THE LIBERAL CAMPAIGN

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXV, Issue 16566, 2 June 1914, Page 9

THE LIBERAL CAMPAIGN

MR RUSSELL AT MILTON,

VIGOROUS CRITICISM OF REFORM FINANCE.

AN ENTHUSIASTIC MEETING. [Fbom Our Correspondent.] MILTON, June 1

This evening Mr G. W. Russell addressed between four and five hundred people at the Coronation Hall. , The Mayor presided. The speaker had a capital hearing with only one or two interjections.

The audience followed .the speaker ciosely and repeatedly broke out with k>ud applause. THE GOVERNMENT’S NAVAL POLICY.

Mr Russell first dealt with the question of defence, and said that the Government had recently materially altered its position on this question. When the Philomel was first arranged ior it was definitely settled that she was to-train men for tho navy with a view to their subsequent employment upon vessels owned by the dominion Then the Government proposed the purchase of a Bristol cruiser, but they were now going back on this, being alarmed by the open hostility to the Echeme displaced throughout tho country, and Ministers were declaring that it was proposed to go no further with the matter until after the naval conference was held next year. Thai declaration, however, need not proven! a discussion of tho Government’s pioposals. COSTLY JACK TARS, z The cost of the defence scheme Inst year was £768,000, made up as follow:—Land defence, £105,000; contingent defence, £23,000; training, £140,000; naval subsidy, £IOO,OOO. The Government had now abolished the naval subsidy, and the country, instead of having a direct claim upon the. protection of the British Admiralty wouid bo in the position of having dissolved partnership with Britain in the matter of. defence, and of being thrown ou its own resources. A sum of 1100.01)0 would remain for naval defence, but £50,000 of this would be devoted to the Philomel and the balance would so paid to the Navy. Mr Massey had fixed the annual cost of tho Philomel at £50,000, and Mr Allen said the snip would train sixty men. As the training period was three years the cost to the country per man, would be £2500. .. Mr Allen, of course, urged that the cost of naval defence was not Increased,- and that there was moifly a change in the method of expenditure but that was an obvious quibble. Time was no guarantee that even the small cruisers Pvramus and Psyche would remain in New Zealand waters when the subsidy was withdrawn. OVERWORKING THE CRUISER

Dealing with the proposal to cori--5 ®Wsfcol cruiser at a cost of £400,000, Mr Russell said the ship’s annual cost „to the country would bo £16,000 for interest, £90,000 for up and £40,000 for depreciatio i [fixing the effective life of the ship it ten years). Adding this £146,000 to the £50,000 per annum for the Philomel it would bo seen that naval defence in future would cost New Zealand £196,000 per annum, or nearly doublo what was being paid at present. For this sum, instead of the protection of the 3n,ish Navy the country would have one ship of 4800 tons, only 400 tons bigger thou the Wahine, to patrol the trade routes of New Zealand commerce from the Cape of Good Hope to Cape Horn, from Vancouver to San Francisco, from f!vdnoy to Wellington, from Sydney to Auckland and from Melbourno tiio Bluff. One ship of 4800 tons vis to be the sole protection of a sea-borne trade valued in 1912 at £1.762,000. THE LIBERAL NAVAL POLICY. The naval policy of tho Opposition was that there should be no New Zealand navy; that tho subsidy to tho Imperial Navy should be incronsed if necessary, and that tho money of tho country should otherwise he used as far as possible for purposes of peaceful development until New Zealand at-

tained hor majority as'a nation. New Zealand must not be placed in a position of subordination to Australia. The Liberal Party realised that if one Bristol cruiser were constructed, the programme could not stop there. If a naval war took place in the .Pacific Now Zealand’s only.hope,would bo with the British fleet at Hong Kong and Singapore. SAVINGS BANK DEPOSITS.

Speaking at Auckland recently, the Prime Minister had said that when tho present Government came into office it found tho London money market was against tho dominion and the deposits in tho Savings Bank had commenced to diminish. Air Allen, also, had stated that there was a tremendous j drop iu deposits before tho present Go- 1 vernment to'’” office. The plain facts of thq case were otherwiso. For years before Sir Joseph Ward went out of : office at the end of March, 1912, there was a continued excess of deposits over withdrawals. During his last year of offico this excess amounted to £837,000. • During the Alackenzio Government’s I quarter, in office tho excess was £218,000, but after tho change of .Government the position was reversed, and the withdrawals for the September and December quarters of 1912 and tho Alarch quarter of 1913, represented a succession of excesses of withdrawals over deposits. During the first year the present Government was in offico there was an excess of deposits over withdrawals of only £22,000, as against £837,000 under Sir Joseph Ward the previous year. The Mackenzie Government in one quarter of offico had an excess of deposits over withdrawals more than twico as large as the excess for eighteen months under the Alassey Administration. The speaker was glad to see that the last March quarter showed an improvement. People were again using the Post Office Savings . Bank, not because they had gained confidence in tho Afassev Government, but because they believed the Liberal Party would before long be iu power again. ! It was a significant fact that Air i 'Massey was at present engaged in male-1 ing comparisons against himself. He had compared the last March quarter with the Alarch quarter in 1913, and 1 showed that the position had improved ] by £348,000. He was evidently hugging the conviction that the tide had turned at last, and that the people' were looking less askanco at the ,Go-1 vernment than they did before. I THAT EAIPTY TREASURY. I

Mr Alassey had stated that when his Government assumed office the Treasury, was qjmost empty. This statement Air Russell denounced as not only incorrect, but absolutely untrue. On Juno 7, 1912, one month and five, days before tho Alassey Government assumed office, Mr Alyers raised a loan of £4,500,000. Tn his last year’s Budget Mr Allen admitted that £2,785,500 of this loan was for the repayment of advances for expenditure in London and £283,500 for other advances, leaving a balance for expenditure iu the dominion of £1,431,000. Not only this, but there was a surplus of £807,000 loft by Sir Joseph Ward, and which the Alackenzio Government had not touched, and f:\-m whjch Mr Aias.sev was able to draw £i <5,000 for public works iu his first year. There were also a number of accounts in credit in cash, as shown by Air Allen liimsclf in bis 1912 Budget, tho casn in hand on these accounts being no less than £687,000. This monov was independent altogether of the surplus and of tho borrowed money.

