THE PREMIER'S TOUR.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 15090, 12 December 1919, Page 9

THE PREMIER'S TOUR.

GREAT WELCOME AT AUCKLAND. RECONSTRUCTION PERIOD. (Per Press Association;! AUCKLAND, lasjt night. The Prime Minister addressed over 3000 people m the Town Hall to-night at a meeting convened as 'ja demonstration of welcome to him' on his return from the Peace Conference. Mr. J. P. Campbell presided. Mr. Massey, who arrived from another meeting, m company with the Hon. Mr. Coates, after Miss Melville and Mr. Clutha Mackenzie had spoken, was received with prolonged cheering. Emphasising the seriousness of the reconstruction period, he said the policy of the Government for that period would be a policy of development. By this he meant the building of railways, the construction of roads and bridges, and the development of hydro-electric energy. The prosperity of the country depended upon the improvement of our means of communication. Gaps m railways must be filled up as rapidly as possible. I*tor insltance, Auckland must be connected with Whangarei at the earliest moment and the connection of the city with the East Coast completed. That area would carry an en : ormous number of sheep and cattle, and so help to extend the Dominion's exportable products. By the use of fertilisers and proper cultivation there was hardly an acre m the Auckland district that could not be utilised. The inhabitants of the Dominion must work for the next three or four years as they had never worked before. Il only they increased production all would be 'well. The encouragement ol that plan was the policy of *j/he Government. Of the other partie^ m the State, one advocated nationalisation and another socialisation. What dither oi them meant it would be hard to define. Probably each was just a i comforting word like ''Mesopotamia." He asked the audience whether it was hot more necessary to have development that would help the country to pay its waj than to use its money m extensive nationalisation. What the Government wanted was to keep employment plentiful, wages good, and the people happj and comfortable. As to socialisation— the policy that the State should do everything — he did not think New Zealand would adopt it for the next thousand years. The Government wanted a progressive and not a retrogressive policy. After sketching the circumstances of the withdrawal of the Liberals from the National Ministry, Mr, Massev , said that the Reform part*v played the game and di 3 nothing witii a view to the elections either as to organisation or party finance. The mosi useful session for 25 years had been weathered, and now the question was : Who was to rule the country? (Criet nf "Ward" and counter-cries of "Massey"). The Parliamentary Labor part\ did not really represent Labor. He did not believe they would form at most 21 per cent, of the new House. The Reform 'Government, he . believed, would secure a majority, and probably a working: majority. Besides, the Liberals Reformers, and the Labor party, there was a prospect of a fourth party, headed by Mr. Fowlds, but as "to Mr. Fowlds' additional land tax proposals he could not understand how any mar could expect a country to be made prosperous by an increase of taxation or how production could be increased by imposing heavy taxation on the producers. The electors should take nc risks, but see to it that the Government had a sufficient majority to carry on for the next three years. Of revolutionaries he was, not afraid, but he did fear a possible combination to oust the Government and put m their places a set of men who would not dc one-quarter as well as the Government had done for the last seven years. Referring to the cost of living, Mr,. Massey said that he did not deny that profiteering had taken place, but regulations, under the Board of Trade Act ware now being drafted, and he£. pitied the profiteer when they came out. Ahother cause of the increased cost of living was the amount of paper currency m circulation, but the paper money -would be gradually withdrawn, and the experience m other countries had shown that the rise or fall m living expenses was generally concurrent with that of the currency. As tc Labor legislation, Mr. Massey claimed that the Reform Government had done more iri the way of legislation for the benefit of the genuine worker as distinguished from the Bolshevist than anj other. One of the needs of the future was a revision of the taxation, system. We had gob away from the principle that every man should contribute to the State m proportion to his ability. The Government did not propose to alter the present exemption, but there were many people able to pay more who werd not paying enough. Mr. Massej outlined what the Government was doing to encourage the fishing industry, and its arrangements m the way ol immigration, emphasising the need #tc keep further disloyalists from coming into New Zealand. He said that this country was going to be the Britain of the south and loyal to the Empire. A resolution was passed expressing appreciation of Mr. Massey's services to the Empire and the Dominion at the Peace Conference and m Britain and elsewhere, and a vote of thanks for his address and continued confidence m him as leader of the Reform Party. Tne meeting was an enthusiastic one, Mr. Massey being frequently cheered.