SOCIAL AT ELLERSLIE.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 8, 9 January 1908, Page 3

SOCIAL AT ELLERSLIE.

goX. J- -A- ME-LAK ESTERTAIXED.

SPEECH BY THE MINISTEB. ttjßeeaL AND LABOUR PARTIES. Last evening the Hon. J. A. Millar, ■Minister for Labour and Marine, was the OTiest of EUerslie residents at a smoke social in the ''Harp of Erin" hall. Mr. g Wilkinson (chairman of the Mount Wellington Board) occupied the chair, and there was a large attendance. Xhe chairman, in addressing the meetfag, impressed upon them that the gathering was not of a political nature, but that they were there to welcome a Minister of the Crown. (Applause.) He expressed gratitude that the Minister had spared one of his busy evenings to be present. (Applause.) A very enjoyable and convivial evening was spent with song and story, interspersed with toasts and responses. In proposing the toast "Our Guest," the chairman said that only those who had followed closely the last session jrjew the immense amount of work the Minister had had to do. The Hon. J. A. Millar, in responding, expressed his sincere thanks for the man- \ jier in which the toast was received. The chairman had said that he (the Minister) was up here on a holiday. That was ! B0 From the time he arrived in Auckland np tfll then he had met with nothing hut hospitality on all hands, and he was I trader a debt of gratitude to them for vnE eii_g the people of EUerslie once more, j There was nothing better for a public | 5-an than to meet his fellow-men j throughout the length and breadth of the jountry. He did not intend to give a political address, but if was almost impossible to speak for any time without touching upon politics. It had been taid that the last session of Parliament sat too long and did too much. He (the ke-jster) bebeved that they were justified in doing so. They had put through what they believed to be absolutely necessary work. They were the successors of one of the greatest men New Zealand had ever produced—the late Eight Hon. R J- Seddon— (cheers)— who had devoted his life work to the colony. «He left us," continued Mr. Millar, "a legacy of certain things he had not done st the time of his death, which we are carrying out We have to show the people of the colony that we have a policy that we are not afraid of lettmg the people of the country know what that policy *> and that we haTe courage to say, 'We will put that on the Statute Book and leave you to ]udge •whether it is right or wrong.'" Continuing, Mr. Millar said that there •was the land, tariff, Native lands, and other questions, and it was absolutely impossible for those things to be put through in any short session of Parliament The Ministry would not have been justified in corning forward and asking for a renewal of public confidence if they had not shown as a Ministry what they were prepared to do, and that was yhat kept the session so long. THE THIffiATENED SPLIT. So Ministry would ever please everybody What they had to do was to carefully* consider what was, in their opinion, the best for the colomy as a whole. He thought that was the desire of the preEent l-ndstry. He believed that was the desire of the great Liberal party of this country, and although at the present time there seemed to be apparently a 'movement for a split in that Liberal party, he thought that if those agitating fa tiiat direction would carry their memory hack a few years and ask themttlres what had been done for the people of the country by the amalgamation of the liberal and Labour parties, they would find that everything good in this eonntry had been done through the amali gamation of those two parries. They, had had object lessons in Australia ad the Mother land of what they had been trying to force by an independent party. They had not accomplished there what had been effected in New Zealand by coalition. If they looked' at the social conditions of the people of New Zealand compared 1 with those outside the country he thought they would find that they iwere a long way ahead. (Cheers.) He maintained it was the duty of every party to strive to put legislation in a State that would give -quality of opportunity to every man, and having given that then it rested "with the individual -imself if he had the ability and application to raise himself to the highest position, bat they should not go further than giving equality of opportunity. They bad to -watch, experiments going on throughout the country—to watch the resalts of certain legislation and conditions t- older countries because fhey knew that like conditions produced like results, find if they found that the experiences rf older countries had led them into certain channels not to their advantage it •would then be their duty to prevent toything 0 f that sort taking place in this tormtry. r 'We want no poverty in this country," Bud the Minister. "We know perfectly *efl we cannot have absolutely equal fiistrflmtion of wealth, but we want to »W-e that distribution as equal as dos™fc- The happiest, most contented and country i n the world is that tt !_!_r c Wealth is most equally divided the country—not where a _!I_r --P B6 mone y ba gs> a nd the rest a-mere pittance. A Voice: And that's New Zealand. Tp,! r 11 "'- Thank Go,L isZT ® yes opportunities for a^rrfV Dy J k*™' » will be sorry day Tor us as members of the f-™stry vfwe ever allow any legislation W pass W hich will m any way curtail *SH 5 Whicll the P eo P le of this W If? man - v - years of struggling lave obtained. (Cheers.) S ° ° .«_f e J- 01 ? g ' cont inued the Minister, they Rttte Ministers) would again have to face tie c OUIItrY and to ask them for their *«Wiet on the administration. Those S,? *«* liberal and believed in the pohcy the Ministry were following would __L_l i 6tty and loyally upport the men who were selected by £c people of the district as the men smted to be their representatives. »c was speaking broadly, from the point 7„,i 6 Y the Liberal party of New "aland and the Labour party as well. -full 6 «*.* t0 lOSe seats >" added M r- ■""»> let us start splitting amongst X?' but *° attain the solidarity J" parties we must do all we can to preent any man coming out who . *> -pllt votes against the Liberal party. EL*" 8 ?°± he s aid, afraid of a fair ■S«M *? they were *«*« at all it wmid not he by the Opposition, but by ton callrng themselves Liberals, who a*£/w^? g not for the go o * l °f the fcrvn?. , f ° r themse 've S , and who were "7™g to use the party for their own fcv ti. man who ™as not selected So™; C it reS , entatives of th e party came fe ,** S0 fa W" owTinterests. for ****** and *<* f ° r V_iS 7 ' d the =° "ght

Mr. M M.Callu_ proposed, "Our Parliament," coupled with the names of Mesara Kidd, I_-wry, and. .Sander, ]_LP.' S , each, of whom responded. Mr. Lawry, MJE>., in proposing "The local bodies," expressed the hope that a comprehensive scheme of local government would be passed by Parliament ere long. Messrs. J. S. Dickson (chairman of the Remnera Road Board), and Todd (chairman of the Otahuhu Town Board), responded. Other toasts were honoured, and the meeting concluded - with the singing of "Auld Lang Syne" and the National Anthem.