CONTRA LIABILITIES. The Stare Guaranteed Advances Account had £89,000 in casli; there was loan money to bo received amounting to £240,600, and there was unexexciscd authority ■ lor raising a loan tor the payment of £1 Bo< 000. The criticisms of finance made by. the speaker had caused tho Government to change its ground. It was now admitted that a surplus of £807,000 was handed over but Ministers urged that against this r£i 0 ’S be T \ et , liabilities amounting +? r answer to that was that there were liabilities against every surplus. The business of the country went on, and the liabilities of to-day wore the payments of to-morrow. Applying this method of deducting liabilities from surpluses to the surprises an-

| nounccd by Mr Allen in his Budgets it would be seen that the surplus of last year of £709,000 became only £420,000. The speaker wished to draw especial attention to Mr Massey’s statement that tho_ Treasury authority showed that £775,000 worth of promises had been made to local bodies, and that there was only £17,000 to moot them with. Under tho law, of course, the Government incurred no legal liability to meet these promises if it had not tho money. Tho policy of tho department all through had Ijeen to make commitments ahead of loans that were raised, because It suited the department and tho local authorities that tho money should he raised only ns it was actually required, in order that tliero might be no loss of interest on either side.

| Mr Allen himself had commitments to local bodies of no less than £-188,000 lon Juno 30 last, year. K was true ho. had £128,000 in the account, but a groat deal of that money would lie unprofitable until it, was taken up bv the local bodies. The speaker absolutely contradicted Mr Massey’s statement that when the present Government > took office there were £775,00 worth of promises and only £17.000 to nw with. His authority for the contradiction lay | in Mr Massey’s or-,, flu d get- for 1913. whero on pair" XVT. Mr Aden stated that on .Tune 30. 1912 (ton da-'-s before the Massev Government took office! the total commitments f-w the local h"d ; os loan totalled £7 11 .820 (not £775,000, as stated by Mr Massev), and th«“+ total fn-dr at that date were £90.783 (not £17.000. as «+n+,>d hv Mr Massey 1 ). Mr Massey was £143,000 out in his assertion

MR MASSEY'S BLUNDER. The speaker, however, had a duo I to the origin of Mr Massey’s misstatement of the position. The explanation was contained in the report of an interview which Mr Massey gave Inst .year in Auckland on May 5. Mr Massey then drew attention to a Treasury document supplied hythe Secretary of the Treasury (Mr G. T<\ ! Campbell), showing the position on August 31, 1912. This report showed that the total commitments not paid over and not included in provisional approvals amounted to £370.490. Set against this were funds available tota’lrtg £17.110, leaving a deficit of £053.390. But this was the position, not when Sir Joseph Ward left office, or when tlio Mackenzie Government went out, but on August 31, after the Massey Goverrrmmt had been eight weeks in office! The speaker could only reirard Mr Mrwsev ns one of those unfortunate individuals afflicted with short memories. If Mr Massey would only turn up the depart mental reports upon which he was relying for the facts of this scandalous story, he would see the utter inaccuracy of his statement. The speaker might add that oven if matters had beon as Mr Massey asserted they were, the responsibility rested not ou Sir Joseph Ward, hut upon the Stale Guaranteed Advances Board, as Sir Joseph attended only one meeting (the first)' of that Board. LOAN RENEWALS. The Government was making a great deal of fuss over the fact that this year £8.000,000 was required to renew the balauco of the Ward loan and Myers loan. During the seven years ending March 31, 1920, loans were falling duo 'totalling £21,800.000, of which £9,632.000 was payable in London, £1,700,000 in Australia and £10,400,000 j in New Zealand. The last-named ] amount, of course, was mostly Post 1 Offico Savings Bank money, and there was no question about it being renewed. During the last financial vear renewals amounted to only £238,000. it would hardly bo believed, in view of tho song Ministers were making about this matter,, that shortly after Mr Allen’s return from London, Mr Massey said that Mr Allen had al- j ready‘put in hand the, renewal of tho loan dao this year, and that unless some unforeseen difficulty cropped up, a satisfactory arrangement would ho made. In his Budget last year Mr Allen said: “This matter largely occupied my attention during my recent visit to London,, and I fully anticipate that a satisfactory arrangement will he made, when the proper time arrives, for raising tho money. 5 \et ;ho same honorable gentleman was now endeavouring to scare tho country with tho story of the huge financial operations that lav before tho Government. When Sir Joseph Word was in office he was constantly dealing with the renewal of huge sums, but he made no song about it. He took it simply as a commonplace affair of State business.

LONG-DATED LOANS.

One of tho statements made by the Prime Minister jn his speech at Auckland was that Mr Myers’s loan was •all taken up by speculators, and that it was a good thing from tho speculators standpoint, because it returned them over o per cent. It was interesting, in view of that assertion, to recall that while Air Myers’s loan was raised at 3£ per cent, and he got £99 for every £ioO of paper, Mr Allen’s loan was raised at 4 nor cent, and he got only £9B per £IOO. The money market had now improved, and it would be found, if Air Allen was worth his salt as a financier, that both Air Alyors’s loan and Mr Allen’s second loan would bo cheaper than the long-dated loan with which Air Allen started his financial career. Air Allen floated his last loan for ten years only, and not for thirty years. It was true the loan was subsequently converted into a long-dated loan, but tho conversion was practically inevitable under the legislation of tho Liberal Partv. and Air Allen had nothing to do with itMR ALLEN’S INACCUR ACIES.

