MR MASSEY'S RETURN

Waikato Times, Volume 94, Issue 14766, 4 October 1921, Page 5

MR MASSEY'S RETURN

READY FOR HARD WORK AN IMPORTANT SESSION. TARIFF TO BE DEALT WITH. By Telegraph.—Special to Times. WELLINGTON, Monday. "I expect a very important session, and I naturally look forward to maki|g it. a successful one," said the Prune Minister this afternoon. Mr Massey is looking particularly well, and he had said in reply to a question that he was feeling ready for plenty of hard work. The Tariff. "We will tackle the tariff," he went on to say. "That is my present intention. Ido not think there will be any serious difficulty about dealing with it during the present, session, although undoubtedly there will be a great deal of work involved. Racing Commission's Report. A tentative question regarding the report of the Racing Commission did not draw m'uch information from the Prime Minister. He said that he had not had time to study the report, but he had heard a gTeat deal about it from both sides. The report, of course, would go before Parliament. His own promise had been that Parliament, would have the deciding voice in the matter, and the ground had been left clear by Ministers, so that this promise might be redeemed fully. Financial Matters.

The Prime Minister indicated that he would prefer to reserve for the House of Representatives most of his comment on financial matters. The framework of the financial statement, which would foe presented to the House during the next few weeks, was ready, but he had not yet had time to examine details and to make his plans for the possibly difficult times that lay ahead. No Reason for Pessimism.

Mr Massey said he was not in the least disposed to be despondent regarding the financial position of the Dominion. "We don't know what a slump means in New Zealand," he said, ".lust think of 4,000,000 men being unemployed in Britain for months, and G,000.000 in the United States! What New Zealand has "suffered has been merely a rellex of the financial troubles that bavc arisen in the older countries. We have difficulties to face, but we need not be a bit gloomy about them." He had said already that ttie people of New Zealand would have to exercise economy in both public and private expenditure, and if they did that they would overcome Iheir difficulties without much delay. Improvement Predicted. "Personally I think we have come through the winter very well," added the Prime Minister, "and I look forward to a steady improvement. Things are very much improved in Britain; that is a fact that does not seem to be realised fully here, and we ought to feel the rcilex of that improvement. There is anxiety in some quarters regarding the coming winter in Britain, but the financial position in London is much belter than it was when I reached England four months ago. The wool situation is improving, and we may reasonably look to a recovery from the severe slump that has troubled our woolgrowcrs this year." The Work of the Session.

Mr Massey smiled when the reporter asked if he took a serious view of the want-of-confidence motion that is before the House of Representatives at present. He thought that the House would be ready to settle down to the work of the session when the motions moved by the leader of the Liberal Party and the leader of the Labour Party had been disposed of. In the meantime he had pienty to occupy his own attention. A CIVIC WELCOME. WELLINGTON, Monday. Mr Massey, on arrival this afternoon, was heartily welcomed by a representative gathering. In a brief reply to a welcome by the Mayor, Mr Massey said he had never felt better in his life, and he hoped all would associate in working to bring to New Zealand that prosperity it deserved.