POSITION OF MAGISTRATES

Otago Witness, Issue 2667, 26 April 1905, Page 18

POSITION OF MAGISTRATES

iWith regard to the position of magistrates, es far as tenure of office was concerned there was necessity for reform. The magistrate held office " during pleasure," which meant- the goodwill of the Ministry of the day, and the judges of the Supreme Court teld position during ability and good behaviour. Magistrates should be in the same position. They were placed in responsible positions, and they should receive salaries such as would make them independent and eueh as would attract the best men at the bar". — (Applause.) It sometimes occurred to him that many people in. this country did not realise ihe responsibility held by their representatives in Parliament. He believed the position was more responsible than that of a member in Great Britain, for this country had sone^-further in the direction of .State Socialism than any other ; and then one member had greater influence in a House of 80 members than in a Parliament of. say. 200. — ("Hear. hear.'") He had heard some most extraordinary reasons put forward as grounds for voting for_a candidate — <>ne being because, a candidate's wife wished to get rid of her hus- " band for a few months in the year, and that man got in. — (Laughter.) One seldom heard that a man was going to be voted for because he was to be trusted, and yet there was no better reason to be advanced. I«et them bear in mind when the election came on what qualities were demanded in their representatives, and remember that if a ndan could not be trusted privately he could not be trusted publicly. and if he had been a, failure privately he could not be expected to be anything else .publicly. He thanked the audience for their attendance that night, for the reception accorded to him. and for the patience ■with which they had listened to him. He topped the seed he had sown would bear fruit later on. So far as the Opposition parly were concerned they were fighting an uphill fight. They were handicapped as compared with the Government. They had xjo special trains, and co special steamers; they were not able to charge £5 or £6 per day in travelling expenses : and they had no private secretaries to assist them in their parliamentary duties, or when they •were going through the country. But he honestly believed they were fighting for the right, for the rights of., the people of the colony, and for honest government and pure administration. — (Applause.) The fight imarht be a long one, but he believed that T'ght would prevail, and that in the end they would win. — (Loud applause and cheers.) Q tIESTIOXS. The Mayor said that Mr Massey was prepared to answer any questions. An Elector asked : Why did you not support Mr Bedford in the no-confidence - motion last session? Mr Massey : There was no such thing. The Elector: That is your way of getting but of it. Replying to other questions, Mr Massey said he had always supported the principle that teachers thould be properly paid. He would also support a superannuation scheme for teachers. He did not think the oolonv had arrived at the stage when American timber should come in free of duty, or when the export of New Zealand timber should be prohibited. Ten years might gee the end of the kauri forests, but there were hundreds of millions of feet of ■valuable timber that had not yet been placed on. the market. There were forests of .totara in which not a single tree had been cut; they would keep the colony in timber -far the next 50 years. A sinking fund .■would show the people at Home that the -colony intended to repay its Joans. Every care should be taken to maintain the colony's credit. He was sorry to see by Saturday's papers that the New Zealand jsipeks were lower in price than the stocks of any of the Australian States. He could only account for this by ths fact that the investing public in London had lost confidence, not in the colony or in the people of the colony, but in those who were managing the financial arrangements of the country. The Referendum Bill of last session was a fraud, a deLusion, and a snare. The subject of a lcferendum should only be dealt with by separate proposal. If the country "was going to ha^e a referendum. then 'it should have a separate bill for each subi-ecr — for instance. the Kible in schools. " There would have to bo one bill for that alone. It would he peon bom his speeches of last session that he

was not in favour of a general Referendum Bill. He fought for the Elective Executive on every occasion on which opportunity offered. With regard lo the Legislative Council, he believed something was required in the nature of a revising chamber. Although he did not believe in the constitution of the present Council, and would vote for its abolition altogether, still he thought some revisory committee or chamber wa? necessary. Speaking generally, the Opposition was in favour of giv ing to Crown tenants the freehold. It was not in favour of doing away with the leasehold, but it said the leasehold should be the stepping stone for the freehold. — (Applause.)