In his recent speech at Alilton, Air Allen had given a shocking instance of his reckless inaccuracy when dealing

J with the affairs of his predecessors. When ho brought down his first Budget ■ he alleged that the liabilities of tho Public Works Fund on June 30, 1912, totalled £1,049,000. Tho department lat onco eontrndictecl this statement, ; showing that what Air Allen termed liabilities were merely authorisations. Amongst tho liabilities included in Mr Allen’s estimate was the cost of completing tho Midland Railway (with the Otira tunnel). Notwithstanding his own withdrawal of this estimate. Air Allen in a subsequent speech at Alilton maintained that tho liabilities stood at £1,049,000, nddinsr merely that “sometiling” should bo deducted for the M dland Railway. This “something” was a sum of £325.870. Air Alassey bad declared recently that a politician should tell “ the truth, the whole truth and nothing hut tho truth,” and ho added: “ Lot me say that if a politician cannot keep his position by adhering to facts, he should step ofF the p'at form and make room for someone eke.” The speaker had no hope that either Mr Massey or Air Allen would “step off ” the platform, hut at the end of this vear they would be pushed off. I FRENZIED ABUSE. There was a saying, “ Scratch a Russian and a Cossack will appear,” and it would really seem that the cultured Tories who now ran tho country lost their heads directly they were tackkd. Early this year a country bumpkin politician, one of Air Massey’s whips, sakl that during the strike the members of tho Onposition sat like harlots at the wayside, offering to sob themselves for votes. At Napier tho Prime Minister sa'd that there were men on the Opposition benches who would sell the ; v snuls for office, and would see ruin and cferrradntinn fall upon fhe country if thereby they could get hack to power. Those were not +he words of a ceo], strong man confident of winning and I sure of the support of the country at his hackTHE FAILURE OF AIR HERRIES. As Alinister of Railways Air Herries had proved a colossal failure. The revenue from the railways . under his administration had increased by only £72,000, while tho expenditure had increased by £174,000, a falling off in tho percentage of revenue to expenditure of 3.11. In 1911 tho railways earned, under the Liberals, £4 Is 3d per cent, in 1912 £3 19s 7d per cent, in the Alassey Government’s first year £4 0- 9d per cent, and last year £3 12s 3d per cent. It was- true the Government had the strike and the smallpox epidemic in the north as excuses, but Mr Herries had publicly estimated the loss from these causes at £SO,OQp. In the speaker’s opinion the only item that could he called an attempt at saving was the dismissal of casual railway hands. Air Massey had replied on this subject, but his reply was confined entirely to the case of the workshops hands, and . did not touch the way and works departments. Air Massey admitted that 350 men were shut out of work for four months, and he said they were taken on for special work in connection with the Auckland Exhibition. Yet from all over the country there were incessant applications for more rolling stock for tho settlers and for industrial purposes. It was significant that the railway revenue return for the last, March quarter should show an expenditure of £BBO.OOO, while for tho corresponding quarter the previous year the expenditure was £915.000. notwithstanding Air Herries’s boasted increase in wages and salaries. There was little doubt the saving was entirely accounted for by the dismissal of casual hands. THE CONVERSION OF THE TORIES.

Mr Homes was always innocently I charming upon the platform. In his I recent speech at Groymouth he admitl ted that in tlio matter of borrowing his Government had followed in the footsteps of the former Government. “Why blame us?” he asked. “Tim Liberals'ought tp say ‘there is more joy in Heaven over one sinner that ropenteth than over ninety and nine just persons who need no repentance.’ ” To a member of his audience who reminded him that ho had voted against old age pensions, Mr Herries said “Oh. yes; l admit it! A man can bo converted, can’t boP You have only to look at the Salvation Army to see a number of cases of conversion.” The sneaker was certainly glad to hoar of Mr Herries’s conversion, and felt inclined to shout “ Hallelujah !” Ho would like to see Messrs Massey and Allen in tire same position c i admitting that they opposed practically every one of the Liberal measures that they now claimed credit for administering, and might then be prepared to regard as sincero their alleged conversion to Liberal principles. In the meantime the speaker thought an old couplet, slightly revised, would meet their case—

The devil was sick; tko devil a Liberal would bo; The devil got well; tho devil a Liberal was he! NO OCCASION TO RUSH. One of tho most attractive planks, in tho platform of tho so-called Keiorm Party in i'Jil was tho establishment of a fund for insurance against sickness and unemployment. At lien Air Massey announced that at a meeting at Wellington someone called out, “That beats Ward.” Rut nothing had boon heard of tho proposal since until Mr Herries, a week or two ago, said tho Government was waiting. to see how Mr Lloyd ueorge’s scheme worked out

in England. he added that there was no need, to “rush 5 ’ the business, with emphasis ou the “ rush.” 'it was now nearly three years since the propsai was put forward, and it certainly had not been “ rushed ” through. There was nothing like the “rush” that was necessary to give tho Crown tenants the freehold at original valuation, to put through tho notorious Hauraki land clause, and to put the publis service under Commissioners. The party in power had no desire to “rush” any legislation for tho benefit of the masses of the people, but when it was a matter of land or property or titles they became remarkably activo. REFORMING THE PUBLIC SERVICE.

