POLITICAL SOCIAL.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXV, Issue LXV, 18 June 1913, Page 5

POLITICAL SOCIAL.

MINISTERS ENTERTAINED AT -.- ,- r ;. DUNEDIN.;- _ i; :,u. ...; rt

r BY -PBEBS ASSOCIATION. ; • i ■:-.■)', .-■■■■ DUNEDIN/June 18. ; At .-the' (iarnson iiail last iiight--the' :Prune •■■Alinister: and tne -tibn. 'Mr Jas.' i Alien addressed a very -iarge lnfeetilig ujli jjo{iCi.ea;l topics. ' •'<■'■'■■' • ■ ■< ' . la'e i'Hine iViiiiister, in opening', ideuiz at some leiigcn wth.the ditticui-1 -.ties' surrouiidmg iur Alien's mission to tiie Home Uountry to raise tiie three iniilioii ioaii;. -■■" Money, was dear ' and [scarce,-- and in addition' to that, there was the .European war, and uncivilised countries were clamoring for loans.1 He ipoiiuedoiit that had the loan not been' 'floated it would have meant a stoppage of the development of the country, and probably the thro whig put of empibv.nient or tiiree-foui'ths of the .worknien on public works'. He mentioned that during last month the deposits in. the savings, bank had . exceeded withdrawals by £100,000. ' He said that tor the quarter ended in June the Government Would have;placed on the'market". 111,848 .acres, divided into 354 holdings. . Hq dealt at some length, with the charges brought .against the Grovernm.e'nt, contending . that "._ every one had been made wi thout the least foundation. .'.' ' ' '.*.". ~" . . .'''.-. ; Mr "Allen's opening' remarks V«"ere confined mainly to : the floating of' the three million loan, which, he pointed, but, had been obtained on better terms that any previous -year's one, .the prmc;ipal reasons' being '/that, it was for ; thirty 'years, and several charges in. iconnection with the pi;evious.loans. had jbeeri avoided.. : Speaking pn.idefence, :lTr. Alien. sai.d .that.;-at Hqme he hadUfbt coiraiiitted" this;c6iihtj-y tb' any--[tiling, but he "had brought back certain . .for the .Cabinet to' adopt or iroiect^ as it.'thought fit; Her wished: to» the- country, that -there' wonld■be r no policy of; shipbuilding, and/that jther'p .-'would -be no extravagant.: ex,|penditur'e:, and all. that New -~' Zealand jwould do would be to make a modestto take a fair share-in theEiri^ fire's defence, and to make a beginjiing, at; any rate, in a permanent policy of ■ naval .'defence. • ■| -At-the ••-conclusion .-.of the meeting a; hearty vote of thanks was accorded to the Ministers, f■• ■ Messrs Massey and Allen, togethfv with the Otago niembers of the Honso of Representatives, and members of the Legislative Coun-' C-il. -were subsequently entertained at 4 complimentary social. y ' *'