ON TRIAL.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 247, 18 October 1928, Page 13

ON TRIAL.

GOVERNMENT IN "THE DOCK."

MR. YARNAIX MAKES SOME

CHARGES.

LABOUR'S IDEALS.

A picture of the present Reform Government, in dull drab, clashing colours, which seemed to jar the tastes otf his audience, was painted by the Labour candidate for Parnell, Mr. J. W. Yarnall, at the opening address of his campaign in St. Mark's Hall last night. But his representation of a Labour Government, in power, was a picture of brightest ray serene, done in brilliant hues.

"Gordon Coates," we were told, "was the man who got things done, but as far as I can see, he has only done the lot of us," declared Mr. P. W. Schramm in introducing the candidate. "His Government is the worst that New Zealand has ever had. And all the King's horses and all the King's men cannot pull the United party together again. Sir Joseph Ward's speech last night in the Town Hall was the worst I've ever heard. 'He is' a spent force,"said Mr. Schramm.

In the first part of his address Mr. Yarnall conducted what one might; call a "mock court." He supposed that the hall was a court of justice. The Government was in the dock, and the chairman (Mr. F. W. Schramm) was tlia judge. Mr. Yarnall himself was the Crown Prosecutor. The audience represented a croweded court.

"What is our charge?" he asked. "First of all, there is the Government's relation to unemployment; secondly, there are their immigration methods; thirdly, their financial system, to say nothing of their astounding acts with regard to mental defectives and family protection." Mr. Yarnall charged the Government with being the friend of the wealthy and powerful and the enemy of the common people. " "Go and Starve." "Let us take the present Government's attitude towards unemployment," went on Mr. Yarnall. "What could be more pathetic? 'Here are men saying '1 have a pair of hands. I want work.' And the Government in turn says, "We have no work for you—go and 6tarve in the streets.' What has the Government done to relieve this unemployment? They spent £500,000 during last year, but what is that out of a revenue of 25 million pounds?" asked Mr. Yarnall.

"If Labour were in power, we would stop the State aided immigrants from landing in New Zealand. Twelve to fifteen thousand of these people have been coming into New Zealand for some years, and Labour says that we can't absorb them. That is one. of the big causes of unemployment." 'Income Tax Remitted; Farmer Benefits." Mr. Yarnall went on to talk about the finance of the country. He said that in 1922 t!he Government remitted some millions in income tax. The only ones to benefit were farmers who were in a big way. It was not the gmall man. The Government should be severely criticised for lifting taxation from those who could very well afford to pay. The speaker next touched on the enormous salaries paid to Government officials. He cited Mr. H. 'Sterling, General Manager of Railways, who was on a salary of £3500 per year. In seven or eight years, Mr. Sterling would retire on a pension of £2300 per year. Surely there were officers in the Railway Department who could fill the position for leset If the salary had been fixed at a reasonable sum, there would have been plenty of men able to fill the position. The Government had made a serious mistake in appointing a manager at such a ridiculous salary.

Another serious mistake of the Government was the fact that they did not appoint a representative on the International Labour Bureau of the League of Nations. Almost every nation in the world had got her representative om the Bureau, but not little New Zealand. Mr. Coates had been asked time and again, but he had said that he could not afford £6000 a year—£6ooo' a year for a representative to discuss the questions of the age. They spent money in all sorts of ways, but they would not pay for a nuui to represent the country on the Labour Bureau. Mr. Yarnall mentioned what hetermed the alarming legislation against mental defectives. A man who had an anti-social bias in his nature had to place himself on a roll. Some of the greatest men in the world might be guilty of antisocial conduct, declared the speaker. Guilty, or Not Guilty? "Now is the Government guilty or not guilty?" asked Parnell's Labour candidate. He went on to point out that there were four Ministers in the Government who had said most strange things. Were they worthy to hold responsible positions Mr. Coates said a time ago that there should be more business in Government and less Government in business. "Can you credit that?" asked Mr. Yarnall, "and now people are remonstrating." Mr. McLeod said that New Zealand had reached the point of saturar tion with regard to settlement. "Nice, isn't it!" said the speaker. Mr.Nosworthy had said that he would not sit in any Government where there were Roman Catholics. "All rot," said a voice indignantly. Talking to some unemployed on one occasion, Mr. Wright said, "When I was unemployed, I started a business. - Why don't you do the same?" (There were expressions of disgust from the - back of the hall.) "A brilliant suggestion of Mr. Wright's, wasn't it ?" said Mr. Yarnall. * Labour's Way. "One of the first things that Labour would do when it got into power would be to deal with financial matters," said Mr. Yarnall. "We would have a State bank; for the financial question is one of the most pressing in the civilised State. We would reduce the hours of working for men; we would give them more leisure. We would give an injured man full wages, not as it is now—two-thirds. s "We would place the women on an absolute equality with men. We would give them a bigger allowance for the affairs of motherhood: We would give free education and charge nothing for school accessories. "Yes, I can tell you why you should vote Labour," said Mr. Yarnall. "It is because a change of Government is necessary,. and because the circumstances demand a change. ' Every Government in the world has changed except New Zealand since the war, and it is time we had a change." "I thiak so," said a ponderous voice.