THE PRIME MINISTER'S TOUR

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 101, 26 October 1925, Page 9

THE PRIME MINISTER'S TOUR

PROGRESSING SOUTHWARD

PRIME MINISTER ON TOUR

ADDRESSES IN KING COUNTBY.

(BI TELEGRAPH,— SPECIAL TO TUB POST.)

NEW PLYMOUTH, 25th Oct.

The Prime Minister's tour of the North Island is progressing southwards, and he arrived at jSTow Plymouth this evening after enthusiastic receptions at Te Kuiti and in the King Country and Taranaki districts. He concluded the tour of the Aueklaucl district on Saturday, visiting three electorates and addressing five meetings.

On Saturday morning Mr. and Mrs. Coates left Cambridge for Horahora by motor-car, and on arrival at the power station the Prime Minister ad-dressed-the staff. A second attentive hearing was accorded him when he addressed a meeting of tho Public Works men engaged ou the hydroelectric scheme at Arapuni. Ho said that his scheme for improving the Public Works organisation did not mean that wages would be lowered. "You can't get results by cutting down," he said; "but by encouraging tho men to do their best. I don't worry when I hear that a man is earning two or three pounds a day. The thing that counts is the cost per yard." He went on to say that the Labour Party had yet to say that there were no extremists or Communists supporting them. It was no uso burking the question, for seeds were being sown that would undermine our Constitution, which was the best of all, and all good citizens were going to stand by it and. the flag.

Mr. Coates asked whether the men had any grievances, but it appeared from their demeanour that they were a contented lot.

"GIVE HIM A SHOW"

...Mr. Stewart Reid, • Reform candidate [or Waikato, also spoke at Horahora, urging those present to support Mr. Co.ites, and "give him a show." The touring.party were.entertained at lunch by Mr. Handman, resident officer for the Arapuni contractors, and then left by car for Te Awamutu, en route to Otorohanga. A stop was made ladies of the party at afternoon tea. The at Te Awamutu, where the'ladies of the district entertained Mrs. Coates and the party then entrained for Otorohanga, where the Prime Minister was given a Maori welcome, lifter which he addressed both Maori and pnkeha, urging the former to vote for Sir Maiii Pomaro and the hitter to support Mr. Eolleston. At all these meetings, votes of thanks and confidence were carried. "FATHER OF THE RACE" The desire of certain of the Maoris of the King Country to be relieved of rating on their lands was communicated to tho Prime Minister at Otorohanga on Saturday afternoon. They asked that the Rating Act, so far as it affected Native hinds, be repealed, but Mr. Coates. as Native Minister, warned them against such a move. When the Prime Minister arrived at Otorohanga Town Hall to make one of his campaign speeches, he was welcomed by the women of the Maniopoto tribe. Many of them were of high rank, with tattoeed lips, and in their handsome mats they made a. picturesque spectacle. With chant and elo quent gestures they welcomed Mr. Coates as the "Father of the Race," exhorting him to be strong, and expressing the hope that he, would come back to them many times as their Prime Minister.

