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Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 155, 7 December 1914, Page 3

HOW THE DOMINION WAS . THREATENED. BY GERMANS WARSHIPS. MR. MASSEY AT PARNELL. A GOOD HEARING. Auckland, December 4. The Prime Minister addressed a crowded meeting in Parnell to-night, receiving an ovation on rising to speak, CHEAP CLOTHING. Mr. Massey said the proposal of Sir Joseph Ward to admit certain cheap classes of clothing free of duty if he is returned to power threatened disaster to the woollen mills of New Zealand and their thousands of employees.- "I don't go to extremes in free trade or protection " declared Mr. Massey. "We have in this country a lot of woollen mills. There are mills at Auckland, Onehunga, Napier, Petone, Ivaiapoi, Oamaru, Ashburton, Mosgiel and elsewhere, and if this proposal means anything the duty is to be taken off the material required for the purpose of making goods. That is where the woollen mills come in. What about the people employed at the mills, and the people who have invested money in that industry? I do not believe Parliament will agree to such a thing." NAVAL DEFENCE. So far as naval defence in the Pacific was concerned, Mr. Massey declared that the naval defence of these waters was insufficient. (Hear, hear). German ships were in the Southern Pacific, and unfortuziately they were still afloat. He hoped to hear before long that they would meet the fate of the Emden. We had no ships capable of dealing with German ships, and our people owe a very deep debt of gratitude to Australia. When history came to be written, the people would understand, which he thought they did not fully understand at present the serious danger they had been in. They were glad one of the ships escorting our transports sank the Emden. Cocos Island sent a wireless appeal for help, and the Sydney was selected because of her power and her speed. The Emden had done more damage to British shipping than the rest of the German vessels put together. They were not out of the wood yet, though he believed the coasts were now in no danger. That big guardian ship Australia and her consorts were within wireless call, and that big ship was quite capable of dealing with enemy ships. By the naval agreement the New Zealand went Home, and two Bristol cruisers ] like the Sydney, with three submarines ; and destroyers, were to come here. The j agreement was perfectly good, but it was not adhered to. The Psyche and Pyramus sent here were good enough in their way, but tliey were not fighting He had come into contact with officers during the time the danger existed. It, was not for nothing that the transports were recalled to Auckland recently, and it was not for nothing that the coastal lights were put out. He could not go closer to it than that. There were not better officers in the British Navy than those on the ships here. (Cheers). Those men could havq tackled German ships with smiles on their faces and jokes on their lips, but the probability was that they would never have come back. Some were sanguine that this would be the last war, but there was still a danger from other countries, and we ought to profit by the lessons of the present war. It would be criminal ; folly not to do so. Ho was not at all i certain that a naval conference would j not be held before the end of the war. It would be for the purpose of considering the question of the naval defence of (the Pacific. He thought Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and Britain itself should join to place ships in the Pacific sufficiently powerful to deal with any fleet that might come along for many years to 1 come. (Cheers). They could not do that without cost. At the present time they were paying £140,000 per annum for interest and sinking fund on the Dreadnought, and £IOO,OOO per | annum as a contribution to the Admir- j alty, out of which would come the cost ( of maintenance of the Philomel. New ( Zealand, for all time, should remain oiie of the dominions of the Empire. (Applause). The Minister for Defence when ' lie went Home asked the Imperial auth- I orities to send out the two ships previously agreed upon, offering another ' £50,000 by way of subsidy. The auth- 4 orities said they could not spare the J ships. Well, it would rest at that, but j he wanted to impress on the people the I necessity of avoiding the trouble and hu- I miliation that had been experienced of I late through having nothing fit to pro- j tect our coasts. ■ ' LAND DEFENCE. ' i I In regard to land defence, the present 1 system was working very well indeed, j but he thought that certain improvements would be made. Politicians, and J candidates for Parliament, had been going round the country claiming that they had had something to do with the passing of the Defence Act. As leader of the Opposition at the time the Ward Government was in power, he claimed credit for being the first member of the House to move a resolution, in 1900, in favor of the present system of compulsory service. The Prime Minister said the resolution he moved, and said that the then Prime Minister had opposed the introduction of such a system. Of course politicians were privileged to change their minds occasionally. (Laughter). As New Zealanders they were all proud of the fact that New Zealand had lived up to her traditions, and the parties had joined for the purpose of assisting the Empire in the crisis. (Applause). THE OSTRICH FARM, Mr. Massey said he accepted the statement in the Star regarding the ostrich farm suggestion. He added that the previous article suggested that he took a hand at borrowing the money, and that he was at the head of affairs when the money was borrowed. As a matter of fact, £IO,OOO was borrowed before lie came into office. He had nothing to do with it. The value of the land would not be increased a farthing by the line, as it had a railway connection on the main line already. A letter from the Public Trustee showed that the original loan of £IO,OOO was granted years ago, and so far as he knew no political influence was used by Mr. Massey or anybody else. The Trustee's office ■considered the investment sound and satisfactory. At the conclusion of the meeting a motion of thanks and confidence was carried by an overwhelming majority.

in motor cars to try and disconcert bim. He had had a magnificent meeting. The Hall was packed from floor to ceiling,