"WILL NOT BE DRIVEN."

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 97, 26 April 1930, Page 13

"WILL NOT BE DRIVEN."

UNITED GOVERNMENT.

record of achievement.

' 1 TTOW G> w. FORBES ANSWERS i: n ' 1 CRITICS. ' i • i ... .r\ • • • The Minister of Lands, the Hon. G. - W Forbes, \ entered the Parnell by- ' election on Thursday night ■ when, in course of a vigorous political address delivered at Mr. W. A. Donald's meeting at the Remuera public library, he defended the policy of the Government and outlined many important Government; successes. Mr C. G. Macindoe presided. On the •nlatform were Mr. Alan Donald, official Government candidate in the by-election, Mrs. Donald, Mr. G. C. Munns, M.P. for Roskill, and Mr.; A. J. Murdoch, M.P. for Marsden. V Mr Forbes said lie was sure Mr. •Donald would prove a most' creditable representative in Parliament. He was . certain that the Selectors of. Parnell would decide on him as their representative. (Applause.) "We only want the best men, as Parliament has to decide a lot of difficult problems,'/ said the Minister. ■< ' Reformer's Disadvantage. "Now I am glad to ; have the privilege of addressing this large gathering of Parnell constituents, for I am going to take this opportunity jof saying a word for the Government, j You have read a "ood deal against \ the Government from a certain section -of the Press. One does not mind ordihary criticismcriticism is a thing which should be encouraged, but one does'not like the case to be misrepresented and built up on in ' such a way as to be absolutely mislealing. The criticism of some of the Reform newspapers has not been made in a fair and square way." Mr. Forbes said he did not want to eay much about the Reform candidate, ■who had made certain Statements concerning the United Pai;ty. "I' sympathise with him. He is frying to make y water run uphill. He is indulging in a vain hope and will be a sadder and tyiser man 'after the!; by-election, (laughter.) Now, in his last address, he uses that good old Reform 'gag' of eaying that the Labour party runs the Government. That is an old 'gag,' I remember it over 20 years aso when they used to say" that the Socialists ran the .' Liberals. It is so common that the Reform babies learn it in their cradles, I'm sure. (Laughter.) It was repeated ad nauseam at the last eldction. We have made it quite clear > that the v- Government has" not been '•x by the Labour party. We have iad votes of no-confidence moved by both Reform and Labour parties, but we did . not deviate from the proper • course.' We carried out our, policy. , (Applause). 'Suggestions Always Considered.

The speaker added that all .parties and members of the House were entitled to advance reasonable and sensible suggestions which the Government would listen to. "We have/' he , said, "had many. sensible suggestions . from Labour members. One must give credit where credit is due. . But we will not • 'be driven from our course by any threats by either jßcform or Labour." .. •* "The Reform candidate, I see, hasibeen telling you how much.. Reform spent • when it occupied the Treasury benches, but let me tell you that we came into '• office finding a bare cupboard and a: deficit of half a million pounds. The first thing we had to do was to introduce every economy. So you see we cannot vie with Reform in what it. has We have hot had the money to spfindJ ■• The Reform candidate also said that . the United party reminded him of a team of b-ullocks struggling through the mud with the bullocks being whipped by Mr. Holland. What I would like r to ask him is—who made.the mud?" (Applause.) 1 A Voice: Reform! * v - Mr. Forbes thought that the Reform . candidate had been deluded, when he remarked that the Reform Government had been put out of office by Sir Joseph Ward's £70,000,000 loan brought forward at the last general election. Reform went out because the people of the country desired a change of Government. (Applause.) The public judged fairly and squarely at last election. "Let me remind the Reform candidate of this, that Sir Joseph Ward's loan proposals were to be extended over a period of 10 years. And also let me remind him of something that probably he does not know —that Reform during the 10 years from |19!9 to 1929 borrowed and spent £75,000,000." " Simplification of Accounts. „ .Reference to a leading article appearing in the "Herald" on Wednesday, was made by Mr. Forbes, who said that the Reform journal had endeavoured to misrepresent and prejudice the Government in the by-election. The "Herald" made : reference to "an extraordinary incident ■. that occurred at the close of the last ; session, when legislation was introduced bv the Government and successfully challenged by the Legislative Council. Its ostensible purpose was to define the functions of the Treasury in regard to the method of keeping public accounts; as it was interpreted by the Legislative Council, its real effect was to invest the iTreasury with enormous powers and to make it independent of the supervision of s the Auditor-General, who is an officer of Parliament and not of any Government." "Well, what the 'Herald' complains of is nothing more than this," said Mr. Forbes. "The clause was recommended by the National Efficiency Board during the war. The legislation, we introduced .■was done in the ordinary way of accountancy. It was brought down on the Statute Book as the result of a recommendation put forward by the National Efficiency, Board, which was representative of . all three parties. It* meant that instead of .having to draft a new clause ieach time money is to be transferred from one department to another, the Treasury is being brought more into 'line with modern accountancy. It is . simplification of the public accounts. The same system is done in the British Parliament." Mr. Forbes was accorded-a hearty vote of thanks on the motion of Mr. Beddoe, Who said the Minister's address was both lucid and illuminating. "The United party has suffered greatly for # long time as the result of gross misrepresentations, so "that it is a pleasure to hear Mr. Forbes come out and state the true facts," said Mr. Beddoe. "The United party has done more since it ihas taken office than the Reform Government did during the whole of its (existence." (Applause.) . The motion was carried unanimously, jfad with prolonged applause.