One of the charges made most persistently against tho Liberal Administration by tho party now in power was tho charge that the civil service was stuffed with political appointees and extravagantly administered. In their first classification the Public Service Commissioners increased the cost of the departments inidqr ;thcir control by £35,000 per annum. A now classification had just been issued, under which, out of 775 officers in tho departments concerned, 675 received increases. Tho salaries last year in these departments totalled approximately £IIO,OOO. The increase this year was £13,375, or about 12 per cent. There had been no dismissals, so the charge that incompetent persons had been appointed bv the Liberals for political purposes fell to tho ground, and while the speaker had no desire to criticise tho justice of the increases that were granted, having no knowledge of the valuo of tho services given, he desired to point out that these wholesale increases disposed absolutely of the charges of extravagance mado against tho Liberals. Ma massey and land settlement. f Va ? infesting to examine the fruits ¥i x }}\ Massey’s much-vaunted policy or settlement, more settlement, and yet l ° Fc settlement ” of tho land. It would sno P n ? tlCo , d that hi not one of his tho Prime Minister mencminn!.r 10 Wol .h ol ' the Government in Crown U ""'i'l the settlement of but he i, a ’V ! the current year, der the f C of his purchases unstwakev l n 01 Settlements Act. Tlio Smn ad bp i° re him tho Lands Do- i partment report for last year-, and page

j 66 of tliat report showed that in 1912 Sir Joseph Ward settled 1503 settlers on 472,000 acres of land, while in 1913 Mr Massey settled 1345 settlers on 355,000 acres of land, a difference in Sir Joseph Ward’s favour of 158 settlers and 117,000 acres of land. These figures included Crown land, land for settlements land and national endowment land. The Liberal Party had come to recognise the Land for Settlements Act in its present state as a blunted weapon, owing to the high price of land. The land policy of the dominion must he recast, and compulsory purcliaso must play a larger part. The Liberals during their term of office had dealt with 1618 resident and 515 non-resident village settlers, on 42,000 acres of land scattered throughout the dominion. The present value of improvements on those holdings was about £300.000. The rental was £S6IS annually and the arrears of rent on March 1913 amounted only to £176. Mr Massey’s record was rather different. Ho had to his credit one settler on otio acre in Auckland, ten settlors on eighty-one acres in Wellington and nine settlers on twenty-one acres of national endowment land in Otago, and that was all—twenty settlers on 103 acres. Before Mr Massey talked so largely about settling the gum lands of Auckland be should try his band at settling districts served by roads and railways. DWINDLING SURPLUSES. The huge surpluses' of the old days were disappearing under tile promised economical and pure administration of the Tory Government. In 1912 the surplus under Sir Joseph Ward’s adminwas £709,000, and this year it was £426,000. Mr Allen made a strong point in his speeches of an increase in revenue, but did not refer to tko expend iture, and for a very good reason. The Government had promised a substantial reduction of expenditure, and when ho was before the electors in 1911 Air Massey pointed put in accents of horror that under Sir Joseph Ward’s administration the expenditure had increased by £400.000 per annum for five years in succession. In Mr Massoy's first year of office ho increased the expenditure by £741,000, and in the second year he increased it by £744,000. an increase in two years of £1,485,000, which did not ooApare very favourably with Sir Joseph Ward’s modest increase of £400,000 per annum. As the total increase in rovenuo last year was £49,4,000, while the expenditure increased by £744,000, it would bo seen that the country went to the had by £250,000 under a Government which had promised to effect drastic economies of expenditure and magnificent increases of revenue. SELLING THE ST.viE’S FREEHOLD. Tlie speaker would admit what Mr Allen had pointed out, that £135,000 derived from cash sales of land on deferred payment had been transferred to the Lands for Settlement accouut instead of to the Consolidated Account, and that this, sum did not swell the surplus. That, however, was merely .a matter of book-keeping. The surplus had gone hitherto to reduce the amount borrowed for public works, and now this money from sales would go to reduce the amount borrowed for lands for settlement. There was no practical difference save this, that this money represented the sale of the State’s freehold. Hitherto this land bad boon leased, and the State bad been drawing a. profit of £70,000 per annum from it. Capitalised at 4 per cent this meant £1,750,000 which the State would lose when it parted witli the freehold of leased settlement lands. The desire of the Liberal party was always to hold this land as tho heritago of the people for future generations, but now there was a change of policy. Tho public estate was being dissipated, and all that Mr Allen could say. was that ho "'as paying tho proceeds into the settlement account and that it did not appear in the Consolidated Account. RATSING THE RATE OF INTEREST. Tho speaker had watched with keen interest the working of tho Advances to Settlors Department for tho present year. During his last year of office Sir Joseph Ward lent the settlers £2,174,000. Mr Allen in his first year lent them £937,000, being £1,237,000 less than, the amount advanced in Sir Joseph Ward's last year. Tho effect of the chnngo of Government was shown clearly in the returns that wore moved for last session by Messrs Witty and Olcey. . These returns showed the amounts raised on mortgage in the dominion in the last year of the Ward Administration and the first year of tho Massey Administration, with the rates of interest, charged, and the figures were as follows:

It jvould bo seen at ouce that ‘after the o per cent rate was exceeded the amounts ou the Massey side of tho triblo Mostly exceeded those ou tho ward side. The Government was not drawing its support from tho classes who were in favour of cheap money, and if Mr Massey proposed to-morrow to borrow £20,000,000 for the purpose if lending it at 4 per cent, and checking tho riso in the rate of interest, ns own party would desert him. In due course, when Sir Joseph Ward declared the Liberal policy, the ;peakor hoped it would be found to ncludo a largo extension of the cheap noney scheme, making Government onus available for industrial enter--1 rises as well as for landholders. THE COST OF LIVING.

