MR MASSEY'S SPEECH.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13873, 8 April 1909, Page 5

MR MASSEY'S SPEECH.

The Press Association supplied us with a very short report of Mr Massey s speech on Tuesday night, little more than an index of the subjects on winch ho spoke. Naturally, he dwelt upon the unconstitutional manner in which the Cabinet had pledged the country, g(y far as they could, to furnish some millions for building battleships for the British Fleet, and as Leader of the Opposition he was justified in speaking stronglv on this point. -And ho followed up this with cmphasisuig the need for providing for home defence, an idea-which until now lias seemed to be repugnant to Sir Joseph Ward. (There must have been a note o triumph in his voice when lie came to deal with the promise of great retrenchments in the Civil Service, for tlic need for such retrenchment was a subject upon which Mr Massey liad-dwelt w.tli especial. emphasis during his laborious campaign prior to the late election The Premier's proposals have, as Jir Massey properly claimed, complete y justified the Opposition criticism ot tlie over-manned condition of the Civil Service: The promise has yet to be fulfilled, however; and the cutting-down process will not be so easy in fact as it appears 011 paper. We doubt, very much whether Ministers will succeed 111 ( making -even the fifty of the promised two hundred and. fifty thousand of annual 'saving by that means.