NEW ZEALAND POLITICS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10026, 23 April 1910, Page 5

NEW ZEALAND POLITICS.

OPPOSITION OUTLOoi. BRIGHTEST FOR FIFTEEN YEARS. LIVELY SESSION PREDICTED. INTERVIEW WITH MR MASSEY. By Telegraph—Press Association. ASH BURTON, April 22. In an interview with the "Guardian" reporter Mr Massey, Leader of the Opposition, who is spending a day in the district, said that so far as the party with which he was connected was concerned he might say that matters were brighter than had been the case during the past fifteen years. Referring tu the Government's promise to bring down a Bill providing for an amendment in the system of local government for the country districts, he said he sincerely hoped their promises would be kept, because the. present system was very much behind the times and required to be brought into line with existing bodies being given much of the work in connection with roads and bridges, which was supposed to be done by Parliament, but was really done very badly, and would be much better done by men on the spot.

He did not know what the Government intended doing in regard to the land question. They broght down a Bill last session, but abandoned it, very much to the amusement of the Opposition, and the relief of the Government's own supporters. Mr Massey expressedgthe opinion that the burning question in the North was really the settlement of Native lands, but much- as he would like to see that q-iestion tackled he doubted very much whether it would be done next session. He considered it was a shameful state of things that millions of acres of land, good, bad and indifferent, should be allowed to be idle, paying neither rates nor taxes, and improving in value through the making of roads and railwaye, and the-industry of the European settlers on adjoining lands, whjle settlers were actually leaving the country because they.could not get iacd.

Regarding the retrenchment scheme Mr Massey said they were looking forward with interest to the details of the retrenchment scheme, of which they had hear so much. A number of interesting questions had cropped up durlDg the recess, which had been only partly dealt ywith last session—for instance, that official advisor in London, the disclosure in connection with the High Commissioner's office, different enquiries held in Wellington in regard to the working of the Land and Income Tax Department, and the Knyvett case. All these questions and many others must be dealt with during the coming session, and he thought it quite safe to predict that the next session would be quite lively and intereiting to those interested in politics.