In his recent speech Mr Allen admitted that tho Government had not touched the question of reducing the cost of living. Tho Mackenzie Government hud set up a. Commission to inquiro into this great problem, but left office before a report could be presented to Parliament. The Massey Government had never allowed the House a single opportunity of discussing this vital matter. In his speech at Lawrence a few nights ago, Mr Alku had attempted to show that the Government had done something to reduce the, cost of living, but tho evidence's he adduced were not impressive. Ho .spoke of the reduction of the land tax to widows with children, but it appeared that the reduction amounted to only £l2 10s per annum for a whole family. Then there was a reduction of income tax on amounts up to £-150 per annum to people with families, but that did not touch men who had to struggle along on 5Gs a week instead of tho £6 to £8 per week of tho beneficiaries under the- Massey Government’s income tax reduction. There was also an obscure reference to tho removal of a tax from standing flax, but that did not appear likolv to benefit any large section of the community. Mr Allen was able to. state that i the allowance for depreciation on machinery had been increased, from 2? per jent to o per cent, and that the interest payable on loans to local bodies n. the badeblocks was to bo reduced by mo per cent for ten years, and by half >er cent for the next ten years, but dl this did not appear to do very much e improve the position of tho great ass of tho public. ELECTORAL REFORM. It was generally believed that when r Massey, with the approval of both ies in Parliament, repealed {he :cond Ballot Act, lie would replace j,

it with tilts single transferable rote system. However, the result of the Grey election had shown the Prime Minister that on any fair basis of representation his party could command the support of not more than one-third of the electors, and ho had forthwith abandoned his promises of a better system of election and bad proceeded to gerrymander the doctoral law to suit the purposes of his party. It was believed that Mr Massey intended to bring down fresh electoral legislation during the coming session. This might take the form of (a) the single transferable vote; (b) grouped electorates in cities; (c) proportional representation over the whole dominion ; (d) proportional representation in the city electorates only. Mr Massey was not. gnnio to agree to the transferable vote, which would give the advantages of the second ballot without its disadvantages; proportional representation would not he acceptable to the country districts, so there were only two likely proposals left—to group the present city and suburban electorates, and conduct the poll on the principle of “first past the post”; or to apply proportional representation to the cities only. It was unfair, whatever the Government’s intentions, that it should deliberately refuse to disclose the nature of Me proposals it intended to bring down.

A CONCLUDING COMPARISON. Mr Russell proceeded to make a few comparisons between the two parties. Ho said that the Liberal Party had givon to the country tho old age pension, and had raised the amount to £26 per annum. Before leaving office the Liberals proposed to lower the age for women to sixty. The record of tho Reform Party was that it had opposed the old age pension altogether when it was proposed, but it had now given effect to the Liberal proposal to lower tho pension age of women. The Liberal Party had given the country the widows’ pension. The Reform Party now proposed to put a bit of paint upon the structure in the direction of allowing a widow’s children to retain tho pension upon the decease of their mother.

The _ Liberal Party established an educational superannuation .fund, set up a system of technical education, increased tlio funds of school committees, gave tho committees the right to select teachers, and e tablished manual in truction in connection with tho schools. The Conservative Party in two sessions had given junior teachers nn increase of £3O a year, spread over throe years instead of over six. The Liberal Party established tho Public Health Department; organised the hospital system and established maternity homes. Tlio Conservative Party had no record along these lines. The Liberal Party had raised the status of the railway service, and had given concessions in freights and fares amounting to £I,OOO 000 to the people. The Conservative Government proposed to raise freights for revenue purposes. The Liberal Party set aside 9,000,000 acres of land for national endowment and purchased 7.000,000 acres of land for settlement. The Conservative Government granted the freehold of this land to tho leaseholders at the original valuation and were tinkering with the national endowments. £

The Liberal Party established a cheap money scheme and lowered the rate of interest by 1 ner cent on at least £100,000,000, saving £1.000,000 to the people in interest. Tho Conservative Government had already.begun to emasculate this scheme anti was clearly acting in the interests of the financial magnates and money-lenders who put it jn power. The Liberal Party established a State Fire Insurance Office and consequently reduced fire, insurance premiums. The Conservative Party attempted to attack that office, but later changed its attitude, and was now claiming all the credit ! for it. The Liberal Party established State coalmines and considerably reduced the price of coal throughout New Zealand. They had also reduced Customs taxation by at least £900.000. Tho Conservatives had no record to place alongside cither of these. The Liberals had established an arbitration system, under which strikes virtually disappeared. The Conservatives’ remedy for industrial strife was the baton and special police. In conclusion Mr Russell said that when tho Liberal Party went back into power it would be to pick up its record at the point where ft left'off in 1912' and to give the country once again the blessing of a Liberal and Progressive Government, wbioh would, devote itself to the industrial, social and political betterment of the masses of the people, and not of a single privileged class.' At the close of the address, which occuniod two hours, a vote of thanks to tho speaker and confidence in the Ward party, was carried unanimously. The meeting broke up with cheers for Mr Russell and Sir Joseph Ward Counter cheers were called for Mr Massey but met with a feeble response Mr Russell afterwards held a meeting of Liberals when forty assembled. A Liberal Association for Bruce was formed and it was resolved to organise the district thoroughly.

