MR. M'GRATH AT TINAKORI ROAD
Mr. J. J. M'Grath- independent Nationalist candidate • for Wellington North, addressing a crowded meeting at Tinakori Road Schoolroom last night. Thcro were about 350 peoplo present, and many could not gain admittance.
Mr. M' Grath, who was accorded a good hearing, advocated reforms in the incidence of taxation, the Legislative Council, and the electoral system, and said he favoured non-politi-cal control of the Civil Service, and restoration of the salary cuts. Housing should be treated as a national concern, and a Department set up. to coordinate buying so as to reduce costs and to recommend remissions of duties on building materials. He said* the Reform Party's complaint of vote splitting was hardly .consistent with its action--in Invercargill, where its candidate was splitting a vote between Sir Joseph Ward and cxtremo Labour. . . .
"It is a marvel, to mo,'". said Mr. M'Grath, "how, with the present cost of living a man, his wire, and two or three children, could live on from £.3 10s to £4 per week. Comparing the present with .1914, one finds that" for many things everyone pays .75 per cent, higher, while the' increase in the cost of the whole group is something like 63 per cent. If a man had an income of £200 in -1914 hisincome to-day to balance that should be at least * £320,. an addition of £120, which "is putting the sum in round, figures. It is not nearly so important to increase wages as to bring down the cost of living. If they reduce it by only 30 per cent, it would mean £C0 on an income of £200. If they reduce it ;by 60 per cent, it would.mean a reduction of £120 on £200. If there was on the contrary an increase in pay what would happen? The extra wage would be passed on as extra cost, and the worker would be as badly off as before. There is only one way to tackle the problem— reduce the • cost of living and particularly the cost of. housing." The candidate was accorded a vote of thanks and confidence.
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Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 103, 28 October 1925, Page 9
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350MR. M'GRATH AT TINAKORI ROAD Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 103, 28 October 1925, Page 9
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