THE OPPOSITION CAMPAIGN.

Press, Volume LXIV, Issue 13109, 7 May 1908, Page 2

THE OPPOSITION CAMPAIGN.

'MH W. F. MAB3EY AT GISBQRNE,

(press association telegbam.)

GISBORNE, May 5. Mr W. F. llaspey, Leader of the Opposition, addressed a crowded audience at His Majesty's Theatre last evening. The Hon. Captain Tucker occupied the chair. Mr Maasey said his party had boon persistently misrepresented by the subsidised Government Press, but the people of the Dominion -were at length beginning to appreciate the good work the Opposition was doing. It had also put forward a policy of proposals and had had tie unique satisiaction as an Opposition of seeing these proposals carried into law. For example, the whole of the revenues of the country bad been brought under the control of the Auditor-General; sinking funds had been established in connection with loans, and at his party's _ instigation they had secured the abolition of the sheep tax. Last session the Advances to SVorkexs Act was extended to permit of advances being made to workers both in the town und country, and this also (though directly passed by tho Government) had been placed on the Statute Book through the pressure of the Opposrtioa. Touching upon the Arbitration Act, the speaker said the opinion had been freely expressed that the Act ■was on the point of breaking down. Ho hoped that would not luippcn as lie preferred, arbitration to strikes and lock outs, bit ho assured tho audience that if this Act vas' to remain on the Statute Hook it would have to be greatly amended. Thero would require to be more arbitration and conciliation and Ices irritating and exasperation. He had been glad to note that Sir Joseph Ward in a recent speech had recognised the need for classification, as the present system roduoed ail to the dead level. Employers found they hud to pay a certain wage for an inferior workman and naturally they took it out of the workman who under ordinary circumstances would have secured all that ho could earn. Then the man who could not earn a minimum wage was placed in a most humiliating position- and frequently found his way on to the Government co-opora-tivo works where he would not do nearly such good work as if ho had .been able to work undtjr reasonable conditions at his own trade. Every man should have a right to earn his living, and every employer was entitled to pay in proportion to tho quantity and quality of tho work done. One aspect of the. Arbitration Act was the discouragement of tho u«e of apprentices. If things went on as at present a large proportion of skilkd labour required in tho future would have to be imported, and our own workmen would liavfl to accept inferior positions. Tho subject -was a most difficult one. It was impossible to put a law on the Statute Book to compel ■& man to work if he did not care to work, or to force an employer to give men work if ho did not wish to. The labour laws of tho present Government had bred a want of confidence on the part of the men who had money to invest in industrial enterprises. The Opposition was continually pointed at at election time as the opponents of laibour, but ho (Mr Massey) when first returned to Parliament had been officially supported by the Knights of Labour. *He had r,eI ceived iscores of letters from working nuMi all over the Dominion thanking him for what he had done in their interests. The Opposition wanted to give every man in this country a chance to improve his condition. They were .not continually prating about the working men, but did moro for their welfare than the Government, which oaly evinced a strong lovo for .the workers when, they wanted their votfs. 'J ho next important question for legislation in tho future was Socialism. Ho asked what had built up this country; what had felled the foxestb and produced the flocks .and herds which made our staple exports? Was it not individual enterprise? . At the present time they hed a Parliament •which was prepared to accept aw defined by Mr Keir.Ha.rdio.' Thero wore come members of tho Government; who supported Socialism because .-they believed ia it, but he was sorry to 6ay there-were others who were pretxired to support it nob because they believed in at, frmt because they did not wish to lose their scats, rhe people of New Zealand were not going to have their lands nationalised ; they were not going to liavo tho industries nationalised nor private tsa~ terpriso interfered with. Ho wanned* the wage earners that -with Socialism thero would be no improvement in their position. Three-fourths of tho employers, in New Zeaknd at the present time hod started as wage earners and vf<>ra all the better for tHie experienoo they had thus gair.ed. Mr Maseey dealt exhaustively with tho land question anid criticised tho policy of the Government on the lines of bus recent speeches. He favoured the election of the Legislative Council ■ directly by the people, tho establishment of a Civil Sorvice Board,, tho simplifieatiorf of tho public accounts, the option of the freehold, the opening up of tho surplus native lands and other. , measures. Ho objectc<l to an increase in the number of Minis-fers, contending tlncit if these gentlemen kept better hours and attended less banquets thoir average longevity would bo quite equal to that of other members of tho community. i

Mr Mofsoey received an •exoellent hearing and was frequently applauded.