POLITICAL

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 296, 11 June 1912, Page 3

POLITICAL

THE PRIME "MINISTER. Tlie Prime Minister (Hon. T. Mackenzie), on his return to Wellington from* the south on Friday, informed a reporter that he had been told that the feeling was strong against him in Dunedin, but he' had found the case to be otherwise. ''When I opened the Young Men's Christian Association's new buil'ding," he said, "my reception was such that I had to comm'enj; upon it. -I said, /this reception reolly astonishes me. I was told that I dare not put my nose in the place.' I knew Dunedin better, and that the hearts of the people of Dunedin were sound and true." When he opened-the whiter show and afterwards "visited Invereargill, he found the same feeling prevailing. • At the latter place lie was received in the sleet and snow by a band of eighteen pipers playing the Mackenzie march. Everywhere he was well received, and obtained encouragement from many who had previously been politically opposed to his party; "and," he added, "I have not the slightest doubt in..my mind thatif an appeal were made tb the country (and I know, of course, that such an appeal may now be possible), we would be returned with a comfortable forking majority." What was desired by, the people was administration, rather than legislation. They saw that every member of the Cabinet was straiqing his utmost to do good work. "We are attempting in various ways to deal with the problems that are in people's minds and especially are we devoting ourselves to pushing on land settlement and the development of agriculture, feeling assured that if we can continue to enlarge and widen the prosperity of those great industries, the community .generally will share in that prosperity."