THE MEMBER FOR GREY LYNN.

Mataura Ensign, 29 September 1913, Page 2

THE MEMBER FOR GREY LYNN.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir.~~ilef erring to "i'air Play's" letters of September 10 and 22, m which ho is trying to expose misrepresentations of newspapers, I would just like to draw your .attention to what I consider to be a broach of literary etiquette ou his part. 1 refer to his iinst paragraph within inverted commas in his letter of September 22 which ho says is Mr Payne's explanation but 1 contend that it is not. "Fair Play" states that "most of the Liberal papers are being bought up with squatters' gold. These join the ranks of the Conservative press, and all unite in publishing innuendoes ■against the Liberal Party." This can only bo taken as one of "Fair Play's" imaginative creation. The' squatters have no special interest with the lieform Party, as it is a well-known fact that Hon. W. F. Massey and his party advocated during and prior to the last election an increase in taxation on largo land estates with a view of having them burst up, and on coming into office the Prime Minister at once carried this into effect.

"Fair I'lay" says, "It has cried against excessive borrowing but in its first year of office tin; Conservative Party has exceeded Sir J. (J Ward's average by £1,000,000." This, f contend, is not so. Mr Ma&soy certainly did oppose, and rightly .so, extravagant expenditure where tho Dominion did not get value for the bum expended. Except for this ho never opposed borrowing and, writing from memory, Mr Masscy expressed tiii.s view (as .lie ofI ton did before) on the want of conI fidence debate in February, 15)12, I I will quote portion of a s]ieed'i by Sir IJ. G. Ward delivered after the last l elections: "Prior to the first ballots being mad. -1 known, lie (Sir Joseph) had made pn uminary arrai.ge/moiUfv for (raising a h.un of about £4,000,000; but j when lie .saw tin? result of the first ballots and the insecurity of the second ballot Jie came to the decision that it j would not be fair, until the final results i went known, to go any further with the .natter." Further on in this speech he says, "If the results hiul. been different £■1,000,01)0 of capital would have, been introduced into New Zealand, and if thatvhad been done the tightness in the money chest complained of by business people in various paids of the Dominion would not have occurred." Hon. T. j!i'( kenzie on June 11, 1912, speaking on the £4,500,000 raised by Hon. A. M. Myers (Minister for Finance) said, "The loan was principally for repaying old loans maturing, and for paying for the Dreadnought. Full details would bo given to Parliament at the earliest opportunity." Taking these two statements they prove: (1) The country required borrowed money to the extent of about £4,000,000 in 'November, J 911, otherwise Sir Joseph would not have negotiated for it and if the country had returned more Liberal members that vsuin would have l«?en obtained, and ■would have been shown in the Financial Statement for the year ended March .SI, 1912. (2) Insecurity of oflice caused Sir Joseph to delay liorrowing and after Hon. T. Mackenzie took office at the end of February or the beginning of March it took him until early in June, J912, to complete negotiations for his £4,.W0 .000 loan and 'all this time tho country wna carried on in a. hand-to-niouth sort of style, borrowing'whore it could to keep above water. (.'I) "When. the loan of £4,000,000 was eventually raised it wa.s required "principally for repaying old loans maturing and. for paying for the Dreadnought.'' Though inquired in November, 1911, if. was not until about seven months afterwards we received it and then a. large part was swallowed up as almve. (4) Much of the stringency in the money market in this Dominion could have been avoided if Sir Joseph had assembled Parliament, immediately after the elections, found out if lie was strong enough to carry on ■and if so continued negotiations re the. loan; and if not strong enough allow

smieone else who was to carry on the affairs of the country. Instead lie clnup, to office lor throe mouths before assembling Parliament; although the loan had to be faced eventually by the i Mackenzie Mini-.try who.se tenure of office was jn-;l: ••■■; insecure. Now, in July, 1912, the M.H;eii:v,o Ministry was ousted and Hon. \V. I ( \ Ma-sey too!; office, this loan of £ I,r>()O,(XK) being shown in the Financial Statement for thu year ended March HI, 191.1 Although "Fair Play" credits the, Ma-.s-.sey Government with borrowing this yet it was borrowed and much of it spent before it took office. "Fair Play" quotes Mr Payne's second ballot pledge, to show eonsiteney. ''[ will not go down to Wellington to support either Mr Massey or Sir Joseph Ward, but will aim at the formation of a Labor Party in the House." Dkl he do this? No; the next we hear ol Mr Payne is arranging (seeing it is no pledging) with Mr Masv,ey_to whip t.ie other Labor members into line and overthrow Sir Joseph. "Fair Play" gives us as a reason tor a man changing his mind that it is because be has one to change; I admit in moderation that is so, but there are extremes. To illustrate mv point we v.'ill, for argument/.'; sake, take a man who holds the view that there is no 1 Supreme Being, and although the best preachers in the world may plead w ! Mi him and he can get within his reach the be-t books printed on theology, ho i.'m still obdurate. In a case like that "Ka;r Play" win readily r-dmit that that irr/i j has no mind to change. Now in ; --i' Pavne's ca-se the other excrenio apolu■ ; . i So far it has I wen difficult to decide i which iej "the leader" and which isj

"the. lead;' probably they work "individually," not, "eollectively."—l am, ok-., "PLAY FAIR." Pnkeiau, K•ptomber 2(>, 1913. [This loiuv had to bo curtailed on account of tin' exigencies of space.—Ed M.i':.]