POLITICAL.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXX, Issue 8462, 12 June 1907, Page 5

POLITICAL.

SPEECH BY HON. G. FOWLDS. By Telegraph—Press Association. AUCKLAND, June 11. Addressing his constituents, at Grey Lynn, to-night, the Hon. G. Fowlds said that the people of New Zealand ought to be proud of the way that Sir Jos. Ward had repesented them at the Imperial Conference. He had had occasion recently to criticise certain other delegates, and he had nothing to regret and nothing to take back. He wanted to see the British Empire consolidated, for it was the greatest force in the world to-day, making for peace and justice, liberty and progress. We had to see .that we maintained unimpaired outown independence in these colonies, and in doing that we must grant tlv.v same freedom of action to the people of the Old Country. (Aplause.) He referred to the regrettable illness o.C the Hon. Hall-Jones. Mr Fowlds said that among the reforms carried out was the provision for sinking funds for some of the oil and unproductive loans, and last year out the ordinary revenue £39,950 was provided. Then there was an item that uad stood for years before the present party came into'power: £700,000 on debentures and' £150,000 was paid off that. The Leader of the Opposition claimed credit for a lot of reforms the Government had carried out, but Mr Fowlds' opinion was that "if the devil himself was the leader of the Opposition he would be found preaching righteousness." Referring to education he said that great strides had been made. He was very pleased that the House had agreed to free education from the primary schools tu the university schools, which were no longer the preserves of 'the wealthy. The technical education system and Vote had also ' normously extended. The number «,i! students holding free places in technical schools last year waa 15,051. The expenditure on education amounted to £63,186. The Government expected great advantage to accrue to. the colony from the visit of its General Inspectorate other countries He defended the School Journal, considering it would be accompanied by extensive benefits. Referring to the outbreak of plague in Auckland he said f ,he manner in which the Health Department set about combatting it justified the* existence of that Department. As to the Landi Bill he denied Mr Ma?sey's assertion' that he (Mr Fowlds) wai the real author of it. Mr Massey had called him a Socialist among otler names. He wasn't a Socialist, but would rather 1 be one than uphold the present system. Mr Massey threatened that the Land Bill would not 1 e passed unless he was first carri< d out of the House. That was the threat of an anarchist, and Parliament and the Government v: mid do their duty even to the c:. ont of carrying Mr- Massey out on a' stretcher. (Laughter.) There was » a good deal of genuine opposition in Auckland to the Bill, , but much of that was due to misrepresentation. There was not the slightest justification for the assertion that the Bill as an attack on the freehold already existing.