The Premier at Stratford.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 7750, 28 February 1905, Page 2

The Premier at Stratford.

His Reply to tbe Opposition Leader. (News Special Reporter.) STRATFORD, l'VI). 27. The St rot ford Town Hull was crowded to-night to hear the Premier deliver an address. Messrs S.yiiies, Major, .1 (Minings, Smith, and Cnrncross were present. The Mayor (Mr N. .). King), who presided, welcomed the Premier, and expressed pleasure at his restoration to health. Mr Seddon received a great ovation on rising. He said that Mr Massey having been at Stratford enhanced the pleasure of his visit, and he was sure their verdict would he in his favour. lie considered that Mr .Massey must hove thought the Stratford people had n had memory. Mr Massey opposed the Toko railway, also the Mountain railway. There was often a conscientious difference over public questions, and Mr Mnssoy was only doing his public duty, but he would show that Mr Massey was entirely wrong in his conclusions, and that he misrepresented the Government and the great men of the past, like Mr Rolleston. Mr Massey took exception to fo-confidcncc motions, hut the Premier said that when the Leader of the Opposition challenged the Government they naturally treated it as a no-confidence motion. Mr Massey's- speech was the greatest apology for a speech that he had ever read. He quoted from n paper outsido the colony opining that the, Seddon Government was the safest one on earth. The Opposition iour-| nals said the country was tired of Seddon, but it was only seliish cap-: italists working for their own ends who Hhad hud enough of Seddon twelve years ago, but they had not done" with him yet. He was only the, mouthpiece of the great majority of the electors of the colony, and when that ceased he would take a tjuict corner. lie quoted from an American ;ia|ier, praising Mew Zealand' legislation, and staling that the exports per head in America were 17.3, against 97 here. The enterprise of the people of the colony thus out-, stripped the world's record. There ■ would lie danger to the colony if the . old party came back with its reactionary measures. Mr Mussey voted against the Advances to Set-' tiers, Old Age Pensions, .and Land Settlement Kills. Whilst Mr Massey altered his views, he ought to keep| to facts, and not delude the people The Opposition declining to state their policy was a source of danger. Judged by their works in the past, the present Government could be trusted by the people, who knew they were in thu hands of competent, and honest men. He referred to changes in the Government party, and supported tho contention that the Opposition were simply waiting till the clouds' rolled by. I FINANCE. Mr Massey attacked the loan before, last, but because there was a tightness in the money market, how coulxT'the Government be held responsible ? The loan was obtained on good terms. There were times when the party spirit should be sunk, and politicians should be patriotic, especially when the credit of the colony was at stake. Probably, the next time Mr Massey came to Stratford he would congratulate the Government on floating the last lonn. Never was there a country with such good security this. With a trade of twenty-seven millions, the debt of fifty-seven millions was a trifle. He gave the increases of revenue for the last ten months, showing a net increase of £134,770. On May Ist next he would have been Premier for twelve years, ami he reviewed the increase* of revenue in that period. They must borrow ill tho resources of the country were to be developed. They must conconstruct roads (A voice : Why don't you 7) and railways for getting away the produce, as settlers without roads were badly handicapped. Mr Mussey opposed loans, yet without loans there could be no public works. He quoted the increase of indebtedness at £3,331,000, and dared Mr Massey to slop progress by stopping this expenditure. The whole of the votes will be expended. (A voice : Question ?) The only question is you want more of it. Mr Massey opposed the Lnnd for Settlement Act from the first to the present. Mr Rollestoii was the firs! to introduce the leasing system, soi it was unfair of Mr Massey to misquote Mr Rolleston, who in 1882 said the terms of hi» bill would enable a man with small capital to take up land. Yet Mr Massey states that Mr Rolleston sJaid the leaking system was the rotlencst on earth. Again, in IUO2 Mr Massey said no bill was I more important than the Land Hill, i and complained of the frequent inter,'i'urence with the tenure. Apparently IMr Mussey forgot this. Either Mr Massey was misreportod or ho inis- . I represented in saying the estates purchased were unsulisfaclory, us onj'ly three out of 123 proved so. He |quoted statistics' showing that Mr • j Massey kept back" the i'uet that ■ £136,000 had been spent on rouding and that 200,000 acres were i occupied. He claimed that the Land ' for Settlement Act was one of the ! best they had ever passed. Close Settlement in Taranuki mude the distract one of the most thriving ! und prosperous in the colony. Go from Woodvillo to Napier, and where ' would they find such thriving townships as in Taranaki '•> That policy must be continued. Up to tho present the profit wan £1(>0,,000. The .total area of hind was (i(j million ,acres, of which only seven million acres were available for settlement, and care was necessary before parting with it. The kinds now uiailable were farther back, audit was only reasonable to abandon the loading of these lands for roads. U present the thirds were no good ibeing so paltry, and he suggested capitalising lhu SU||K! |ol . 2(( and giving the sum to the 'local bodies for roads. He was conlident that this would be of great benefit. Speaking re the Advances to Settlers and cheap money, Mr Seddon wanted to know who wafi responsible for the , coming down of money applied >or by settlers. The law only allowed fifty per cent., and the Opposition was [responsible for this. He would next ' session bring down a proposal to .advance three-fifths. Then the very .men who were now trading on the ' ■peoples troubles would be certain to say it was not safe to advance hree-iiftfe.. but the measure w ud be carried. He drew a word pi ct re |Aew Plymouth inl'lOl and at present and claimed that the action of ,thc (.overnniew. i n groding and i„.sptftmjr hod lifted butter from fo," - Pence to a shilling, and urged thev 1 , .tice^' l^^'lll^'^'^ isii puces, j., om J8l)2 the wages of women workers . leased thirty per cent. \ v „"£ Joung people who previous!,' ,^7 «U nothing now had a living w u 'e tio" 7 h nn -r° n ." ith '"e land "^ C dav C C' r H *»«">- te ~, ""' "") lQ i any country whon man i lunu with t4iu richest. The P.-....-.. wou,dV^ lUndio,<J '^«^ "i" t" herT.'' tuuant b r ,wtter °» . V V ll - "eel o. a money lender th>m jysr* lund iimt *t»"

