MR W. FRASER HONOURED

Otago Witness, Issue 3032, 24 April 1912, Page 27

MR W. FRASER HONOURED

LARGE GATHERING OF SUPPORTERS. REFORM PARTY AT QUEENSTOWN. (From Oub Special Reforteb.) QUEENSTOWN, April 19. In the Town Hall to-night a banquet was tendered to Mr William Fraser, member for Wakatipu. For 18 years Mr Fraser has honourably and ably represented the district in Paliament, and, although in that period he has been tendered many expressions of the goodwill of his constituents in other parts of the electorate, he had not received a similar compliment at the hands of his numerous supporters in this quarter. A number of supporters, recognising that something of the kind was owing to their representative, took the matter up, and when thev found that others were only too willing to assist the arrangements were carried on without any difficulty. The banquet proved a great success. It was a testimony of warm appreciation on the part of many friends to one who has attended, in and out of Parliament, to their manifold interests for many years. There were visitors present from 'Cromwell, Arrowtown, Skippers, Glenorchy, Garston, Athol, and other parts, as well as the following members of the Reform party in Parliament:—Messrs W. F. Massey (Franklin), D. Buick (Paimerston), E. P. Lee (Oamaru), J. Allen (Bruce), G. M. Thomson (Dunedin North), C. E. Statham (Dunedin Central), R. Scott (Otago Central), A. S. Malcolm (Olutha), G. J. Anderson (Mataura), and W. Nosworthy (Ashburton). The chair was occupied by Mr J. Edgar (Mayor of Queenstown), who was supported on his right by the guest of the, evening, and on the left by Mr Massey. Apologies for absence were received from Messrs W. H. D. Bell (Wellington Suburbs), F. W. Lang(Waikato), F. Smith (Waitaki), R. 11. Rhodes (Ellesmere), J. Smith (Luggate), C. Roy (Bannockburn), and others. Mr Rhodes telegraphed:—" I am going into camp with the Territorials on Friday, so it will b e impossible for me to get down to the banquet to Mr -Praser. I shall be with you in spirit, though I cannot be with you in person, to do honour to one whom we all respect and esteem, and one to whom we look for a lead on so many political questions." After full justice had been done to a sumptuous spread, the toast of " The King " was received with musical honours. Mr L. Hotop proposeel the health of the guest. Mr Fraser, he said, was respected by members on both sides of the House of Representatives. He was an ideal representative, and he was also a colonial statesman. He was loyal to his party and courteous to his opponents, and Wakatipu might well be proud of its representative. —(Applause.) Mr Frasor had represented the district for about 18 years, and ho had had to fight in every election, but Wakatipu was never fiicklc in its affections for its representative, and Mr Fraser could depend upon it that any time ho came forward he would be again returned as the member for the district.—(Applause.) He was pleased that so many members of Parliament had come down to do honour to Mr Fraser. and, on behalf of the committee, ho thanked them for their presence.— (Applause.) Mr Fraser, on rising to reply, was received with .oheors. Ho said the gathering had laid a heavy task upon hie shoulders. It was often a pleasure to mount a platform and address a meeting on political matters, but that night, when he bad to thank his friends for the great reception they had given him, it was anything but an easy task. The man would be of little worth who would not feel starred to the heart by such a reception as they had extended to him that night.—(Applause.) As Mr Hotop had said, it was now about 18 yoars ago since lie first represented the district. He had been asked about tlie same time to contest the Tuapcka seat, but he declined that request, and contested Wakatipu on the retirement of Mr Fergus, and he had never regretted the choice he then made. —(Applause.j He was glad to bo able to say that friends he made at that time were still his friends.—(Applause.) He believed that one of the reasons he had been returned timo and again was that the bond between his constituents and himself was one of friendship, ami, in some cases, of atuction. —(Applause.) When ho entered Parliament in 1894 the party to which he belonged numbered only 13 or 14, but today its strength was 58. —(Applause.) It was nonsense to apply the terra " Hidebound Tories " to the party, for the Reform party of to-day was as Liberal, if 'hot more Liberal and more progressive in its ideas than any 38 men who had sat in the Parliament of New Zealand since its inception. —(Applause.) - They had a leader whom they could trust and whom they honoured —a man to whom they were as loyal as men could be. —(Applause) Referring to the party at present in power, ho said the Government had not yet disclosed its policy. In these democratic times the people claimed the right to call the tune to which the nation should dance, and their nieLhod of calling for the particular tune they wanted was through their representatives in Parliament and trtroug-h the public press. It was left to the Government to play the tune called for, but one had heard of the Government not playing the tune that was called for. He could give an instance, but perhaps he had better not. One had known instances too of a Government not only not playing the tune called for, but actually playing a tune of its own, and playing it badly. (Applause and laughter.) (>f" course the people were very patient, but after a time they said: "This v. 11l not do; wo had better have noma on* in the Government who wii! play the tune the people want." That he believed was what was happening now.— (Applause.) As their re-

