THE PREMIER.

Feilding Star, Volume II, Issue 513, 26 March 1908, Page 4

THE PREMIER.

REPLIES TO THE LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION. v SPEECH AT ONEHUNGA. fPKK TKEM ASSOCIATION.] Auckland, March 25. The Prime Minister (Sir Joseph Ward) in a speech at Onehunga, tonight, 'replied exhaustively «to Mr Massey's Hamilton speech, and to a recent financial criticusm at Wellington He declared that the country was never in a more prosperous condition, and dealt at length with financial matters to show that loans maturing had been properly met, and that the public debt per head was outwoighted by the public assets per head He went on to speak of the Land Bill, showing that the Government had not attempted any nationalisation of land, btlt had endeavoured in ©very way to promote closer settlement. He denied that the Government had ever opposed advancs to settlers and workers. Referring to arbitration, he would not at that juncture refer to the Blackball strike, except to say he deeply regretted the strike had occurred, and no man was a well-wisher of the miners who advised them to take the course they had taken. He was opposed to imprisonment, and recognised that an amendment in the law in this direction was necessary. Parliament must consider schemes to remove anything like a dead level from the Court awards, so that an individual working harder or more scientifically than his fellows should receive the benefit of his labours. He denied that the Socialism of the Government was revolutionary in any sense of the term ; it was a Socialism that had done more for the small farmers than any legislation previously. The Government had determinedly opposed that revolutionary Socialism which had destroyed individual effort. Referring to the cabbage-garden policy, he said the people of the country were strongly onwosed-to the growing up in New Zealand of a Chinese population, and to the footing they had already obtained. The Government would do all in its power to prevent a continuance of the Chinese in the branches of industry which brought them directly in conflict as competitors with Euroneans, and no jeering from anyone would deter the Government from the course it was pursuing. In this respect he denied that the Government, in the tariff, had injured either the mining or agricultural industries; on the contrary, ooth mining and agriculture had been helped in numerous directions. No suggestion of coalition came from him, nor had it come to him from the Leader of the Opposition, and as the line of party demarcation was clerly defined, the project need not be seriously discussed. In conclusion, he claimed that the Government had recognised its responsibility to the full, and the same principles of progress and prosperity that nad guided the Party in the past would guide it in the future. A vote of thanks and confidenco was carried with cheers.