GENERAL ELECTIONS

Greymouth Evening Star, 18 November 1931, Page 3

GENERAL ELECTIONS

MR. FORBES! SPEECH. GOVT. POLICY DEFENDED. ' / [PEB PBESB ASSOCIATION.] RANGIORA, November 17. The first speech of his election campaign was delivered by Mr. Forbes in Rangiora Town Hall to-night, before an attentive audience of more than 600 people. When he had come back from England, he said, he had found estimates of public income had altered considerably. That was in January, but it had been very clearly seen there would be a deficit in the balancing of accounts. Preparations were made to meet this deficit at the end of the financial year. In the present year they had again been faced with a deficit, <ind had also to meet the problem of unemployment. He detailed the history and work of the economic session that was called, and thanked Mr. Coates and the Reform Party for assistance given. Even during that short session, he said, accounts Went still further in the wrong direction, and by the time the Budget came down, the gap in the accounts was then £6,800,000. Finally, after the Economic Conference it had been decided it was necessary to get the wholehearted support of the House, and Mr. Coates had been approached, but it had not been possible to get the support or co-operation of Labour. “That was how coalition came'about. We felt the time had come when wholehearted co-operation for the good of the country was necessary. I felt the burden of responsibility as Minister of Finance too heavy for me. I knew people wanted security.” Mr. Forbes said that at one time he tllOUgllt it possible a Coalition, miglit make possible a postponement of the elections, but had then quickly realised that the authority of the country was necessary to give a Coalition Government effective power. Had there been a postponement sitting members would have remained in the House, and it had been thought wise and fair that they should be candidates for election. That was why he did his best to persuade the Independent candidates to down. Now he asked those who had supported the United Party before to support official candb dates again. Aspects of the last Imperial Conference and Dominion preference were discussed by Mr. Forbes, who expressed the idea that there mignt shortly bo a trade agreement with Britain giving security in the Dominion’s principal market. He said: “We must now set ourselves to regain confidence abroad, and to set ourselves to meet deficiencies in revenue in all ' Sincerity and good faith is by far the best way to do it. There is one thing about New Zealand I was proud to hear in the Old Land, its reputation for soundness. That is a reputation this Government wants to see continued. Wo will honour our obligations to the letter.” Mr. Forbes said: “It has been said in regard to the cuts in the Public Service Salaries that the cuts were unnecessary, and that the best way to meet depression was to raise wages and thus give increased purchasingpower. If that is so, I think we should all want depressions all the time. There is only one way to carry on this country, and that is to carry on as an individual, and that I shall endeavour to see done. It. has been said that the depression is slackening, and I believe that is so. I don’t think there will be any enormous . improvement, but with a rise in the prices of wool and butter, I think things will slowly but surely improve. However, public finaces are the first to suffer and the last to recover from a depression, and the Government is asking the country’s mandate to take necessary measures to bring them back to normal.” .

HELPING FARMERS. 1 Mr. Forbes went on to deal with recent decisions regayllng aid to fanners by means of cheapening fertilisers and reducing rates, saying: “The farmer is the backbone of the country, and everything we do to help him helps the country. When you came up against conditions such as at present, it is necessary to face facts and do everything possible to meet the position of all classes in the country. The sheep farmer has been hit hardest. I doubt if a single sheep farmer in the country has been able to pay his rates and taxes without drawing on his reserve's. lam subjected to a good

deal of criticism for my support of tho . abolition of tho Graduated Land Tax, but tho Government has to lay the taxation burden equally on those who pay. I don’t care who started the tax, or who put it on, but, so long as I am Prime Minister, I shall see that tho taxation which cripples the major producing class, in the country is lightened.” “There is no doubt unemployment is one of the most serious problems facs cd by tho country,” continued Mr. Forbes. He summarised the history of tho battle with unemploynltent in New Zealand, saying: The money we raise is exhausted almost as soon as it is raised, and unless we can put men on productive works, the country will soon bo very heavily burdened. My colleague, Mr. Coates, is endeavouring to direct men into work in the country so that the Dominion may get some return for the money spent. When it is remembered there has been a phenomenal growth of the unemployed of from 5000 to 50,000, I say we stand comparison with any other country.” “It, has been said that the Government is out to abolish the Arbitration Court. I deny that emphatically,” said Mr. Forbes; “but I consider that it is imperative that the Arbitration* system should be revised.” A time had come when the regulations restricting the employers and employees should be overhauled. Industry was in a straight jacket, thanks to the'harassing-awards of the Court, and . the Government would see . that they were done away with.

