MR MASSEY AT WANGANUI.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 3051, 23 November 1908, Page 5

MR MASSEY AT WANGANUI.

A POLITICAL SPEECH

By Telegraph—Press Association WANGANUI, November 22.

Mr Massey, Leader of the Opposition, addressed an overflowing audience at the Drill Hall on Saturday night. He was accorded an enthusiastic reception, and was loudly cheered at the conclusion of his speech, which was much on the lines of those delivered at other centres.

Speaking of the election, Mr Massey said that the result of the first ballot and the anticipated result of the second ballot showed that the country appreciated the good ha"d work done by the Opposition during the past three years. He urged that there had never been a time when it was more necessary that the Opposition should be strong. He strongly defended himself and his party from newspaper attacks, and showed by reference to "Hansard" that the Opposition bad played a leading "part in the introduction and passing into law of legislation that had proved beneficial to the Dominion. He had consistently supported the late Mr John Ballance's policy of non-borrow-ing"and self-reliance. He protested against Sir Joseph Ward's references to the wages paid during relief works between 1887 and 1890, and pointed out that the late Sir Harry Atkinson had had to do the best he could with the legacy which the previous reckless Government had left. He pointed out that the late Mr Seddon endorsed the relief works wages. Mr Massey dealt seriatim with the planks of the Opposition platform on the lines already published. THE PREMIER IN REPLY. (By Telegraph—Special to the Age). WELLINGTON, November 22. Statements by Mr Massey during the course olhis speech at Wanganui ! were replied to by the Prime Minister in ah interview last night. Sir Joseph described some of Mr Massey's utterances a3 in many respects extraordinary. Mr Massey, he said, had quite surpassed himself in making misleading suggestions, which to say the least were in some instances very unfair. According to him the Opposition was stronger than, ever, and the Government majority had been reduced. The real fact was that the total votes cast for tha Government throughout the Djminion amounted to 234,952, or 134 per cent more than those cast for the Opposition, which numbered 102,143. Courtesy did not permit him to call by its proper name Mr Massey's oft repeated cry of "spoils to the victors." It was well-known that the Government had consistently looked after the general requirements of all portions of the Dominion, and it was singificant that Mr Massey did not give a single instance in verification of the reckless charge he made. He pointed tn Mr IWnnspv's nnnnsitinri tn Sir

John McKenzie when the latter fought the large landed monopoly of the country, and again called attention to Mr Massey's inconsistency and insincerity in urging a non-bor-rowing policy when at the same time he voted for loans for public works expenditure regularly. Certainly the Opposition had not mismanaged the Agricultural Department, because no such department was in existence at the time when they were in Ptwer. To the repetition of the dreary cry that the Government had no policy, Sir Joseph pointed to the three most important features outlined in his Palmerston North speech, namely, the land settlement finance, the national annuities and the Post Audit Bills, all of which have now been endorsed by the country and will be passed into law next session. Answering the suggestion that there had been improper appointments to the Civil Service, Sir Joseph said this was a ludicrous misstatement. The Civil Service Act was never more strictly administered than now, and the services were open to the poorest man's sons in the land. The Conservatives in the past confined the service to those of the privileged class. To the charge that the Native Land Commission had done nothing Sir Joseph answered that it had carefully investigated thousands of acres of native lands, and had set apart one million acres for European settlement, which when surveyed would be available within six or twelve months. Mr Massey talked vaguely about individualising without appreciating the difficulties which had baffled successive Governments for thirty years. Mr Massey's claim to having set up Councils of conciliation was perhaps the coolest piece of political audacity he had yet attempted, for he had no more to do with this than he had to do with the passing of the Old Age Pensions Act. The only purpose the Government had in passing the Second Ballot Act was to promote the principle of the democrracy that the majority should be represented and the majority rule. It was to meet Mr Massey's suggestion that Ministers would occupy the interval between the first and second ballots by interfering in the elections that what was known as the "gag" clause was introduced. It wa3 abandoned and now Mr Massey showed himself to be the first offender in interfering, though he (the Premier) had consistently refused to apeak at second ballot contests, although he had been frequently asked to do so. It was exceedingly unfair party tactics to attempt to embitter timber workers by declaring that the Government had subsidised a ship to bring timber to New Zealand. The steamers coming to New Zealand were subsidised entirely by Canada. Those going from the Dominion were subsidised so as to benefit our farmers. The cost of timber was so high that men of small means could not build homes, and he proposed to set up a commission to enquire into the whole timber question. This would enable the Government to find a remedy. He fully recognised that our sawmilling industry should be helped legitimately. He would prefer to go out of public life altogether rather than resort to the dirty methods of fighting elections*such as Mr Massey had suggested. The Government had not done so, and had fought them clean and honestly. It was unfortunate that the same re-

grettable statements suggesting weakness in our financial position had again been made by the Opposition. "Certainly it was not the fault of the Opposition that they had not succeded in weakening our position," said Sir Joseph, "for some of thein had tried hard enough to do it by suggestion, innuendo, accusation and m isrepresen tation."