ON THE PLATFORM.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1294, 24 November 1911, Page 8

ON THE PLATFORM.

WELLINGTON NORTH. ADDRESS BY DR. IZARD.. • Dr. ly.ard, Government candidate for' tho Wellington North scat, addressed a meeting ol about lillO ejectors in St. Paul's scliooirooui, Tinakori Jioad, last oveninjf. Mr.K. JJavenport presided, The candidate was given a good hearing, there wero hardly any hoslilo interjections, and ho was frequently applauded. . 11l Hie early part of hjs address Dr. Izard admitted that tho Liberal Govern ment had made some mistakes, but contended that such reforms as were eallwl for should come from within. The policy of the Government had rnado upon tho whole for prosperity. lie heard people say throughout tho country: "Wo are tired of Ward and we don't want Massey." Gratitude seemed to he an. extinct virtue, lie would urge tho electors not to reject Ward until they wcro sure of getting someone better—somcono who would introduce a more progressive policy. (Applause.) Dealing with the land question, Dr. Izard said he preferred the leasehold, lie did not believe ill putting endowments on tlio counter and soiling ihem. It had been said that the Liberal Government had no land policy. Under the existing Acts, there R'eru uo fewer than eight different tenures. The land policy of the Liberal Government was to have a .variety of leuurcs. In 10 years nearly five million acres had been settled. Since Sir Joseph Ward took offico some .33,000 jieoplc had been settled on two million six hundred thousand acres. Mi-. Massey had claimed that his hands were empty, but clean, but his policy in regard to Crown lands entailed giving between four and five millions to tho tenants. This must not be called a bribe. Tho Conservative had always been after tho unearned increment and tills was a little. inducement that Mr. Mn.ssoy lipid out in the hopo of being returned to power. Dr. Izard advocated an increase in tho graduated land tax. The big land-holders would squeal, but ho said: Let 'eru squeal." The Maori was not tne land monopolist that the Opposition would have people believe. There were about three million acre 9 of Native laud left and very little of it was suitable for settlement.

A voice: Oh, rot! Dr. Izard said it was • a strange thin? that soma peoplo always talked about what was uppermost in their minds! (ni I l ' A 1i ere ,, !lacl 1)65,1 a great deal of J, al *'about 1,10 Jl °k a <i case, but ho submitted that tho Government had done a very fine stroke of business in getting a syndicate to Uke to the Mokau lands, build roads and bridges, and make the lands ht tor settlement. Dr. Izard commended the Death Duties Act. He quoted circulars issued by the ondncer-iu-chici, under the last Conservative Government, directing that the rate of pay for unskilled labour should be Gs. per day> At .the same period ratos of pny on relief works were fixed at 3s. Gd, per" day for married meai and 2s. Gd. for singlo men hi or near the town, and 4s. 6d. per day for married men arid -Is. for single men, iu the country. Tho Liberal Government, lie claimed, had done a great deal to rai.se wages. A commission should bo set up to map out and schedule tho railways required in the whole Dominion, and money should be borrowed every year until these railways wore all constructed. Touching upon charges levelled against the Government, Dr. Izard siuT! that these would not matter at all but tlut a great ma'.iy -people believed theiii to bo true. The Opposition should either withdraw or substantiate their vague insinuations. . Apparently they careu little for this country, since, in order to gain office, they tried to damage its credit. Dr. Izard entered into an elaborate defence .of State Socialism, and claimed that its whole eli'cct in New Zealand had been to protect the public from abuse. Having answered a number of questions bo was unanimously accorded a voto of thanks and confidence.