HUTT BY-ELECTION

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 130, 28 November 1929, Page 10

HUTT BY-ELECTION

MR. JOHNSTON'S SPEECH

REFORM CAMPAIGN OPENS

The first shot in the Hutt by-election campaign was fired last night when the Reform candidate, Mr. H. F. Johnston, delivered his opening speech to a large audience in the King George Theatre, Lower Hutt.* The Mayor of Lower Hutt, Sir Alexander Eoberts, presided, and amongst those present were Mr. B. A. Wright, M.P., and Mr. D. Jones, M.P. Except for one persistent interjector, Mr. Johnston, who was in good speaking form, received an excellent hearing. The principal portion of his speech was devoted to a plea for the goodwill of Labour so as to promote industrial prosperity. . Sir Alexander Eoberts said that Mr. Johnston had been a resident of the electorate for the past six years. A New Zealander by birth, Mr. Johnston had taken a prominent part in professional life in tho Dominion. Sir Alexander asked that each of the candidates in the by-election should bo given a fair hearing. _. Mr. Johnston, who was received with applause, expressed pleasure at the large attendance, and said he felt suro that the majority would rally round the Beforin banner. The Hutt electorato had been the nursery of many distinguished politicians, including the Hon. T. M. Wilford. (Applause.) A voice: "Jinnny Kerr is another one." Mr. Johnston said Mr. Wilford had shown himself to be a good administrator, and he felt sure that he- would be as good a High Commissioner as any of his predecessors. He desired to take that public opportunity of congratulating" Mr. Wilford on his high appointment. (Applause.) Tho speaker felt sure that the people of the district would not vote so as to'put Labour in. He suggested that United and Labour should be bracketed in the contest. What horse was Mr. Davey, the United organiser, backing? On election day it would be found that Labour's colour was red, and that the United colour was red also, but relieved by blue. A voice: "It is a better colour than yours." IF REFORM WINS. Mr. Johnston said his slogan was "Johnston for progress and prosperity, and Nash for national calamity." (Applause.) The election was regarded by all parties as important. If Reform won, it would carry the country at the nest Genera) Election, and that could not bo far off. "God bless Joey Ward," interjected someone at this stage. Tho candidate said that if Mr. Nash was successful the country would be dominated by the unions, .and if Mr. Kerr won it would . mean the predominance- of tho Labour Party and a steady decline to Socialism. The result of the last election had been an increase in taxation, an increase in the cost of living, and depreciated credit. They, could not stand by that sort of thing. After sixteen years of office the Beform Party had left the country with its credit standing high, thanks to the caution of the Hon. W. Downie Stewart under the leadership of Mr. Coates. (Applause.) It was necessary to test the United Party in respect to its pledges to determine whether they had been made seriously or not. Tho bid of the United Party to raise £70,000,000 at a cheap rate of interest was absurd and amounted to misrepresentation from a banker's point of view, and how tho public had accepted it was one of those things that it was impossible to explain. Even if the Money could have been raised at 4.i per cent. it. could not have been lent out at 4J per cent, without heavy loss to the Dominion. Over a period of 32 years the loss on the money would amount to £13,000,000. That should have been made known to tho people before the promise, or representation, that the money could be borrowed cheaply was made. If money was going to be borrowed at 5 per cent, and lent out at 4$ per cent, it* was surely obvious that the country was going to-suffer heavy loss. Sir Joseph Ward in 1919 had advocated a strong policy of debt reduction, and in 1927 he had protested against heavy borrowing. In 1926 Sir Joseph had also said that New Zealand did not want to run the risk of being regarded, as a profligate borrowing country. If the United Party supporters believed that what Sir Joseph WaTd had said on those occasions was right, then they should have supported Mr. Downie Stewart's tapering off policy so far. as borrowing was concerned. If the United Party had not acted up to its promises it should be expelled, and if it had made promises not believing that they could be carried out then it had been guilty of a grave impropriety. RAILWAYS WITHOUT INQUIRY. • Dealing with the question of railways Mr. Johnston referred to Sir Joseph.Ward's claim that he had been given a mandate' to go on with the South Island Main Trunk and other lines. He submitted that the mandate given by the people was that no more railways should be built if they had little chance of paying. Who had -voted' for the suicidal policy of further railway construction without inquiry as to whether the lines would pay or not? Tho United Party and the Labour Party. If economic reasons could not be given for the construction of railways, then the reasons. for their construction must be political. The Labour Party had been bought over to support the Government's railway policy and the country was entitled to know the price and the reason. Sir. Johnston contended that the BluffMelbourne service was unjustified at the price being paid for it; and he also criticised the Government's action in stopping the Eotorua line without giving adequate reasons for doing so. Mr. Johnston said the United Party had shown no initiative or energy, and was without a policy, and impotent. If the Government was left in office it would be pulled about at the mercy of Labour, <md there would be three years of stagnation which the country could not afford. The only thing was to put the Government out. He believed that there was a great opportunity for industrial progress in New Zealand, and in that connection he was . utterly opposed to the "Baek-to-the-Land" slogan in Sir Joseph Ward's Budget. The Budget held no future for industries in this country. It had never been his belief that a policy of "Back to the Land "-was a remedy for unemployment. New Zealand would have to face her problems in the same way as other countries had done. The Dominion was now in a similar position to that which the Ueited States was in when it embarked on a policy of protection. If a young man in this country wanted to make his way in the world, all the assistance he could get from the- Government was to be told that ho must go on the land, but