THE LYTTELTON TIMES, TUESDAY, JUNE 2 J nounred by Mr Allen in his Budgets | with t.be affairs of his predecessors. i 66 of that report showed that in 191 v T m Y 1 j it would be seen that tho surplus of last When ho brought down his first Budget Sir Joseph Ward settled 1.503 settlors o |V Jaa J year of £7U9,UUU became only £420,000. ■ he alleged that tho liabilities of the 472,000 acres of land, while in 191 lie \ I All v Ippfl I he speaker wished to draw especial Public Works Fund on June 30, 1912, Mr Alasscy settled 1345 settlers o I/I f 1UU A US attention to Mr Massey’s statement that tho_ Treasury authority showed that £775,000 worth of promises had totalled £1,(549,000. Tho department 1 at onco contradicted, this statement, ; showing that what Mr Allen formed 355,000 acres of land, a difference i Sir Joseph Ward’s favour of 158 settler — — • and 117,000 acres of land. Tlies IT IS POSSIBLE YOU CAN SEE WELL AND YEi been made to local bodies, and that liabilities were merely authorisations. figures included Crown land, land fo BE SERIOUSLY STRAINING YOUR EYES. there was only £17,000 to meet them with. Under tho law, of course, the Government incurred no legal liability Amongst tho liabilities included in Mr settlements land and national endow You cannot tell yourself - USE, will decide this. -only a scientific test, SUCH AS WE Allen’s estimate was tho cost ol completing tho Midland Railway (with tho ment- land. The Liberal Party bad come to rc to meet these promises if it had not Ofcira tunnel). Notwithstanding his cognise tbo Land for Settlements Ac ERNEST M . SANDSTEIN tho money. The policy of the depnrt- • ment all through had lieen to make J commitments ahead of loans that were own withdrawal of this estimate, Mr Allen in a subsequent speech at Milton maintained that tho liabilities stood at in its present state as a blunted we? pon, owing to the high price of lane Tho land policy of the dominion must!) CASHEL STREET (Next Ballanlyne.), raised, because -it suited the depart£1,649,000, nddinsr morelv that- “somerecast, and compulsory purcliaso mus ment and tho local authorities that tho thing” should be deducted for the M dplnv a larger part. | 8. M. SAND'TEIN.l TB. FALCK. | money should be raised only ns it was actually required, in order that thero land Railway. This “ something ” was a sum of £325.870. Air Massey had Tho Liberals during their term o office had dealt with 1G18 resident an 515 non-resident village settlers, oi iriigbfc be no loss of interest on either sidf\ declared recently that a politician should tell “ the truth, the whole truth and nothing hut tho truth,” and ho 42,000 acres of land scattered through out the dominion. Tho present valu of improvements on those holdings wa about- £300.000. The rental was £861 annually and the arrears of rent oi March 1913 amounted only to £176 Mr Allen himself had commitments to local bodies of no less than £‘188,000 fhe m Ring | 1 on June 30 Kst, year. It was true he. had £t2S,000 in the account, but a groat deal of that money would lie unprofitable until <t, was taken up bv the local bodies. The speaker absolutely contradicted Mr Massey’s statement that when the present Government l took office there were £775.00 worth of promises and only £17.000 to nw with. His authority for the contradiction lay cian cannot keep his position by adhering to facts, he should step off tho p'at form and make room for someone el~o.” The speaker had no hope that either Mr Massey or Air Allen would Mr Masseys record was rather diifei out. ITo had to his credit one settle on ono acre in Auckland, ten settlor on eighty-ono acres in ."Wellington an | nine settlers on twenty-one acres o national endowment land in Otago, an There is t distinction about Tucker’s Engagement j| Rings which makes a strong appeal to all lovers of good § “slop off” the platform, hut at tho end of this vear they would be pushed off. I FRENZIED ABUSE. There was a. saying, “ Scratch a Russian and a Cossack will appear,” and it would really seem that the cultured Tories who now ran tho country lost their heads directly they were tackl’d. Earlv this vear a country bumpkin tast e. They are worn with pride because of their beauty. | in Mr Mnssev’s Budget- for 1913. where on pane XVT. Mr Aden stated that was all—twenty settlers on 10 acres. Before Mr Massey talked s of gems and attractiveness of design. We lead in always | showing the newest designs in this branch of the diamond |g that on June 30. 1912 (ton dare before tho Massev Government took office) the total commitments ter the local h"d ; os largely about settling the gum laud of Auckland he should try his band a settling districts served by roads an mounter s art. Can we send you a size card and m loan totalled £7 11 .820 (not £775,000, as stated by Mr Massev), and tbW +be politician, one of Air Massey’s whips, sakl that during the strike the members railways. DWINDLING SURPLUSES. , Catalogue. Our Discount: 2'° off Every Pound. |j total fn-fU at that date w'n-e £96.733 (net, £17.000. as s+n+„d bv Mr Mnssev). , Mr Massey was £143,000 out in his assertion of tho Opposition sat like harlots at the wayside, offering to sob themselves for votes. At Napier tho Prime Minister sa'd that there were mon on the Tho huge surpluses of the old day were disappearing under tile promise economical and pure administration o tho Tory Government. In 1912 th MR MASSEY’S BLUNDER. Opposition benches who would sell the" 1 * surplus under Sir Joseph Ward’s admin was £709,000, and this year it wa The speaker, however, had a clue souls for offiee. and would see rum and KER I IT JEWELLER... | 1 | to tho origin of Air Massev’s misstatedegradation fall upon fbe country if F. W. TUC . THE RING SPECIALIST AND AI J ment of the position. The explnnn- , tion was contained in the report nf 1 an interview which Mr Massey gave 1 Inst .year in Auckland on May 5. Air j Massev then drew attention to a thereby they could get hack to power. Those were not +ho words of a cool, strong man •■confident of winning and 1 sure of the support of the country at his hackpoint in his speeches of an increase i revenue, but did not refer to tho ex penditure, and for a very good reason The Government had promised a sub sta-ntial reduction of expenditure, an I Treasury document supplied by the SecTHE FAILURE OF MR FERRIES. 