MR, MASTERS' ADDRESS.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 10 November 1928, Page 4

MR, MASTERS' ADDRESS.

(To the Editor.) Sir, —The audience last evening was in no mood for questions, so in deference to that attitude 1 kept quiet. Frankly, when Mr. Masters warmed up to his task 1 enjoyed the speech. He made some slashing attacks on the enemy. His thrusts at the Hon. Mr. | Hawlten on the vote-catching speech as mentioned in the “Newsletter'' was a palpable hit. The man who could utter such sentiments and then go one better by printing them deserves to lose his own seat. But the impression made upon me by the address was that, after all, both—nay, moreall the political parties are engaged in trafticing with our votes, and that it. doesn’t matter much which party is in l power. We, the* people, the voters, the commonalty, have to pay every time. Mr. Masters, pointed out some blemishes in Beform; I have little doubt that if his party mounted to power the same comment could very soon be made of them. So why make a change?' Now for a little criticism of his speech. Mr. Masters attacked the first-past-the-post principle of election, but he did not suggest a better. ’ He commended Sir Joseph Ward for warning the country against spending £ 14,(!()().000 on returned soldier farms. He commended the same acute financier for suggesting that 50 to 60 millions be lent to all sorts and conditions of farmers, and then coolly opined that no slump would follow 'the latter, though it did the former, livery econ-| omic authority that 1 have consulted says that cheap money means dear land, yet Mr. Masters astutely refrained from referring to the boom that if likely to take place if £12,000,000 per ’year be set free upon the community. Mi*. Veiteli said that lending such an amount would bring! land up to its real value. Mr. Masters was too careful to embark upon j a definition or real value. I Mr. Masters said that, there were now 13,000 fewer men on the farms) than were there three years ago. He ' conveniently forgot to mention the ravages of second growth and the world-wide " depression. He said that branch railways' do not pay, and .lie quoted statistics. But he overlooked saying when they were opened or when the promsias to construct 'the lines were given. He said that there was a bread tax of twopence per loaf, or £5 10s a ' ton on flour. He entirely j forgot to tell us how "many farmers] and millers in Canterbury would have j been ruined had it, not been for the i tax, and so I could go on. These and

kindred examples detracted greatly from the value of the rest of the speech and sent me home with the feeling that here was a. man who expected to create an Impression with half-truths. ■ How futile in the case of us whom Mr. Masters called an intelligent people.—l am, etc., VIROL.