HUTT ELECTORATE

Evening Post, Volume XCVIII, Issue 137, 8 December 1919, Page 3

HUTT ELECTORATE

MR. PRITCHARD AT LOWER

HUTT

A largely attended meeting of electors in the Town Hall, Lower Hutt, on Friday evening, was addressed by Mr. D. K. Pritchi'i'd, Labour candidate for the constituency. Mr. J. Cb'.rchouse presided. „...-. t Mr. Pritchard said, that lie had. offered to debate tho Labour platform with tho opposition, but it had not been accepted. The Liberal candidate had said he did not indulge in personalities. That might be quite true, but he did -worse; he misrepresented the platform of the Labour party. Dealing with the land question, the candidate said that no man should be allowed to possess more land than he could legitimately use, and he should not derive any benefit from communitycreated values, which would revert back to tlie State. The party to which he belonged stood for the abolition of the land speculator. It was not right to call- upon women to go into the backblocks on unimproved land with little or no access, and the Labour party, if given the opportunity, would alter that condition. It was admitted that in spite of the laws which were passed to stop it, land aggregation was still going on. It was ridiculous to say it conld not he stopped, as it could be done very simply and effectively by compelling the land aggregators to observe the law. He was in favour of a State bank, which should have a monopoly of the banking of the Dominion, and all profits should go back to the country.' He aJso advocated the State talking over ail classes of insurance, and the nationalisation of the medical profession. The children of New Zealand had no chance to become honest, educated, useful • members of society, and worthy citizens, if they were not given an opportunity of going from the primary school to the university free. While the business man was compelled each year to send in a return to the Government of his income from all sources, the land owner was allowed to go free —free to tho -extent that a valuation of the land, in many counties, had not taken 'place since 1909, while land in New Zealand since 1807 had increased in value by £102,000,000. A valuation not having taken place for 60 long a period,' it was easy to see who would be called upon to pay the bulk of the taxes if taxation was just and equitable. (Applause.) The candidate received a patient hearing, and was heartily applauded at the conclusion of his address.