat under those circumstances was victory. They had been told that they would soon have th,e, big guns come thundering along They were modest men, and would endeavour to give them a plain statement of facts. The Premier /referred to a statement by Mr Massey to the effect that he would not associate himself with the Hon. T. Mac--' keiizie, nor a certain other member] of his cabinet. Even the, great Master, himself, would appear not (it company for the Leader of the Op position. But the Great Master sat with the publicans and sinners, and surely if they wore all that the Opposition told'them they were, was it not the duty of the Opposition to associate with them, to mix with them and try. and reform them, instead of going round the country as they did. (Laughter.) Mr Mackenzie endorsed the remarks of Hon. Mr Russell with regard to the policy of the Government in connection with: the land. They were going to conserve the national endowments which was a fully right and proper thing. In Seriating the land question, Mr Massey had shown that he did not know the land laws of the country. They were liberal laws, and they gave men ah opportunity of taking up lands in accordance with their ideals and aspirations. They were going to prosouto a policy by which closer settlement would be promoted, and men igiveii a clmn.ee to go on to the land. They were gqihg'to throw their whole-souled energy into opening up' the land. They' were going to" see that their lands were going to be brought to a :higher state of productiveness. They were experimenting at the present time in Auckland with twenty different kinds of grasses as to their rela-i tive values, and if they were successful would succeed in making large. areas of that country lit for settle-'' ■inaht. It was the same with the fruit growing lands. Then they bad undertaken; .extensive drainage operations. On the Hauraki Plains they had dealt with ninety thousand acres of land; they had opened more recently, and there was some to follow. . ~.:,.

Referring to the Bine charges, Mr Mackenzie said that Mr Mine had bev-' canonised for the display he made. They were told he could prove all those charges up to the hilt. Yet he had proved nothing beyond what was admitted, and nothing whatever that reflected on the Government. What lie endeavoured to do was to fix upon the Government of this country a corrupt act. As it was he had* blackened a man who "was dead, and who could not defend himself. When they brought the 'charges down they had to do the 'impossible. They had to show thai the Land Purchasing Board had also flfne Iwrrihg,? and they could not do Chat for Uhat Board was above suspicion. He would say that Mr Hint ought to occupy the same position in respect to these charges., as Mr Massey did in respect to certain charges, Cor which he had had to apologise. (Applause.) Referring to the no-confidence motion the Premier said that the Opposition had gone up there to put the Government out. They did not want to debate. They yelled out, "Divide." They said tlw Government had no majority. But did they test it as thc> should have done. They could no: put up a speaker of their own. The next, thing was that they refused ;■ pair to Mr Wilford who was absent ir England through, illness, and thus dis fra'nohised the whole of the PTut.i electorate. "I will tell you this,.'.'

i exclaimed the speaker. "Mr Heine s ' who always plays the game, liar., unI fortunately, had. to,, go to England Lowing to the illness of lis wife. He ! expects to be' back in NV,v Zealanc in time for the meeting of Parli i neul. , but if circumstances should prevent him from returning, if no other mem-

her will give that gentleman a pair, .1 shall give it him." (Applause.) 'I ho Opposition had gone to the House and snouted "Divide." The Labour members had gone to the House with poisoned minds, and they had gone to the House before they had had an opportunity of hearing the Government's replies. ' The Government, however, had a case to answer, and right well it answered that case. (Applause.) 'i'ne result was what the Labour men and the Independent men listened to their arguments and voted against Mr Massey and his party. They had not been used improperly. Was one of the Labour men in the Cabinet; Was one of the Independent member, ia the Cabinet? These men voted fc what they thong.'!t right. The Premier referred to a conversation he had with one of these men. That man told him that lie had come to the House intent upon turning ■Sir Joseph Ward and his party out of office, but lie.'; found out he*had 'been entirely misle.'; as to the true position. The Oppo-

