GREAT RECEPTION PRIME MINISTER AT MOSGIEL.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 76, 31 March 1914, Page 3

STRIKE, IMMIGRATION, AND FINANCE. (IT TELEGRAPH.— PR3SS ASSOCIATION.) , DUNEDIN, 30th March. The Right Hon. W. F. Massey (Prime Minister) addressed a large audience ab Mosgiel this evening. Mr. Massey received a great reception. After dealing with the Defence question (as reported elsewhere] he proceeded to refer to the late strike. It amused him, he said, to hear it stated that tho strike could have been settled in two days. Tho strike could not have been ended without a complete back-down of the Government, and that was a position he was not prepared to take up. He did his level best to settle tho strike, but it was absolutely useless. He blamed the leaders, who were as obstinate as men could possibly be. Ho had been threatened that if the strike was not settled the streets of Wellington would run with blood. There was only one thing to do— ask for special constables. Hundreds came, and the strike began to fizzle out, and shortly disappeared. He knew of cases where the women wiid to their husband t " lour place is not on the farm, but) at the harbours, maintaining law and order." (Applause.) No grander position was taken by any women than tho wives of those farmers who came to town. It was a revelation. He wanted to say that every man had a right to demand the highest price for his labour, but he would say that no man or set of men could say that others would not work. Many of the leaders of the strike were not New Zcalanders and were not Britons, and their stupidity, vanity, and obstinacy were responsible for the trouble. They would never get back what was lost by the Railway Department. Touching on the question of immigration, the Prime Minister said he was pleased to state that the excess of arrivals over departures last year was 14,219, which figures had been only exceeded once in the history of the Dominion. Of the increase it was worthy of remark that 12,098 immigrants had come from the Old Country. On the subject of finance, Mr. Massey paid special attention to a statement by the Leader of the Opposition that the Government had borrowed a great deal more per annum \ than ever tho Ward Government had borrowed. Perhaps that was so, and he was prepared' to admit it was so, but the Leader of the Opposition had not told the whole story. He had not been candid. Th<s Government had, for instance, to borrow this year £8,000,000 to repay shortdated debentures incurred by its predecessors. (Applause.) That was why they had to borrow more, and it was well for the people (o remember the fact. As regards Sir Joseph Ward's statement as to taxation, afeo exemption of improvements, Mr. Massey quoted a return from the Valuer-General showing that the effect of the graduated land tax was to assist occupiers of small holdings, and not owners of large estates. (Applause.) The speaker also traversed a number of other subjects dealt with at Tapanui and on the West Coast. A vote of thanks and confidence in the Government was carried with cheers and without a dissentient voice.