POLITICAL ADDRESS.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 216, 12 September 1925, Page 14

POLITICAL ADDRESS.

ROTORUA ELECTORATE. 1 SPEECH BY MR. CLIXKAED. [ (From Our Own Correspondent.) I The first spee.-h in connection wit the forthcoming political campaign \va delivered by Mr. ('. H. Clinkard, th National and Liberal-Labour cand:dat< find a large and enthusiastic audienc showed their keen appreciation of th sentiments expressed the speakei Mr. J. B. Tanner, J. P., presided. Mr. Llinkard, who was received wit; applause, said the financial position c the present Government was disgracefi when it was compWred with the tim when Sir Joseph Ward was in charge o the country's finances. The last tim when ho (tiic speaker) addressed, thei: from a public platform he bitierly com plained of the national expenditure o the Reform Government. Under th Liberal Government in seven years th expenditure increased by 68 per .cent whereas in three years of Reform Gov input it increased by 144 per cent, an: this was inexcusable. The Government said that expenditur ' could not be reduced, and yet when the; were in danger cf being defeated, am were only saved by getting: one or twi ! "rats" to support them—(loud laugh ' ter) —they quickly reduced expenditure by £2.202.000, and" this from a party win said expenditure could not by reduced. I Taxation. ! During the time Sir Jospph Ward wa \in charge of the Treasury he borrowei ' from Capital, but increased death duties income tax, and taxed wealth to hel] win the war, but the first thing tin Reform party did when returned t< power was to reduce the land* tax by 1( per cent. This benefited the larga land owner, but was of no use to the smal man. as the large landowners in tin Dominion owned some 19,000,000 acres with an income of £4,700,000. By tin reductions the large landowners bene fited by £107 each, whereas the smal man benefited by 4/ each, and, in thi speaker's opinion, if anyone gained bj winning the. war. it was the large land owner. Such finance as this was alto gether inexcusable. Again, the inconn tax had been reduced, ai-.d Custom: duties had been increased. This was not fair, as the man who paid incotn< ■ tax in New Zealand was vastly bcttci off than in other countries. Id Nev Zealand a man with a wife and two children en an income of £400 paid £3 i 12/ tax; in New South Wales, £14 6/7: ,in Great Britain. £15 3/9. The sarnr family in New Zealand on an incoms of £SOO paid £31 10/; in Xew Soutl j Wales, £50 13/2; in Great Britain. £86 { The same family in New Zealand on ar i income of £1000 paid £54 6/; in New j South Wales. £83 15/; in Great Britain J £126. So the indome-tax payer in thi ! Dominion was not so bad'y 017, and i ! the Government lowered the Customs duties the smaller persons would .-ipnpfii and the war costs would be paYi bj , wealth, and 'Wealth alone. (Applause.) In Sir Joseph Ward's admimstratioi the number of income-tax payers tc ]917 was 30,000, and up to that tirr.r . the tax was at the rate of 40 rer cent ;45 per cent. 45 per cent. Vp to 1924 under the Reform Government, tile Mini ber of income-tax payers increased t< 3C,000, but the rates decreased to. S! per cent, 39 per cent, 3G per cent, and last year was 22 per cent. During thr same period fne Customs duties war* I increased from 1919 29 per cent, 192 C ;31 per cent, and 1925 47 per cent. With j income tax falling aiv.l Customs dutie? i rising, was money going to be taken i from those best a.le to afford it or from those least able to pay? Th? increases on taxation of tobacco, cigarettes, tea. etc., wore inexcusable when income tax J had again been reduced. (Applause.) j The Atiamuri irurchase. 1 Speaking tlirce rears ago at Whakatane he (the speaker) condemned the Government for the purchase of the Atiamuri property. This property of 1000 acres was sold for £4.'> Go. Some four years afterwards it was bought by the Government for £27,500, and this purchase was commended by the present member for Pvotorua as a good deal. The Government said they muet have the property for the timber on it, and the ease was so urgent that the whole matter of registration was put through in twenty-four hours, a process that usually takes weeks and sometimes months. The need of the Government for the timber was very great, yet up. to the present timfe nothing had been done with the property. It was situated some SOODft above sea level, and was most inaccessible. Every year the interest was increasing the cost of the property by nearly £2000, and this was the Government idea of good bargaining, supported by the present member for Rotorua. He (the speaker) said that it showed an utter lack of business ability, and a disregard of warnin<*. (Applause.) Mr. Bell (Bay of Islands) had raul.that valuers were appointed who had no knowledge of the work, but whilst he (the speaker) had no charge to make against any particular person, he had a charge to make against the Government as a whole, as, in spite of repeated requests from the Opposition, no information is available as to who benefited by these deals. i Railways Policy Criticised. i With regard to the railways, Mr. Veitch. the member for Wanganui.' told the Government some four years ago that the workshops required overhauling and bringing up-to-date. The Government were not convinced, so set up another Royal Commission, and imported big advisers from overseas, who gave them exactly the same'advice as they had received- from Mr. Veitch. Under the Liberal Government the pol'cy of the railways was to increase the trade and commerce of the country, and encourage the eartape of road metal, so that good roads could act as feeders to the railawys. But the present railway freights were absolutely prohibitive. Take the ease of Rotorua. Whereas under the old rates to import 2000 yards of Otorohanga shingle cost £483 G/. under the new rates, being 100 miles distant, the rate would be £1141. If this was the policy of Reform, then God help tho Reformers and those they were trying to reform. A Noble Aim. ''For many years," said Mr. Clinkard, ■'f.have supported the policy of my late chief. Richard John Seddon, and will at all times give my support and assistance to tho party, or realignment of parties, which most nearly approximates to that policy. (Loud applause.) Mr. W. L. Richards, J.P.. proposed a liearty vote of thanks to Mr. Clinkard for his magnificent address, and asked the meeting to heartily support Mr. Clinkard at the forthcoming general election. This was carried unanimously, with prolonged applause, and the meeting, terminated.