PRIME MINISTER.

Press, Volume LXIV, Issue 19461, 7 November 1928, Page 10

PRIME MINISTER.

ADDRESS AT WANGANUI.

NOISY MINORITY CAUSES ANNOYANCE.

[THE PEESS Special Service.]

WANGANUI, November 6. The Prime Minister had the unique experience to-night of having one of his largest meetings presided over by an Opposition candidate in the person of Mr W. J. Kogerß, the Labour Mayor of Wanganui City. Mr Coates spoke in support of the candidature of Mr N. J. Lewis, who has the honour of being Reform's youngest candidate. For his audience Mr Coates had a crowd which overflowed in hundreds from the theatre into the streets. It was evident that the audience was a mixed one, and the Prime Minister was subjected to some interjection. Whatever may be said of Mr Rogers' political beliefs, it can be said at once that he made an excellent chairman. His welcome to the Prime Minister and Mrs Coates and the introduction of them to the assembly were models. The Mayor asked the meeting to accord the Prime Minister the fair hearing his position demanded. It was the glory of Wanganui audiences to accord all candidates a fair hearing irrespective of their political views. The Prime Minister, who Was received.with acclamation, said th&t those present no doubt desired to hear factß and before the meeting was over he would no doubt have convinced 95 per cent, of those present that what he said was right. A voice: Don't camouflage it, Gordon.

The Prime Minister: There will be none. You will get it straight from the shoulder, old boy,, as we go along, Mr Coates said one of his aims was to show the electors of Wanganui why they should support the Reform candidate, Mr N. J. Lewis. A voice: He hadn't got a hope. The Prime Minister: Don't be too sure about that. You have aeeii heavy weights licked before to-day, (Applause.) , i • "Shot up, you mug!" the heckler interjected. ■ , i • Like a flash the Mayor rose to his feet and, appealing for silence said: 1 am not going to tolerate abusive language to the Prime Miriister or to any otlier speaker. 'Shut up, you mug!' is abusive language and it is not going to be tolerated here, (Loud applause!) . , The Prime Minister: I don't mind questions and interjections I will deal ivith those interjections. I want to arid leave the others alone. I thank the Mayor for his intervention; I consider it was merited. Dealing with the ouestion of unemployment the Prime Minister, speaking as a result of a complete study of the position, said that New Zealand was a more prosperous country than arty other in the known world Replying to an interjection concerning the Queensland unemployment insurance scheme, Mr Coates said that the introduction of such a scheme here would be one of New Zealand's greatest mistakes. Increased taxation would not bring prosperity; it simply knocked the initiative Or those who had the money to spend and paralysed industry. Before the creation of a permanent load which all the people liad to carry it was necessary to ascertain the best means in , which the surplus* founds could be applied to the benefit of the community. "Three cheers for Joey Ward," called a member of the audience* Three feeble cheers followed, prompt* ihg from the* Prime Minister the remark: "That does not look like winning the election, does itP" (Laugh* ter and applause.) "Have you ever tried to live on twelve bob a davP" a voice called when the Prime Minister was dealing with relief work. The Prime Minister: You can take it from me that I have lived on less than that.

Mr Coates repeated that the- relief rates of pay 1 were not given with any idea of reducing wages. Had standard. rates been paid there were a great many farmers who would have been glad of the opportunity Of earhing 15s a day. A voice: You should keep the men when they are starving. the Prime Minister: There ib rio need for any man, woman, or child in this country to starve and you knoW it. You know there are public-owned and managed institutions whose fun - tion it is to see that no one starves. The Prime Minister said that since the present Government had been in office greater progress had been made in industrial peace than had been 1 made in the previous twenty years. Someone in the gallery at this lament showed that he had not the Same sporting spirit as the Mayor, for the first egg of the campaign came down, skimmed the heads of tne pressmen in the orchestra Well and Spent its fragrance. It was not a good shot and it was not a very bad egg. It is fair to Wanganui to s&y that this incident was not in keeping with the spirit of the meeting, for the audience was .0 good-natured one out for election fun. "Yes, I know you have a little bunch—there are Ilot so many of you when you are summed up, the Prime Minister said laughingly, when a section of youths at the rear of the hall started to count the speaker out. "I don't think any one of you would stand up for five minutes. "Do anyone of you know that it is a physical and economic impossibility to complete the railways within three years?" asked Mr Coates of the mteriectors when dealing with the United Pnrtv's platform i'here was silence. "Ofcourse you don't," the Prime Minister added, "and neither do the Uniteds, because they have not got a man amongst them who knows the C °The^minority at the rear of the hall, annoyed by the Prime Minister 9 rejoinder, again commenced the counting truth,'> said Mr Coates with a smile. A voice: That's the stuff, Gordon. Slash it into theni. (Laughter and aP The U Prime Minister was proceeding to refer to the high standing of New <7 nland's credit when the rowdy minority at the rear of the hall renewed their heckling tactics. "The Prime Minister is as entitled to state his case as any other man is " said the Mayor rising to his feet. "There are only a few chipping in The people have assembled here to hear Mr Coates state his case. GiVe Mm a fair go." applause.) "If Mr Sterling feels tjiat he is not doing the job he will resign and leave the position open to the . people of the SZ" said the Prime Minister, when someone questioned the appointment of Mr Sterling as General ManSof the Railways. ."He is not a ® SUA-Tf? US ssryi'K-s Referring to the frequently denied, . reneated. charge that New ZeatftSws the highest in the the Prime Minister said - the hnd obtained their figures from cn fonh made bv the Chancellor of a (Mr Winston ChtirchilP • his Budget speech in the last Ses- '• „*f the British Parliament, the figures quoted by Mr Ctoitthffl »ei*j

entirely incorrect and the cGrfectiOri had been made. The actual position Was that ill 1927 Australia's taxation was £l4 5s per head, while New Zealand's in 1927-28 was £ll 17s 7d. In his closing remarks the Prime Minister reminded the audience that it was the present Government which had extended the scope of the Main Highways Act. which he had brought in in 1924, and it had adopted the petrol tax, both me&siifes being respom sjble for creating good roads and rel- - the burden of local rates. It had pasued legislation of imtaeftse bene*fit to the farmer and in addition t6 eftcoUragmg the export of his produce it had placed agricultural education where it should he. at the head of the professions. It had also extended the humanitarian legislation Mr Coated passed on to outline the land settlement proDOßals which are to be dealt with by the' Government next tear In thanking the audience for its generous hearing, the Prime Minister said he did not object to the heckling of the young tten at the back of the hall, who had been tt&fe out for fttn than information. (LftUghtet.) AnV ft*L flM ** h ?«* J>een either smoke bombs ot duds, He appealed to the electors to support Mr Lewis, who Was one of the finest and straiehtest goehi S ft Sr»^ I,ltt . d J " d . ive the fellow a chance." he said, amidst anolause. „,, -IS te of thanks and confidence WaS JFZ t x? "«t«njf concluded with cheers for the Prime Minister.