MR MASSEY AT EKETAHUNA

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10477, 14 November 1911, Page 5

MR MASSEY AT EKETAHUNA

A CORDIAL RECEPTION.

GOVERNMENT STRONGLY CRITICISED.

By Telegraph — Press Association,

EKETAHUNA, Last Night. Mb W. F. Mn&soy, Leader of the Opposition, visited Eketahmia today. He wa.s entertained at dinner by residents of Borough and County, and afterwards .■wldressed «/mieeaing of about six Iran :1 red r>eople. Mr Miatesey was loudly cheer-id en rising. He commenced by -'oinibating tdie theory that the function of tine Opposition was solely to oppose. 1 heOpposition had mone work to do in piushing the Governmient along tQnin noting as a< brake. ('Lmughteir.) The Opposition hlad done a great deal in making tihe legislation' of the past fifteen years workable. It liad only, opposed ni.clasa;.res that it thought against tihe interests of the oountry. « NOTHING TO OFFER. He denied,, as a mjis-statement, fOie allegation, that the Opposition istood. by tlho wealthy man. fj|fi»e- Opposition xwrsisted of plain, unassum.ing, prlactioal men, many of whom Wad gi.veai ycansi of practical service to the country for purely patriotic reasons. He came before them with. nothing to offer; no seats in the Legislative Council; no J .P.-ships. The Opposition came before the people with empty hands, but tlhey were clean hands. (Applause.) Tine Opposition had to fight tlie influence of piublic expendiiture and public patronage. Still, he honestly bedievied tßiere wais a majority of people behjnd them, M-illiaig to smPipoait them at the first opportunity. - THE ONLY POLICY.

He said that the only policy before the counitry was that of the Opposition. The Government had no more backbone than an oyster. (LaiugSiiter). lihe Utovea-iwnent * was no mlore tihian a political phonograph, ready to play fireiehlotld to the ihxMiioldeiris., leasehold to tine lea.se'holdeirs', Socialism to the Sooiailiists, individualism!- to t'he individualists, protection to the protectionists,, democracy to tine dentoanats, and also aristocracy to tib& (Laughter.) He maintained that it AMais time tlue Qontanuous Ministry wjas ousted. It had lost initiative, and was becoming effete.

THE CONTINUOUS MINISTRY. In no democratic- country should a; Government be in office for twenty years. Every Govteimoneat should <lnave the knowledge that it rtrigjht be defeated in a year or two or a month. Oir two. If .the present Goveaniment had had that fear before- thiem during tihe jpaist six yeatos it would have been a good thing fior them and for. the country. Elaborating his. charge tiha.t tdie Government had no definite policy, Mr Maissey said it had made no atteanpt to reduce taxation, or reifloTim- the fimianoiaii methods. It had no land policy. It had mlade no attempt to deal with tihe land question, to reform the Legislative Council, to make it moire representative of t/het peoplhe, to deal wath appointroenibs to the- Clival Service; to improve tlit© railway service; or to reform Local Government. There was no reform of Local Government because tihe present system the parity in power. It meant votes. The railway service wais seeitliiaig with, dissatisfaction, and the public; were not satisfied.

THE FIVE MILLION LOAN. Referring to the five, miUifon, loan, Mr Massey said the details luad. not yet been fiunnished. Last session details df the loans, for two years were laid before Parliament, but evien mow the details were '.wo yeans in arrears on Miairdh 31st last. The cost of tlh'e five mdllion loan could mot be stated, accurately, but thare was £50,000 to the underwriters, and 30s discount, or on the whole loan £75,i000. These two items made £125,000. Thiere were other items, suclh as inscription fee, brokerage, urnd advertising. These items vould pilobiaMy run into 15s per ."irt. 'There were some very extraordinary conoeisstiions in connection with the loan, one of these, th'ait if the money was' handed ovier to our representatives, in London by. December Ist' last, then on January Ist the investor was entitled to six months' est. Then there wiais a.nother. Thie loam was a loan:, on the optilon of the investor, for four years or thirty years, and if he took it' for thirty years he becaimte entitled, in addition to a blonms of £2 worth of stock on Neverv £IOO, 3J- pen- cent, of stock as nearly as possible. He did not know how* many people had tak-, em: advantage of the oonce^SiS'.'jn. He esti mated •,• however, that the loan had aost £300,000. THE MIOKAU CASE.

Referring to tili'e Mjokau case, Mr Massev maintained that the Government 'sUvwiikl have purchased the Mock. It would have been just as easy as to allow its purchase- 1 by speculators. There- was a provuisfton that the leasehold interest may be taken at valuation.. If.the Government had purchased the Hoak, settlers- woukl hlave got on, the land on better terms than they were likely to under the oo.mp.any. It was. .one ot the worst transactions- that had, ever taken pla.ee in the In story ot tins country.

PUBLIC WORKS VOTES. Deadiilng with the system of voting piubOiic money, Mir Massey referred 1 to the votes in Southland wtlucn. blave been' the subject of controversy. One man in Iris (Mr Massey s) cfastr-i'cstt went over his head, and over the head of the Mmnster for Public W-orks, to the Prime Minister, and moiney wais placed on the Estimates, He (Mr Ma.ssey) had thought till© local body had applied for: tlh'e money until he was asked by the local body about it. He claimed that no money silwnild be voted unless it was applied for, or recommended, bv local bodies. There should also be reports by the Public Works Department officers, and a ctaS'Siiiicatifrm svstem to differentiate between districts that required money for development works and those that did not. AiV JSMiPHATLC RESOLUTION. It was reisoiVed, "That a- hearty vote of thiamins- be accorded Mir Masse v flor his able and. lucid address, arid tlhat this meeting is pf opanio.n. tbat, in the interests of the Dominion, the time bias ffow arrived tor a change of Gtovcrmment. ' "HE'S A JOLLY GOOD FELLOW." •There wia,s only one dissentient voice, and the meeting concluded with 'vigorous cheers, and the singing of "For He's a JmWy Good Fellow."