PRE-SESSIONAL.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXX, Issue 8468, 19 June 1907, Page 5

PRE-SESSIONAL.

MR MASSEY AT PATUMAHOE. By Telegraph—Press Association. AUCKLAND, June 18. Mr W. F. Massey. Leader of the Opposition, addressing his constituents at Patumahoe, said that those on the land and prospective settlers would be prejudicially affected by the Land Bill. Mr McNab at Stratford said : "Would it not be a fine thing if I could hand you over endowments sufficient to pay for rates." "That is the bribe held out to people in towns," declared Mr Massey. Mr Fowlds had made a "rabid, vicious, silly and stupid attack" upon him. The trouble was that he was tearing the Government Land Bill to pieces. He did not wish to rob the State of a farthing, but Mr Fowlds wished to rob the settlers. He did not think Mr Fowlds would deny that he was a single taxer, and single tax and Socialism was a bad combination in a Ministry. He denied he had ever called Mr Fowlds the strong man of the Ministry. He had said, and still thought, he was a dangerous man. As to the Land Bill Mr Fowlds had displayed either the grossest ignorance or wilful inaccuracy, especially when he said millions of acres of native lands would be opened under the optional system. In regard to his references to the Hinemoa trip taken by Mr Fowlds and his friends to the Sounds, he only intended asking for a return to see if they paid the full fare charged to the public, and not only 4s 6d a day for meals as had been reported, a vote of continued confidence was unanimously carried.