THE OPPOSITION

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 7448, 24 May 1911, Page 1

THE OPPOSITION

SPEECH BY MR HERBIES PUTTING THE PLATFORM BEFORE 'THE PEOPLE.rSOU OUB SPECIAL EEPOETE3. PALMERSTON, .May 23. Mr W. H. Hurries, M.P. tor continuing bis campaign in tbe Opposition intwests, spoke in tbo Municipal Hall of the Opora House to-n-ieliL the audience comprising nearly a hundred. Councillor. Armstrong presided in the unavoidable absence of the Mayor. Mi* Guthrie, M.P., was on the platform, but the local member. Mr Buick, was absent owing to indisposition. Mr Horries explained that his visit was part of a systematic arrangement by which the Opposition platform should bo properly'put before tho people. An extraordinary change had come over tbo Government, which, had ideals quite different from those of the Seddon Government. He was bound to say that a large amount of good was done to New Zealand by tho wave of Liberalism which swept over it in 1890, and no doubt when tho fervour and enthusiasm of Liberalism was upon tho BaUance and Seddon_Government it did - good work. But Liberalism was not so far-reaching nowadays. The Acts of the present Government were class not touching the masses. To take the National Provident Act, which was a good ono, tho keynote of that was given when the first person to pay bis contribution was Sir Joseph Wards son. “That is the keynote," continued Mr Herries. ' "It is more for the sons of the" well-to-do than for the ordinary working man,"though I ‘hope it will eventually -assist the working man, who is the person who really wants itOPPOSITION POLICY PROMISED. Nobody knew what the present Ministry was going to do. though in-tho old .days there was a very definite policy; but the Opposition was prepared to put before.the electors a definite, straight-out policy, and could stick to it. If it was not approved, then they would fall. . Ho criticised .Hie Administration’s loan-raising methods, declaring that ‘the country sustained a severe rebuff when (he five million : loan was floated. .. ; ■ TAXATION. - . In his 1310 budget the Prime Minister put on) A44S 000, in taxation,: but qaired an "extra- expenditure ‘of -.£330,000, eo that ,£115.000 was taken from tho people Without rhyme or reason. A voice; iWhat I ''wbd'ld" yoii do? 1

.Mr Herries: If wo were,, in power- we would reduce taxation. (Applause).- It was this increased , taxation which -gave tho big surplus, , an entirely unnecessary one. Tho 'enormous transfers of money from the surplus to- the public works fund was a sign that the people were, paying far too much taxation. - The Opposition believed- in - putting the pruning knife heavily into expenditure. He congratulated the Acting-Minister of Finance on the country’s prosperity, and agreed with 1 him that it was good to borrow,for reproductive works, but a good deal; was wasted through 1 inefficiency. Railways cost per mile to make in 1900. but the cost of lines made or ‘ purchased by the Ward Government had amounted to .£19.192 per mile. There was a terrible waste of money on backblocks road construction. Bridges were sometimes made and left to stand years without . approaches. Apparently the system of roadmaking was to make a bridge, and the money ran out before the work was completed leaving the hopeful settlers to “do a perish” during the winter. . Most of tho next grant was used to clear slips. LAND SETTLEMENT. ; There were, only two systems of land settlement—one was by means of leaseholds, or land nationalisation. The other was to settle the land' by the people owning the land they tilled. The latter was the Opposition policy. They did not want the large estates. He had lived-in the Waikato, where they were cues'rampant, and lie knew that the district had not gone ahead until there was subdivision. His party, was not,_ against the leasehold, but only regarded it as a step-ping-stone to the freehold. Half the native land in New Zealand could be individualised at once, each native being able to get sufficient land to work profitably. A start ought to be made in this way. All educated Maoris ought" to have the shackles taken off them hud allowed absolute freedom to look after their own affairs. It was suggested that the natives would bo robbed, but die would like to see the nian who could boat 1 a native in a horse swap or' a land deal. Nobody so smart existed. THE UPPER HOUSE. . He -urged the adoption of the elective principle for Legislative Councillors, having, the, ordinary parliamentary franchise, but elected on the proportional system. Rather than continue the system of a strong man in the Upper House dominating the representative chamber, because it was led by a comparatively weaker, man, ho would, see 'the Legislative Council abolished, though he believed in two chambers. He advocated a civil "service board and local government reform. The Opposition would tackle tho latter question by giving local bodies an assured finance, informing them early in the season that a lump sum would be granted, which they would al-, locate themselves upon different read works. The Opposition believed iu tho Conciliation and Arbitration Act. but they would put a check upon the petty prosecutions and general ninpricks which annoyed everybody. They certainly would not reduce wages, hut rather would prefer to increase them. Of course.. Se . expected to hear about ; Sir Harry Atkinson’s four shillings a day for married men, but the Opposition had no connection with him, only two of its party having been in the House when Sir Harry Atkinson was in power. That statesman when he retrenched started on his own salary. He gave men .; the sack and also provided soun kitchens, but the present Government gave them the sack without, the soup . kit chons. ■ (Laughter.) A RAILWAY" COMMISSIONER. A _ civil Gervioe ; board would have nothing to do wjth management, hut would" only deal with appointments arid promotions. He wished to say straight out that the time had now come when the: country must get a, commissioner at a good salary from America or England to manage " our railways, which were The worst managed of the public depart(Applause.) It gave no satisfaction either to (ho employees or the general public. Things seemed to be going from bad to worse, though he was glad to see the concern was paying a little better. He would leave the general policy to the Minister, who was trespon-.

sible to Parliament for tho management of. the railways. NO CONNECTION WITH OLD TORT PARTY. Finally Mr Herries declared that the Opposition was fighting to prevent miblic monev from being used as a political engine to punish voters for. not supl porting the Government. It would fight ‘or legislation to encourage individualistic rather than socialistic efforts, and. it had no connection with the old Tory partv, which was dead and gone. A “vote of thanks was carried with acclamation.