STATE ADVANCES. A PROSPEROUS DEPARTMENT

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 80, 3 April 1912, Page 8

STATE ADVANCES. A PROSPEROUS DEPARTMENT

OVER FIFTEEN MILLIONS. ADVANCES MADE. STATEMENT BY SIR JOSEPH WARD. . , * The members of th© staff of the State Guaranteed Advances Department as•embled to-day to be introduced to the new Minister of Finance (Hon. A. M. Myers) and to cay goodbye to Sir Joseph "Ward. Sir Joseph briefly introduced the new Minister, remarking that it was not necessary for him to bespeak anything in the shape of loyalty to the new Minister, as he knew that the Service generally ;were always loyal to the Administration «f the day. In Mr. Myers the department was fortunate iv having a m^n of very considerable experience in financial operations, which would be very valuable in controlling the affairs 'of th« State-Guaranteed Advances Department of which he would have control. • (Applause.) The Hon. A. M. Myers, in replying, said he approached his duties with very great diffidence. He was" fully sensible of the fact that he would not be able to <fo tho same justice to it that Sir Joseph Ward had done, but with the cordial co-operation and loyalty of the staff he would approach his new duties with enthusiasm, and at any rate endeavour to do his beet in the new position. (Ap.plause.) J. W. Poynton, the official head ©i the department, said they were taking advantage of the opportunity to say goodlfye to Sir Joseph Ward officially. They had all signed the following letter to Sir Joseph Ward: — "We, the "officer* and staff of the New Zealand Stately uarant-eed Advances Office, desire to express -our 'sincere regret at the sever* anoe of the relationship which has existed between yourself as Minister of Finance and the Advances Department — it department which owes its origin to yottr statesmanship. In common with the rest of the Public Service we are indebted to you for many privileges, kindness, and invariable courtesy." The Advances Department, he said, differed from others in this _ respect, , that the others were in- existence before Sir Joseph Ward came into public life/ but that department was created by him ; by his skill and foresight as t a statesman it had been brought into existence. They therefore felt peculiarly Telated to Sir Joseph in an official sense, and they could not allow him to Tetire from Ministerial life without expressing their appreciation of his services and kindness, and 'their own regret at losing him as their Minister. (Applause.) A VALUABLE DEPARTMENT. Sir Joseph Ward, who was received with cheers, said he had always regarded that great Department as one of tho most valuable that had ever been established in New Zealand. It had done an enormous amount of good to a. large esction of the community/ who. without the assistance of advances to settlers and workers, would in all probability never—or^ at any rate, for many years — have attained the position they now occupy. It was something they all had a right to be proud of, 'especially when one remembered, that many of those who had received fcencfits from the Department were among the poorest members of the community. He knew cases in which navvies had provided homes for themselves from advances made by the Department; he knew many men who now had homes on tfto land as the result of advances from the Department who, under the old system, t conld never, in their wildest imaginations, have conceived the possibility of such prosperity. That wsis a fact of which they were, all entitled to be proud, especially when one remembered that the' Department had been carried on clear of all political considerations, co ■ far as individuals were concerned. One of the ideas that existed in the minds of some of those who opposed tile scheme wae that only those who were supporters of the Government were likely to receive the benefits of the 'scheme. The Department has existed- long enough to fully demonstrate the fajct that there was no such thing as political consideration. When one remembered that up to date there had been paid in loans under the three branches of the Department £15,500,000 it did not need experience to realise what a tremendous factor the Department had been in the prosperity of the country. Hfc was perfectly certain no one would ever be able to. stop the work of a department which provided cheap money for settlers, workers, and local bodies. Further, the fact that, sine© the institution of the Department, the looses iwere under £200, was a great tribute to the State-working of the Department, and completely answered the mfegivings of those who criticised it adversely at its inauguration. At, that time he prophesied that the Department w«uld not mak9 a less, and hi 6 prophecy was "discounted from end to end of th© coifntry. Now his prophecy had been found to be true. He hoped, and felt sure that the Department would be as successful in the future as it- had up jto now, and he hoped it would grow until it was found necessary to erect a. separate building in Wellington, in which its operations would be carried on. (Applause.) The proceedings concluded with hearty cheera for Sir Joseph and Lady "^ard.