FIGHTING SPEECH

Press, Volume LXIV, Issue 19463, 9 November 1928, Page 10

FIGHTING SPEECH

PRIME MINISTER AT WELLINGTON. i PARTY POLICIES ANALYSED, UNITED LEADER'S MISTAKES.

[THE PRESS Special Service.] "WELLINGTON, November 8. The Prime Minister was given a magnificent reception to-night by an audience which was several times too large for the Town Hall. Mr Coates's speech was probably the best of his whole political career; certainly it was the best of his present campaign. Mr Goates, accompanied by Mrs Coates and Reform candidates for the Wellington seats, entered the hall to the accompaniment of round after round of cheers. These, with applause, were repeated several times throughout the evening, when his supporters gave additional impetus to the thrusts he dealt interjectors, who, as at other meetings, were more noisy than numer-

Mr Coates's speech wag a forceful analysis of the platforms of the three main Parties—Reform, United, and Labour —and he also used the occasion to refer to the speech made by Sir Joseph Ward, Leader of the United Party, on his arrival at Christchurch. Sir Joseph Ward's statement that there would be 30,000 or 40,000 unemployed in New Zealand nest year, if the Reform Party remained in power, was described as a glaring example of an outrageous and extravagant utterance, which no public man with any sense of responsibility would utter. At the close of the speech the Prime Minister was aocorded a vots of thanks and confidence, the motion feeing carried on a show of hands, and with cheers apd applause, over the counter demonstrations qf the opposition. The Prime Minister analysed the platform of the United Party, and said its main planks were the borrowing of £60,000,000 for advances to settlers and workers, aijd £ 10,000,Q00 for railway construction. They said they would reduce income-tax and Customs taxes, they would pay subsidies to assist local industries, they would prqvide a cheap loaf, and would adopt preferential voting. "And ,don ? t forget," the Prime Minister said, "they are going to do pll this without adding a penny piece to taxation. How do they propose to fifld the five pound? thpy will lose on every £IOO they borrow—for they are going to raise the money at £94 10s —at per cent.? How are they going to find that other £5? The next point is: How do they proppse to bring the money into New Zealand! If they bring it in in goods, then those goods will affect our, local industries, and if it is in gold, then the primary producer will have to pay for it! He is the only exporter." The Prime Minister said that the effect of borrowing £60,000,000 in ten years would be to increase the price of land. The Government's policy had been tp bring the price of land down to a level in keeping with the price of

qur produce overseas, and to maintain stability. (Appjausp.) If the people were told that what was wanted yia,s more money, he would agree, but aa to the method of .obtaining it there were differences of opinion. As tp the proposal of Sir Joseph Ward to allocate £10,000,000 for the completion of railways, it was indeed extraordinary. How the ears of some people could be tickled by a few platitudes strung together. (Hear, hear.) Had the leader of the Unit ' Party, its chairman, or any member of it, explained how it was proposed to spend thjft money? Had any indication been giyen as to the lines which would be completed? The most intelligent remark had been that they would bqild no more branch lines. "How many branch lines are being built to-day?" demanded the Prime Minister. /'Does

tjie public of tills country know the programme that has beef) laid down for the development of the (railways? The first statement I made after becoming Minister for Public Works was that we should get down to a concentration policy. We have dope it. (Applause.) We have filled in thfHgaps* and we are steadily prosecuting - the completion of our mail? lines. Under attention at present are the North Auckland) the GiSborne, the Stratford, the Inangahua, and the Midland line.

"How do the United Party propose

tp complete these linfig?" the Prime Minister asked. "Ail they say is that they will spend £10,000,000 in three years.'* A vo}ce: Fifteen shillings a day, The Prifne Minister: The men' at work on these railways are earning more than 15s a 4fiy. It was not only a physical impossibility to complete the railroads in three years, the Prime Minister continued, but even if they were completed in that time the economic effect on the country would be disastrous. The cost of construction had beep reduced by about 40 per cent. The .men on the works would be kept on if 1 the Government's policy was maintained. (Applause.) "In regard to the development of the country," said Mr Coateq, "ft is imagined by a number of people that ten million pounds i? all that ib necessary to push on with the various projects. Let me tell you that you require between seven and eight million pound? for hydroelectric scheniea alone." Everybody interested in the country, said Mr Coates, must know of the big projects which were being carried out. The United Party had overlooked that. They had also overlooked the building of public schools, both primary and secondary. Again, they had omitted the public hospitals. The United Party had given no indication to the couptry how they proposed to develop the country step by step. The mere fact of stating.that they proposed to borrow ten mil lion pounds to build the railways did not touch the subject. After expounding the case for the. sliding scale of wheat and flour duties, the Prime Minister said that preferenr tial votin? contained all the elements that should be avoided. (Applause.) It created a political hotch-potch. One had only to look at the position in Australia. A voice: Stick to New Zealand.' Mr Coates: We have always aimed at stability. (Applause.) Is Australia stable? Look at her industrial strikes at the moment. Do you want strikes ip this country? You have stability of Government in this country, and you have industrial peace. (Loud applause.) Continuing, Mr Coates said that Sir Joseph Ward was respected by all sections of the community. (Applause.) That went without saying. To-day he was Leader of a Party, and had to take full responsibility for his utterances. Speaking in Chrrtchurch the other day, Sir Joseph Ward bad declared that if the Reform Government remained in office there would be between 80 or 40 thousand unemployed next winter. (Applause) "Apparently a section of this audience want to see unemployment! They seem to be happy about it!"

observed •Mr Coates. (Laughter and applause.) "Si? Joseph Ward's statement appears to be extravagant- outrageous. (Loud applause.) Of all the dismal expressions as to the future, hiß was possibly the most detrimental ever made. No man with any sense of responsibility could wake such ft statement, unless he was suffering from some illness.''

