POLITICS WILL BE LIVELY

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 7110, 23 April 1910, Page 1

POLITICS WILL BE LIVELY

MR MASSEY’S PREDICTION THE LEADER OF THE OPPOSITIOH ! INTERVIEWED. THESS ASSOCIATION.! :■! A SHBUPTON. April 22. In an. interview with a * r Guardian j reporter Mr leader of the Oppo- ■ sition, who spent the day in this district* J said so lar as the party with which ho T: was connected was concerned matters [ were brighter than they had been during tl the past fifteen years. Ilcferriug to; the ; /;J Government’s promise to bring down a A Bill providing amendment in the system of local government for country districts, ; ?, he said ,he sincerely hoped their promise i would bo kept, because the present sys* : 1 tern was very much behind the times. Vi Local bodies' should bn given much of I the work in connection with roads ami y| (bridges which was suupposed to bo done i ('by Parliament, but really done very | badly and would bo much . better dona m by men on the spot, lie did not know 7. what the Government intended to do in' regard to the land question. • They ■ J I brought down a Bill last session,, but/ j abandoned it, very much, to the amuse- yj meut of the Opposition and the relief of ' v ’the Government’s own supporters. Tho burning question in the North was really the settlement of native lauds, but much as he would like to ggo the Question tackled ho doubted verv much whether it would be done next session. It was a ;; shameful state of things that millions of , j acres of land, good, bad and indifferent, should be allowed to lie idle, paying neither rates nor taxes, and improving in value through the making of roada ; and railways and the industry of European settlers on adjoining lands, while settlers were actually leaving the country because they could not get land. Mr Massey said’ they were looking forward with interest to details of the retrench-';.- < ment scheme of which they had heard so much. A number of interesting questions had cropped up during the recces which had been only partly dealt with last session. Bor instance, that official adviser in London, the disclosure in connection with the High. Commissionor’« office, the different inquiries held in Wei- / lington in regard* to the working of the . Land and Income Tax Department, and the Knvvett case. All these questions _ and many others must bo dealt with dur- r* ing the coining session. lie thought it> quite safe to predict that 'next session would be quite lively and interesting to those concerned in politics.