BREAKFAST AT HAWARDEN.

Press, Volume XLIX, Issue 14621, 24 March 1913, Page 7

BREAKFAST AT HAWARDEN.

A STRONG SPEECH

Tho Ministerial party arrived at Hawarden about 10 o clock and was entertained to breakfast by residents of the district. Aftorwards Mr Massey addressed a couple of hundred people in tho Hall under tho chairmanship of Mr Goorgo Rutherford, chairman of tho Waipara County Council. Mr Massey took tho opportunity of replying on somo points of financo to - the speech delivered a few nights ago by Mr G. Wjj (Russell, M.P. In opening, ho said ho hoped to have tho opportunity of promoting very considerable settlement in Canterbury before he relinquished office. Tho Government's policy was to increase tho productivity of the soil and thus enlarge tha exports. This was the only way tho country could prosper. Ho could not say how long it would take New Zealand to reach the thirty million export lovrl, but he thought it should be possible in five years. Ho reviewed tho agricultural and pastoral position and thought it was eminently satisfactory. Tho dairy industry would play a great part in tho future as recent predictions about tho influence of Sibteria had been falsified. He referred to a small section of people in tho towns who seemed to be antagonistic to tho country and said that this antagonism should be removed.

REDUCING TAXATION. Dealing with tho criticism that they should reduce taxation, ho said it had been.impossible up to the present for them to do much in this direction. Before this could bo done.economy must bo secured in the cost of administration till it was cut down to a better sum in proportion to the population. It must not bo allowed to increase aa it had in •past years. For the last dozen years tho cost of administration had been steadily increasing. This must be stopped, because that expense was borne by "the people. They had had to put the brake on, and they had been keeping down the cost of administration per head of tho population, as the public accounts would show when they came out nt the end of the financial year.

As tho cost of administration came down, said Mr Massey, tho Government should bo ablo to do something to reduce taxation. A member of one of the would-be leaders of the present Opposition had declared in Christchuroh that tho Government had reduced the taxation only on land. On this point he would declare that the taxation had been increased on valuations abovo £30,Q00, and tho object of that was to encourage subdivision. This process was taking place all over the country, and ho put it down largely to tho legislation of Inst session.

After referring to the exemption of improvements—water-races and plantations—from'taxation by the Act of last session, Mr Masspy said ho could say it was the duty of individuals and local bodies to plant trees. A Commission was at work to discover tho best trees to plant.

FINANCIAL CRITICISM. "I believe in adverso criticism," said Mr Massey, "but what I object to is tho continual twisting and the misrepresentation that goes on. We have dono much in tho way of legislation and administration in our nine months of office, and I challenge anyone to show one single action that will not bear tho licrht of day." Ho would deal with the'financial mess which obtained when ho enmo into office. A loan hnd been raised in London, partly for the purpose of paying off another loan which hnd duo, and its cost was £5 2s 9d, Yet this money was lent at 4} per cent., and tho loan would have to bo raised again next year. He would characterise this as one of the most wasteful pieces of administration h*> had over heard of. But tho general financial position now was becoming fairly satisfactory. , Tho revenue was all right, but. a certain amount of borrowing must bo clone, although it was their intention to keep the.t down just as much as possible. Ho desired to impress his hearers with the fact that undoubtedly there was serious financial trouble a+ the end nf tho Inst Government. This was duo to the recklessness of tho previous Administration, because before last election larjje sums wero promised to local bodies at a rate below that at which it was borrowed. He stood by these statements. (Loud applause.)