HON. W. F. MASSEY

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8481, 16 July 1913, Page 8

HON. W. F. MASSEY

DEFENCE OF ADMINISTRATION. Tho Hon. W. F. Massey (Prime Minister), who then rose to speak, was heartilv applauded. He congratulated the mover and seconder of tho Ad-dress-in-Keplv, whose .speeches he characterised" as two of the best he had heard during the debate. Air Massey said there was no reason for him to' deal with the speech of the member for Marsden. "His politics are my politics, and I have no need to criticise him. But there is one point, which I feel I must refer to." Mr Mander had referred to the stoppage of i;he second Main Trunk oxpress. Ho wished it to be known that the Government, intended to restore this second train not later than October Ist nest, and he honed that it would in future be patronised a great deal better than it had been in the past. NO-CONFIDENCE MOTION.

Air Alassey said tho most interesting incident in the debate was the no-con-fidence motion moved by the member for Timaru the other evening. He had no fault to find with the hon. member, but he would suggest that the next time he wished to move a wani-of-confidenoe motion, he would consult a member of the House, or somebody else, who had a much wider experience in these matters. It had been stated of the Governor’s Speech that it was meagre and colourless and so on, but be admitted that it was a new departure. For quite a number of years it had rieen long, verbose, windy, and was intended for vote catching. The people of this country had learned to trust them. (Laughter.) It had been said that he was the friend of the settlers. Well, no one knew more about the wants of the pioneer Bewler than he, and he had sympathised with them. When ho took office settlement was not going ahead as fast as he wished, and it- was his intention to advance settlement on every opportunity. So far as land purchase was concerned he would say that with the exception of. the block, every .area they had purchased had been disposed of. While on this matter he would like to state that ho held a telegram from a man who offered 25 per cent, increase on one block they had purchased. Air Russell: That is a fake. Air Massey stated that this would mean if sold to this man a profit of £I2OO.

Air Russell (heatedly) : It is a fake, and tho man that sent you that knows it is a fake. (Laughter.) Mr Alassey: It is no fake. I am prepared to place the wire in tho hands of the Speaker, i WAIUKH RAILWAY.

The Prime Minister referred to the speech delivered by the member for the Bay of Plenty. He would like first of all to let the hon. member know that iho did not live at Waiuku, so the railway there would not affect him. Mr MacDonald had said that the Massey Government had a man going round the country saying that the party wanted £20,000 to fight the next election. Ho did not expect tho hon. member to apologise, but he would read >what the member for the Bay of plenty said in the “Gisborne Times”

Mr MacDonald: I do not take responsibility for tho “G isbornq Times.” Mr Massey: I would advise that the hon. member be more careful with the statements he makes in public. “AWEUL IGNORANCE.”

Mr Massey said that on land matters the members of the Opposition had shown awful ignorance of the subject during the debate.- The country, he declared, was not yet doing enough to make a man make the best use of his Sand, nor was he encouraged sufficiently to do it. Difficulties were being placed in the way of the Government in land legislation which was being brought forward for the good of the country, and he was sorry to say that they were being placed in the way for party purposes. There had also been a great deal of talk about aggreation and the graduated land tax. Did they know that tho law already provided that a man who sold his land must continue to pay the graduated land tax until he had received 15 per cent, of the purchase money. Under tho Lands Purchase system, a settler had the option of acquiring the freehold of his section, and every shilling of the money that was spent by the State went back to the State. The most serious fault he had had to find with the Lands for Settlement Act was that it was giving the ownership of the land to men outside the country. By the legislation of last session that had been stopped. He wanted to deal with the Hon. member for Avon. Mr Russel l had said that they had not kept faith with the electors and had been extravagant. Mr Russell: I said you increased the expenditure more than your predec—sors. “OLD INIQUITOUS SYSTEM.” “We promised to reform the Public Service and do away with political patronage. Seventy-five per cent, cf rho people in the public service at the present time are thoroughly satisfied with the arrangements. Ninety per cent, of the electors are quite satisfied. Even if the opportunity offered, they would never go back to the old iniquitous system, of which we have had too much experience. There is no political influence in connection with the public service—absolutely none.” Old veterans in the Maori war had received their pensions, and though the Bill of last year was good, he hoped it would bo made even better yet. “Wo pledged ourselves to put

the finances in a satisfactory condition ; tho financial position was never so sound as it is at the present moment. A voice: Never did a Government get such a chance. LAND SETTLEMENT.

