PREMIER AT NELSON.

Clutha Leader, Volume XL, Issue 73, 20 March 1914, Page 7

PREMIER AT NELSON.

REFORM PARTY DEFENDED.

"MR ATMORE'S INTERFERENCE."

NELSON, March 16,

The Prime Minister (Right Hon. W. l'\ Masscy) addressed a crowded meeting at tile Theatre Royal to-night, having a good reception and an attentive hearing, though the proceedings at times were somewhat demonstrative. Mr Massey spoke 011 practically the same lines as at Blenheim last week. f He criticised the financial arrangements of the previous Government, which left his Cabinet face to face u'itii the necessity of finding £8,000,000 hy the end of n.e year, to pay off short-dated loans in addition to' :£1,500,000 for ordinary development purposes. The Government had increased the limit of the amounts lent to local bodies and settlers. It could not supply all the demands of the former, but tiie' Stale guarantee system would assist those who required more than the Department could advance. He would see that a flaw in the Act preventing harbor boards from benefiting by it was put right. The present Government had lent to settlers, workers and local bodies £2,472,715. including £1,555,625 to settlers, £4.98,075 to workers and £619,020 to local bodies. ' The result of the last loan flotation in London gave New Zea-landers-every reason to be proud of the grand little country in which they lived, for London financiers were the best judges of the iinancial condition of the country. The bad times and low wages predicted when the Reform Government took office had not come to pass. The country was never more pn sperous than at present if the Post Office Savings Bank was an index. lb<> rlmwr® for the months of January and February "N-ceedecl withdrawals by £193,438, while the deposits for February of tins year exceeded those for the corresponding month of 1913 by £117,472. The present Government had increased the rate of interest on post office deposits from to per cent. He contended that the Government had kept its pledges on the land question, and" between 19,000 and 20,000 Crown tenants now had the right to convert their leases into Freeholds upon easy terms. Leasehold had few; supporters in Parliament now. During the present financial year the Government had purchased 149,000 acres of land, worth £509,606, and had settled 32,000 settlers on it. The experiment of nroviding five-acre holdings and houses for farm workers in Canterbury promised good results, and he intended to repeat it in the North Island. He was out to give the man on the bottom rung a chance to climb.

The Prime Minister dealt with naval defence and the recent strike in a similar stniin to his Blenheim speech. ' The strike had killed the old Liberal Party, and the parties of the future would be Reform-Liberals and "Red Fed"-Libe-rals. The Government would keep the present railway construction policy going and perhaps do a little more. Jt. proposed to allow settlers and local bodies to construct lines of standard gauge.

As the meeting drew near its conclusion a noisy element developed at the rear of the hall, which Mr Massey treated good-humoredly. In conclusion Mr Massev read an account published in the Nelson 'Mai!' from a Hmvke's Bay paper of an address by Mr Atmore (member for Nelson), in which, amcng other things, it was stated that Mr Massey was nonhead of at house which had .been left £165,000. "He said his father died two years ago and left £2OOO, and he presumed it was his father who was alludecT to.

Mr At move, speaking from the platform, denial having made the statement, and Mr Massey said that he had quoted the paper correctly and no correction had appeared in it. A motion of thanks was moved and spoken to by several members of the audience. Mr Atmore then moved an amendment to delete the word® "expressing confidence in the Government," and proceeded to criticise the Government. He denied referring to Mr Massev's father, ft was Mr Herries' father lie had alluded to, and he has been misrepresented by a Hawke's Bav : paper. , Mr Atmore proceeded to dea'l with the" Government when an objection was raised to his making a speech. A scene of somo disorder ensued but the Mayor held Mr Atmore to be in rrder and he continued his efforts to speak amid a constant uproar and counting rut. After a lapse of some time the Mayor declared the meeting closed and l"ft the chair amid cheers and a counter. demonstration, the motion not having been put. Interviewed after the meeting; Mr Massey made the following statement: "I intend to make another sneech hy way of reply to Mr Atmore, "I do not blame the Mayor for leaving the chair. What has taken place is themost miserable exhibition I nave experienced in mv 20 years of Parliamentary life, and I am now speakiim of the interference with the meeting by the member for the district, Mr Atmore, 11 , Mr Atmore afterwards, addressed ail impromptu meeting outside tko theatre.

PREMIER AT WESTPORf, .. March 17. Right Hon. W. l'\ Massey (Prime Minister) arrived from Nelson this evening, opening the Murchison Show eii route.. He was welcomed by a 'large gathering of citizens, who made him the guest at a complimentary dinner. At the conclusion some speeches were made and the deputy-Mayor, who presided, presented Miss Massjey, whose birthday it happened to be, with a very handsome gold: 'bracelet. Mr Massey delivered an address at the Irish national concert, and then gave a political address in the other theatre before a very large gathering. There the Minister was subjected to a good deal of heckling from the extreme Socialistic section, but the meeting Eassed off, on the whole, very goodumoredly, concluding with a Vote of thanks and 'confidence, which was opposed by the Red Federation section of the audience. A prominent Liberal attempted • to speak, but tile meeting declined to give him a hearing.