GENERAL ELECTION

Gisborne Times, Volume LXVIII, Issue 10727, 26 October 1928, Page 5

GENERAL ELECTION

A POPULAR! PREMIER

OVATION AT WHANG ARE I

BEST BAROMETER Ig SAVINGS BANK -

COATES - SUMMARISES SATISFACTORY POSITION.

UPre3s . Association.) ■ WHANGAROEI, Oct. -25. Air Coates delivered a policy speech here td-night to an overflowing audience. Long before eight o clock- every possible seat in the Town HaU was taken and people were standing' round * the walls, whilst a big -number filled the vestibule. ' . i-. -•.-. . ■ ■ .

The Premier was, given a great ovation, on making his : appearance, accompanied by .the singing of “For He’s a dolly Good'Fellow”. Tlie chair was taken by .the Mayor', Mr J. Brake, but before introducing the .Prime Minister, . Mf, and Mrs Coates were given three cheers by the assembly, ' 'Tlie Premier-spoke at length on the lines, of his policy speeches delivered by, him on his southern tour. He traced some of the legislation introduced during the Government’s office, and the,beneficial effects it had bad. .

Touching briefly on Post. Office matters, -principally in connection with the Savings Bank, the Premier stated that' the deposits for, six months ended September 30 were £13,559,613, the withdrawals £14,403,236, leaving - an excess of with- : drawn Is- of £846,623. The interest payable to depositors was £873,000 iso that depositors are withdrawing less than the interest earned, there” fore the account practically balanced which was a different state- of afto that which obtained the previous year. Hi© Savings Bank was the best barometer one could have as to the prosperity of tho country, so his Hearers would see that matters have definitely taken a turn for the better..

VALUABLE EFFECT OF WHEAT DUTY

BREAD PRICES STABILISED

Dealing with the wheat duty, the Prime Minister stated that a good many people in the North Island considered that the wheat duty was nothing but a boon for growers in the South Island,' but this is not so. They overlooked the fact that this duty was responsible for stabilising the price ol bread. In this connection -he quoted figures showing that' in September last the. prices of the two-pound, loaf cash over the counter in the four centres-of New Zealand' were: Auckland. GUI, Wellington Old, Christchurch 6J-d, Dunedin 5 id. whereas at the same time in Australia with- no duty, the prices were : Sydney 6d, * Melbourne SRI. In Canada, also t>there was no duty, and the prices were. Quebec 7-Jd, Ottawa 7 id, Winnipeg 7d. A voice: What about Great Britain ?

Mr Coates: I haven’t got figures for there.

A voice : You can get a loaf of bread in Great Britain for 4d. • Mr Coates: The wheat must come from Russia in that case.

Continuing, he emphasised that it was-only' a fair thing to quote, other Dominions. The figures foi New Zealand compared very favorably" with the countries quoted, and, they could see that the duty .had the effect of stabilising prices, and further, it to no small extent ensured that the Dominion grew enough wheat for her own requirements, and from that standpoint alone, it was satisfactory that a . duty on a sliding scale had been adopted. At the conclusion of the address a motion, of confidence in the Reform administration was declared canned on the proposal of L W. Nelson, seconded by Mr J. H. Hayward, although there was a. fa'ir volume of dissent;

•PREMIER’S “DIG” AT LABOR LEADER. ! ' ■ “SOMEONE FOLLOWING ME AS HARD AS HE CAN.” “WILL STILL BE RUNNING WHEN I’M IN POWER AGAIN” (Special to the Times) WHANG ARE I, Oct. 25. . “It is.quite;..correct ..we .have been travelling.fast,.” said the Prime Minister, Mr Coates, at Whangarei tonight, when tile Mayor. Mr L. J. Brake', referred to the vast amoun fc of territory which Mr Coates had to cover in the election campaign and to the speed with which lie had to move, “but we are not the only ones who have been travelling. There is someone following me as hard as he can, the Leader of the Labor party, Mr. Holland, and when the election is over, and 1 am in power again, lie will still be running.”—(Applause.)

