UNITED PARTY'S AIMS

Ellesmere Guardian, Volume XLVI, Issue 3266, 26 October 1928, Page 7

UNITED PARTY'S AIMS

LAND FOB FARM WORKERS.

ME. CONNOLLY AT DOYLESTON.

A CONTINUANCE VOTER.

"We are a Liberal Party, no matter what title we may be known by. Sir Joseph Ward's leadership has stamped the Party with the stamp of Liberalism," said Mr J. Connolly, who is contesting the Mid-Canterbury seat in the United interests, when addressing a meeting of electors at Doyleston on J Tuesday evening. Mr H. Smith was chairman. The salient points of Mr Connolly's speech were the same as those covered in his opening address at Eakaia, and reported in Tuesday's Guardian. He devoted his early remarks to a justification of the United Party's existence, and elaborated at length upon its scheme of helping rural workers to acquire land and houses.

GOVERNMENT CASTIGATED.

With many gesticulations, he criticised vehemently the Government's housing scheme and its inertia in regard, to land settlement. A large sum had been, expended upon the building of houses, but practically all of these were in the towns, instead of, as'ie contended they should be, on. selections of land in the country. Inflecting his voice to suit the story, he presented a pitiful picture of farm workers, without a penny of savings, desiring to settle their sons oh th-b land, but being unable to afford to acquire any. Deciding that their children must have opportunities which they could not get in the country, they took their families to town, to be educated and placed in city occupations, while the father in all probability was unemployed. Thus they lived in poverty and tronble, lost to the soil upon which they were reared, and with no prospects for their declining years beyond receipt of the old age pension. And this direful state of affairs was simply due to the Eeform Government's failure to assist them! "Give that man. and his wife and children the opportunity to take up a bit of land," said the candidate, i^aiher's wages are coming in, and as the boys grow up, they till the land, and as time goes on they can take up more important work. We have got those sons tillers of the soil, and they are increasing production. In a few years they can get more land, and become self-supporting." It was the United Party's intention, if elected to power, to commence a scheme by which the Government would purchase blocks of land, and sub-divide it among workers for a deposit of, say, five per cent. i Asked at question time whether he expected to buy twenty acres of land and build a house upon it for £1000 in this district, Mr Connolly said he did not mean that this could be done in the Doyleston locality, but he was speaking of the average land in Mid-Canter-bury. He considered, that land in the Ashburton county would be most suitable, but ten acres of land in Ellesmere would probably produce as much as 20 acres in that part. He would not advoejate any fixed price. For better lanrf,'a higher price might be justified. He was opposed to buying poor land upon which the labourer would waste his energies.

LACKING EXPERIENCE 1

"What is wrong with the Reform Party is want of experience and, education, '' was a startling assertion made by the candidate. "If I had more education," he said, "I would be able perhaps to deliver my pronouncements in a more polished manner." He had not, however, the class of education that some of the Reformers could boast of, but had started humbly in life, worked on the land, and knew the wants of the people. "And I would not change that education for all the College men in the New Zealand Parliament," he said. "Take Downie Stewart, Gordon Coates, Rolleston and others. These men left school at about the age of 22, with plenty of money, but without practical experience and knowledge. Do you think that men brought up in that way and with that education are fit men to carry on the affairs of State? Their records show that they cannot do it." The "Hon. Mr MeLeod, Minister of Lands, had said that there were two men in the United Party capable of dealing with land settlement. "Thanks be for that," said the speaker. "The Reformers have not one. If they have, w*hy don't they get him and put him in MeLeod V place, because he can't deal with it."

FIRST NIP OF WHISKY.

Without waiting to be questioned, Mr Connolly stated plainly in the ,d>urse of his speech his attitude on the licensing question. Most candidates,

he said, were shy, and were not supposed to say anything about the subject, but leave it to the people. He, however, did not wish to conceal his opinions. "I have never voted Prohibition in. my life,"* he said, "but I am practically a temperance man. The amount of whisky I have drunk in 'my life would probably amount to about a bottle, and I have had very little beer. "My first nip of whisky was taken on a cold day in June, when I was riding home. I was then 22 years of age. I pulled up outside a neighbour *s place, asked for a cup of tea, and was invited in. I sat by the fire and chatted to members of the family. My host said: 'You will die with cold. You want a good nobble of whisky.' I declined, saying that I had never drunk it in my life. I thought everything was well, and in a short time the cup of tea was produced. When sipping the tea I suspected that it was a little bitter, but it was hot, and I said nothing. By the time I was half way through there was an improvement, and when I finished I felt much better. It seemed to do me a world of good. I discovered that a good stiff dose of whisky had been put into that tea. The old lady claimed that it had saved my life." Mr Connolly saM that, while benefiting from the whisky, he thought it was an exaggeration to say that it had saved his life. He would not like the story to be used in a Continuance advertisement with that statement appearing. He told of another incident by way of illustrating the exaggerations made by No-license advocates. "When you hear Continuance people saying this and Prohibition people saying that, use your common sense," was his advice. "For my part, I always vote Continuance."

FINANCE AND SALARIES.

Mr Connolly proceeded to deal with finance and advocated a'State Bank as the only cure for the high rates of interest. He dwelt upon Sir Joseph Ward's £70,000,000 loan scheme, and read extracts from one of Sir Joseph's speeches. "The Reform Government acts for the vested interests and moneybags of this country; there is no doubt about it," he said. "The Reformers never got into Parliament and into power by appealing to the common sense of the people and trusting to a straight-out political issue. Ido not believe in Reform Government. I would vote with the Labour Party to defeat the Government, but would not vote with Labour to put Labour'into power, if it meant that Labour would take the place of Reform. The capitalists are entitled to fair protection and fair and just treatment, but not to be allowed to exploit the people. Labouring people should get every opportunity to advance and get an uplift." He claimed that the Uniteds were the sane, moderate Party, who would adjust matters and give opportunities for all. Asked whether he considered £3500 a year was sufficient wages for Mr Sterling for running the railways, Mr Connolly replied that he would not say that Mr Sterling was not worth £3500 a year; the Railway Board had failed, and in order to get a good man back, he had to be paid a big price, but ho might be a cheap man at that price. As Minister of Railways and of Public Works, Mr Coates had been a failure, .and in consequence the railways had been run in a bad way. If he could run the railways in a thorough and proper manner, Mr Sterling might be , well worth his salary. Mentioning the fact that most candidates were in favour of a rise in the salaries of members of Parliament to £600, Mr Connolly said he was not prepared to vote for a rise. He was a believer in payment by results, and on that principle he considered that Members of Parliament would not have much to collect on their record of the last three years. Mr Connolly was accorded a vote of thanks, and in acknowledging urged his hearers to record their votes on November 14 according to their convictions.