OPPOSITION OPINION.

Otago Witness, Issue 2905, 17 November 1909, Page 31

OPPOSITION OPINION.

MR MASSEY INTERVIEWED.

(Fsok Ora Own CoaaKsroHDEiir.) WELLINGTON, November It). ' The- Opposition party held a meeting after the delivery of the Budget. There wm only time- for a brief interview wifeh the Leader of the Opposition before the Telegraph. Office closes at midnight. In response' to inquiries, Mr Maseey said: " I was prepared for some important developmente, but I must admit I never thought of some of the startling proposals contained in the Budget. I mean, particularly, the rery serious increases of taxation which are proposed. So fax as the- land question is concerned, I recognise that the freeholders have scored, inasmuch* as we are getting nearer to the principles for which the Opposition party has contended than ever before— that is. to the right of the Crown leaseholder to purchase at the original values, on the occupation with right of ptrrohase basis. The sentence in the Budget that 'The value of a reversion - postponed for 999 years is^ not very appre-ciable-even when the State is the reverf ioner,'" is in complete agreement with the opinion I and, others of the party have repeatedly, expressed. Similarly, the follow- • ng sentence from the Budget — namely, 'In my opinion the conditions as to limitation ,of area and occupation can be effectively safeguarded even under the grant of the freehold,' completely established the contention -we have urged that it was quite possible to limit the area even under the freehold tenure. And so with •Jphe defence proposal. It will- be remembered that during the short session I moved an amendment in favour of national training, and, I think, we can claim that the scheme outlined in the Budget largely follows the proposals put forward on tJiat occasion by some membe-rs of our party. I regret that »t has become necessary owing, I think, largely to the wasteful and reckless administration, to greatly increase the burdens of %xation on the people. It has to be remembered that it will be quite impossible o give effect to one-quarter of the proposals in the Budget during the present ♦ rssion. There will be no Native land legis- ■ T ation of any value, for instance, and I /oubt wihether the Land Bill will get bc--ond it* 6econd reading. The information •ritb. regard to retrenchment js very vague, md I see no indication of *any intention to r«duce expenditure by anything like £250,000 per annum." Tn a further interview Mr Massey said: " The Budget as a whole justifies all the criticism o£ the financial policy of the • Government -which has been advanced from the Opposition side of the House, and 1 am very strongly of opinion that if thu position disclosed now had been known 12 months ago the men now occupying the seats on the Treasury benches would have been missing from Parliament to-day. These proposals, he added, disclose a state of things calculated to make sane and sober-minded oeople consider how this 1 wild-cat policy will end.