A GRATEFUL CROWN TENANT.,, EXEMPT FROM RENT FOR FIVE YEARS. NAMES NEW BABY “GORDON” (Special to the Times.) WHANGAREI, Oct. 5. There is a sniall bbv on the TiauI’iiki Plains who, in after years, will have reason to remember the Prime Minister, Mr Coates, and at least one piece of the legislation of the Reform party. He has been named Gordon, after Mr Coates, and his prospects have been made brighter by an Act of Parliament which conceals its beneficence under the sober title of the “Land Laws Amendment. Act, 1927.” How it came about is explained in the following letter which Mr Coates has received from the boy’s father: •° “Dear Sir.—-I wrote to you some months ago 1 ’ in reference to my holding, and since then the ranger has. been to investigate my position ‘and after inquiries by the ■ Land Board, I have been exempt from rent for five years. • “Now, Mr Coates, word's could not express the kindness you have done for my wife and six little kiddies. Anyway, the wife has just Ibid twins—a hoy and a girl. We have called the boy * Gordon, and I am working long days and Sundays as well, to make the place a credit to your helping. 'God bless you, Mr Coates, and a safe' return with the best wishes of Mr' —l and family, and success, always be with you.” WELLINGTON ELECTORATES. • 11,090 MORE ELECTORS. (Preqa Association.) WELLINGTON, Oct. 25. An increase of about 11,000 .in tho number "of names on -' the electoral rolls ' for YTellington urban electorates, as compared with the. rolls for last general. election, is disclosed by • the; figures mad© available by . the chief electoral officer ._ Substantial, increases are recorded in respepfc of ,eacb electorate. Comparative figures ’are. as. follow: -—Wellington' -North: 1925 13,558. 1928 14,059; .Wellington Central: 1925 10,689, 1928 - 12,635; .Wellington East, 1925 ,12,723, H 928 15,725.- Wellington.-South. 1925,11.505, 1928 13)257; Wellington Sub.urbs,/1925 13,641, 1928 15,023; Otaki, . -1925 '7791, 1928 9053. Totals: 1925. .68,907 ; : 1928”.79,752. ,: Of the : total ,names registered for th 6 coming general election 20,579 appear on the « supplementary rolls.

UNFORTUNATE AMATEUR FINANCIER.

ATTEMPTS TO , ARGUE WITH

PREMIER.

MR. COATES SCORES HEAVILY,

INTERRUPTER GIVEN, GOOD

ADVICE

(Special To The Times). DAKGAVILLE, Oct. 24. Ah amateur financier tried ,to cross swords with the Prime Minister at Paparoa .to-day, when Mr. Coatesreferred to the Government’s action in placing ; a limit of £2OOO ,on the amounts which individual depositors may leave in the Post Office Savings Bank.

The Prime Minister said this was a very necessary step in safeguarding ■ the finances of the country. “The banks take the money,” the amateur interjected. The Prime Minister: ‘ ‘And should they not have it?” The amateur: “You could get it into the Post Office at 3£- per cent, and lend it out to settlers at 4$ per cent.” .

The Prime Minister: 1 ‘Do yon think so? Can you say how anyone can accept say £SOOO at call, or for six months,, or twelve months, and lend it out for 36i years ? How would he get on when the depositor came along for his £SOOO ?” The amateur: “But all those depositors are not coming along for their money at the same time.” The Priihe Minister: ‘Won’t they ? I happen to know what- does occur. What would you have done when Vliey came along for about £3,000,000? I have heard about you amateur fancy financiers. You are one of the chattering sort,- and I think you would be better off if you got down and studied the position.” (Applause).

The interjector came in _ again when Mr. Coates was referring to agricultural banks.' The Prime Minister said it had been asserted that the government had. refused to pass, legislation required rto set up an agricultural bauk. That was absolutely wrong, he said, for all the legislation that was required was already on the Statute Book, and Captain Colbeclc. of the Country Party, and other advocates of such an institution had agreed with him on that point the other day. “All that is wanted,” Mr. Coates said, “is for every farmer in N.Z. to put in a fiver 'he is prepared to lose, and there is tho bank.” . . The interjector was of a pessimistic temperament, and he called out: “But- the farmer lias not got » fiver.” The Prime Minister: “You stick it out, and you will soon have one.” The amateur (sarcastically): “Turned the corner eh? Turning it in about fifteen years.” The Prime Minister (smiling): “(Jh, come along, cheer up. If you don’t you wil] be dead before the fifteen years is up. You will never do anything, for vourself while you are so dismal. Cheer up.” There was no .need for the Prime Minister to say more, for the audience burst into a furore of applause and cheers.