, Continuing, Mr. Forbes said: The Government had been criticised regarding tlie smallness of the area settled by it. 1 was instrumental* in ’getting through an Act which gave the Government authority to break in Jand before opening it for settlement, and to give advances to settlers, and thb result has been that a considerable area of Crown land has been settled in retent years. , RAILWAY ECONOMIES. i Mr. Forbes commended the setting up of the Railway Board . One of the 'contributory causes of Budget deficiencies had been the demand of money by the’railways to pay interest on construction costs. The Board was

constituted of business men, and it was their duty to see the railways were run on something like business lines Last year the railways had been able to pay £680,000 as contribution towards the interest payments. This year it was hoped to pay £900,000 towards interest. However, though overhead costs had been falling, improved revenues had been impossible There had Been a certain number of dismissals. Now revenue was slowly catching up with expenses. The Boarfl was now out to cut down enormous sums the Consolidated Fund ‘fi ad to pav out on behalf of the railways in tho past. Mr. Forbes discussed at length the position of Mr. n. H. Sterling. He praised his action in accepting the Chairmanship of the Railway Board, adding: “One of the duties of the Board was to report on tho lines under construction, which later they would have to carry on. They recommended unanjimouisly that the construction of railways should be stopped. I regretted closing down the Trunk line, but our financial position makes one very loath to spend huge sums on railways. Further more it has been impossible to raise money anywhere in the -world for rail construction, because no railway anywhere is paying.” The Industries Development Board was mentioned by Mr. Forbes in dealing with encouragement of local industries. He thought a good deal could be done in reducing overhead costs in local secondary industries, and that was one of the purposes of the new Board. Many of the bye-products of industry could be improved, as well as many less' important national product's. He said: “We realise the improvement of unemployment depends upon the success of local industry, ana any industry that can bq carried on on sound lines will receive help from the Government.” Mr. Forbes criticised severely Labour’s promises regarding unemployment and banking, saying: “They propose to take over a banking system. I think they would have to, if they want-' ed to.curry out proposals for the unemployed at tho full union wage.” Mr. Holland had said he would reorganised

the resources of the Dominion on modern lines. ’What had he meant by that? Was it what they were doing in Rtissia? He said: “I know that in Parliament every proposal for eno-

noiny has been opposed by the Labour Party. They said we’must build up, and not cut down, but the man who has 20s can’t get 30s without doing somebody down. All of Labour’s vague generalities are a smoke screen. Wo know we are up against hard economic facts; that we must cut down expenditure, and. that we must all carry the burden. A cutting down must take place even in education, for we cannot afford to spend £3,500,000 on our education alone. We must have a strong Government, one which is impossible without strong support, in order to face all the facts in all their importance of the economies ■position.”

GOVT. POLICY’S GOOD EFFECTS. x ASHBURTON, November 18. Hon. D. Jones addressed a large meeting last evening. He said the Coalition sought approval of what had been done, and a mandate for the measures required by the continually changing times. No precise or fixed policy was possible. After tracing tho history of thd formation of tho Coalition, Mr. Jones said the Government in less than two months had showed a saving of about a million, compared .with the main Budget. It was necessary for such, economy to continub. As regards unemployment, tho recent drop in registrations showed tho good effect of the Government policy. A forward move had been made in land settlement, and work was proceeding oh areas totalling 70,000 acres. Of this, thirty thousand were to be developed. About seven hundred men were being employed in road-making, clearing and cultivating. The area now developing was estimated to provide 250 holdings, practically al! devoted to dairying.

Mr. Jones expressed the opinion that the development of secondary industries on sound lines was of great importance. The revival of goldn ining was a promising way of utilising tho unemployed, and the recent move in the Thames district was regarded by the authorities as the best effort for fifteen years. ’ Every endeavour was being made to foster and. use New Zealand coal. Large consumers were responding well to his appeal, and probably no legislation in the world was equal To the Mortgagors’ Relief Act for assisting farmers. The subsidy on fertilisers had also greatly assisted production. A vote of thanks and confidence was carried by acclamation.

