The Daily News. MONDAY, APRIL 7, 1913. THE PRIME MINISTER'S ADDRESS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 270, 7 April 1913, Page 4

The Daily News. MONDAY, APRIL 7, 1913. THE PRIME MINISTER'S ADDRESS.

Hi" Ministerial tour »!' Taraitaki is ceded, aml it only remain-, to. sum up the r;■-i'.ilts. So far as the visit, itself is concerned, it has been a moat pleasant experience for settlers to meet I lie head of the Government and dir. of his colleagues. It. gave thorn an opportunity to speak their minds fi ecly, to voice their wants and wishes, and to hear what the Ministers had to say in reply. It established a kind of direct personal relation between many leading men of the district and the Government of the day, and this should count for something when the claims of Taranaki come up lor consideration at the framing of next year's Estimates. .Ministers, on their part, have admitted that tiic tour has been to them as pleasurable as it was inlorniative. They claim with reason that they have now an intimate knowledge of Taranaki, and this should he a strong' point in favor of the requirements of the more attention in the future than they have done in the past. It must have gratified settlers to hear or to read the many good things that .Mr. Massey and his colleagues said of Taranalci's and prospects. We o:ily hope that the Government of the "square deal'' will be a-> faithful in performance as it has been in promise. When we conic to examine the speech delivered by the Prime "Minlster in Xew Plymouth we are more struck by the' stateness of many of the matters touched upon and omissions from it than by anything definite that it contains in the way of reference to important matters of "public policy. There was nothing said regarding the measure of electoral reform that the Cabinet contemplates; JJ. is understood thai-a Hill is to bo introduced to make i.lie Legislative Council '■elective under a system of proportional- representation. The Registrar of Electors went on' a special mission to Tasmania some months ago to observe the' working of the system there and to report to the Coverument on the subject: time lias elapsed for. that...report- to lie presented and for'the Government (o have come to a decision. There was reason to expect that (he Prime Minister would have disclosed something regarding the Bill that is promised. Again, on the question of local government, we had a right to expect something more than the bald statement tliat "something would hj.» brought down session." This "something" has been . talked of for nearly twenty years; but it would seem (hat Mr. .Massey nml-TiLs friends are as timid about grasping the nettle as their predecessors in office were. .An amendment of the Counties Act. was promised, that would empower the local -governing bodies to buy land and. build houses for their employees; but ther<! ; was not Hie most remote hint regarding the. Government's plan for tackling the problem of tlje multiplicity of beiards. and councils, and nothing on the- subject of l.lieir finance beyond a vague intimation that t.hey hoped to suggest a remedy "when the. time came." Perhaps, Mr. Ma.-sey is to be excused for holding back more explicit information until he. makes a ■■policy speech" in his'"own electorate. We gratefully acknowledge a minor item regarding the perennial land question. The Prime Minister made brief reference to the subject of reaggregation of estates and gave a definite pledge that, if it were found necessary, a Will would -be introduced dealing with this evil. lie apparently did not favor limitation of <iica, so long as the laud were developed; but he did not in so many word-; say how he proposed to ileal with land that is held for speculative purposes and kept, out of profitable occupation. The country is eagerly' awaiting a disclosure of Ministerial policy on the general lines promised by Mr. Massey on several occasions—a policy that was to make land available for settlement, in r-ulihv'nt ■quantity to meet all requirement -, wit limit imposing any burden upon the people —but no information was voueh-

safed as to bow this is to be done, although the welcome iiiliiuatiun wa* made that tlio (lovonimenl would during (ho financial year throw open lDii.Diid acres of Crown land in the Taranaki di::'."ict. Without being accused of hyper-evil icisni. we may remark upon (he rather ungracious reference of .Mr. Masscy to H.M.S. New Zealand, lie dwell. upon the honor shown to Mr. Allen. .Minister fov Defence, in being given a place near the King in a photographic group taken on board the battleship. He omitted, however, to say that Sir .Joseph Ward was also in the group. A stranger, reading the Prime Minister's remarks, would infer that Mr. Allen was deserving of high credit in connection wilh TI.M.S. Xew Zealand, and that the King had shown him a mark of special favor on that account. As everyone in the Dominion knows, the gift of the ship was made on the initiative of Sir Joseph j Ward, who took all the responsibility!

and carried through tlic business despite] the opposition of Mr. Massey, Mr. Allen ' and practically the whole of their side of-' the House. The Prime Minister reserved -j all the praise for his own colleague, who,! wc imagine, must have felt himself in an awkward position when put forward as the representative of the Dominion, or. tlie ship which he had opposed, in the piesence of the man who conceived and! carried through the gift. It is only fair ! to add that, on the whole, (lie Prime Minister and his colleagues created an ' excellent impression during their tour of Tiiranaki, and we have no doubt they have made many friends, who will, like, ourselves, be glad to welcome them back.