247 HIGH ST. iwmte nari uuimmgj;. e$ 1 rotary of the Treasury (Mr G. F. As Alinister of Railways Air Herries Air Alasscy pointed out in accents o j ! Campbell), showing the position on had proved a colossal failure. The horror that under Sir Joseph Ward’ cd that tho total commitments not paid revenue from the railways . under his administration had increased by only £72,000, while tho expenditure had administration the expenditure had in creased by £400.000 per annum fo five years in succession. Tn Air Alas over and not included in provisional approvals amounted to £370.490. Set i against this were funds available to- ! tn’lmg £17.110, leaving a deficit of increased by £174,000, a falling off in tho percentage of revenue to expenditure of 3.11. In 1911 the railways sey s first year of office ho increase! the expenditure by £741,000, and ii tbo second year lie increased it b' THE LIBERAL CAMPAIGN MP PTTRSR’.T.T, AT TVfTT/TO-N. A GROWN ALL SUIT i £653.380. But this was the position, 1 not when Sir Joseph Ward left office, earned, under the Liberals, £4 Is 3d per cent, in 1912 £3 19s 7d ner cent. £744,000. an increase in two years o £1,485,000, which did not eoAparo ver. VIGOROUS CRITICISM OF REFORM Is satisfaction at a price lower than any other firm in New or when tho Mackenzie Government , went out, but on August 81, after tho ! Massey Government had been eight in the Alasscy Government’s first year £4 0- 9d per cent, and last year £3 12s 3d per cent. It was- true the favourably with Sir Joseph Ward’ modest increase of £400,000 per annum As the total increase in revenue las FINANCE. AN ENTHUSIASTIC MEETING. [Fbom Our Correspondent.] MILTON, June 1. This evening Mr G. W. Russell adYOU may pay more and gain nothing — YOU may pay lesa and lose much. IF the men who have not worn a CROWNALL SUIT gave one a real test they would learn some facts to their own advantage. WE build a suit for yon, to meet weeks in office! Tho speaker could only regard Mr Afnreev as one of those un1 fortunate individuals afflicted with short memories. If Mr Massey would only turn up the departmental reports upon which ho was relying for the facts of this scandalous story, he would see tho utter inaccuracy of his statement. The speaker might add that Government had the strike and the smallpox epidemic in the north as excuses, but Mr Herries had publicly estimated the loss from these causes at £50,00j). In the speaker’s opinion the only item that could be called an l attempt at saving was the dismissal i of casual railway hands. Air Masrey year was £49,4,000, while the expendi ture increased by £744,000, it woult bo seen that the country went to th bad by £250,000 under a Governmen which had promised to effect drasti economies of expenditure and magni ficout increases of revenue. SELLING THE STjujsI’S FREEdressed between four and five hundred your own individual taste. even if matters had beon as Mr Massey HOLD. neonle at the Coronation Hall. . The THOUSANDS of men throughasserted they were, tho responsibility of the workshops hands, and did not Tlie speaker would admit what All Hfflvnr nraudad. Thci sneaker had a out New Zealand who gave ub a rested not on Sir Joseph Ward, but touch the way and works departments. Allen had pointed out, that £135,00( capital hearing with only one or two trial are now i«ore than customers, they are our friends, they recognise upon the State Guaranteed Advances Board, as Sir Joseph attended only one Air Massey admitted, that 350 men were shut out of work for four months, derived from cash sales of land or deferred payment had been transferee interjections. that we gave them good service, and meeting (the first) of that Board. and lie said thev were taken on for The audience followed .the speaker they are continually sending along LO \N RENEWALS special work in connection with the instead of to the Consolidated Account closely and repeatedly broke out witn new business to us. This tact needs Auckland Exhibition. Yet from all and that this, sum did not swell the 'oua applause. THE COVER KENT’S NAVAL POLICY. no comment. A good assortment of Overcoats In stock, all styles, heavy tweed and deal of fuss over tho fact that this year £8.000,000 was required to renew tho over the country there were incessantapplications for more rolling stock for tho settlers and for industrial pursurplus. That, however, was merely ,a matter of book-keeping. The surplus had gone hitherto to reduce tho a,mourn Mr Russell first dealt with the onesrainproof. ■ loan. During tho seven years ending poses. It was significant that tlm railborrowed for public works, and now this tion of defence, and said Government had recently that the materially Crown Clothing Mfg. Co. March 31, 1920, loans were falling duo totalling £21,800.000, of which way revenue return for the last March Quarter should show an expenditure of money from sales would go to reduce tbo amount borrowed for lands for altered its position on this question. (N.Z.) LTD. £9.602.000 was payable, in London, £580.000, while for tho corresnombng settlement. There was no practice When the Philomel was first arranged £1,700,000 in Australia and £10,490,000 quarter the previous year fhe oxdifference save this, that this money ior it was definitelv settled that she 174 OAa Rb ai. {upsTairs; • iu '■ New Zealand. The last-named pondi+ure was £915.000. notwithsinndrepresented the sale of tho State’s was to-train men for tho navv with a Business Honrs—9 till 8, Friday open till 9 amount, of course, was mostly Post ing Air Herres's boasted increase in lrechold. Hitherto this land had boon view to their subsequent employment p.m.* Bator day 1 p.m. i Offico Savings Bank money, and there was no question about it being renewwages and salaries. There was little doubt tlm saving was entirely accountleased, and tho State had been drawing a profit of £70,000 per annum from it. tie on vessels owned bv the dominion Government proposed the ed. During the last financial vear roed for by the dismissal of casual bands. Capitalised at 4 per cent this meant on xne nurchase of a Bristol cruiser, but thev newals amounted to only £238,000. It THE CONVERSION OF THE £1,750,000 which the State would lose were now Eoine back on this, being tamed hor majority as a nation. New , wou j c i ]j arc ilv |, 0 believed, in view of TORIES. when it parted with tho freehold of alarmed bv the otxrn liostilitv to the Zealand must not be placed in a posi 1 tho song Ministers were making about Air Herries was always innocently leased settlement lands. Tho desire of Echeme displaced throughout tho country, and Ministers were declaring that it was proposed to go no further with tion of subordination to Australia. Th 3 1 tli is matter, that shortly after Mr charming upon the nlat-forin. In his tbo Liberal party was always to hold Liberal Party realised that if oneBris ‘ 1 Allen’s return from London, Air recent speech at Groymouth he admitthis land as tho heritage