THE UNITED PARTY.

Evening Star, Issue 20022, 13 November 1928, Page 11

THE UNITED PARTY.

TO TEE EDITOB. Sir, —Speaking on the Public Works Statement, October 1, 1928, criticising the unexpended authority for public works, nine millions odd, and also unexpended under special accounts —viz., hydro-electric, railway improvement, etc.—eleven millions odd; -making in all twenty millions odd, Sir Joseph Ward said: “There never before has been anything so staggering as the figures which appear in this year’s Public Works Statement. . . •- In days

gone by these figures would have staggered even the most experienced member of Parliament . . . because 1 shall tell them (the people) nob to believe half of what is in this Statement

. .. because it is impossible for the Government to give effect to what it is expecting the people to believe. . . , Does any member of the Government mean to tell mo that this country can stand the expenditure that is being incurred at the present time?” Again, in expressing his anxiety about the amount^provided, he states: “It is huge. We' have never known anything like it in my time, and if the Government attempts to spend all the money to be voted 1 do not know what will happen. I will not use the only term that could properly be appjica to it. because it might be misunderstood, but I will say it is out of all proportion to what this country is able tc meet reasonably.” This is the criticism of the “ elected ” candidate, the financial wizard, who must -know-that this amount was previously voted to complete-certain works which of necessity would take years, and only represents the balance unexpended this year, and will probably bo snown in succeeding years as unexpended moneys already voted.

Compare this with- the aspiring candidates' policy of seventy millions, which can only be brought into this country by imported goods, Britain prohibiting the export of gold.; With our warehouses filled for years with imported gooes, tho resultant poor demand for local manufactures would mean tremendous unemployment. Probably this is what Sir Joseph foresaw when he quoted so many thousands of.- unemployed in the near future. He .proposes to raise ten millions to complete, railways which hast year 105t.£750.0U0,"t0, be completed in three years to relieve unemployment, and sixty, millions for settlement on land that the" .present Government declares could .only be brought into production at prohibitive cost, and of which it is offering thousands of atres for nothing to anybody that will take it up. Areas of twentyfive acres - ode the railways for the workers to work in their slack times 1 Visualise this, Dunedin electors, up ami down your local lines. Where is it I' And what worker could go to work and at the same time, successfully farm five acres,,let alone twenty-five acres? Relieving heavy motor lorries from exorbitant taxation, so that they can further •

compete with our losing railways, and, to cap tho lot, a steady flow of immigration to numerically strengthen our unemployed. Would any financier in London or elsewhere make arrangement for successive loans of millions, not knowing whether money will be dearer or cheaper? And would wo be wise in making those anangemente for tho same reason? Sir Joseph ia ageing, and the virile, active brain that was must of necessity show the result.— I am, etc., Thos. Mxllku. November 12. [Five-acre blocks near towns, to be worked in spare time, was a Reform proposal.—E. E.S.]