THE PRIME MINISTER.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 260, 3 November 1925, Page 8

THE PRIME MINISTER.

SPEECH AT TOWN HALL. AN ENTHUSIASTIC RECEPTION. The Town Hall was filled to capacity last night to hear an address by the Prime Minister, who, on his arrival on the hour of 9 o'clock, was carried shoulder high to the platform on the shoulders of a number of returned soldiers to the accompaniment of cheering from the 3000 people present. There was renewed cheering when Mrs. Coates who accompanied the Prime Minister, was presented by Mrs. A. H. Wilson with a beautiful horse shoe of red, white and blue flowers, and again after returned soldiers in the top gallery had saluted the head of the Government with a rousing haka. Mr. Coates' speech was friendly and reasoned, and was marked by a moderation which some of his followers would have done better to have pursued in this city. "None of the old Liberal legislation has been repealed; it has been widened and strengthened to meet changing circumstances and conditions," said the Prime Minister, in opening his defence of Reform, and he went on to state that, owing to the forethought and knowledge of the late Mr. Massey, New Zealand stood out alone in comparison with other parts of the Empire. Confirm My Appointment. "I have been selected as the new leader of the Reform party in Parliament," said Mr. Coates, "and I am asking the electors of New Zealand to confirm that appointment. We appeal to you on the grounds that we will, if returned to power, give equal opportunities to the humblest citizens of our land. If given support we will carry out the progressive policy that we have outlined further in the form of a manifesto. In addition, we. will do all possible to stay the undermining influences that come from quarters which do not belong to our race. We will do our utmost for our country and its people, and will maintain those high traditions, those true institutions, and that constitution which we know are the best in the world." The Government, continued the Prime Minister, stood for sound and stable finance, believing that only by good management and economy within the Departments of vState was it possible to secure the public wealth and make it possible for the administration to assist its citizens and give them the opportunity it was hoped to be able to give them.

MR. J. MASSEY,

Reform candidate for the Manukau Seat.

Mr. Coates then reviewed the comparative cost of administration in 1914-15 and 1924-25 to show that it was less per 'head than in the last decade, and he also denied emphatically that indirect taxation' had been increased, and said that the Government was seeking to further reduce indirect taxation. He spoke of pessimism, and whilst implying that something should be always put away, if possible, for a rainy day, declared that instead of being downhearted, it was always better to believe that there were brighter days ahead than ever in the past. Must Not Pause. His political friends of "the other side." said the Prime Minister, were urging a policy of public works activity, and at the same time declaring that there must be no more borrowing. They were going to get the money by taxing the wealthy squatter. Well, 'he wished them luck, but they would not get a great deal that way. Next, they were going to borrow in their own country. He agreed that it was wise to be self-reliant, but it seemed to him to be this way: The Government had laid down a definite policy for the development of New Zealand. If they stopped or hesitated in completing that policy it would cost 'hundreds of thousands of pounds for interest on the money, which would be lying idle in the form of material and uncompleted works. If money could be borrowed out of the country at a rate of interest which would pay the borrower, to use for the development of the natural resources here, it was a better policy than to borrow locally money which would otherwise be used for the development of the primary and secondary industries. What had to be done was to make perfectly sure that borrowed money was spent on works that would both serve the country and return interest and sinking fund, and that no amount of political or sectional influences should be allowed in the selection of those works. Depression—Taxation. In 1920, said Mr. Coates, when the depression hit this country, imports exceeded exports in value by £19,000,000, and there followed by stern necessity a policy of economy and curtailment, which, unfortunately, had to include the cutting of civil servants' wages. As far as the present Government was concerned,'there would be no further interference with the salaries of civil servants. There had been much criticism of the taking off of income tax from the farmer, but it was understood that the imposition of that tax was only enacted as a war-time measure; the reduction was the carrying out of a. promise made by the former Minister of Finance, the late Prime Minister. Further investigation of taxation would be made with a view to still further reducing the cost of living to the workers. Since taxation had been reduced, and the cost of government attended to. the country had managed to increase its exports —in four years— by f25.000.000 over imports. The policy of the Government would lie to do ail possible to maintain exports over imports sufficiently to pay for all our liabilities made overseas.