The Prime Minister continued that they pledged themselves to promote settlement, and had they not done it? They had promoted land settlement not only in connection with the Lands for Settlement and the Land Finance Act, hut also in connection with the subdivision of privately-owned estates. There was not much fake about the increase of £81,500 in the graduated land tax. The number of subdivisions by freeholders during the past fifteen months was 840; the number or subdivisions disposed of was 2050; and the area disposed of was 405,7X8 acres. This was from March 31st, 1912, to Juno 30th, 1913. Mr Russell: You are taking credit for the Alackenzie Government subdivisions ! . The Hon. Mr Massey said that wnen tho figures were quoted, the hon. member for Avon would not be proud ol the figures for settlement during the term of the Mackenzie Government. Air Massey quoted figures to show that for the period in question, altogether 874 holdings were subdivided; there were 242(5 subdivisions, representing over 575,329 acres. It was even greater, because nothing was taken during the last three months under 2000 acres. Ho quoted from a report showing that in two years the subdivision of land amounted vO acres, or 23 per cent, of tho total area of 3 509,000 acres held by 171 owners of land, bolding 10,000 acres or over, at Alarch, 1910. The officer estimated that additional sales for the y Ci H c f*?' ing March 31st, 1913, would he lot),000 acres, and sales would be quickened by the taxation imposed last session: By Alarch 31st, 1916, it was calculated, these big areas of land would bo reduced by quite 50 per cent., as compared with the area of four years previously. Ho knew well enough the figures did not suit the members opposite, because it spoiled the bogey which they had been preparing. UPPER HOUSE REFORM. Mr Alassey referred to some of the Government’s promises, which, he said, they had faithfully carried out. ihey had promised reform of the Legislative Council Air G. W. Russell (Avon): You are doing it in tho right way 1 Mr G. Forbes (Hnrunui): You promised to bring it before the Lower House. . . Mr Massey: I promised nothing ot the sort. I always said that reform should come from the thing itself. The Government, went on the Prime Alinister, had promised amendments to tho Old Age Pensions Act and to tho Widows’ Pensions Act, making it possible for increased facilities for persons who needed pensions. The Government had also promised further exemption for the improvements on land, and the Government had carried it out. An energetic and industrious man now knew that his efforts on the land would be for the benefit of himself, and himself alone. In fact, every promise that tho Government had made would bo kept. REVENUE AND EXPENDITURE. It was quite true, went on the Prime Minister, that the expenditure last year had increased, but the revenue increased, and in a greater degree than the expenditure by £175,375. They were not responsible for many of the increases, such as pensions and in connection with railways. Mr Russell:. Did you say that when you were over here? Mr Massey: I was always fair when I was over on that side. Did the hon. member object to the increase in education ?

An hon. member: What about internal affairs ?

Mr Alassey: I have shown hon. members that we have kept our promises. Ho stated that if any member was open to criticism it was the exMinister of Defence, Finance, and Railways. Mr A. M. Myers (Auckland East): Name one instance.

Mr Massey: I will take the four million loan of last year presently. Opposition members: Ab! NEW LYNN LEASES.

Mr Massey went on to refer to the New Lynn leases, which, ho said, had been a marc’s nest quoted in every Opposition paper up and down the country. New Lynn was a suburb of Auckland, nine or ten miles along the North Auckland Main Trunk line. Eight or ten years ago the Government purchased a.block, but the sections for some reason were not taken np readily. But during the last three or four years they had been taken up readily. He quoted instances of land sales mentioned in the Opposition papers, and said that in every case tho State had been paid for its interest in the land. It suited his policy, however; these papers gave him a splendid advertisement, and the people would be tumbling along to buy the sections. People would have more respect for these papers if the editors were more responsible for tho truth of what they wrote. “MARES’ NESTS.” He had listened to most of the speeches in the debate, and the members opposite had just given over again the mare’s nests found in Opposition papers during the* recess. He denied ;the (suggestion that there was any bargaining in regard to tho High Commission ersh ip. Mr Witty: One of your own men said so 1 Tho Hon. Mr Massey said that the High Commissioner never approached any of them on the Government side; there was no bargaining. It was only fair to an absent man that he should say that, and nothing in the way of bargaining ever took place. Mr Mackenzie was not approached till many weeks after, and there was no suggestion of bargaining prior to the division. The plain truth was that the members on the other side were too anxious foi a stick to beat the Government with, and they were making politics ridiculous. He instanced the expeditionary force, but tho most laughable marc’s nest was the postal regulation regarding tho habits of postal employees. Tliis went on for some days, till somebody found that the regulation had been in operation for fourteen years. (Laughter.) Then they had the “aggregation scandal,” and these statements were quoted in other papers. Ha had received a report by an officer of the Lands Department on aggregation, and it showed that there had not been a single case of aggregation since the present Government came into office. His friends opposite were very anxious to find something to make capital against the Government, and he advised them to drop fairy tales. Let them come into tho open ,if they had any fault to find; let them make a single definite charge, and if the Government were not able to meet it.

they would be prepared to meet the electors. But the Opposition should irop this wretched system of scandalmongcring.

