SPEAKERS AT VARIANCE.

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

SPEAKERS AT VARIANCE.

STATE ADVANCES SCHEME. PATE A MEMBER’S ATTITUDE., The surprising' feature of two platform tipeaiiors, both having experience in Parliament, attributing identical utterances in the House to different members of the assembly has arisen during the present election campaign at Hawera. The speakers at variance are Mr H. G. Dickie, the member for Patea, and Mr R. Masters, ex-member for Stratford, who is the Dominion President of the United Political Party. The latter at hits Hawera meeting last evening credited Mr Dickie, with a statement which Mr Dickie had previously quoted as having been made by Mr W. A. Veitdh, member for Wanganui. During his address in the Winter Show Hall. Hawera, on October 29, Mr Dickie, in commenting upon opinions voiced -at Hawera. during the previous w,?elc bv Mr Veiteh, inquired :as to how the latter could reconcile. ■ hiis approval of the United Party programme with his statement* made concerning State advances • during the Address-in-Reply debate at the >st Parliament. As reported in the “Star” on the day- following Mr Dickie’s address, he quoted from Hansard, and said that Mr Veitdh, in commenting on the Rural Credits Act had said: “There is nothing I am so deeply eoncerned about as the rapid growth of State interference with the investment in finance and industry. Last Session I drew attention to the grave "danger that is already developing, namely, that in connection with the State Advances Department alone there are on the average over 515 mortgages to the Crown in each electorate in New Zealand, and the day will come when, like everybody else they will organiseand we shall have an organisation of State mortgagors. If every one of these men has his own vote and that of his wife, that ' will mean a thousand votes in each electorate, and with that tremendous voting power they can demand almost any concession and get it. I am pointing out one of the dangers of the socialism of the Reform Party . . If we add to the number of State mortgagors' already mentioned the mortgagors to other departments of the State, we find a very serious position .developing.” , At Hawera last evening Mr Masters said he would like to show the attitude of the member for Patea concerning State Advances and quoted the above statement with the exception of the first sentence and commencing with the words “Last session”, as having been made in the House by Mr Dickie. “Mr Dickie’s statement,” said Mr Masters, “is. to the effect that no more money .should' be lent out of the State 1 Advances Office.” . ■ A “Hawera .Star” .reporter, who wished to make sure of the position, interviewed Mr Masters after the meeting. In reply to the suggestion that a mistake may have occurred, Mr Masters replied definitely that the statement had been made by Mr Dickie and he allowed the reporter to check his. report with the notes used by Mr Masters. Despite that assurance, reference _j Hansard Vol. 212, page 207, as quoted by Mr Dickie shows that the statement was made by Mr Veiteh on. July 1, 1927. Mr Dickie’s attitude in regard to the matter of State Advances is indicated in Lis. further remark at the Hawera meeting ns reported in the “Hawera “Star” which reads as follows : -r “Side by side with the statement made by Mr Veiteh in the Address-in-Reply. Mr Dickie quoted his own remarks concerning the. State Advances. Office as reported in the same volume of Hansard, page 320, in which he said: “Although we have been lending money at- a greater rate than eveir before in the history of the office, it is still snowed under with applications. I suggest to the Minister of Finance that it would be a good thing if we could raise £2,000,000 tonnai-row to a'lear no those- arrears.”