MR H. S. VALENTINE'S LAWRENCE ADDRESS.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XXIV, Issue 1903, 8 June 1892, Page 3

MR H. S. VALENTINE'S LAWRENCE ADDRESS.

(" Daily Times.")

Within the last few (Jays two pre-sessional addresses have been delivered by members to their constituents — Mr Valentine at Lawrence last Saturday evening and Mr Mills at Port Chalmers on Thursday. The addresses are noteworthy. They come fron? gentlemen who were consistently in Opposition last session, and each speaker possesses special qualifications for dealing with those portions of the administration of the Government to which he principally confined his remarks. Mr Valentine is that bete noir of the Ministry, the representative of a large landowning company, and accordingly we find a large portion of his speech devoted to the policy of the Minister for Lands. It is just because Mr Valentine is connected with a large landed company that he is able to foresee with so much precision the evil effects of the "bursting up " policy. The New Zealand Agricultural Company not only holds large areas of land bub it cultivates them, and has sold considerable portions of its property to settlers who are now thriving exceedingly, and are doing so chiefly because they have found the company considerate in the matter of conditions, and willing to aid them in other ways. It follows that the manager is intimately acquainted with the process of settlement, and with the aspiration of settlers, and he correctly interprets their feelings when he says they have not been deluded by the specious promises of exemption from taxation held out to them in the land and income tax proposals. . . . It is evident that Mr Valentine's remarks were popular. A hostile amendment was received with great disfavour, and fell to the ground for want of a seconder. The member may well be proud of bis popularity. He went to Tuapeka almost a stranger, and in so short a time as sinoe the end of 1890 has made friends from end to end of the constituency.

("Evening Star.")

Mr Valentine sat in the last Parliament for Wakaia, and has made for himself a good position in the House. Having shown himself especially conversant with economic questions, and thoroughly acquainted with the conditions and requirements of tbe agricultural industry in all its branches, he is evidently the right man in the right place as representing a country district. . . . Mr Valeutine hit Ministers very hard in regard to their policy, their administration, and their pretences. He designated the claims put forward of having paid off £200,000 of the floating debt as preposterous, charging them with " claiming credit for » result tq which they had not done anything to contribute. They were in this, as in many other instances, sailing under false colours, endeavouring to rob a distinguished man— the lato Treasurer, Sir Harry Atkinson — of the credit that alone belonged to him."

(" Otago Witness.")

While there was nothing actually new in Mr Valentine's exposition of tbe land question-^-which more than all others has been surrounded under the present Minister with the most irritating misrepresentation — it must have been refreshing to his country audience to get a plain unvarnished tale which their own common sense could not only appreciate but instinctively confirm and approve. . . . As to the constant claim of the present Minister to have put more people on the land than 9ny of his predecessors, that too has been repeatedly shown up in its true light, and Mr Valentino has exposed it fully as clearly as anyone has done before,

(" Mataura Ensign.")

Mr Valentine's speech at Lawrence on Saturday night possesses for our readers more interest than usually attaches to inter-ses-sional addresses. A speech by Mr Valentine can never be wholly without interest to local readers, since it was this district which introduced him to political life, and we do not believe either roembers or the then constituency has had reason to regret tbe connection. No one in his sane senses would dream of imputing ability to the Ministerial side of the House, nor influence to the few journals which accord it the doubtful honour of their support ; and yet, leech-like, they stick, and will stick until the last entrenchment of fallacy is levelled, the last penny expended out of the Treasury, and the last shot gone out of the locker. That day is not far distant, and its approach is hastened by the merciless exposures the Ministerial policy receives. Not the least damaging is the speech just made by Mr Valentine at Lawrence.