THE HON. G. FOWLDS

Evening Star, Issue 14574, 24 May 1911, Page 2

THE HON. G. FOWLDS

AND MR MASSEY. AN EFFECTIVE REPLY. [Special to tub Stab.] WELLINGTON, May ’23. The Hon. G. Fowlds, Minister of Education, made an effective reply to-day to the statement of the Leader of the Opposition in an interview that Mr Massey gave to an Auckland Pressman at the beginning of the week. In that interview Mr Massey is said to have vigorously denied the Minister’s charge that ho had appealed to the foreign money-lenders to put the squeeze on New Zealand, and then proceeded to offer what he called a few more nuts for Mr Fowlds to crack. The cracking was cheerfully accomplished by the Minister this afternoon, when, at the invitation of a ‘ New Zealand Times ’ reporter, ho replied to Mr Massey’s statements as they appeared in the report of the interview.

“Yes,” said Mr Fowlds, “I have seen the statements telegraphed from Auckland regarding Air Massey’s call on the moneylenders to put the screw on New Zealand. The interview is quite in Air Alassey’s best style. Ho recognised that he is in trouble over bis indiscreet and unpatriotic statement, and so tried to cover up his tracks and confuse the issue by a voluminous flow' of words and quotations. Aly plain charge is that he called on the money-lenders to put the screw on New Zealand. The only difference in Air Alassey’s quotation is that he called it a ‘brake’ instead of a ‘screw.’ Listen to (ho actual words from ‘ Hansard,’ where it is recorded that he said : ‘ 1 would like to say this; that if the electors of the colony do not, feel inclined to put the brake on, it will be a good tiling for the country ns a whole if the money-lenders do.’ No comment from me is necessary. If Air Massey does not sec and regret the enormity of the statement, J leave it to the intelligent judgment of the people of this country. And now about his wonderful discovery that 1 am a believer in the principle of the Single Tax,’’ proceeded the .Minister, “ 1 quite expect him to. announce one of these dijys that he has discovered that Julius Ctesar is dead. I thought every intelligent person in Now Zealand knew that fact years ago. As for his questions, his nuts to crack, I will answer them like this: I have advocated an increase of the Land Tax without exemptions, using the revenue so received for tho remission of other oppressive taxes, such as Customs, etc., and I have shown, as 1 did at Puketolio, that such a proposal would mean a large reduction in the amount of taxation paid at present by all tlie small settlers of New Zealand. 1 do remember, and with satisfaction, too, that I have frequently voted in Parliament against proposals made by Air Massey, and it was fortunate for the farmers of the country that there was a majority in Parliament voting against him when lie was opposing tho passing of the Advances to Settlers Act, sneering at the proposal as the setting up of -a State pawnshop. 1 do remember condemning the attitude of some farmers in Parliament who were contending that only fanners should be or. the Lands Committee, believing then, as I do now, that it was desirable that the interests of the landless workers of this country should be protected by the presence on the Committee of some of their representatives in Parliament.” in conclusion, the Minister said ho would like to state that when a majority of the people of this country thought Air Alassey and his friends would give better value for their £1,200 a year and travelling expenses than himself and his colleagues in the .Ministry, he would be quite willing to relinquish his position without feeling envious, but until then ho must stick to the post of duty. “And,” added the Minister, “when Air Alassey comes along with some more of lii.s alleged nuts we will crack them for him also.”