MR. HOLLAND AT DUNEDIN. DUNEDIN, November 17. The Leader of the Labour Party, Mr H. E. Holland, to-night, addressed one of the largest political meetings that cvc-r has been held in Dunedin. There were over 4000 people present at the meeting. Both the main Town Hall and the Concert Chamber were crowded to the doors. Mr. Holland reached both of the audiences by the means of loud speakers. The address of the Opposition Leader followed closely on tho lines of the speech at Christchurch on the previous eight. Mr. Holland said that Mr. Coates’s speech at Dargavillo held out no hope for the betterment in the position of the tens of thousands of men and women who are registered as unemployed,ihnd in tho position also of the oilier and the greater numbers of workers who were only intermittently employed. There had been circulars issued by the Reform Party and by Mr. Coates during the sittings of Special Economic Committee, and also after the formation of the Coalition. These circulars completely disposed of Mr. Coates’s claim that the United Party and the Reform Party had pooled their political resources for the sole purpose of facing New Zealand’s great- ■ est economic crisis. According to the Reform Party’s first circular, the setHing up of the Special Econotnic Committee was described as “a complete admission of tho incompetence of the Forbes Government to devise a pol;cy,” and the United Government’s call for a National Government was, according to the circular, “obviously an electioneering stunt in the hope of saving the United Party from extinction at the polls!”

Mr. Holland continued: Almost at the same moment that Mr. Coates was telling Parlament that “the time has arrived, and tho time is here now, when one could do nothing else but put the country’s dire necessity before any other consideration,’ the same gentleman was explaining to his own followers, that the Forbes Government l ad accepted tho Reform Party’s policy, and that the Reform Party was not involved in any sacrifice of its separate identity. • It appeared, Mr. Holland said, that tho Coalition manifesto was being issued in instalments. Tho second portion had appeared in public print that day, and the third in-

stalment would be awaited with keen interest. The new instalment contained the boast that: “Recent writers overseas had given high praise, to' New Zealand because of the Coalition policy,”, but, in the Reform Party’s first circular, it was clearly explained how the opinions of the London “Times” regarding New Zealand were manufactured. In that circular it whs explained that the New Zealand correspondent of “The Times” was the, leader-writer of the Wellington evening paper, add that this gentleman sent his statements to London, where they duly appeared in “The Times,” and were then cabled back to New Zealand with all of the authority of “The Times” behind them. Mr. Coates could probably tell them that the opinions of other papers were similarly manufactured.

AUCKLAND EAST. AUCKLAND, November 17. Mr H- P. Burton, who is a member of the City Council, and President of the 1 * New Zealand Master Bakers’ Association, has been announced as a Coalition Reform candidate for the Auckland East seat. There are also five other candidates for the seat. They are: Dr W. H. Horton (Coalition United); Miss E. Melville (Women’s candidate); Mr G. W- Schramm (Labour) and Mr J. A. Arthur (Independent). Neither of the two Coalition candidates has yet been endorsed by the Coalition parties.

AUCKLAND WEST [special to “stab.”] AUCKLAND, November 18. Officials of the United Party declined yesterday, to make any statement concerning a telegram stated to have been sent by Hon. R. Masters, chairman of the United Party, to Mr. W. J. McCallum, chairman of the Auckland Provincial Executive, suggesting the withdrawal of the party claims for the official Coalition endorsement in Auckland West. At a big meeting, last evening, Mr. H. R. MacKenzie was asked by a member of the audience to state the name of the official Coalition candidate.

tn reply, Mr. MacKenzie said there was no official candidate, as no agreement had been reached on the pbint. He was not boasting, that he was the Coalition candidate, but he asserted that he was the Government candidate endorsed by the Prime Minister. There was considerable hilarity throughout the meeting. Mr. MacKenzie, who is one of Auckland’s leading trotting men, said: Well, I’m a sport and have always been one. Let us all be sports, and we will get on with the meeting. A Voice: What about Ngingongingo ? Mr. MacKenzie: I do not know. I did not sit on the inquiry. A Voice: No, you sat on the stakes. (Laughter). AUCKLAND CENTRAL. AUCKLAND, November 18. The selection of Mr H. P. Congdon as the official Coalition candidate for Auckland Central, has been approved by Messrs Forbes and Coate's. THE PREMIERSHIP

AUCKLAND, November 18. The former Cabinet Minister, Mr. Donald, was presiding at the Coalition candidate’s meeting in Auckland last night, when a member of the audience asked whether Mr. Forbes or Mr. Coates would be Prime Minister, If Coalition were elected. “I will not put that question to the candidate,” said Mr. Donald, “because Mr. Forbes is Prime Minister, and in the event of a change of leadership being sought, we will have another election. I think the question can be answered that way.”

