AN ABLE DEFENCE

Gisborne Times, Volume LXVIII, Issue 10724, 23 October 1928, Page 5

AN ABLE DEFENCE

FION. K. S. WILLIAMS AT TOKOMARU BAY.- ,f

CRITICS OF GOVERNMENT TAKEN TO ..TASK.

UNANIMOUS VOTE OF CONFIDENCE.

(Special to- the Times.) TOKOMARU (BAY, Oct. 21. There was an attendance of about 150 at Te Puka? Hall; to-night to listen to a; most instructive address '“by the Hon. K. S,f for Public Works, whoi replied in a -most convincing manner ..to -: the main criticism-' that ,f&- .being. levelled at; theGovernment . 1 by the Opposition parties. " .*. : .■, •, G -4. -' Mr. W. Oates, senr., who presided, said that / Mu. ” Williams hardly -required to be • introduced to . a Coast audience, as he was so well-known for what he: had .'done to asHsf not only his constituency, but all other portions of the Dominion. " -, : Mr. Williams was very warmly received and at donee- expressed, his great pleasure 'at having a further opportunity to meet so many of his constituents and discuss with them the main political topics of-the .day; They would have .noted that the Labor Party was -again making : a' strong bid for power. Before any elector should decide to assist that party, however, he would do iyell to consider how Labor Governments bad fared and were faring in other portions- of the Empire. -If. they did that*, he had no reason to fear how their votes vyuld be oast. In no other portion of the Empire could , a Labor. Government point, to such a fine record as that which had been achieved by the Reform Government of this Dominion. The financial policy of any Labor Government must, necessarily be experimental. WOULD STATE BANK HELP?

Labor’s main plank was that of a State Bank, with which principle he did not at all agree. Money, as they all knew, had its value and was always available where there was sufficient security. If a had time came, who would come to the aid of a State bank? As matters now stood the trading banks helped one another in a time of" stress. The existence of a number of banks in any country was the best possible safeguard. If a State bank existed and hard times came it would secure power to flood the country with paper money which would give only the appea ranee of prosperity where there was actually none. Private banking enterprise was most certainly the best. f As' regards the national finances, Mr. Williams said the Dominion was not borrowing beyond its power to repay. New Zealand was a young country and borrowing was necessary for its proper development. He liad read the comments of various Home financial journals on the latest very successful New Zealand loan and, without exception, they had stressed the high degree of credit which the Dominion afforded. That, he. thought, spoke volumes for the credit of This country. ■ Nobody was in a better position to judge of the merits of this Dominion than the Home investors, who knew where to invest their surplus moneys. Mr. Williams went on to refer to the national debt. Since 1921, the war debt had been reduced by £lo,* 000,000.' He pointed out the difference between the. war debt, which was a deadweight, and debt incurred to undertake reproductive' works. It was essential that the war debt should be- repaid as speedily- as possible in order to secure a steady reduction in the national interest hill. The present Government was going to continue, its policy, if re-elected, of diminishing the war debt. This vear it had been reduced by £2,477, 136.

GROWTH OF ADVANCES ' BUSINESS."'/' ■ As to the State Advances system, Mr. Williams said that the Reform Government was doing its best to extend the facilities for assisting settlors and workers. During the pastfive years,- 26,312 applications for loans aggregating £26,692,969 had lieen granted 1 . Of this huge sum no loss than £11,849,676 was paid out tu enable workers' either to build homes or purchase homes. In 1C years under Liberal Governments, £16,000,000 had . been advanced against £43,000,000 lent during 10 years of Reform Government. The small man on ,the land and the worker had first claim under the Reform Government -—and rightly so —to advances. The heavy increase in advances to which lie had referred 'was' not due to generosity on. the part of tho Government; it had been necessary in the interests of the development of . the country. " >" Touching upon the pensions system, Mr. Williams said that the Labor Governrnent had said that, if elected, it' would increase the old-age pension to 25/- per week at once. That, however, was a matter that required earnest consideration. The Reform Governrnent had increased the pension. from 10/- per week to 17/6; it had '■• also increased to £520 the amount of property which a pensioner could, hold; and it. had reduced the age jit which a woman could draw a pension from 65 to 6D. When considering what further could be done in the matter the Government did not overlook the. needs of other deserving sections. It bad. to he borne m mind that many returned soldiers who had been discharged as fit and well had since become incapacitated from rheumatism . and other complaints which' had had their origin m war service. The Government had asked the R.S.A. to co-operate with it in evolving a scheme to meet the needs of soldiers.