in^T,!"" 1 UI " ,C ™1"»«« a Person Lvi,?r TS , Wi ' io " advocating the violation of a contract. Even uffitators for revaluation instled on no violation of contract. So Tong as he had a voice i„ the matter there would be no interJuvnc.. with hemi n u COnU ' UCIS ' IJo *"4 neve, IT 1 r,,,,id advocate vio atmg contracts with leasholders. There must be good faith «'" the part of tho Crown tow ds the teutiu'ts, and .vice versa There hud been reductions' in direct taxation and railway charges of one nnllion and Ihrco-qnnrtcni since the ..oven,n K; m tppk pllice,'nnd ,vd ,c----tions in Customs duties' to -is Id per head. There was an increase ,n the value of land of over seventy millions. Oil the East lload there had been an expenditure of JtllU.ooo A voice Wasted !,. It would have been l,eU lei at the start to have made the railway right, through. He was sure that d,?4.nct was, well represented and fairly treated, and would con-' tinuc to receive lair plav. A mil-! ion was too little for, its needs, Imt I the credit of the country m,i st be! considered. Next .session he intended to ask Parliament for more than ' half tt million for roads alone. &q doubt the Opposition would hurl ut the Government that it was promis-, ing larger expenditure at the near approach of the general election. ; This, however, was not the case: ' Commonscnse required it.' ' I Replying "Jp Mr likts'sey-.s state- 1 ment thai, Jumdrcd's tif' thousands of aurps were ni>t paying any land lax. I the Premier said that if the lease-1 hold were abolished laud would have

to pay a tax. He hoßed it would be a long: time ere leaseholders paid land tax. This was one of 1 lie must cold-blooded invitations to conic in and pay taxes he had heard of. He had now accepted Mr Mnswy's invitation, and with Mr Musscy asked the people to judge fairly between them. The Premier then referred to ?h« Land Commission, and claimed that it would Ik> of Rood service to the. colony. As to there having j ß vn no representative from Taranaki. the some could lie said of other dlstrictH, 'hut if all had been represented it would have greatly increased the cxliense of the Commission. Mr Massoy also lobjectod to the expense, which was not logical. The. Opposition might rail, but next election there would certainly be a return of the Mint' Government. (Cheers.) i On the motion of Mr Muckny, a ! hearty vote of thank's to Mr Seddon. and conlidence in his Government was carried amid a good deal of noise and cheering.