presentative he wished to say that whenever any """matters were brought down which would further the interests of the country, cause it to progress, increase the population, improve the fertility of the soil, and enlarge the number of people engaged in agricultural pursuits, his voice would always be raised in support of such subjects.—(Applause.) Those ware the rentiments that pervaded tho minds of everyone of the 38 members of the Reform party.—(Applause.) Ho thanked his supporters very heartily for the honour they had done him that night. If anything would spur him on to greater efforts it was the knowledge that the little hie had done in the past for them was so thoroughly appreciated.—(Applause.) Three ringing cheers were given for Mr Fraser. Dr J. Bell Thomson proposed the toast of the Reform party. He said he was a firm supporter of the party. It was a united party, which had never wavered even" to gain scats. —(Applause.} It 'had kept true to its principles, and had sunk self in the interests of the people. It hadi stormed the citadel, but owing to the treachery of one of the attackerp the citadel had not yet struck its flag. He believed the day was coming, however, when the party would be in full possession of the rights it had so notably striven for. — (Applause.)

Mr Massey was greeted with very cordial applause. He thanked the meeting for the enthusiasm displayed in connection with the toast and for the welcome accorded to the members of the party. It gave them pleasure to be there that night to assist in doing honour to Mr Fraser. —(Applause.) The member for Wakatipu was a gentleman who enjoyed the respect and esteem of both sides of the House. He was a man who could be trusted. There were no brcken pledges as far as Mr Fraser was concerned.—-(Applause.) There was no man in Parliament who looked as closely after the interests of his constituents or who seamed more attentively the business of the country than Mr Fraser. In financial matters he was looked' on as one of the leading authorities, not only in Parilament, but _ tho Dominion—(applause),—and' his opinion was often taken by men on the Government side of the House in preferonce to the opinion of other men. The constituency that returned a man like Mr Fraser to represent it did an honour to itself and benefited the Dominion.—(Applause.) Speaking of the Reform party, Air Massey said that a great deal of misrepresentation was often circulated concerning it. As a matter of fact, the Reform party was a practical, common sense, and progressive body of men, who were anxious to do the best they conld for the electors who sent them to Parliament and for the country as a whole.—(Applause.) If the people wore to see in the Otago Witness the portraits of the dozen members present that night they would probably remark that they looked a decent lot of fellows—(applause and laughter),— and if the same members were to don frock coats and silk hats for the occasion tho people would probably sav that the party did not look worse than they did before.—(Applause and laughter.) After a reference to the undemocratic position of the Government in holding office when it was not known whether it possessed the confidence of the House or not, Mr Massey went on to say that the Government was actually without a policy, end he expressed the opinion that it was not able to pub forward a policy—not from want of ability, but, for the reason that it was not agreed on any important subjects. The Ministers wore simply a set of men who happened to find themselves on the Treasury benches, and they were now holding on to place and power and the emoluments connected therewith.—(Applause.) The land question was probably tho most interesting and important to tho majority of tho people ho was addressing that night, and how did the Government stand on that question? In the Cabinet there were six pronounced leaseholders —indeed, violent 'easeholders—and three freeholders, white one was doubtful. Ho (Mr Massey) did not know where that gentleman stood on the land question, and probably he did not know himself.— (Laughter.) How, then, could the Government put forward a policy on the land question? It was impossible. The Cabinet was a House divided against itself, and it could not possibly stand. For some time past, indeed as far back as tho election, excuses had been made for the set-back the Government had received. It was said the set back was due to misrepresentation. Nothing of the sort Tho Government had been accused and properly and truthfully accused of extravagance in connection with the administration of public affairs. On account of this extravagance the cost of government was increased, and because the cost of government was increased, taxation was increased, and because taxation was increased, the cost of living had gone up to every individual. Those were some of tho reasons for the set back encountered by the Government.—(Applause.) The Reform party did not claim to be perfect, but it did claim to be progressive, patriotic, and democratic, and any proposals that como before Parliament, and were either progressive, patriotic, or democratic, would have their support, whether they came from the Government side of the House or not. — (Applause.) Their first thoughts were not for the party to which they belonged, but for the country and for the welfare and happiness of its people.—(Applause.) Again he thanked the meeting for tho cordial manner in which it had honoured the Reform party and for the kindness sliown to the members who had been able to make the trip.—(Applause.) Other members of Parliament also replied to the toast. The remaining toasts were honoured with great heartiness, and a programme of song and recitation was pleasantly interspersed.