It now appears certain that no agreement will be reached between the United and Reform local executives, regarding Coalition candidates for Auckland West and Auckland Ecist Mr. MacKenzie (United), opened his campaign last night, and was considerably heckled by Labour sympathisers. ■ , ... Mr. Allum (Reform) has been campaigning for some time. Dr. Horton (United Coalition) gave his first address in Auckland East, last night. Mr H R. Burton has been endorsed by the local Reform executive, making five candidates. Mr. J. H. Edward, land agent, is announced as the official Labour candidate for Franklin.

WELLINGTON SOUTH. WELLINGTON, November 17. Labour’s campaign for the Wellington South seat was opened by the Party’s candidate, Mr R. McKeen, with an address which he delivered at Island Bay this evening. There was an audience of 250 people, who accorded the candidate an enthusiastic reception. At the conclusion of Mr McKeen’s address, the meeting | carried a resolution expressing.appreciation of his services both inside and outside Parliament, and confidence m him as the member for the district.

The resolution was carried amid applause, and with only one dissentient voice. A criticism of the Labour Party, or the Socialistic Party, as he termed it, formed a large part of the opening election address of Mr W. Appleton, official Coalition candidate for Wellington South, when he spoke to about five hundred people at Newtown this evening. As a result there were; constant interjections. The band of interjectors, although obviously in the minority, succeeded { n making such an uproar that frequently it was impossible to hear what the candidate was Saying. At the end of the meeting, however, a motion expressing confidence in Mr Appleton as a fit and proper person to represent Wellington South was carried by a large majority. Mr Appleton expressed himself in favour of a permanent /cleaving of the two moderate parties. He defended the policy of the United Party in the past twelve months, and approved of the Reform and United -Parties’ efforts to deal with the crisis and prevent any attempts by Socialists to decide the policy of the country.

WELLINGTON NORTH. WELLINGTON, November 18. Sir John Luke, who has recovered from his recent illness, is standing for Wellington North, as a supporter of the Coalition. He explains that his medical adviser urges him to refrain from the strain of addressing public meetings, and he is therefore conducting his campaign by correspondence. He expressed the hope that the small minority recorded against him in 1928 will be turned into a substantial majority next month. He contends that the principal need of New Zealand to-day is strong co-op-eration by men whose practical experience will ensure formation of a new national policy to safeguard the Dominion against periodic-slumps, inseparable from onesided development of the country’s resources. TAURANGA. TE AROHA, November 17. Mr C. E. Macmillan, Coalition candidate for Tauranga, opened his campaign at Te Aroha last evening. He favoured increasing the petrol tax to lOd, the additional tax to be borne by the wholesalers. Mr Macmillan condemned the United Party’s interference with the Main Highways Funds. The candidate was given a vote of thanks and confidence. WAIRARAPA.

MASTERTON, November 17. Mr A. D. McLeod to-night adressded a meeting of over 500 at Carterton, and had a good hearing, and was accorded a vote of thanks by acclamation. Mr McLeod said that, on his hearing from Mr Coates on October 27 that the pact had been made, he had assumed that it would be observed, and he at once had said that he would withdraw from the contest for Wairarapa. During the following fortnight, United candidates daily announced themselves, or refused to withdraw from seats held by Reformers. He, personally, had steadily refused to offer himself, though strongly urged from one'end of the electorate to the other to do so. It was not until last Friday night, and. after being quite convinced that the pact was not going to be generally observed, that he finally agreed to stand. He would not have done so, in any case, had he not been certain that another Reform candidate would be oil offer in Wairkrapa, and that the -pact was being broken all to the disadvantage of the Reform Party in other parts of the Dominion. Mr McLeod also said that a great many of the electors felt that there was no necessity for the pact in other than triangular contests, and in the cases of the Ministers he said, there was a very wide feeling that the electors should have the judging as to who should be elected. Dealing with the political issues, Mr McLeod said that only by a complete rehabilitation of NeW Zealand’s great farming industry, could unemployment be removed and prosperity restored. The statement was often heard that people were fortunate who had money invested in the, Government bonds, local body debentures, the banks’ fixed deposits, or other apparently sound investments, but this money was as much invested in the pastoral industry as if lento direct to the farmers. If the pastoral industry of New Zealand failed, practically every form of investment in the Dominion would collapse with it. Millions of acres of pastoral land> in this country during the past years had not returned bare working expenses, much less interest on the mortgages, and millions more acres had failed to earn eough to pay interest on the cost of improvements. Stock firms and other institutions were doing yeoman work on behalf of farmers, but a general reduction in the cost of finance was necessary, and this could only be brought about by a general realisation by all those having money invested that loss must be accepted for that money if a general collapse was to be avoided. He was ! no believer in methods of compulsion, Which invariably led to worse conditions. In the interests of all toWns-

