THE GREY RIVER ARGUS TUESDAY, AUGUST 4, 1925. FACTS AGAINST PLATITUDES.

Grey River Argus, 4 August 1925, Page 4

THE GREY RIVER ARGUS TUESDAY, AUGUST 4, 1925. FACTS AGAINST PLATITUDES.

With no case of their own to put before the country, it is million pounds to a gooseberry that the Reform and '.Liberal Parties will fight, the coming election by slinging mud at the Labour Party. Already the anti-Labour politicians arc, in Parliament, openly urging tlie Prime Minister not to mind about propounding a policy, saying “he ought not to go in for the details of party politics, as to whether we j should take anything off the income ; tax, but make it a question of Hags.' • In other words, the nearest they will, f go to practical issues will be to talk [generalities, relying upon the hope of | fooling the masses by a revival of the: , flag-flapping that was so widely exploited in war time. When Labourites call attention to the land scandals, they: ’will be met. 'with by the cry of Bolshevism. When they even quote the. Reformers’ own admissions that, in New Zealand to-day, there is not ten per eent. of real freehold (vide Hon. .Mr Earnshaw’s speech in the Upper House on the Address in Reply), the reply will be that this mortgage hold., is preferable to Labour’s policy of the usehold. When another Reformer’s recent declaration is recalled that from 1923 to 1925 there were 84,649 mortgages registered, and that the mortgage : value increased by over twenty-six millions sterling, they will be told that the mortgagees arc patriotic, citizens anyway. When u working class spokesman mentions that on the Mnln Trunk expresses it has become a compjos thing for jigesengcrs to Lv solicit’

ed to subscribe the means to give] food, shelter and blankets to'the Auek- < land poor the Tory reply will lie that. J things are worse in Russia. When a s unionist declares that to ignore the ' drift of thousands towards iNp most abject poverty in this country, whilst the few thousand wealthy are budding ’ millionaires, he will have thrown in ' his tooth the declaration of the Clydesido M.P. Wheatley that if he were enduring the Conditions of the very poor, and could bv a little violence emancipate the millions of his fellow country-men from perpetual poverty, lie would feel more justified in such a course than in taking • the course followed in 1914. lending to the death of twenty- or thirty millions. Tn ■ appealing for better consideration of old age* pensioners and others in need, Labourites are already being admonished that .they should, instead, “think imperially.’’ As if the seekers for markets and dividends worn tin solo consideration! The failure of both the Reformers and Liberals to face the real needs of the Dominion is obvious at every turn. There are about thirty thousand overcrowded houses in the country, whilst fully ten thousand immigrants are yearlv coming to increase the overcrowding. Wo talk of increasing our population, hut the position is that there is a positive check on marriages as well as births in the shape of .the lack of housing. About two hundred thousand people are nt present affected by the overcrowding, a percentage certainly that docs not warrant our comparing ourselves favourably even with the Old Country, where the congestion is so much greater. A Reform Minister the other day boasted of the richness of the country, and of its high proportion of exports per head, a fact that rgtbody denies; but the same Minister had nothing to say when a Labourite pointed out the very facts relied on by the Minister to tell in th P Government’s favour toll really against it when the great disparity is recognised that separates the wealthy few from the hundreds of thousands who have little more than a hand to mouth existence. It will be well for the average electors to realise that the onlyway in which they- can fight the rings and combines that hav e monopolised the profits of nearly every Dominion industry- is by themselves combining to place in power a Labour administration that will deal with these monopolies as courageously- and effectively as is being done by the Labour governments which, despite all the ranting about red revolutions and Bolshevism, ■ the people of every Australian State except one have placed in control of their governmental affairs. There is a , greater diversity of employment to-day in Australia, despite all the criticism, than' in this country, because the people there are refusing any longer to be side-tracked by- special pleading on behalf of industries in other countries, and ar P instead placing the industries and needs of their own country first. So, we trust, will it be this time in New Zealand, and, if the electors are true to themselves the day will return when New Zealand will again lend the world in social progress and live up to its erstwhile title of God’s own country.