SEVENTY MILLIONS

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 17 October 1928, Page 7

SEVENTY MILLIONS

BORROWING PROGRAMME. UNITED PARTY’S POLICY. STATED BY SIR JOSEPH WARD. (By Tclegraf'b —Ureas Association.; AUCKLAND, Oct, 16. “If the party of which I am the head is returned at the coming election I will undertake to bring _ into this country within twelve months seventy millions sterling.” That sentence was the keynote of a speech delivered a'; the Auckland Town Hall to-night- by Sir Joseph Ward, in enunciating for the first time the policy of ihe Um.yJ Party. Of the seventy millions, sixty millions would be for advances to win kers and settlers and ten millions for completing .the railway system. Sir Joseph was acoor-ded a most enthusiastic reception by a large crowd. The doors were closed long before the time of the meeting, and hundreds vainly clamoured at the locked doors seeking admission. At the end the great audience rose and cheered and sang “For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow.” Sir Joseph’s speech occupied an hour and ‘ten minutes. Sir Joseph began by referring to lus own position. He had, since 1907, stood as a Liberal. H© had been returned at the last general -election under that title and had been unable to see his. way to adopt the name of Nationalise, which was taken by those formerly associated with him. However, when unanimously requested by the recent United Party conference to accept tno leadership he came tq the conclusion that if he could assist the country at this time by accepting he should do so. He had not been a member of the conference and had not interfered in its proceedings in any way.' The party comprised former members of all the "New Zealand parties. There was no need for any to change their political creed so long as they (unformed to the party’s purpose, which was fo stand in the general interest of the vyhole people. He was still a Liberal, as were all the other members, no matter what was their former allegiance. i ~ The Prime Minister had recently made a statement that there were only two political parties in the country Reform and Labour. His intention was to divert attention from- the Urn tea Party. However, Nationalists ana liberals in 1925 had contested 50 seats and polled 143.291 votes to the Government’s 315,688 and Labour’s 183,201 There had been a largo number of Liberal, votes in electorates where nr> candidate was pub tip.

“TIME RIPE FOR CHANGE” ‘,Tlie Reform Party has had seme If years of office,”' declared Sir Josepli, “and in the opinion of many the time is ripe for a change. However, I am willing to trust the people.” The net pubiic debt under Reform had risen from £201,000,000 in 1920 to £251,000,000 to-day. In those eight years the debt burden had been increased by £BO per head of the Dominion s breadwinners. Taxation had risen from i 11,835,000 in 1919 to £12,680,000 today. The breadwinners, who numbered 560,000, had to pay nearly £23 a head, plus £lO 10s qn account of rates to local bodies, which aggregated £5,880,000 yearly. “it is no use for my opponents to say all is well,” declared Sir Joseph. “All is' not well.” (Applause). The country had not got enough fqr itself by millions, of pounds ; it wanted more millions than it ever had in New Zealand at one time before. If his party was returned he would undertake to bring into the country within twelve months seventy millions sterling. (Loud applause). He would add not one s>ix‘pence to taxation. To allow that to be done the man on the land ahd the worker who used the money would be required to pay the whole of the interest upon it. He would lend the money to them at 4J per cent, with one per cent, sinking fund, with the security the best in the world —the security of the country. Of the seventy millions he would use ten millions for the completion without delay—three or four years at the outside —of the whole of the present uncompleted railways. That policy applied to all the railways of any length —Taranaki to Auckland, the East Coast Nelson and West Coast, and others. “1 want to see introduced the railway system that has made Canada, America and South Africa,” he said. Such a system would give work for the unemployed. There was four hundred millions of fresh money in London looking for investment every year, and where could beffter security be found than in New Zealand? He proposed to provide sixty millions tq lend tq settlers and workers. “Some of my opponents ask can it be done?” continued Sir Joseph. “M) answer is that when I introduced the State Advances system and the ska u workers’ system they declared we could not get the money, that if we got it we couldn’t lend it, that if Ave lent it we wouldn’t get it back. We lent forty millions sterling and the losses "’ere infinitessimal. ” Sir Joseph also advocated tourist development in N©av Zealand to a far greater extent than at present. The country now had to have regard for smaller land settlement to give the people of smaller means an opportunity to make homes and a living for themselves. Such a scheme of development would bring 300,000 or 400,000 more people to the country Avithiu eight years —a third more people to share the burden. So long as people could he reasonably absorbed in toAvn and country neAA T settlers should be welcomed.

PLANKS IN THE PLATFORM. “We still have to prevent aggregation of land, and 1 give you the assurance 'that if we get the opportunity we will, if necessary, put the compuis ny provisions into operation,” said Sii Joseph. He stood for: Closer settlement, a more libera! condition, and more rigid prevention oi aggregation of lands suitable tor subdivision. Assistance iii Grown land settlement where “he nature of the land renders it desirable, particularly in deteriorated areas.

A loading policy to. open up settlement without placing a heavy rating burden on the land. Remission or rent of interest whore, necessary. More expert valuation of land on ; productive basis. Other points of policy advocated were a free, compulsory and secular system ~.f education, electoral reform by the introduction of preferential voting, tt share with the Motherland the east of Empire defence, and the removal of the shackles hampering trade. “J have been in the public life of this country since 1887,” said Sir Joseph in closing, “I lay claim to no superiority; the only claim I make is that I have always tried to do my best ' and I have ‘tried never to treat a man

out of the House unfairly over legislation and administration.” „ •Some said he was too old ; that was hypocritical nonsense. The next time he came back to Auckland he would be at the head of the Government. (Loud applause). A vote of thanks and confidence was carried enthusiastically.