people, as well as farmers, all round costings must be got down until a brighter day loomed ahead. CHRISTCHURCH EAST. CHRISTCHURCH, November 17. Mr H. T. Armstrong, M.P., Labour candidate for Christchurch East, Opened his campaign to-night. He advocated the constitution of a State Bank, with the sole rights to note issue. Mr Armstrong opposed the wage reduction policy. He supported the development of secondary industries. A vote of thanks and confidence was passed By the meeting. RICCARTON. CHRISTCHURCH, 17. Mr G. T. Thurston, the L&bour can'didate for RibcartOn, addressed a well-attended meeting to-night. He declared that the Coalition policy -was merely the; policy of the Reform Party, which polie# had bebfi Rejected in the 1928 .election. He skid that the United Party, when in power, had broken all of it§ election pledges. Mr Thurston wrts accorded a vote of thanks and confidence. » Mlb-CANTERBURY. CHRISTCHURCH, November 18. Mr. R. W. Wightman, Independent, has been nominated for Mld-Canter-bdry. He opened his ednip’digh, dfid recommended the bulk purchase of produce by Britain at stabilised priefes. He received a vote of thafiks. TIMARfr. TIMARU, frov&ihtier. i*7. •Mr H. N. Armstrong, him of the candidates for the 'i’iinara Serif, ‘ addressed a meeting, of ftvO hufidted people to-night. He.dfecilafed in favour of the policy bdtlfhed by the leaders. He also favoured a group settlement scheme, and the irrigation of waste lands as a means of alleviating the unemployment.. The candidate strongly Oppo'sed the retrenchment in education, which would, tend to abolish the scholarship for merit. H 6 contended no railway construction shbuld be undertaken. tthless R wds shown before that the line would pay, either directly or indirectly. A vote of thanks and cofifidehte was carried by a large majority. INVERCARGILL.

INVERCARGILL, November 17. The first shot in the general election campaign for the Invercargill sept was fired this evening when Mt William McChesney, the Liberal candidate, addressed the electors, at North Invercargill. The candidate pledged himself to siippbM the Coalition Government on a no-confidence motion, but he reserved to himself thb right to vote as lie believed, best on all other questions. A vdte of confidence in the candidates was carried by the meeting. „ , . ..... Mr M. H. Mitchel announces that, at the request of the Restoration League, he will contest the Inirefcargill seat as an Independent candidate. Mr Mitchell 13 a solicitor id practice here, and he was prominently connected with the Restoration Lfiague In its efforts to secure a licensing poll for Invercargill this year. CENTRAL OTAGO. DUNEDIN, .Novelfiber 17. Mr Charles Todd, the Re,form Coalitioii candidate for Central Otago, at A meeting last night at Lawrfefice, said thdt the farmer must be relieved of thd drain of over-increasing rates. He advocated the taking oyer by the Highways Board of a larger share of the cost of th| roadfi afid. bridges, and seathingly criticised .as folly thfe Constructing of new railways tinder present conditions, and the high -cost of construction. The candidate insisted that the rate of interest bn the internal borrowings and also the rates charged by the Banks and by the Other lending institutions in New Zealand miist be lowered to enable the primary producers and the business men generally to regain their feet. Ho also advocated an extension of mining activity and irrigation schemes. A vote of thanks and confidence was passed.

WAIRAU. BLENHEIM, November 18. Mr W. J. Girling, Independent candidate for Wairau, delivered an address to the electors, and announced himself as a straight-out .. Independent. He mfide two main pfiints, that Matlbo -- -oufih had not been treated fairly over the South Trunk line, and other matters, and that a goodly number of In dependents in the next Parliament to kebp the Government up to the mark, was an excellent thing. The bandi date met with a cordial reception, and received votes of thanks and confidence.