At -a later stage, Mr. J. A. Ormsby spoke of the many disabilities of the Natives in the matter of their lands, iincl said they understood that in the dying hours'of the session the Act had been amended so that Native lands could be alienated by order of the Court. They did not know where they stood, and asked that the clauses of the Act affecting them be repealed. The question of rating was, an old and long-standing one with tho Natives, and a burning one. The- reduction in the value of the sovereign, and the difficulty of arranging finance, were very real problems, and lie mentioned .that only a little over a million acres remained in the possssion of the Natives. Where Native properties lay-v behind European lands, the Natives could not get road access, and to them it seemed that this condition was inequitable. Mr. Coatcs was their Minister, and (hey only brought the matter under his notice, to inform him of the feeling of his people. ' The Prime Minister said ho wanted the Maoris to understand that he wanted them to become 'useful citizens. N6\v ] Zealand was proud of its Maori people, | and believed that tliev were ammi" tho I I'sst of i!s eifens. They should recngj ni.-e (hat no nation could progress un- ! lo.'-i! it* jin.nple wor!-:?d as the nalroha j •.v<ir)-:od. i !i<> most Hnlwiiy ppo:i!c were' | t;.'>^ v;ho had linthim: to do. "llnw I can !i:r :v;:in;-j ;•" ip'n n-J: for rpnds. and ; 'lil- I. ■\>,''.i':f. ,;f ;■;.;;.:•■ ;; ;; :in ,l Mtl'Pl -|]inf.----j 1.-.-:-; ihev „!■.■_ !; re,)i:.vd 'v, cT.trii.utc i \>V.V V.,1:,.: oil hi,!--'.:: li;--l -■.-," i)Oi' iildividi >■;.■•' !i*--d. \>f y.v. :,,! ; !, !? yon to y,.{ :-.'. Ih.-ti V;;tivr l.it.d "th.nnUl' net vny nitps you nro only MU^rptinc Br-im-lli'iti"-I I hat ivil! lend to a lot v! troublp/' he I The I'riino Minister explained tl'.-it I with flic tnlinna) bHnrj; pet up, the Maoris would have a Court to «o to. There wove probably many old '»riuvanres that had ivcrliaps not been looked into, and the Maoris were beiri',' asked to go to this tribunal, which would say whether they should pay or not. lie was anxious to do the best for his Maori peopled Tt might be found necessary to make some alteration to the Act, but in the meantime the Government was having a .stock-taking made, so as to In; in a position to determine how best the question could be dealt with. At, tho conclusion tho Maoris gave another friendly demonstration. The I'rinie Minister addressed a. hu]/i' audience in the People's Picture Palace at To. Kuil.t in the nvenini,', and received an ovation. After ho'liurl pniil a tribute to tho late Mr. Massey, Mr. Coatcs expressed his confidence "in the future prosperity oi th« Dominion, He

expounded his policy and exposed the weaknesses in many of the proposals beiii" put beforo the country by thc^Labour Party. Ho' urged the electors to send Mr. Rolleston back to assist him to carry on. There were one or two interjections during t_bc address, but the Prims Minister had no difficulty in satisfying the great majority of his hearers ■with his replies. A vote oV thanks and confidence was carried, with a- few timid "noes" from the back of the hall. This was followed by round after round of cheers, and Mr. Coates was detained for some time shaking hands with his admirers. | AMONG THE DIGGERS At, the conclusion of the address, Mr. Coates was entertained at a, complimentary social, organised by the returned soldiers, who came,in from all parts of the district. There were about 200 men present. The utmost good-fellowship aiui camaraderie prevailed. . There is nothing stereotyped'about these- Te Kuiti gatherings, the formal toasts, except those of "The King" and "Our Guests," were dispensed with, and others such as "Army Nuisances" (bugs, adjutants, mud, and 'brass hats') and "Paris Leave," gave scope for n^nny, a witty story. All ranks paid tribute to the Prime Minister's . qualities as a leader.

"I didn't know I was half the bloke you say I am," was the Prime Minister's opening to his reply, and he went on to say how much he appreciated his welcome, although he had not deserved half of it. Mr. , Coates. spoke of the quality of the men of the New Zealand Expeditionary Forces, and said that it was entirely due to them that so much had been accomplished, for it was impossible to get anywhere without the goodwill and co-operation of the men. It was to these men that we owed our present freedom, and the spirit that animated these men would enable New Zealand to main-, tain the highest idenls. The Prime Minister made a brief reference to the late General Melvill, who, he said, seemed to understand men and got the best out of them. "I think we have lost a man who would have made good in New Zealand to a remarkable degree," he concluded. ■' ■ ■ '■' :

Mr. Coates was escorted to his hotel by the enthusiastic diggers, who conveyed him in a farmer's buggy, drawn by a pair of horses, through the streets.

THROUGH TARANAKI

I Sunday was spent in motoring through the picturesque region between the King Country and Taranaki, and the party reached New Plymouth in tho evening. The Prime Minister will address a meeting at Inglewood to-morrow (Monday) . afternoon, this giving an oppor- ! tunity for the people of Waitara, Ingle- ■ wood, and the surrounding districts to j hear him. In the evening he will speak jat New Plymouth, and on. Tuesday j; morning he will proceed by motor ; round the mountain to Opunake, where he will open the Opunako-Te Roti railway.,.. He will proceed to Hawera in the oai'ly evening, and will speak later at Stratford. On Wednesday Mr. Coates will unveil a war memorial at Wnverlev.