WHAT"CAUSED THE UNEMPLOYMENT?

With reference to unemployment, Mr. Williams said there had .been a lot of unfair criticism of the Government. It had been said, for instance, that the unemployment was due to the Government’s immigration pamiy. But was that the case? It had to be remembered that 21.696 New Zealand soldiers had lost their lives as a direct result of the under-the immigration system from .1921-2 21 113 men had heen brought into the Dominion. Of immigrant women there had hcen 21,617 and.of ohildren 19,551, but the arrival of these women and childien had not contributed to the unemployment m the ranks of the male workers. They had to look more deeply to find tftw cause? for so much ■ unemployment. 1 lie ■, main cause' was, 'unquestionably, the depression that followed after the, war It had also to be remembered ■■ that the introduction of so many, motor 'vehicles had lessened eonpoy ment in connection with alb branches of transport. Milking machines had also lessened the amount of work op dairy farms. Thus it .-would -be- seen that improved mechanical means had - deprived many men of their employ- , hihiit.'’•/ Everybody?-;./knew,*: .however, that, comparatively, there was much , less unemployment in New .Zealand under the Eefori# s ?„• r: the majority ofthe Australian • States under ; Person ally; he. thought the Reform . Government * had • done _ i exceedingly-, well. From May, 1926, to September | 1928. 14,219 jobs,had been offend by; the Government: ‘ Most of them were j road/ 'confr'aets t andfitree planting, for j they were: the only works available ; during; that period, r s \>?Tlio.v I?*ul>liq i Works Department, was doiirg all -in 1 its power to. relieve unemployment hut . it had to consider the position of 1 .V .. • • f

‘-F.v, j-,' ; *•' its regular staff of 8,000 men- it it flooded.. The department with men, their position, would, sooner'oh later, be seriously-affected, c Vvi-* •< * .- <. Continuing, Mr.-Williams said there had ;heen a Io.F of hLinformesl tallj about ith© earnings qf ;the men ofi relief works, d .The Labor Party said that, single men, had io be content with 91- per day and married men with ’ 12/- a day. That .was- quite \vrong,-. i For the first fortnight the men were .taken on..oq i ,trjq}..a l t, those rates. ‘ After that they’ were, if suitprit ’ on- piCce-work;- ’-Me' quoted instances where piece-workers were earning freimv*l3/4j to. -24/3 per day. Men who < could stand up tri it could easily earn those rates. , Then again there was-a Labor complaint that -the engineers received orders to keep the wages; down;' That wag' nbt so* ./No such instrucfciCns had ever been given.:' The engineers were instructed only to, see-thfit: the rates of pay were fair. It was perhaps mot realised that there, was now leas ordinary winter employment -then '• before the. war, when a .lot, of bush-falling had to- be done. A s they all knew- not much of that work now. remained* to be done on the Coast, for instance. In the past -men who had had ; only’ summer jobs had engaged in bush falling in the winter- and that avenue of iemployment' had"' greatly decreased. In regard to gum digging in the North —another winter- occupation—that work was, too, now petering out. Mr. Williams .proceeded to discuss the 1 activities of the Main Highways Board. • It was, lie said, a-very live board and was controlling road construction ; in all parts of the Dominion. Tlie ex,tra money made available from the petrol tax was being spent wisely-. : The Board gave a subsidy of up to £2'to £l on many works, and it had power- to give a higher subsidy in- special cases. •- ■ '- Concluding, - Mr. Williams thanked all present for the support that had been‘extended to him in the past and'pledged himself to do all in his ower, if re-elected, in-the interests of his constituency. and the Dominion. (Loud applause.) \ A questioner asked the position, in regard to the Te Puia Springs accommodation house. Would he try to get the Department to get a more liberal contract? Mr. Williams said that when it became known that private enterprise was moving in the direction of providing an accommodation house he had let- the. matter drop in the meantime. If. the private venture did not- succeed he would do his best to get the Department to reconsider the original terms of the arrangement. What was being done at Rotorua had no bearing on what was being done at Te Puia. _ On the motion of Mr. A. N. Wilkins; seconded by the chairman, a veto of thanks and confidence was unanimously carried. , ; .‘ n -