A voice: You are quite right. "I attribute Sir Joseph Ward's utcerance to the state of his health," Mr Ccates declared. "I consider it to be .me of (he most flagrant pases of ex travagant language used by any public man, for as long as I can remember at any rate. (Applause.) The Prime Minister went pn to deal with the Lahonr Party's platform, emphasising Mr H. E. Holland's association with the extreme section of that movement. Turning to the analysis of the two platforms of the Labour Party —the one they presented to the public, and the other to which the official candidates of the Labour Party subscribed, "is it that the Labour Socialist Party is ashamed of its platform, or is it that it is proud of its manifestof" asked the Prime Minister. ''Do they stand by the manifesto, or do they stand by the platform? Which is right and which is wrongf That is the question I. ppt to all the Labour candidates. What does that manifesto mean? Is it just a shaving off of the platform?" A voice: Quite right. That is "what it is. A reference to Australia produced an interjection: "Leave Australia Stick to New Zealand." ■ The Prime Minister: I am not the first to go to Australia. Mr Holland was there in 1921 at that Labour Conference. (Applause.) Mr Coates proceeded to deal with some of thp eleventh hour canards circulated for Party purposes. These were the Arapuni dam scare, the linotype scandal (in connexion with which he had been informed a member of the Btaff of the "New Zealand Worker" had been perfectly satisfied with the ' explanation given), the alleged cuts to be made on wages, and the alleged curtailment of the railway staffs. All were election canards and foundationless. He made those refutations with a full responsibility of the high position hp held, and which he hoped to retain for many years to come. (Loud applause.) When the Prime Minister referred to the Industrial Conference a voice called, "That is the best thing you have done," Touching on Publio Works the prime Minister was interrupted by tho interjection "and public houses." A voice; Be is a shareholder. The Prime Minister: Wrong again. I have not a eent, not a penny piece, in any of your breweries. (Applause.) They don't make much profit out of me. (Eenewed applause.)

The Prime Minister then went on to refer in detail to the legislative aqd administrative acta of the Government during the past term of office on the lines of his manifesto and policy speech at Chriatehurch. He claimed that on the Main Highways Act and its amendments, and the petrol Us, Wjiich had been instrumental ift relieving the people on the land from the heavy burden of taxation for the construction and upkeep of roads, the Government was entitled to a further mandate to take the reins. It had givqn encouragement to the farmers to increase production by reducing the railway freight on fertilisers, by providing rosier finance through the Rural Advance Act and the Intermediate Rural Credits Act, and the payment of subsidy on the export of pprk and the guarantee of a payable price for apples and egg? for export. The herd-testing subsidy had assisted farmers to ascertain which of their cows were the best producers. Agricultural education had been placed }n the forefront through the establishment of the Mappey Agricultural College and the Canterbury Agricultural College, Worthwhile secondary industries had been given a chance, to: become established by the operation of a scientifically calculated tariff, which was immensely superior to the subsidy system proposed by the United Party. The Government had seen to it that every child ha 4 a fair chance by the operation of the free modicaj and dental attention systems in the schools, and ho would not be satisfied until those systems were oxtended to every school in the country. Also on the humanitarian side tfcere had been the family allowance, whipb would be jpcreased as sopn as stftnpea warranted. The Government had fulfilled its election promises of 1985, and it faced the electors with the sloaan "policy and fulfilment." ' poncprning future policy, t}><r Prime Minister devpted most of his attention to the land settlement proposals for the part-time farmer, the rural worker, Rhd the group system settler, that this Government hiss wanagod the pountry so well th&t Ifew -fiOftlawd to-diay, so far as it# credit is concerned, stands highest in the world," said Mr Coates in conclusion. 'Our people as a, nation stand high.'» 4 voice: You can't. prove it, '<l cftn prove it," retorted tjie Prime Minister. "It is only some croakepg and Jeremiahs of our own, and some Misfits that come out herej who won't understand. (Loud applause.) We have given you policy, we have given you performance. (Renewod applause.) We ask the people for a renewal of their confidence. There are only two Parties, in this countryr=Reform and Labour. A vote for a United Party candidate is a vote for a Labour pandjdate. That is the position. Tlioso who believe that this country stands tor equal opportunity, that this government stands for the protection and security of religious beliefs, those who believe that we stand four-square for the protection of those principles—l ask them to support Reform Party candidates." (Cheers.)