REPLY TO THE PREMIER

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 118, 9 November 1911, Page 5

REPLY TO THE PREMIER

MR. MASSKY AT PATI'MAHOK. By Telegraph—Press Association. Pukekohe, Ijast Xight. A political address was delivered by Mr. ilassey at Patumahoe this evening liefove a large, audience. He dealt principally with the subjects disclosed by Sir Joseph Ward at Winton on the previous evening. He said all the Opposition could offer were clean hands and honest services, and lie thoroughly believed that the He-form Party had now a, majority ■of the. people at its back. One division on the Lund for Settlements Bill, against •which Sir Joseph Ward said he had voted 37 times, was on the motion ior the second reading, and, on that occasion he had been paired. It was significant that the Prime Minister had been forced to go back 17 years to find a flaw in the record of the Leader of the Opposition. Mr. Massey maintained his contention that borrowing under the present Government had been excessive. He said it was absurd to suggest that every facility was given for acquiring the freehold. Xo man could say what the land policy of the Government really was. The Government desired settlers to purchase the freehold at the present value, or. in other words, to pay twice over for improvements made by them during their occupation. The real question of the Mokau land transaction was whether the Govern-1 incut was justified in issuing'an Qrdcr-in-Couneil to ullow a speculator.- to buy :>IOOO acres.of land at Los"4 l / 3 il per acre'. Tile Government denied that it had sold the land, but what it had done was to *ell to a company of specula-tors the right to make a profit out of i-ettlcrs in years to conic, and that the company was not a philanthropic company. By the bind Kill of ]!)()!) the Government proposed that a man increasing lii.s holding froan 3'>:S acr.s of lirst-class land, acquired subsequent to the passing of the Act. of 1(107, should be treated as a •criminal, but the treatment for the speculator was authority to purchase .Vt.tHIO acres in one block ami make a huge profit from it. The Government might attempt to gloss over the Mokau dealings, but the fact remained that a gigantic swindle had been perpetrated. The Prime Mini-ley's speech at Winton wa* evidence Ul:il the Government had not a scrap of policy. (Apphinsc.) The only policy at present before the country wa.» that of the lit-form Party, -which, «lid Mr. Massey, was without doubt the most liberal and democratic ever sub- ; init.ted to the people of New Zeatknd. 1 Mr, M.assey urged the necessity for publicly in conuu'tion with all the details -of public expenditure, and advocated the Canadian system of showing items of all expenditure in an annual return. (Applause.) Jt was the duty of every member, whether Government or Opposition, to obtain bis share of the public money in proportion to the amount available and to the needs of his district, but after eighteen years' expcriencc he was convinced that the present system of public expenditure was abominable, degrading, humiliating and extravagant, (Applause.) I A vote of thanks and conljdence was I accorded to Mr. Mas s ey at the conclusion of his iiddreM.