The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED DAILY THURSDAY, OCTOBER 25, 1928. THAT DIS-UNITED PARTY!

Gisborne Times, Volume LXVIII, Issue 10726, 25 October 1928, Page 4

The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED DAILY THURSDAY, OCTOBER 25, 1928. THAT DIS-UNITED PARTY!

The most uncomfortable member of the miscalled United Party must, assuredly, be Mr Voitch, who, it was thought by many electors, might possibly secure the leadership. Mi Veil oh has already opened his campaign in Wanganui, but, discreetly, lie confined his initial address to an account of his political stewardship during the past three years. What lie will say on the subject of Sir Joseph Ward's proposal to borrow another £60,(100.000 for the purposes of advances 'when ho is forced to deal with the matter) goodness only knows. As it so happens, Mr Voitch was one of the Nationalists who opposed most strongly the Reform Party’s policy of providing increased monetary facilities to settlers and others. Only last year be told the House that, the increased facilities offered for borrowing money from the Advances Office were “one, of the gravest dangers of the Socialism of the Reform Party.” And he added : “There aro now over 500 State mortgagors in each electorate and, with the votes of their wives, about 1000 votes in each electorate are concerned. Presently, theso people would combine and no party would he able to deny them their demands”! It is, wo think, abundantly plain that Sir Joseph Ward’s “borrow, boom and burst” policy has taken .his own party by surprise to a much greater extent than non-supporters. To Mr Veitch, it must have proved a bombshell: hence his painful silence. The new Ward plan of political window dressing lends color to the report- that the United Party delegates were so pleased at the. thought of securing an experienced leader that they never dared bring up the question of what would be his policy. It will he recalled that Mr Veitch, amongst the Nationalists, was not alone in his opposition to heavy national borrowing. Some of the lesser lights were shrewd enough, to iseo that the Coates Government could not stop borrowing suddenly without accentuating existing economic and industrial difficulties. Mr Veitch had, however, the support of his then chief, Mr Forbes, in pleading that borrowing had been far too heavy. And, yet, Sir Joseph Ward selects for the purpose to which not less than $60,000,00 should he devotee)— increasing the State’s lending facilities— a line of State activity which Mr Veitch has .averred the .Reform Party has quite overdone! Mr Veitch will not, of course., he able to avoid most awkward questions on the point during his campaign.