THE REFORM RECORD AND A MINISTERIAL BOAST.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXIX, Issue 12282, 8 July 1914, Page 2

THE REFORM RECORD AND A MINISTERIAL BOAST.

. SUBMISSIVE FOLLOWERS. By Telegraph. (Special to the Oamaru Mail.) "Wellington, July Mr Isitt was in good aggressive form in. the no-conlidence debate to-night And r.ako<! the ei'orill benches-scath-ingly upon their mute unquestioning acceptance of every proposal brought forward by their leader. First he bantered them upon making praiseworthy efforts to represent the shoddy materials in the Reform window as good and wholesome food. "Well," he remarked, "we shall have to wait for a few months before the people have the right to express their opinion about the rec-ords achieved by the Reform Party. We have, however, in the meantime an opportunity of putting very definitely before the people* of this land the record of a Government which possesses naturally a very pretentious, pharisaical, and pecfesniffian character, and whose stock in trade consists verv largely of unfilled boasts and unkept pledges. A little further on. the lion, .member addressed himself to a recent statement by the Minister oi Railways, who said, Mr Isitt declared, in the course of vaunting the surpassing excellence of Reform, that not even the late Rt. Hon. Richard' John Seddon- had succeeded in carrying on the conduct of his Government without- failing to carry some one measure he had proposed/ The Minister oT Railways actually boasts that the., men behind the present- Government were all so supine and lamblike at their leader's back that they had not dared to oppose' so much as one meastfre brought fprward by the leader of their * political party. ONLY ONE REVOLT. Casting a pitying smile over the Government benches, he added there, was one occasion, just once, when three member of that party dared to oppose the supreme will of their leader and what did we see then. The great"Ariki Tory" left his seat and shook his political fist in their terrified faces. till they shrank back cowed and meek into their places once and for ever to rejoin, the fold of the party in that, state of abject .submission for which it is so greatly distinguished—(Roars of Opposition laughter). Vet when that Government was first formed l the members that brought it into existence boasted of their independence; boasted, that they would never bo dragged at- the heels of any Government however good, and proclaimed the principle of en- i franchisement from the toils and evils of dumb adherence from the housetops, and again the resonant burly voice of Mr Isitt was lost in the scornful laughter of the Liberal benches.

SMALL FARMERS OVERLOOKED. Touching on the Board of Agriculture Mr Isitt declaredthat many of Mr Massey's own supporters were aggrieved that small farmers were not represented. The Prime Minister: You don't think I make the appointments do you?

Mr Isitt: You can exercise such influence over the Board you created that you should have seen that the small farming class was considered. The Premier in spite of his claim to promote settlement and still more settlement cut across all precedent and at the request of Mr Holton interfered with the conduct of the Land Department.

The Prime Minister: I did not. Mr Isitt: Will the Premier kindly preserve the dignity of the House ? He lias the right of reply.—(Laughter.) Continuing, the speaker said Mr Gibson was dropped from the Canterbury Land Board and Mr Gee,- a son-in-law of the man who sought to retain the section, appointed to the vacant position. When the Prime Minister knew of the relationship he should have at once wired cancelling the appointment, but he did not._ The -subdivision of the Seargill sections, which could have been cut up into five settlements, was thns blocked. The Prime Minister: I'll make you sorry you spoke.

ilr Isitt called upon Mr Speaker to rebuke the Premier for his provocative interruption. Mr Speaker asked Mr Isitt to address the chair. He thought Mr Isitt had directly spoken to the Prime Minister.

Mr Isitt: I believe I addressed! Mr Massey through you. Mr Speaker: You looked at him. Mr Isitt resumed his land references quoting cases in the district of the senior Government whip in which Crown tenants who had failed to carry out aggregation under Liberal legislation were able to purchase the freehold under Mr Massey's Act- of 1912 and then resell to ,big land owners.