THE DOMINION'S POLITICS

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 250, 1 March 1911, Page 5

THE DOMINION'S POLITICS

MR. JA.S. ALLEN*, M.P., AT MILTON. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Milton, Last Night. At Hie Coronation Hall to-night Mr. James Allen, M.P. for Bruce, addressed a meeting of his constituents, dealing largely with recent speeches by the Prime Minister and the Hon. Dr. Findlay. He charged the Attorney-General with want of generosity in his public utterances, for he knew very well thai much of the legislation introduced bj him into Parliament last year was not favored by his own party, and that it was only with the help of the Opposition that it went through. Yet Dr. Findlay was not manly enough to adrait it. The Government of the day, he contended, had become indifferent U> the will of Parliament, and were constantly ignoring it. They had no policy, and were seeking and grasping wheru they could to get a hold of somebody else's policy. Touching finances, he challenged this Prime Minister's statement that the increase in revenue for the ten months of the financial year was not due to increased taxation, and quoted figures tu show that the Government had imposed considerable additional taxation, amounting in all to £448,000, which largely accounted for the increased revenue.

He called attention to the broken promises of the Government to spend £250,000 annually for four years on roads in the back blocks. The Ministry not only ignored the will of Parliament, but concentrated public works expenditure on'expensive buildings rather than on necessary roads and bridges to open up the country. He complained that members of Parliament could not now> get returns showing the cost of raising loans. From published accounts he calculated that the cost of raising the million loan of 1009 was £34,911, or close on 3 per cent. No one knew tho history of the New Zealand State Guaranteed Advances Bill. He would like to know if the Prime Minister when in London at the Defence Conference pledged himself to get the whole of the loans in one lump sum on the market. Concerning the Prime Minister's motion to be moved at the Imperial Conference regarding Imperial representation of the oversea dominions, he liid not think it would be wise to go further than to set up.a purely advisory body at present, for the High Commissioners 'of the Dominions could do this work if they were properly selected.

Mr. Allen was accorded a vote of thanks and confidence.