ELECTION SPEECHES.

Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 282, 27 November 1919, Page 11

ELECTION SPEECHES.

AUCKLAND WEST. THE LABOUR CANDIDATE. f MR. SAVAGE'S PLATFORM. Mr. M. J- Savage, Labour candidate for 'Auckland "West, addressed a fairly large fathering last night in the Richmond Boad SchooL Mr. J. D. Robertson presided. The candidate at the outset referred to certain rumours which he said were (being circulated in the electorate regardin-*' his views. The rumours, he stated, did not emanate from the other candidates, but from their supporters. It had been said that he was in favour of the nationalisation of women—the nationalisation of everything, in fact. This waa quite incorrect. He went on to refer to the general Sims of Labour, and said that it was (often mistakenly supposed that Labour did not consider itself as including highsalaried wage-earners —captains of industrial ships. People also frequently confused Labours ultimate objective—the •socialisation of means of production, distribution, and exchange—with its proposals for immediate reforms. Labour recognised the principle of development in matters of government. Dealing with the specific proposals of his party, Mr. Savage advocated voting by elector's right, proportional representation, the initiative, the referendum, and the recaU. The party's advocacy of these measures, he said, disposed of the allegation that Labour wanted to dominate the whole community. He commended the initiative and referendum as providing the people with means of legislating, if necessary, independent of Parliament, or even in spite of it. The candidate condemned the National Government's use of privately-owned banks in its war finance —especially war loans—as having contributed directly to .the inflation of the currency and a consequent raising of prices. He contended that the public credit should have been used direct without allowing private institutions to make a handsome profit out | of it. The Post Office Savings Bank was \ •■already the nucleus of a State bank, and i by the extension of its functions could be! made into a bank of issue. Dealing with State shipping, Mr. | Savage declared that during the war the i Government had paid for the charter of the Union Steamship Company's steamers ; far more than their value, instead of j doing the commonsense thing and buying! them outright at a fair price. The company, he said, had received enormous I sums, and it still owned the steamer.?. I The candidate devoted some time to. the housing problem, and declared thatj a Government with the personnel of the present Government could not be trusted! to carry out a national bousing scheme,: because it represented vested interests j which benefited by the present house, shortage. Only Labour, representing the! people who really needed houses, could j be trusted to se e that tiie work was done. He explained the Labour pro-1 posals regarding land. He ai-o dealt I -with public health. State medical and nursing services, and educational reform. I In answer to a question, Mr. Savage said he believed that the war debt could be repaid if steps were taken to make profiteers and landowners disgorge their •tar profits. This could largely be done (through income tax, and the process would help to break up large estates. He would make it a criminal offence for any association of merchants or others to! regulate prices and dictate to their customers. A vote of thanks and confidence was —irried with acclamation.