• CHRISTIAN SOCIALIST CANDIDATE. DOES NOT BELIEVE IN AVAR OR DEFENCE. NO GREATER VIOLENCE THAN TARING LIFE. (Special To The Times;. AUCKLAND, Oct. 25. “Can a Christian be a -good soL dier?” w'as the question put to Mr O. E. Burton, Christian Socialist candidate for Eden at a meeting last evening. ... “It is possible that a Christian man may mistakenly fight, but he certainly commits a breach-of Christian principles,” said Mr Burton. “Once upon a time it-seemed the right thing for me to do. I believe I was wrong in going and fighting, andl that I made a serious breach of Christian principles.. I express sincere repentance for an ill-advised and wrong action. I am trying to . remove the results of that though I was responsible for more bloodshed than I care to remember. A questioiler: Are not- you the author of the history of tho Auckland Regiment ? Mr Burton: That is quite so. In the preface, a year or so afterwards, I said that war was wrong. Another voice : "If you really scrap, all defences, do you really thmk_ the foreigner will' keep his hands oft c .Mr Burton: ‘ ‘The ‘-mere possession of arms does not make the country safe. We would he far safer without arms than with them. To scrap the defences would be an act of courage. There would be no guarantee but a high hope. Pacifist countries - came best out of the Great War. A voice: AVhere would bees be without stings? . Mr Burton: That is not a tail analogy. AVe are on a higher plane than animals. ~ , The speaker said he would not resist if lie were attacked by another; man. . “Suppose he were a maniac . Mr Burton: It is essential to keep quiet with a maniac. _ , 4. clergyman asked the candidate what he would do if violence were offered to his wife ? ■ _ Mr Burton said he would endeavor to stand in between his wifeand the, violence offered to her." However, there was no greater violence than taking of p life. Two wrongs did not make a right.

THAT £70,000,000 LOAN 1 SCATHING CONDEMNATION BY MR POTTER. IMPOSSIBLE TO~GET MONEY AT 4J- PER CENT. SLUMP WOULD FOLLOW IF MONEY COULD BE, SECURED. (Soecial to the Times.) ■ / ■ ' ' AUCKLAND, Oct. 20. Sir Joseph Ward’s avowed intention of borrowing £70,000,000 called forth some scathing comment Horn Mr V. H. Potter at Mount Eden last Mr Potter admitted that Sir Joseph had been a great financier, but urged that he could only be described as a “wasser,” and, as such, was of no use to the country. It was impossible for Sir Joseph to get the money at 41 per cent., as that, was less than the British Government could get it for. In any case, even if it were possible to get the money at such a low rate of interest, it certainly could not be re-loaned at 41 per cent, with only a quarter per cent, margin. It would take at least 1 ner cent, to cover'the expenses’. With that £70,000,000 at its disposal the United Party would certainly, make liberal-'advances to- settlers, land values would be forced up and another slump woul.d result. Under the Reform administration New Zealand was undeniably prosperous; ascould fie shown by the totalisator figures, and the amount spent annually on tobacco and beer. “Fabulous sums of money are going through the wrong channels,” commenc'd Mr Potter. ' ! CHALMERS SEAT. (Ppess Association.) ' DUNEDIN,. Oct. 25. Mr J. P- Walls, Mayor of Mo said, has. f consequent', 0n. 4 .'-the- withdrawal of Mr J- London, United partv candidate for Chalmers, consented to stand in the United party’s interests.

A PLEA FOR SOCIALISM •

MR HOLLAND ATTACKS MR COATES AND SIR J. AVARD

WOULD THEY DISCONTINUE ANY STATE SERVICE?

. -UNITED LEADER’S. OWN SPEECHES QUOTED AGAINST HIM

(Press Association.) >

WELLINGTON, Oct, 25

Mr H. _E. Holland addressed an 'enthusiastic meeting at tho Town Hall - to-night. Stressing his charge that the Coates Government had been responsible for wrecking the co-operative marketing effort of the primary producers, he referred to a statement made by Mr Grounds at the annual meeting of the National Dairy. Association at Palmerston North to the effect that, in May of 1927, Mr Goodfellow had written aiv article for the “Exorter” in the original-draft of which-it was set forth that ‘ tho scheme of absolute control had been wrecked by the propaganda of vested interests and that, if it had not been for the Government’s action and tlie action of its appointees, the producers in Now Zealand would have. been saved the disaster of the 1927 season. The article was altered before it appeared in print and, in its altered form, it set forth that the scheme of . absolute control _ bad been wrecked by dissensions within the industry and by the fanners themselves and, furthermore, that the breaking down of control was largely due. to the action of the Labor Party. This change, said Mr Holland, had apparently been ■ made after Mr Coates had been interviewed by certain persons and it was round about this time that tlie Radio Broadcasting Co. (of which Mr Goodfollow was one of the .heads), secured; a loan from the Postal Department of £15,000 which loan was made without the authority of Parliament Aparently there was somewhere a connecting link between the “Bpxortef” article and the loan to the Radio Broadcasting Coy. It was an interesting coincidence that the same gentleman edited the “Exporter” and the “Radio Record”, and that both these papers were supporters and defenders of the policy of the Government.