"DASTARDLY SLANDER."

Mr Massey: Well, the hon. gentleman must be Satan. (Laughter.) Members opposite wanted to make the Government responsible for the price of money. They might as well try to mako the Government responsible for the last earthquake. There was a suggestion that the Government was in league with the Shylocks; no more dastardly slander was ever uttered; one of the meanest things that had ever occurred in the politics of? this country. Every jnember on that side of the House was anxious to provide cheap money. There was likely to be a very strong demand for money for some time to come, but there was this consolation, that there was a good demand for our products, which were selling at good prices. Ho hoped and believed that those people who wanted money would soon be able to got it at a reasonable rate. “We are doing our best to provide money for workers, settlers, and local bodies, but if we can’t borrow we can’t lend. We are endeavouring to keep the credit of Now Zealand on a par with that of other British dominions. The gentlemen opposite will be much better employed in endeavouring to keep up the credit of the country. Mr G. W. Russell. (Avon) suggested that an extension of twenty minutes be given the hon. gentleman. “QUIBBLING AND DIGGING.”

This was agreed to, and Mr Massey continued that lie would like to suggest that instead of quibbling and digging at his friend the Minister of finance, they should congratulate him and the country on the five million loan haring been floated successfully. In this connection he would like to say just a word about short-dated debentures. He was surprised that any member of the House should defend short-dated debentures, the system on which the loan of last year was based. It was the worst possible system on which a country could finance itself. The Government, through it, were faced with the position of having to meet that H million loan next year, arid until that bad been completed there would ho a considerable amount of overlapping. Mr Russell: But your Finance Minister has said that he has brought back the proposals with him in his pocket for that loan. Mr Massey said that of course he had, but that did not alter the position in which the Government was placed. He sincerely hoped that the country would never adopt the system of short-dated debentures again. It was like a man. financing his business on promissory notes. An Opposition member: What’s wrong with them ? Mr Massey: You might not be able to meet them. He went on to say that, with reference to last year’s loan, the Government were not oat of the wood yet, but he hoped they would bo so very soon. LIMITATION OP AREA.

Hie member for Hntt had said that fie (Hie speaker) had last session refused to accept an amendment to the Hand Bill regarding limitation of area. That was quite so, because there was already provision in the Bill. Mr Massey road a clause of the Act, which he said had been the law of the land for seven years, and was working satisfactorily. The difference was that in the one case the limit under the present Act was 666 acres, but the bon. gentleman wanted the limit reduced to 400 acres, and the whole Act would have been spoiled because a man with 666 acres could not acquire the freehold of more than 400 acres. Mr Wilford: I am perfectly certain that you know nothing about the section you have just read. An Opposition member: He seems satisfied, anyhow. WAIHI STRIKE. Deoling with the trouble at Waihl, fie said that he had had representatives from the engine-drivers, a deputation of Waihi citizens, and from a further deputation, and they did what was requested of them. If any member thought the Government were wrong in their action, let that member table a motion of censure and see what support he would get. (Hear, hear.) Mr Massey then read _ a letter signed by 800 persons thanking the Government for their attitude. PENSIONING MESSENGERS. In conclusion, Mr Massey said there had been some criticism levelled at the Government for the pensioning off of aged messengers. What happened was that the Government had decided that the time had come to retire many of them. They had the option to continue working or retire. He referred to a statement in that night’s paper, * and added, “I believo that statement is contrary to fact.” Mr Witty: And I believe it is correct. Mr Massey here read a letter from the messengers saying they were satisfied with the present conditions.' Mr J. Vigor Brown: Did they know what pension they were going to get when they wrote that? Mr Massey: Certainly. They are perfectly satisfied. (Applause.) EXPLANATIONS. Mr W. D. S. MacDonald (Bay of Plenty) reiterated that the Government organiser had said that the Reform party were going to raise a fund of £20,00U to fight Labour at the next elections. Mr Massey explained that the organiser had said that they wanted to raise £20,000 in the next few years to promote their platform. Mr T. M, Wilford (Hutt) in a personal explanation, said that he did not believe Mr Massey understood a. word about the section of the Act which he Dad compared with his (Mr Wilford’s) amendment which was proposed last session. Mr Russell said he had not charged the Government with extravagance, but that the expenditure had increased and that the country must recognise that there would have to be an increase.