DOMINION POLITICS

Greymouth Evening Star, 13 June 1925, Page 2

DOMINION POLITICS

. MR J. O’BRIEN AT AHAURA.

Mr j. O’Brien, M.P., delivered a pre-sossional address at Ahaura last evening. Air W. Ward presided. > Mr O’Brien said that as the night

was so cold, and there were other attractions, lie would deal briefly with ' the political questions of the day, but he was there to give an account of his stewardship. Speaking of. his experiences, in Parliament, he said the amount of interest taken by the electors in the Parliamentary machine impressed itself on the.. legislation brought down each year. Mostly working farmers and wage workers did not take much interest in politics, consequently, they were left far behind in the race for concessions. Not so those' who depended on their investments to keep them in luxury. These people were alive to. their own interests, and whether Parliament was sitting or in reces's, the'ir'.a’gcnts. interviewed Ministers and Parliamentarians so that any' intended- legislation would not press heavily on tnem. Thus, it came about that Parliament gave concessions to the wealthy taxpayers in 1923. equal to two millions sterling per annum. Not content With that they sought and got, iff 1924, reductions equal to another, million annually. ■' The general public y.ere .promis d«t sop in 1923—-the State Advances 'Aiirendiheiit was-supposed to relieve the housing shortage for the workers, 'and also relieve the farmers who were in the hands of mortgagees. Any of them who applied to the State Advances Department for a loan. knew how much relief-was granted. Applicants had to v-te-to fro’U twelve to/fourteen months before they knew whether, they were to get the loan or not. ' It was bad enough .for the .workers who weie waiting for.houses to be turned down, blit 'to mislead the farmers and prevent them seeking other relief was nothing short of criminal. While these huge reductions were made to the wealthy taxpayer's immense profits were made by. banking institutions, shipping companies, ..and the insurance companies The Bank of New Zealand was at a loss how to hide its htige profits. They could see by the daily papers /that a number of dividends were declared by the bank’s directors, and a balance of oyer half a million carried forward. The Bank of Now Zealand rightly belonged to the people wlio saved it from bankruptcy years ago. It would pay the Government to take over that bank and run it as a State concern. With all these profits poverty was rampant in New. Zealand. There was a shortage of 24,000 houses, I’iid the f wage .workers’ basic wage of £3 16/- per week for a man, wife and two childixu'did‘nt'! allow a sulficieiitly high standard of living. Concluding,, Mr O’Brien outlined Labour’s programme. He stated the first duty of the Labour Government, which if it did "not come into office next year, would assuredly take charge of the Tfeasury Benches in years’ time; would be to institute a building programme which would allow every family a. decent house to live in. Adequate wages and pensions .would be provided, until the spectre <>T poverty would be driven from the Dominion. New Zealand was one of the wealthiest countries; in.the world; and could provide these things, providing those who were fit to work did so. Taxation would bb shifted to the shoulders of those best able.to bear it. And, finally, they would bring in a system of co-operation, based on humanitarianism', which would abolish the unseemly struggle for existence. The cry of Cain “Am I my brother’s keeper?’’ would be gone for ever. ■ Al vote of thanks to the speaker, mo/ed by Mr. J. Cochrane, and seconded -by Mr W- Clayton, was parried by acclamation.