THE "REFORM" RECORD.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 14339, 8 July 1914, Page 5

THE "REFORM" RECORD.

MINISTERIAL BOAST. r SUBMISSIVE FOLLOWERS. (By Telegraph.—Special to Herald.) WELLINGTON, July 7. Mr Isitt was in good aggressive form in the No-confidence debate to-night, and raked the “Reform” benches icatchingly upon their mute unquestioning acceptance of every proposal brought forward by their leader. First he bantered them upon making praiseworthy efforts to represent the shoddy materials fn the "Reform” window as good and whobseme goods. “Well,” he remarked,” “we shall have to wait for a few months before the people have the right to express their opinion about the records! achieved by the 'Reform' party. We have, however, in the meantime, au opportunity of putting very definitely before the people of this land the record of a Government which possesses naturally a very pretentious Phari.siacal and Pocksniffian character, and whose stock in trade consists very largely of unfulfilled boasts and unkept pledges'.” A little further on. the lion, gentleman adressed himself to a recent statement by the Minister of Railways, who said, Mr Isitt declared, in the course of vaunting the surpassing excellence of “Reform,” that not even the late Right Hon. Richard .Seddon had succeeded in carrying on the conduct of his Government without failing to curry some one measure he had proposed. The Minister of Railways actually boasts that the men behind the present Government were all so supine and lamb-like at their leaders’ bock that they had not dared fo oppose so much as one measure brought forward by the leader of their political party.

ONLY ONE REVOLT. Casting a pitying smile over the Government benches, Mr Isitt a died that there was one occasion, just once, when three members of that party dared to oppose the supreme will of their leader, and what did we tee then? The Great “Ariki Tory” left his seat, and shook his poltical fist in their terrified faces till they shrank hack, rowed and meek, into their places, nice and for ever, to rejoin the fold of the party in that state of abject submission for which it is so greatly distinguished (Roaru of Opposition laughter). Yet, when that Government was first formed, the members that brought it into existence boasted of their independence, boasted that they would never bo dragged at the heels of anv Government however good, and proclaimed the principle of enfranchisement from tho toils and evils of bumb adherence from the house (ops—and again the resonant, burly voice of Mr Isitt was lost in the scornful laughter of the Liberal Benches. SMALL FARMERS OVERLOOKED. Touching on the Board of Agriculture, Mr Isitt declared that many of Mr Massey's supporters were aggrieved that small farmers were not represented. The Prime Minister: "You don’t think I make tho appointments do your” Mr Isitt: “You can exercise such influence over the Board you created that you should have seen that the small fay ininf cla-sa was considered.” The Premier, he continued, in spite of his claim to promote settlement, and .still more settlement, cut across all precedent nud, at tho request of Mr Holman, interfered with the conduct of tho Land Department. The Prime Minister: “I did not.” Mr Isitt: “Will the Premier kindly preserve the ‘dignity of tho House.’ He has the right of reply.” (Laughter.) Continuing, the speaker said Mr Uibiou was dropped from tiro Canterbury Land Board, and Mr Gee, a son-in-law of tho man who sought to retain the section, appointed to the vacant position. When the. Prime Minister knew of the relationship he should have at once wired cancelling the appointment, but he did not. The subdivision of tire Cargill section, which could have been cut up and five settlements created on it, had been blocked. The Prime Minister; “I’ll make you torry you spoke.” Mr L.itt called on Air Speaker to rebuke tho Premier for his provocative interruption. Mr Speaker asked Mr Isitt to address tho'Chair, lie thought -Mr Isitt had directly spoken to the Prime Minister.

Mr Isitt: “I believed 1 addressed Mr Massey through you.” Mr Speaker: “You looked at him.”

Mr Isitt resumed his laud references, quoting ca-scs in the district of the Senior Government Whip, in which Crown tenants who had failed to carry out aggregation under Liberal legislation were able to purchase the freehold under Mr Massey's Act of 1912, and then re-sell to big landowners.