He acted with good feeling and wisdom in bringing the young members round him. The House had a large number of these, some of whom evidently intended to play an important part in politics. A Young New Zealand Party had sprung into existence in the session of 1887. The Hon. W. P. Reeves, Mr. James Mills, Sir Westby Perceval, Sir Joseph Ward, and Sir J. McKenzie were its most prominent members. Some of the members were young in every sense, but others were young merely by courtesy. Several were grey-headed. It included four country members, as well as two Ministers of the Crown. It counted its force as twenty strong. It originated in a social meeting held during the early weeks of the session of 1887, at which party politics were prohibited. During the meeting, a strong wish was expressed on all sides to work together when possible for the good of the country in which all had a stake. The result of the suggestion was that those who attended the meeting agreed in an informal way to look upon Mr. Mills as their leader and to work with him when party ties were not binding. The party, however, did not do very much beyond identifying itself rather timidly with the cry for economy that had been raised, and it saw only one session.
The battle-ground of the session of 1889 covered a wide area, but Sir Harry, with the courage that never deserted him throughout his career, went out to meet the Opposition as soon as it was ready to fight to a finish. He took his Financial Statement, his Public Works Statement, and an amendment to the Property Tax Act in one hand, and throwing them in front of the Opposition, challenged it to discuss the three in one great battle, which should decide once and for all whether the Conservative Government ought to retain its position or resign.
In the ranks of the Liberal Party, there was Mr. F. J. Moss, member for Parnell, who vied with Mr. Ballance in his bitter dislike of the property tax. During a previous discussion on the tax, Mr. Moss had hastily drawn up a motion and moved it. This motion had no special importance attached to it until Sir Harry announced that the debate on the tax would be combined with the debate on the Financial Statement and the Public Works Statement. Mr. Moss’s motion suited the views of a
