AN OPPOSITION GATHERING.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVI, Issue 14169, 18 September 1906, Page 4

AN OPPOSITION GATHERING.

MR MASSEY AND THE LAND POLICY. [From Our Correspondent.! NEW PLYMOUTH, September 17. .The leader of the Opposition (Mr W, I'. Massey), supported by Messrs James Allen, 0- Lewis, A. S. Malcolm, and 0. A. C. Hardy, took part this evening in. a presentation to Mr H. J. H. Okey, the defeated Opposition candidate for Taranaki at the recent election, In the course of his speech the leader of the Opposition made reference to the land policy of the Government. He said that the people of Taranaki would not deny that the most important thjng in connection with land settlement or recent years had been the optional system. That system, according to the new Land Bill, was to be abolished. Under the pretext, for it was nothing more, of reserving the Crown lands for certain purposes the possibility of the freehold was to become a thing of the past. The lease-in-perpetuity was to become a thing of the past, and in substitution the settlors or the colony were to be given a sixty-six years’ lease, with revaluation at tho end of the term. He ventured to say, speaking as a practical man to practical men, that the the change would not commend itself to the sturdy settlers of the colony. “They will simply not go on the land under such conditions,” said Mr Massey. “ The security of tenure is not sufficient. It is security of tenure that in past years has induced brave men and women to go out into the wilds, to cut themselves off from civilisation for years, in order to make homes for themselves. If we take away security of tenure tho most potent factor in inducing settlement of the land will have disappeared. Without security of tenure the colony cannot hope for prosperity.” The leader of the Opposition said that there were large areas of Grown land which could never he settled under the proposals of the Government, and as the best asset of the colony was good settlers it would be better to give the lands away than to have them lying idle' until a more liberal land system was introduced by some future government. Coming to the limitation, of area proposals, Mr Massey said that there was really very little in them. The fifty thousand pound limit, ho understood, would not affect one estate in Taranaki, and only two in Auckland, one held by trustees, and tilie other by the Assets Board. “ Personally, I am strongly in favour of subdivision,” said Mr Massey, “but only when it is shown to he necessary, and when it can be brought about without any hardships and injustice to those who happen to own the- land. Then there is a proposal to limit any one man’s holding to one thousand acres of first-class land. lam not clear ■ what first-class land is, hut I understand it means land worth one .pound per acre. 1 am going to leave the proposal there, hut I believe that the proposal in regard to the limitation to 1000 acres will do more to benefit the lawyers than all the other classes in the colony. As a matter of fact the present Administration has in connection with tho land proposals surrendered to the leaseholders and land nationalists. That is exactly what has happened, and the land policy put forward by them is not in the interests of the whole colony. It is put forward to please that section of the people who believe that a community of renfcpayers is better than a community of freeholders. Ido not believe so. I believe in land settlement with a straight out freehold. I believe in giving every man an opportunity to become his own landlord. The colony would have been the poorer had tho new land policy been in force in past years.” Mr Massey laid emphasis on the loss the New Plymouth Harbour Board would suffer in connection with the proposed reservation of the Crown land®, since the Board at present derived revenue from the sale of Crown lands. Ho added that neither his colleagues nor be himself would stand by and see injustice done to any part of the colony. The Opposition had not the slightest intention of going out of office. Its duty was to watch and criticise the Government’s proposals and administration, and, while it was true that the Opposition had many times saved the Government, from itself and from the electors, the interests of ■ tho colony must como first and party oon.siderations second. The Opposition wanted genuine Liberal democratic legislation, to see the colony made fit for a free and enlightened people. Tho price of liberty and clean goverufrieni was eternal vigilance. For that reason the Opposition proposed, in the future as in the past, to do its duty fearlessly and freely. Mr James Allen followed, and expressed ignorance and pessimism in' regard to the intentions of the Government and the future of things generally. “The incubus is gone,” ho said, “ but there are impressions left that it will take time to remove, and that injures our political morality. You know that as well as I do. I don’t know what the present Government is going to do, whether it is going to make the people self-reliant or drag them at the wheels of the Government as they have been dragged in past years. I don’t know whether they are going to reform the colony’s finances. They have started with a. certain measure of reform, reforms advocated by the Opposition for many years, but they have not gone very far, and they will have to go a great deal farther before they can satisfy those who know, or, at least, think they know, that there is great need of reform.” Mr C. Lewis mentioned the possibility of a dissolution. ” Let the Government bring along its dissolution,” he said. i- 1 don’t know that anyone who managed to get home on our side at the last election has much to fear from an election. I don’t know that wo could, meet with more adverse circumstances than we met last December. This threat of a dissolution is simply held out to frighten the purely professional politicians, the men who care for nothing but keeping a seat in Parliament, and who are prepared to subordinate their convictions, prostitute their manhood, put their eon Is in pawn, rather than do anything to bring about a dissolution or incur the displeasure of the Government. I don’t, think there is anything in these threats of dissolution, but still it is well to be prepared for such a contingency.” Mr C. A. G. Hardy and Mr Malcolm also spoke briefly. In replying to a vote of thanks, Mr Massey made reference to the Political Reform League, and introduced the organiser, Mr R. R. Martin. He said that the views and principles of the League were identical with those of the Opposition, and Mr Martin was devoting himself to the work of organisation. His efforts had resulted in the preliminary steps being taken for the formation of a branch of the League in New Plymouth, and he proposed to carry on similar work throughout the colony. The visitors were later entertained at supper.