Mr Seddon at Timaru.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XL, Issue 7792, 17 March 1904, Page 7

Mr Seddon at Timaru.

Freehold v. Leasehold.

A Bissolution Threatened

(Press Assosiatiom

Tiharu, March 17. A social was tendered to the Premier at Pair'.ie last night, when tho public hall was crowd.-d to excess. Many could not gDin adrniianco. Mr Se-idon spoke for over iwo hours, touchiug on all tha topics inter* sting tho public mind at tbe present time. He made a pronouncement regarding the Bank of New Zealand shares, stying that Mr Kennedy (tho chairman of the bank), had taken too sanguine a view in statin^ that the back would be able 10 fully meet its indebtedness to tbe. As_ets Bealisaticn Board in two years.. Id would not be dona for 5 year., as he (Mr Seddon had pvr-oioualy stated. He medn iliis 3titemeuc because, if Mr Kennedy's published statement was allowed to go without rom.tk it might be supposed i hat he agreed with it. The Premier spoke in the defence of the leasehold for Crown tenants and advised settlers not to be led away by statements of the Opposition who, in advocating the freehold, were merely workingin the interests of money lenders and their agents. If the Opposition had their way the money-lenders would get the farms and the settlers would get tho roads. Should the Government be outrooted on this questiou in the House, he would at once anplv for a dissolufion and appeal to tha people. He knew the result would be a strong pronouncement in favour of the leasehold.

Mr Seddon goes to G.raldme to-day and will attend the St. Patrick's Day sports there. LATER. At Timaru tj'is morning the Premier .expressed his cordial approval of Mayor Craigie's scheme to make a present to' the battleship New Zealand, and said he hoped the matter of a-Zgiit .rom the school, children would he heartily taken up iby the Education Boards a}_d school teachers. '