of the people toi cruiser were constructed, tno pro | Massev said that Mr Allen had al-j ted that in the matter of borrowing lor future generations, but now there the matter until after the naval cmgrammo couia not stop were. _ n i 1 ‘ ready put in hand the renewal of tho his Government had followed in the was a change of policy. Tho public ference was held next year. Thai declaration, however, need not n rove, nr naval war took Place m tne aracino Jqq s year, and that unless footsteps of the former Government. estate was being dissihated. and all :>°w Aeaiano s do wire , m f orcsC!C1 v difficulty cropped up, “Why blame us?” he asked. “Thu that Air Allen could sav- was that ho a discussion of tho Government’s moLiie Dnusn ueeL ul nong ixong am. a satisfactory arrangement would bo Liberals'ought t-p say ‘there is more was paying tho proceeds into tho settlenosnls. oiLigdpurc. made. In his Budget- last year Mr joy in Heaven over one sinner that ment account and that it did not mim.v rsev tads SAVINGS BANK DEPOSITS. Allen said: “This matter largely ocropenteth than over ninc-tv and nine appear in tbo Consolidated Account. / The cost of the defence scheme Inst Speaking at Auckland recently, th< cupied my attention during my recent > visit to London, and I fully anticipate just persons who need no repentance.’ ” To a member of his audience RATSING THE RATE OF INTEREST. Tho speaker had watched with keen interest tho working of tho Advances to Settlors Department for the present year. During his last year of offico year was £/oa,uw, made up as follow Land defence, £C05,000; contingent defence, £23,000; training, £140,000; naval subsidy, £100,000. The present Government came into office it that a satisfactory arrangement wi found tho London money market was bo made, when the proper time arr i ., against the dominion and the deposits for raising the money. Xet .no in the Savings Bank had commenced same honorable gentleman was now i nto diminish. Mr Allen, also, had deavouring to scare the country with who reminded him that ho had voted against old age pensions, Mr Herries said “Oh, yes; l admit it! A man can bo converted, can’t ho? You have Government had now abolished the only to look at the Salvation Army Sir Joseph Marti lent the settlors naval subsidy, and the country, instead to see a number of cases of conver£2,174,000. Air Alien in his first vear of having a direct claim upon the. prodrop in deposits before tho present Go 1 tibns that lav before tho Government. sion.” The sneaker was certainly glad lent them £937,000, being £1,237,000 tection of the British Admiralty wouid When Sir Joseph Ward was in office to hoar of Air Herries’s conversion, and less than tho amount advanced in Sir bo in the position of having dissolved were otherwise. For vears he was constantly dealing nith tlio tefelt inclined to shout “Hallelujah!” Joseph Ward's last year. Tho effect partnership with Britain in the matter before Sir .Tosenh Ward wont out of • newal of liuiic sums, but ho nuitlo uo Ho would like to see Alessrs Massev °f the change of Government was of defence, and of being thrown on its effiee at tho end of March. 1912. there song'about it. He took it simply as a and Allen in the same nosition c i adshown clearly in tho returns that wore own resources. A sum of ilOO.Ol 10 was a continued excess of denosits over commonplace affair of State business. mjttirig that they opnosed practically inoved for last session by Alessrs Witty would remain for naval defence, but withdrawals. During his last year of LONG-DATED LOANS. every one of tho Liberal measures that and Okey. These returns showed the £50,000 of this would bo devoted to tl e office this excess amounted to £837,000 1 Linn, nf the statements made by tho they mow claimed credit for adminisamounts raised on mortgage in the Philomel and the balance would so paid During the Mackenzie Government’s 1 p-h™ Minister in lus speech at Auckterjng, and might then be prepared to dominion m the last year of tho Ward to tho Navy. Mr Alassei had fixed Quarter. in office tho excess was land me that Mr Myers's loan was all i regard as sincere their alleged conversion Administration and tho first year of the annual cost of the Philomel at £218,000, but after tbo change of .Gotaken up by speculators, and that it' was a good thing from tho speculators Ktnndnuint. because it returned them 1 to Liberal principles. In the meantho Massey Administration, with tho £50,000, and Mr Allen said the snip vermnent the position was reversed time the speaker thought an old coupnites of interest charged, and the would train sixty men. As the trail land tho withdrawals for the September let, slightly revised, would meet their figures wore as follows:— mg period was three years the cost and December quarters of 1912 and tho over 5 Der cent. It was interesting, 1 £, f ’ se^7 REGISTERED MORTGAGES. to the country per man would be March quarter of 1913, represented a i n view of that assertion, to recall that. .uie cievu was sick; tho devil a Liberal would bo; Rate of 1010-11. 1912-13. arcl Ministr U Massey Ministry. £2500. > Mr Allen, of course, ur*red that the cost of naval defence was not succession of excesses of withdrawals w hilo Mr Myers’s loan was raised at over deposits. During the first year 3£ per cent, and he got £99 for every £100 of paper, Mr Allen’s loan was was he! , • 92,000 G-1.000 increased, and that there was morel" the present Government was in office NO OCCASION TO RUSH | a change m the method of expenditure there was an excess of deposits over raised at 4 nor cent, and he got only One of tho most attractive planks, in tho platform of the so-called Keiorm thirty in 1911 was tho establishment of a fund for insurance against sickness and unemployment. When Air Alas- “ • . 7,902,000 G,7J £000 but that was an obvious Quibble. Time withdrawals of only £22,000, as againsf £98 per £10&. The money market had was no guarantee that even the small £837,000 under Sir Joseph Ward the now improved, and it would be found, • 2,669,000 3,810,000 9 , 2,411,000 5.194,000 cruisers Pvranms and Psvche would reprevious year. The Mackenzie Goif Mr Allen was worth his salt as a 1 main in New Zealand waters when the rernment in one quarter of office had financier, that both Mr Myers’s loan , 7 , 6G9.000 1,745,000 2 • 449,000 855,000 . 31,000 93,000 10 . 107,000 179,000 subsidy was withdrawn. an excess of deposits over withdrawals and Mr Allen’s second loan would bo , OVERWORKING THE CRUISER more than twico a3 large as the excess cheaper than the long-dated loan with 1 sey announced that at a meeting at Wellington someone called out, “That