such a policy would not work. It was questionable whether it was right to put men on improved land bought at high prices, or on to unimproved land which would have to be broken in at high cost. Men settled under such conditions rad a drtary fut-uo with the possibility of ruin staring them in the face. FUNDAMENTAL REFORM PLANK. A fundamental plank in tho policy of the Eeform Party was to stimulate business, to improve trade, and to assist industry in every possible way. That was the way to deal with the unemployment problem, and it was the only way in which to put New Zealand on its feet. The United Government had no policy so far as industrial progress was concerned, neither had the Labour Party. The Labour Party was trying to keep the people apart, and so long as Mr. Holland and tho other leaders of the Labour Party said the working class and the employing class had nothing in common they were saying something that was absolutely untrue and economically false. Progress could not be made unless such an impression as that was removed from the minds of the workers. The worst thing the Government had done was to refuse to call another Industrial Conference such as that initiated by Mr. Coates. To have followed out Mr. Coates's idea would have meant progress for the workers. "Oh, for God's sako don't say that," called out an interjeetor. "Fair dinkum, you'll choke yourself." (Laughter.) What about you having a job at nine bob a day?" "The Eeform Party is out for industrial progress, and nine-tenths of the working men approve of a policy under which they will be paid for good work and not brought down to the level where they will only be paid to do bad work," replied the candidate amidst applause. Those who had sous growing up would vote to ensure that the young men would have a chance to do well for themselves. The Labour leaders were deliberately withholding from the working men the knowledge as to what they could do to become prosperous. Tho candidate was subjected to such persistent interruption at this stage, especially from ono individual, that tho chairman had to appeal for a fair hearing to be given him. GOODWILL .OF LABOUR. "All I ask of labouring people is that they should examine the question and sco whether the policy that is being rammed down their throats is good or bad for them," Mr. Johnston went on. Was it right, he asked, to be continually preaching international peace, and at the same time promoting domestic discord. If the theory he propounded was not acceptable to people, then let them look at America and Canada, and note tho wonderful wages earned in those prosperous countries. Australia had started out with good ambitions, but had met with ghastly failure because Labour would not cooperate in what would have been the best thing in the world for them. Given the goodwill of Labour, New Zealand would flourish as she had never done before. Ho asked for that goodwill, .not for any selfish purpose, but for the sake of Labour itself. After 16 years of Eeform Government the credit of the country was good, and if they could get the goodwill of Labour and unite to promote industrial development, gold would flow into the country from all over the world, making |it more prosperous than it had ever been before. He brought a message of prosperity and hope to industry if he could get the goodwill of Labour. The Hutt was an industrial constituency, and, if elected, he thought he would represent it well, but at any rate faithfully. "If Igo as your representative to Parliament," concluded Mr. Johnston, "and the Eeform Party will not adopt a progressive industrial poliej, I shall walk out of Parliament straight away, and will leave the party. There is no doubt about that." (Applause.) After answering questions, the candidate was accorded a vote of thanks and confidence on the motion of Mr. M. E. Denniston, seconded by Mr. D. G. Johnston. Thero were only a few dissentients. OTHER MEETINGS. Mr. Johnston addressed a gathering of Gear_pompany employees at tho works at noon 'to-day. To-night the candidate will address the electors of Petone in the Grand Theatre. A full attendance of the public is anticipated for the latter meeting, which will be presided over by the Deputy Mayor of Petone, Councillor "V. E. Jacobsen. At 8 p.m. to-tnorrow Mr. Johnston will deliver a public address in the pavilion at Day's Bay. At the same time Mr. E. A. Wright, M.P. for Wellington Suburbs, will speak outside tho Petone committee rooms, on the corner of Jackson and Nelson streets. Mr. Johnston at noon on Monday will speak to employees of tie Wellington Woollen Company, and will deliver a public address at the Crown Theatre, Eastbourne, at 8 o'clock in the evening.