Referring to Mr Coates’ denunciation of Socialism, Mr Holland said he wanted to ask him- to give straight answers to a question: ‘'Which of the socialised institutions of New Zealand would lie propose to abolish?” If Mr Coates was really serious in his fulmination against Socialism, it followed that lie was antagonistic to the social services Represented by Government railways, Post and Telegraph Department, Education and Health DepartmentsPublic Trust, State Advances, State coal minces and other State undertakings and, since this was so, the public was entitled to know what order Air .Coates proposed to direct his attack against these services, if it should succeed in getting back to offi’ce.

In his recent speech at Auckland, Sir Joseph AVard was reported ; as having said that the encroachment by the. State on field of private enterprise was detrimentally affecting’ all commercial progress and causing a feeling of insecurity in the minds of those engaged in business and, further, that tho .United Party held that trading for profit in these enterprises was not a legitimate function of the State. This, said Mr Holland, was wholly in conflict with Sir. Joseph AVard’s pronouncement made in his speech on the Financial Statement on September 30, 1919. On that occasion Sir Joseph showed that, by setting up a. State bank, they could make £500,000 a year out of it and how this profit from a State enterprise could be used to reduce taxation. In the same speech, Sir Joseph bad advocated the nationalisation of the coal mines, contending that, since the annual output of coal in New Zealand was over 2,000,000 tons, the country would only require to get 2s a ton out of it to reap over £200,000 a year and it would only bo a matter of time before we would get £250,000 from this source. This amount, Sir Joseph had proposed, should also be utilised to reduce taxation. Protesting that there were some people in New Zealand who thought that the .State could not do anything satisfactorily, Sir Joseph AVard in 1919 had declared that the State had run the Post Office, the railways,, the .Government insurance office, .the., .Public Trust, qnd other State services and • had done, well in the interest of the community. Now he was leading what appeared to be a campaign in tlie opposite direction. It was due to the public that Sir Joseph AVard, equally with Mr Coates, should specify tlie State sendees to be curtailed or abolished if his party succeeded. Called on by the chairman, tlie secretary of the Alliance of Labor (Air. J. Roberts) moved the following resolution: —

“That this meeting of Wellington citizens tenders its hearty thanks to Air. Holland for his address, expresses confidence in tlio Labor Party and in Air. Holland as its leader, and pledges itself to work for the triumph of the Labor Party candidates on election day.”

The president of the Trades and Labor Council (Mr. F. D. Cornwell), who was also called on by the chairman, seconded the motion. The chairman put the resolution to a show of hands and declared it carried “practically unanimously, with only two dissentients.” No questions were invited, but, at the call, of Mr, Roberts, three cheers were given for the Labor Party and for Mr. Holland.

NAPIER SEAT (Press Association.) . . NAPIER, Oct, 25. . Air W. E. Barnard, Labor candidate for the Napier seat, who opposed the Premier at the last election' addressed a large audience in the Foresters Hall to-night. His remarks did not . deviate materially from the line adopted generally by the Labor candidates, consisting of criticism of the Government, and an outline of the Labor platform. A vote of thanks to the speaker, and confidence in the party was carried. AN INDEPENDANT’S VIEWS (Press Assoolatioß.J WHANGAREI, Oct. 25. Mr. A. H.' Curtis, the Independent candidate for Marsden, addressed a meeting in the Town Hall last evening He said Reform had failed to carry out all its promises, particularly in regard to land settlement. The Uniteds consisted of resurrected Liberals and disgruntled politicians who had the same policy as Reform. Labor was safest in opposition in the event of a no-confidence motion. Mr. Curtis sai’d he would vote for the Government, as there was no better party in the House as at present constituted. A solid body of independents was required to straighten up the Government.

; BAY’OF PLENTY SEAT HON. K. -S, WILLIAMS AT PATUTAHI TO-NIGHT. Commencing at 7 o’clock this evening, the Hon. K. S. Williams, Minister for Public Works and sitting member' for.-the Bay of Plenty electorate, will address electors in .the Patutahi Hall in continuation of his campaign.