THE HON. J. A. MILLAR.

Press, Volume LXIV, Issue 13009, 10 January 1908, Page 3

THE HON. J. A. MILLAR.

~# ~ SPEECH AT ELLEESLIB.

(press association telegram.) AUCKLAND, January 9. In the course of bis speech at Ellerslie last night, the Hoa. J. A. Millar, Minister for La!bour and Marine, said that no Ministry would ever please everybody. What they had to do was to carefuDy consider what was in their opinion the best for the colony as a whole. Ho thought that, wae the desire of the present Ministry. Hβ believed that was the deeaxe of the great Liberal party of this country, a»nd although at the present time there seemed to he apparently a movement for a split in that.Liberal he thought that if those agitating in that direction -would carry their memory baxfc a few years, and ask I *« eneel f« e . W J£ had been done for the people of the ©wintry by the amalgamation of the L?be3 *Jd Labour parties, they would find that everything good w this country had been done throughthe amalgamation of those two parties. They haA had object lessons in ■ Australia and the Motherland ■«f what they had bwn tryine to force by an independent Sy They had not accomplished there what had been effected in W Zealand by coalition. X they looked at the safial conditions rf the people of New Zealand compared with those outside the" country,-lie though they would find that they were a lons way ahead. (Cheers.) Ho maintained that it was -the duty of every party to strive to put legislation in a state thai would give equality of opportunity to every man, and having given that, then it rested with the i individual himself, if he had the ability and application to raise himself to the highest position, but u»ey should n«t go further thin giving equaMy of opportunity. They had to watch the experiments going on throughout the country, to watch the- results of certain legislation and conditions itt older countries, because they knew that like conditions produced lfke results, and if they found that -hhe experience of older countries had led them into certain channels not to their advantage, it worrld then be their dirty to prevent anything of that sort taking place in this country. "We want no poverty in this country," said tflie Minister. "Wβ know perfectly welll wo cannot have absolutely equal distrifrivtrkwi of wealth, but -we want to maike that distribution as equal as possible, line happiest, most contented, and most prosperous country in the world is that where the wealth is meet equally divided throughout the country; not where a few hold large Money bagp, and the rest a mere pittance." A Voice: "And that's New Zealand." Mr Millar: 'Thank God it is New Zealand tihat gives greater opportunities for men than an£ other cowniry I know of. It will be a sorry day for us, as members of the Ministry, if we ever allow any legislation to pass which will in any way curtail those rigbu* wilkich the people of this colony, after ma-ny years of , struggling, have obtained.' (Cheers.)