WESTLAND CONSTITUENCY

Greymouth Evening Star, 18 November 1931, Page 2

WESTLAND CONSTITUENCY

MR GREENSLADE’S CAMPAIGN The electors •of Greymouth and vicinity will have an opportunity, this evening, of hearing, Mr J. W. Greenslade, the official Coalition candidate for Westland, expound his policy. The meeting is to be held at the Town Hall, at 8 o’clock, and the chair will be taken by the Deputy-Mayor (Mr J. B. Kent). . Mr Greenslade will visit Callaghan’s, Goldsborough, Stafford, Awatuna, and Three-Mile to-morrow, and will speak In the Princess Theatre, Hokitika, at 8.15 p.m. HARI HARI ADDRESS. - Votes of thanks and confidence in Mr Greenslade as the Coalition candidate for Westland were carried unanimously at the meeting of electors at Hari Hari public hall last evening Mr W. Theile, being the mover of same. Mr W- E - Searle presided. There was a large attendance, the hall being crowded. Mr Greenslade received a good hearing and created a great impression. No questions were forthcoming at the conclusion of his speech. A vote of thanks to Mr Searle for presiding concluded an enthusiastic meeting. KUMARA ROADS. [to the editob.] Sir,—l notice that Mr. O’Brien is to speak at Kumara this evening. . May I. through your columns, ask him to explain his actions in trying to cut Kumara off the map by urging the completion of the Kumara JunctionFlowery Creek road. There are aP ready about three roads to Hokitika, and now a fourth is under way in opposition to our railway, "which only carries a few passengers twice daily. We used to have a good service to Westport, via Reefton, before the new coast road was opened. What has happened to Reefton, and the Reefton people, whose valuable freehold properties are almost unsaleable? What will happen to Kumara when the new road is completed, and a ’bus service carrying passengers direct between Grey and Hokitika, cuts Kumara out? It is time to stop and think before wasting any more money. I am, etc., J. D. MOTUEKA. Mr K. J. Holyoake, OfficiaJ Coalition candidate for the Motueka Electorate, will address electors as follows: — Reefton and Maruia districts, Friday, November 20: 10 a.m., Gorge Bridge, Upper Mataki; 12 noon, Mr George Thompson’s; 3.30: Spring Junction; 7 p.m., Black’s Point; 8 p.m. Criterion Theatre, Reefton. CONSTRUCTION OR DESTRUC- • TION?’ COALITION OR LABOUR?

The Coalition Government has taken a firm grip of the country’s affairs, and is building for future prosperity on the basis of establishing present stability. So far its efforts have gone a long way towards achieving this, without seriously upsetting or penalising any particular class or industry. All its energy has been directed towards construction, assistance and wise guidance, as it recognises that every person is suffering from prevailing economic conditions, and it has formed its policy accordingly. On the other hand, the Labour Party, with its secret Socialistic platform, bases its policy on methods which will never be tolerated in this Dominion. A policy of confiscation, compulsion and restriction, upsetting all our present methods, could only lead to confusion and far worse conditions. In 1926, the official organ of the Labour Party, “The Worker,” stated in reference to their dropping of the Land Usehold Policy, “there will be plenty of time to change the Party’s Land Policy when it '•obtains control of the Treasury Benches.” No statement of theirs can be sincere whilst they have their secret socialistic objective and this intention to change their professed programme should they gain the Treasury Benches. The people of New Zealand will show on polling day that they will not stand for the destruction of their rights as individuals, and will demonstrate their approval of the real assistance and co-operation of the National Government. —3. PARLIAMENT AND WAGES. [to the editob.]

Sir, —While sincerely appreciating your courtesy and sense of fair play in publishing my letter, and also your chivalry in devoting a leading article in reply, I am of the opinion that you have evaded the issue. You state that “most” interest charges have been reduced. True, the -banks after a belated period have reduced the rate by halt per cent., but what of the £12,000,000 of overseas and internal interest on the public debt. Of course, this, is sacred. A 10 per cent, cut in this amount would have resulted in a saving of £1,200,000. Then again many companies have continued to pay the usual dividends but have not neglected to impose a ten percent, cut on their unfortunate employees in order to keep in step with the international raid on wages. The Union Bank has just made a 10 per cent cut and disclosed a profit of £1,295,000. The big farmers have demanded a reduction in wages, estimated approximately £600,000 and the sacrifice made by these poorly paid slaves of the soil, amounting to £60,000 will hardly suffice to pay the* farmers’ tobacco bill. Investors have entered into their commitments with their eyes open and were well aware of the speculative nature of their investments and should feel grateful for past profits and be prepared to take the lean years with the good. We owe over £87,000,000 for a war which the Labour Party never wanted, and a gross public debt which rose from £M. 74.9 in 1910 to £M £267.4 in 1930, a good deal of which was spent on doubtful hydro-electric schemes and a wild-cat railway policy by the antiLabour political parties. The present United Pifl-ty has been faced with a rapidly increasing unemployment policy for nearly two years and has now just awakened to the fact that all the money spent upon unproductive schemes was futile and has changed its policy towards works of a productive nature for the benefit of those big farmers who are subscribing so liberally to the Coalition Party funds. Your assertion thaj: the higher salaries are carrying the greater share of the burden is also contrary to fact, as new taxation tables clearly indicate. The buyer invariably pays the customs tax; the merchant merely passes it on. True, many small

companies, inefficiently managed and ill-conceived, have gone to the wall, but why blame labour? Taxation upon companies etc., only comes out of profits and if there are no- profits there is no taxation. Labour has never endeavoured to give the impression that the present crisis was not as serious as it was supposed to be. It is realised that the present crisis is serious, and it has by no means passed. What Labour objects to is being blamed for the inefficiency of its opponents in politics. Labour has little or no say in the management of industry and with a mere sprinkling of 20 members in a Parliament of 80 representatives has really performed wonders in putting the curb upon the irresponsible policy of wage-slashing.that any sane business man of to-day will tell you has been disastrous. In spite of the freaks of the British electoral system the British Labour Party is still intact with some 7,000,000 voters behind it. The writing is on the wall, and in spite of the British Labour minority Government’s failure to .dear up the mess of capitalism, the “Star” recently informed us that the average standard of health of the population was higher and the death rate the lowest on record. It is these things that count. I am etc., MARY ANDERSON, / Secretary Labour Party. *