NATIONAL PARTY

Greymouth Evening Star, 16 June 1936, Page 5

NATIONAL PARTY

MR. FORBES’ SPEECH. [per press association.] CHRISTCHURCH. June 15. More than 300 Canterbury supporters of the New Zealand National Party, including representatives of all electorates in Canterbury and on the West Coast, this evening endorsed the action of a recent conference in Wellington which formed the party, and undertook “enthusiastically to work for its success at the next general election." The meeting was addressed by the Leader of the Opposition, Mr. Forbes, and by Mr. S. G. Holland, M.P., and Mr. Kyle. M.P. Mr. Forbes said the utmost unanimity prevailed among members at the conference in Wellington, which set up a permanent National Party. Under the Coalition it had not been possible to obtain the same organisation. He spoke of economy measures the Coalition had to introduce, ami all members of the Government were aware this would not make the Government popular. However, they believed no right thinking citizens would have wished the Government to sidestep what was done as a national duty. He said the electors declared that they did not like this economy, and did not like the people who put this economy into effect. “Now we have a Party in power which is prepared to go to the other extreme,” said Mr. Forbes. “It is prepared to spend—the sky’s the limit! It is net concerned with the question of who is to provide money. Their first consideration is whether there is a demand for expenditure. The cost comes after.”

He said that with the control/of the Reserve Bank, the Government had power of inflation and had control of the currency. It had undertaken a programme of extensive public works, and it had bought all the dairy produce of the Dominion. “We have come up againsf a state of affairs which we could never have dreamed of,” said Mr. Forbes. “We cannot have things which cost money without having to pay for them, and the bill for all this will have to be met. Without setting myself up as a prophet, I can say safely that income tax is going to get a pretty good whack. These men claim they at least have courage. There is such a thing as valour of ignorance, and it is easy, to conceive their rushing in and doing things that must be disastrous to the country.” The Government. he said, had no regard for cost, and no regard for consequences.