The Land Question. Regarding land tenure, the policy of the Government was to give to every individual who so desired it the right to make his home his own, but it was distinctly opposdd to aggregation of land. In his opinion the laud proposals of the Labour party would never be accepted by New Zealanders as a community. He. knew that policy was designed to give "the working farmer' a chance; in his experience he had never known a farmer who was not a "working" farmer remain on his land for long. The Government proposed to have a national stock-taking of all the land left unsettled in New ZeaLand because the land question was still probably the most important to be dealt with, and one to which the Government would pay most particular attention. It desired to provide opportunities for New Zealanders in particular to obtain land. When' the stock-taking was completed it would then be possible to tell the people what land there would be over a period of years, what class of land, and on what terms it could be selected. Further, there would have to be more country drained and irrigated, and they would have to purchase large estates for settlement by using the compulsory clauses of the Act—but this could only be done if they got the land at a price at which men could make a living when they got it. Family Man Endowment. Stressing the need for immigration of the right type—Xew Zealand hart absorbed about 10.000 immigrants a year without any serious inconvenience, and by so doing was helping tlie Mother Country—Mr. Coates passed on to family endowment. He emphatically denied Labour's assertions (which he declared to be "not cricket" and '•hitting below the belt"') that the Government proposed to take 7/0 a week off the wages of the single workers in order to provide for the family man. '"Just lot mc put it to you—ami we intend to carry it out," said Mr. Coates—"we intend to give assistance to the married man with more than two children from the Consolidated Fund, and from no other source, purely for the re-ason that we wish to help the man on the basic rate of pay, or who is receiving comparatively low wageswages which are not sufficient to give him an equal opportunity to bring his children up in the manner in which you or I would like to bring ours up. ' It seems to mc something like this: Yon should never ask anyone else to try and do what you would not like to do yourself." The Government, Mr. Coates assured his audience, was going to keep on pushing on the work of providing housing, and would try and eliminate alumdom in the big citk-s. There wore difficulties in tlie way, but they must be overcome. More Promises. It was proposed also to liberalise the Workers Compensation Act in order to increase the amount payable to an employee injured during the course of his work, and to extend further the policy adopted by the Department of Public Health and give free medical attention and dental treatment to school children— ■not only to State, but to private school children, for there must be one standard of health maintained, and all children had the same right to have their health cared for. The mental hospital policy had been completely altered, and the building programme and reorganisation in connection therewith would. when complete, place beyond all doubt the treatment of these unfortunate patients. "We ask you," said tlie Prime Minister, in conclusion, "to support none but Government candidates. We ask you to send men—>and women—to Parliament who will give us the opportunity to form a Government which will carry out its pledges to the electors of New Zealand." At the conclusion of his address, Mr. Coates was loudly cheered, and the gTeat audience sang. "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow" with a real enthusiasm. A vote of appreciation and confidence was carried on the motion of Sir James Gunson, seconded by Mr. G. H. Wilson. Before the arrival of the Prime Minister, brief addresses were delivered by Miss Melville, Mr. C. A. Wilson and Mr. V. H. Potter. MR. T. LAMONT'S CAMPAIGN. A large audience assembled at the Parish Hall, Duvonport, last evening, to hear Mr. T. Lamont, the NationalLiberal candidate, expound his platform. He received an attentive hearing, with only a few interjections, and at the conclusion of the meeting answered several questions. Mr. Lamont stressed the necessity for a revised educational system, which should concern itself more closely with the practical life of the people, and provide equal opportunities lor all. Defence matters also received consideration from Mr. Lamont as being vital subjects for new legislation. He then traversed the Labour party's platform and combated their socialisation objective with criticisms particularly directed against tlie Labour land programme. The educational allocation at the present was 3 1-3 millions. This he contended was inadequate for the 'best results. He pleaded for the revision of the incidence of the income tax as an urgent legislative necessity

MR. T. LAMONT,

and proved by comparative figures how the housing problem could be brought nearer solution by economies thus effected. Mr. Lamont concluded with an earnest appeal to the electors to compare the relative, qualifications oi the candidates. The present crisis demanded the selection of men for Parliament whose business record and public service showed what they were made of. He welcomed, at question time, the fullest inquiry into any detail of hi-s life, for ho was confident that he could satisfy any inquiry. At the conclusion of Mn Lament's address he was accorded by a large majority vote a resolution of thanks and confidence.