PRE-SESSIONAL SPEECHES.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIII, Issue 148, 21 June 1912, Page 7

PRE-SESSIONAL SPEECHES.

irtV G LABRENSOK'S KEPLY TO B ' ' CRITICS. (By Telegraph—Own Correspondent.) HOEOPIIO, Thursday. The member for Waimarino (Mr. R. nr Smith) was tendered a complimenL banquet by his supporters at Spito to-night. The Town Hall w» Crowded almost to its holding capacity, ni the proceedings were marked with a r, dea j of enthusiasm. Amongst the $Ut were the Hon. Geo. L*™*™ /Sinister of Labour), who responded to aetoast of "The Ministry." Sir. LavJLon, in the course of his remarks, lie special reference to borrowing. He that as a matter of fact Sir Joseph Ward refrained from raising another Scan in February in the hope that by the time provision had to be made for the renewal of old loans and the raising of war ones the money market might be in mod condition. The Minister of Finance Illr Myers), acting on the best advice from London, bad raised a fresh loan for Jlo-requirements of the Dominion on 'terms which would compare with the jesfc prices obtainable at the present What did the Opposition say? ■Mr Hyers had been told that he had Wrowed money at a rate which would [«, oni at over 44 per cent. Then, there OTs the High Commissionership. Three tobn&s age they were warned that if the Government, with its present majority, appointed a High Commissioner they deterred to -be burned. Now Mr. Massey fold them thai they had committed the Wackest crime in the decalogne because tbey.had not appointed a High Commis•floner. Mr. Massey had been proclaimed a modern Moses by his party. When foijiory came to be written the name of Ulassey would not be Moses, but Jerejaiai- (Laughter and applause.) The people of New Zealand had been assured ihat ai soon, as the House met the Ministry iyas to he turned out of office, and that the men who would be responsible for it would be men of its own party. He had a pretty strong idea that, whatever differences might exist amongst the liberal-Labour party, when the time came it would be found that none of the members of that party would be ,so "owardly as to refrain from voting or trould be traitors against their own side. !jApplause.) The present Parliament ■iras essentially a Parliament that could 'be described as "a paradise for the small man." With a party hanging in. the balance men of the Dickson and Harris type assumed a bulk in the public eye al'iogether out of proportion to their norjnal size. (In his (the speaker's) belief, the only cure for the present condition of affairs was a fresh appeal to the electors of' the country. He "had absolutely no jjoiibt what thp result of that appeal vould be. The Ministry had been twitted us being inexperienced. With perhaps uhe exception there was no member of She present Ministry who had not acted In i prominent capacity in the public todies in this countrr. Compare them, for instance, with the Massey, Fisher, ucHerdman type. Those' members had 'noiteld any public office (with the exceptjta of Jtheir having been members of ■jifrdspV- a-WsH"'board) , outside of the iptsitibn they held as members of T>arliarnerit., The Government had been only fere* tntffithe in office, and already, lie Vaitnred to say, the wbrk they had" done md undertaken would compare sbly.with that of the most actrre Ministry fiat-had ever held office in New Zealand. The legislation which the Govern■|neit proposed to put before Parliament Immediately after its assembling would h -soflnd, progressive and valuable legis'latitm. ' It would be found that they irerequjte:.ready to tackle the session. JAJI the 'Departments were now ready, bills were prepared, and. furthermore, every Minister would be found to be thoronghly acquainted with tbe administration of the .Department' under his imSnediate supervision. {Applause.) I -• = ■... •.- . ;