sition had accused the Government ui extravagant borrowing, but when In. sit in the House and listened to tin replies given and learned that the Op position had voted for every one oi these loans, he voted for the Covert meat. This member considered thai the Opposition were political hypo crites. Referring to the statement that the recent big loan had been a failure, Mr Mackenzie quoted from tin Economist to show that not only hat. the loans not been a failure, but 02 the contrary they l had been a success Another false statement was ibat made by Mr Massey that there was a member of the Ministry who wished to flood the country with cheap yellow labour. Next the Premier dealt with a statement by Mr Massey that Ik saw the handwriting on the wall. Mi Massey had forgotten that the mar; who saw the handwriting was a doomed man, and not a successful man. Ho had been weighed in the balance and found wanting, and that was what wot done to Mr Massey. (Applause.) Mr Massey had also been likened to Moses' leading the children of Israel into the Promised Land. The Opposition were just about as likely to see as much of the Promised Land as Moses did. (Laughter.) Mr Massev might think that all was fair, and that he had the country behind him. He, personally, did not think Mr Massey was the man' to take his place. "Ho has been assisted by able officers ; they have won his battles, and he .has mulled Ids campaigns. (Applause.) He is the tragedy of unfulfilment. The people will give us a fair chance to bring down our policy, and show .what we can do. We feel that they will not turn us out, .if what we have experienced in the country is an indication of public opinion, and that pubHe opinion will be reflected in our Parliament." If such, is not. the case, well, they would accept the result with equanimity. They would not go to the country with a great flourish of trumpets. 'They were going to work, and to endeavour to clear the air of a little of the abuse and slander. As soon as Mr/ Massey devoted himself a little more 'to questions of State, so soon would he begin to represent the people a little.' and to rise to finer ideals. In speaking at Stratford. Mr Massey has said, "The Government of this country, ]£ being'run by half a dozen members of Parliament. These are the people who was running the country." Who brought the Labour members into Parliament? Does not Mr Massey claim to have brought them into Parliament;Now they have used their brains which God Almighty gave t'hem and voted as their consciences directed them, Mj Massey exclaimed: 1 "Is this country* ■gof,ng£tb bo dominated by this small in'inority?" (Applause.) The Prime Minister concluded his remarks by telling his audience that they had no right to be respectable at all, since they were supporting a Government which was corrupt. TJiej said that New Zealand was God's country,. but had the Devil's government. ' (Laughter.) In conclusion, he assured them thai they would put firth every effort to do the right thing, and' would accept the responsibility of their actions on their own shoulders. (Applause.) The following resolution was, then moved by Mr King, seconded by Mr C. D. Sole:— ■ • • "That this meeting of Liberals heartily congratulate.? the Hon. Mr Mackenzie on his appointment. Prime Minister, and on his choice pt Ministers and trusts that they will have a fair and impartial trial,in administering the affairs of the Dominion, and considers that the best interests of the country will be fully s ifeguarded by them." On being put to the meeting it wa • carried unanimously, and with acclamation.

Mr W. T. Jcnningss' name was not included ..in the first portion of the programme, it being considered desirable to cut down the number of shakers' as Imucb as possible. Howo'/er, the demands for "Taumarunui Jennings" were so insistent that th? chairman had to call upon Mr Jonrings- to address the meeting. Mr Jennings said lie was glad to have the opportunity of saying a few words in favour of the present Government. A more straightforward and honestly sincere class of men, would, in his judgment, bo hard to find at the present time. Each and everyone of these gentlemen were honest; the.\ were sincere; they were energetic. He would promise them this that there y.-ould lie no seats lost at the next election owing to the apathy of some of the Ministers. He knew himself that that was the case with two seat?, and probably the case also with hi? own, if a ltttlo energy had 'been put to it. However, the men who no,.' guided the destinies of this country were men filled with honesty of purpose' and intelligence, and lie waf quite satisfied to give them a chance to see wl'.at they were going to do. Mr Jennings then went on to refer to the "gentleman who supplanted me in the House." He said that that gentleman had been reciting a piece that he himself had recited in the House in 1908. The Town and Country Journal had stated that they had it'on the very best of authority that Mr Wilson was the author <v that piece, "The Mingy Cockatoo/' As a matter of fact, the author was Mr Bilski who lived a lew miles beyond Toko. Mr Jennings concluded bis remarks with a few words for the backblock settlers, and calling to mind that the Government had done for them, and what difficulties there were of giving them the communication they so earnestly desired. A vote of thanks to the chair terminated the proceedings.