GENERAL ELECTION.

Gisborne Times, Volume LXVIII, Issue 10724, 23 October 1928, Page 6

GENERAL ELECTION.

MR. HOLLAND AT TIMARU. COMPLAINT OVER FAMILY ALLOWANCES. (Press Association.) TIMARU, Oct. 22. Mr. Holland, Leader of the. Opposition, addressed a largely-attended and sympathetic meeting here tonight. He spoke vigorously for more than two hours, enunciating the Labor Party’s policy and condemning the Coates Government. He said that, in the 1925 elections the'Reform Party had led the electors to believe that they would enact legislation providing" for /adequate ; family allowances. Mr. Coates had intimated that the Government would provide £250,000 for this purpose./ while the Minister of Labor’s promise was that £260,000 would be the sum that would have to be -made available. Having secured office on the strength of this and other• promises/- the Government had so framed' its legislation and had so circumscribed the allowances that only £37,652 was paid out for the year 1927-28. This was £212,000 less than the ’amount indicated by the : Prim© Minister and -£222,000 less than that, covered by the promise of the Minister for Labor. The Budget surplus for the ;saine year was £179,000. This was more than £42,000. less than the difference between the amount stated by ; the Minister for Labor and the family allowances actually paid, so that - the '1927-29 surplus appeared to represent the net result of the Government’s brok- : eh promises relating to family allowance::. Had the 1925 promises been honored, tho Minister for Finance would have shown a deficit of' moro\ than' £40,000 -instead of. a- surplus- oi £179.,0C0. ~ At the conclusion of' the . meeting, Mr. Holland was thanked &hd cheered.