THE LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION.

Press, Volume LXIV, Issue 13100, 27 April 1908, Page 7

THE LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION.

AN INTERVIEW AT TTMARU. In art interview with aiyopi-senta-b-ve of the Timaru "Post" on Saturday afternoon, Mr W. F. Massey, Leader of the Opposition, laughed heartily at the suggestion of a ooalition between Sir Joseph Ward and himself, and said he fancied that, though a Press message on tho subject was supposed to have come from Oamaru, he would not have, to make a second gaem t» state its real origin. "You can take itv from mc," he continued, "thai, so far aa I am concerned there is nothing in such an absurd sugges-ion-" As to the prospects of next elections, th. Leader of the Opposition spoke very confidently. "It is, he said, "too soon yet to make any definite announcement canoesrnmg the probable results in tho individual electorates, but 1. i» quit© certain that the net result will be a material accession to the ranks of my party. That this will be so is cause for thankfulness for more than one reason. It is particularly satisfactory for the reason that a strengthened Opposition will be better able to "combat socialistic temdeneies, which are becoming really alarming. I do not Teally think,',' said Mr Massey, "that there are as many socialists in the country as some people wodld have us believe, but there certainly are too many, and the over-friendly tendency of the Government -towards these people is much to oo deplored. It is a serious matter, and it will have to be grappled with. I believe in tho worker getting - his full share of the emoJuinea_ta to which he is entitled, but I cannot but view with alarm the dema-ids of the socialist party for " Speaking of the land legislation, oflast session, Mr Massey said he did not think it had resulted in any benefit. So far as he was aware, it had not brought about any more"' expeditious subdivision of the lantd. Subdivision/had' bepn going on for years, arud it would oontuiue'to go on without any further legislation. He mentioned that for the first esrtatowhiohth© Gover-nment opened up for. closer eetitl©'ment under the recent legislation there had not bee*, a single applicant. That was for land in the Auckland province. His idea was that there was room for improvement in the way the estates were subdivided. The intention .of Parliament was to place men with very little capital on the land, men ofsmall x_-a_-S who required a lift. But what did they find'? Too often men of means got the sections, and got them in large ar_f_s at that. He be-, lieved that very often the estates oc__d be cut up into much smaller areas, thus providing a means of livelihood to a great.many, more than they now did, ■ and. more completely satisfying the land hunger. In a brief reference to the allocation of the Publio "Workß Fund, Mr Massey said that there was not a ' member of Parliament who . knew 5 per cent, of the.roads he was voting expenditure for, and the present sys tern was bad in the extreme, opening the wuy' as it did to wire-pulling of the worst sort. ' "What, for instance, would I know," he saidi, " of the requirements, Bay, in the back part of Levels County ? . Simply nothing, and so it is all through. One member assists the other to get what he wants for his>district. I.don't blame them for that, because under the present sys- . tern it has to he done, but what I say is that the system is bad." "Ye_t," he said, in reply to a.-'ques-tion, "I believe in the system of graduated subsidies. That is part ■of my proposals for the reform of the system of Public Works grants. The Government should; retain in their charge the main arterial roods, and leave the rest to .the local bodies to look after, assisting the latter, not by spasmodic . sums,' doled out per the medium of wife-pulling, but according to a 'fixed scale, which would, in every case make the district receiving the benefit bear .th© greater part of th© burden." Mr Massey mentioned, as indicating th© uee which the Government made of the present system of. grants for local bodies; that in ordinary years the total grant was about. £300,000, but in ejection years the grant -suddenly tobo to £500,0001 "I have been in Parliament fourteen years, .and this is what has happened every time election year has come round." In good-humoured , strain, Mr Massey said the _ame thing was being repeated this year, Sir Joseph Word having statedi quite recently that he intended to p_ac© on the Estimates "this" year an additional £200,000 for roads and bridges. Referring to the work of the coming . session, the Opposition leader said he did not think it would be either a long or an important one. It would T>e held at Government House, and as members would have to sit on cane-bottomed chairs and do withont-desks and other customary comforts and conveniences, they would not feel inclined for either all-night sittings or long sitting)- o£ any kind. "I think you will find my prediction borne out that Parliament will get through its business in .the shortest possible time." Questioned as to the legjsaacmn mm '*», brought forward next session, Mr "Massey said that so far the Government had given no indication of its.nature, and'"though ho had been waiting patiently for some time for a pronouncement from Sir Joseph Ward as to his policy, he had waited in vain; in fact, he did not know whether the Government had a policy.

Mr Massey broke his return journey North on Saturday at Rakaia, in order to visit Mr C. A. C. Hardy, M.P. for Selwyn, a member of his party. It is expected that Mr Massey will cam© on to Christchurch this morning.