MR. MASSEY AT WHANGAREI.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 80, 2 April 1908, Page 6

MR. MASSEY AT WHANGAREI.

1 AN OPPOSITION SPEECH. THE COMING CAMPAIGN. .(By Telegraph.—Own correspondent.) L WHANGAREL Wednesday. The Opposition Leader (Mr. W. F. ilassey, M.P.) replied to the Premier's Onehunga speech during the course of an address at Whangarei last night. There was a good attendance, the Mayor Of Whangarei (Uγ. Weaver) presiding. * i ALLEGED SOCIALISTIC COMPROI JUTSE. Mr. Massey dealt forcibly with wliat \ he declared "to be the position of compromise, adopted by the Government on -the question of Socialism. Sir Joseph Ward had declared himself averse to 'revolutionary Socialism, but the Government policy was one of compromise, in that it favoured evolutionary Socialism. "What does evolutionary Socialism mean?" asked Mr. Massey. It means steady progress towards the goal ■which Socialists have in view—towards nationalisation of land, nationalisation of all industries, and as far as possible, the limiting of individual enterprise, so that it sems to mc, whether Sir-Joseph IWard knows it or not, he is being made use of by the Socialistic party in Parliament, by men in the Cabinet, and outside the Cabinet, who are probably more ■politically astute than he is himself." •The Socialists, he said, did not want revolutionary Socialism. They were satisfied with evolutionary Socialism, ani rather liked the Government policy of compromise. Mr. Massey added that he was satisfied that the people of the electorate, and he hoped many other districts, would only be satisfied with a Government that knew its own '. mind, and had a better policy to offer i than one of compromise- md that was • not in favour of either revolutionary or evolutionary Socialism. - \ NATIONALISATION OF LANDS. ' Touching on the question of land nationalisation, the speaker said that Sir Joseph Ward had taken up the position that only confiscation meant nationalisation, and all the State had done was to set certain lands apart as endowments. Crown land, he said, became nationalised, when it was impossible for the Government to dispose of the freehold to •.the settler. That was what happened last session, -when between 7.000.000 and 8,000,000 acres were nationalised. Then it was to be remembered that under tha .■Lands for Settlement Act's now private-ly-ownei lands were being nationalised at the rat of half-a-million pounds' .worth per annum. He did not object to the purchases, but thought that to avoid nationalisation, and for other reasons, it would be much better had the settlers the opportunity of making the lands .their own instead of the ownership remaining with the State. The Government, he said, had tried last session to nationalise something like IS or 19 million acres; in fact, the of the remaining Crown lands, an| was only stopped by the strenuous fight made by the Opposition. l .ADVANCES TO SETTLERS. Touching the question of advances , to settlers, Mr. Massef he quite failed to understand the Premiers statement that the sum upon mortgage last t year was much more highly taxed than the corresponding income upon shortdated Government debentures. "For instance." he said 1 , "take the illustration ~ of £ 10,000 invested in mortgage without deducting any exemptions. That sum will pay £31 15/ per annum by way of taxation, whereas invested in 4 per cent Government debentures, it will jay £10 per annum as income tax." The effect of that is that many people prefer to invest in Government debentures to investing in mortgages, and he was strongly of opinion that after what happened last session, the special mortgage tax should be abolished, and that interest upon mortgages should count as income for the purpose of income tax., especially as the present arrangement handicapped .the settler, and made it more difficult . for Mm to get money accommodation. * He (the speaker) declared that the renewable lease -was designed to delay settlement in the northern part of the Do- \ minion. < - V ARBITRATION ACT. Referring to arbitration awards, Mr. Messey said he would not refer to the Blackball strike at present, but added that he would give Sir Joseph Ward every support in the system he had adTocated at Onehunga. He believed a dead level of awards should be averted, and a worker more energetic or scientific than his fellows, should receive due I reward. ? RIGID ECONOMY. The speaker said that in seven years 16 millions had been a3ded to the public indebtedness. This meant an increase per head of £10 in the last dozen years, while the indebtedness of the country had been increased 25 millions. He urged rigid economy until the debt per head was much less. The public accounts of this country were kept in such a manner that it was impossible to understand them. They should be ' kept in such a way as would be understood by any man with a little business experience. " The advances to settlers totalled £1,239,000. That seemed very improbable, because the year before was a record year, and the amount then was between £700.000 and £SOO,OOO. Under the last amendment to the Act the Government had authority to raise li millions each year, and had' £400,000 per annum in addition from statutory instalments and repayments of mortgages, so that even if his (Mr. Massey's) amendment, which the Prime Minister had referred to, had been carried it would not have affected the finances of the Advances to Settlers Department in the slightest. THE OPPOSITION POLICY. Mr. Massey said the Opposition had been taunted that the}- only had two planks in their platform—good roads and security of tenure. This was more than the Government could offer, for he had vainly searched the speeches of the Prime Minister and his colleagues for a declaration of the Government policy. In addition to the freehold the Opposition had supported proposals for an elective Upper House, for a Civil Service Board, for amendment of local government law, for economy in administration, for the opening up of native land, equal justice to all parts of the Dominion in respect to ( public works expenditure, the encourage- . ment of industry, and freedom from unnecessary restrictions. It would also be remembered that on several occasions he advocated a law making a wife not only a partner with her husband in marriage, but also a legal partner, so that , ft home her industry had helped him

to establish should not be sold without her written consent. THE COUNTRY'S FTNANCES. Sir Joseph Ward, in his position of Treasurer, had resented any criticism of the country's finance, but in the speaker's opinion matters wanted looking into by the people of the country. During the last sis or seven years New Zealand had been raising a very large proportion of the money required for the public purposes by way of short-dated debentures. Some of these were now falling due, and it was necessary therefore for the Treasurer to make provision, not only for the money required for the ordinary purposes of the Public Works Fund, but also for the renewal or conversion as the case might be of these debentures. In either case it meant expense to the Dominion. He sincerely hoped that the prosperity of the country would continue, but the Treasurer and those entrusted with the management of public affairs should be prepared for the pinch if it came along. For quite a number of years the Treasurer had had the benefit of nearly the whole of the money deposited in the Post Office Savings Bank, which he had been able to borrow; but if our exports were going to fall off and prices go down there would be a proportionate falling-off in the Post Office Savings Bank deposits. If the money was sufficiently cheap in this country it should be borrowed here; but if the Government by coming into competition with merchants and manufacturers and .farmers raised the price of money to the producers, then the money should be borrowed 'In Great Britain or anywhere else where it could be got most cheaply. Mr. Massey also dwelt at some length upon the question of local govei'nment. and the political patronage exercised in connection with grants for roads and bridges. Universal pensions also received consideration at his hands, and he advocated a system of State annuities. He concluded with a strong denunciation of the Gaming Act, and also of the Legislative Council. 'Those who opposed him as candidates, he said, /were always well rewarded. One was now a judge of the Native Land Court, another a member of the Land Board, and two others had received appointments to the Legislative Council. In the interests of good government it was necessary that there should be a stronger Opposition. Mr. Massey offered to answer questions, but none were asked, and, on the motion of Mr. J. M. Killen, a hearty vote of thanks and confidence in him as a political leader was carried unanimously.