Speech by Mr Massey.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XL, Issue 7990, 24 December 1904, Page 3

Speech by Mr Massey.

! Mr W. F Massej.the leader of the Opposition, delivered his first political address in Auckland en Thursday evening, during which he dealt at consider^ able length with the land question, £oing fully into the history of various tenures under which tenants could take up Crown lands. He said the Government by the introduction of their Fair Kent Bill year after year had shown they contemplated destroying the security of the lease in perpetuity because it could easily be understood the disquieting effect such a bill had on the settlers. At present men who are seeking to make homes for themselves and their families did not know for whom they were working. The man who was responsible for the trouble was the Bight Hon. the Premier, who had expressed sympathy with those who went round the colony last year preaclmig land nationalisation. He did not say there should be no leasehold tenure, but he held it should be a stepping • stone to the freehold which should ba available to every bona fide settler, subject to restrictions which wonld prevent the aggregation of large estates. It had been said that the late Wm. Eolleston and Sir George Grey were not in favour of the freehold tenure, but nothing could be further from the truth. Mr Massey quoted from one of Sir George Grey's last speeches m Parliament to show that his sentiments were strongly m favour of the freehold as against the leasehold tenure for Crown tenants. He held in regard to estates acquired by the Government out of loan money, that settlers should only be asked to pay the amount of the mortgage which the Crown held over the sections, because all other additional value was the result of the settlers' own energy and improvements'. Such payments for the freehold Bhould be plaoed to the credit of a fund for the purchase of further land for close settlement. For several yearß the Government has promised to reform the land laws, and bills had been introdnced for that purpose, but never proceeded with. He held that those membtrs who voted for the appointment of a Boyal Commission voted to still further shelve the question, and to save the Government from defeat; but he would continue to agitate on this question until they got a majority in favour of placing settlers on a secure footing. In dealing with financial matters Mr Massey said he believed the colony was thoroughly sound financially, and would be able to pay intoiost on all the money borrowed. He thought, however, that in recent years we had been borrowing too extensively. He fwely admitted (bat i we must continue to borrow for public works, but he strongly deprecated borrowing for Buch things as publio buiJdings and railway renewals, which Bhould come out of revenue, and above all foi j contingent defence. He objected to the system of abort-dated debentures, and he deplored the fact that by their system of finance, and by mopping up all ] the available money in the colony, the Government had made money dearer for every person in the community. In re. gard to the public accounts of ibe oolony, he held that the revenue of Buch depart, merits as Customs, Eailways, and "Lands, as well as the expenditure, should be subjeot to the audit of the Controller-Gene-ral, not by eaoh department's officers, i He referred briefly to the Joans recently placed on the market at 4 per cent. He noticed that Nat«l was placing a loan of two millions at 3y per cent,, and he thought it said very little for our credit if Natal was able to get its money at 3i per cent, while we had to pay 4 per ceni". He could not help thinking there was something seriously wrong with our financial methods when our credit was not better, and perhaps not quite so good as countries like Australia and South Africa, one of which had hardly recovered from a Benous drought, and the other from a serious war. He said it was rubbish to say that the prosperity of the country was due to the administration and legislation of the Government, but he would say that while the country had not much to thank the Government for, the Government had much to thank the colony for. Mr Massey concluded his speech amidst loud and continuous applause, which was renewed with vigour when a resolution expressing hearty thanks to Mr Massey, and high appreciation of the services rendered by the Opposition under his capable leadership during the present Parliament, in striving to secure economical administration, sound and wise legislation, and in defending the constitutional privileges, rights and liberties of the people, was carried unanimously.