NATIONAL CANDI DATE

Hokitika Guardian, 22 September 1938, Page 6

NATIONAL CANDI DATE

MR E. B. E. TAYLOR Delivers Address at Hokitika \ Creates An Excellent Impression

Tlie Regent Theatre at Hokitika was filled last evening, when Mr E. R. E. Taylor, the National candidate 'for Westland seat, addressed the elector,..' He met with a excellent reception despite the efforts of a nuxn her of opponents; who, throughout the speech, endeavoured by interruptions to spoil the effect of the address. The interrupters, however, gave the opportunity for the candidate to show his capabilities, and he held full command throughout his address of nearly two and a half' hours.

Mr H. M. Coulson presided, and apologised for the absence of the Mayor who was indisposed, and introduced the Nationalist candidate for Westland. Mr E. B. E. Taylor, for whom he asked a fair and impartial hearing. Mr E. B. E. Taylor, who was received with applause, said in his speech to-night he wanted to touch on as many subjects as he could during Ids address. He desired to point out where the Labour Party had failed to carry out their election pledges. He was not there to abuse the Labour Party, but to point out how they had not done .what they had stated in their pledges three years ago they were prepared to carry' out. They had lamentably failed. He maintained he had a right to sane and rational criticism of their actions in the past three years. He was asking them on this occasion to hear him place his platform before •them for their attention and consideration. i

If they are satisfied with the platform that he proposed to place before them then he would ask them to return him as the member for Westland at the approaching election. In outlining his position that evening, firstly he claimed to come from a political family, and lie claimed that he had a desire to represent this country in Parliament- He believed that in a country where party government was the order of the 1 day, that no seat should go uncontested. He believed that it was the privilege and responsibility of youth to take an active part in tile government of the country,. No country could hope to progress unless the ideals and enthusiasm of youth had some say in its guidance. If Labour were returned to power, lie believed that Socialism would be an established tact in New Zealand ill Jess than tlireq years, and he did not want to see that. The platform he was advocating was sane and rational in that it faced up to the urgent problems confronting New Zealand to-day, and it would be for the general good and • prosperity of the people when that platform was put into force. He believed that lie could undertake the responsibilities and duties of the representative of Westland, and fulfil them well and faithfully. He stood as an Independent Nationalist because he believed that every man should have the greatest freedom of expression on all matters. To be tied to a party vote might mean that one sometimes had to support a measure which at heart one did not believe in. as an Independent, lie could introduce and foster legislation concerning certain problems, which were so often left in obscurity because the party in power did not see fit to sponsor the measure. He was only .desirous of maintaining his freedom. of thought and action. He wished to be responsible, not to a party, but to his electors.

Dealing with what the electors had to do on polling day, lie said that the electors would have a very serious problem to consider. All the talking and shouting in the world would not evade the issue. The Labour Party were pledged to Socialism, and it .would be their aim and object to es-. tablish Socialism, if returned to power. He quoted from a pamphlet entitled “History in the Making,” by David Wilson, national secretary of the Labour Party: “The ultimate aim is the establishment of Socialism in ■New Zealand.” The pamphlet included tiie photographs of Mr Savage and Mr J. O Uriel), and it was approved by them. Moreover the membership card signed by each member of the Labour Party, set out the objective as the “Socialisation of the means of production. distribution, and exchange.’ There was close association between the Labour Party and the Communists, and the Central Committee of the Communist Party, while there were men high in the Govern-, ment’s ■confidence and the confidence of the federation of Labour, which ruled the Government, who had strong Communistic views. Messrs Webb, Armstrong, and Semple had all openly admitted that the objective of the Labour Party was Socialism, and lie quoted at length Irorn speeches in support ol his contention.

Dealing with the land question, the candidate said that he made the fifst plank of his platform a sound land policy. Everything else—secondary industries. education, health, and the whole national economy—was dependent upon this basic plank. New Zealand had an unusual economic structure, ahd was dependent almost entirely upon primary production. The

Dominion depended ‘ upon the export oi primary products’W a, greater extent than any* 1 o£fii?r cfcifi'ntfy arid a healthy farming* ihchisHjt ivas there* fore vital. He -Was, mot 4’ryii/g 1 'to belittle the secondary' industries, »ut they could supply mainly only the internal market. Fundamentally, New Zealand was dependent upon its land and farmers. The object of a sound land policy was. to bring more land into production, thus placing people in productive occupations and increasing the export trade; combining the necessary methods- of research and assistance that would ensure more scientific farming methods; the improvement of stock, and the maintaining and improving of the standard of products. There were still large areas of land well suited to settlement, besides considerable areas partially brought into production and either allowed to revert, or else held in holdings too large to be a sound productive unit, and consequently not producing, to full capacity. In fact, all those ,con-‘ clitions fcxisted in Westland.' The, Lands arid Agricultural Departments had studied these problems.' but .the available information had nPVer hteri acted upon. For the past three years/ there had been a steady flow of farm and farmers’ sons from the land, principally to Public Works jobs. Potential farmers i n thousands were to-day using picks and shovels. The land was available, the men, and training facilities. Ail that was needed was initiative. State assistance was essential to. finance a land scheriie, m the initial stages, and an institution was required along the lines of a Rural Credit Bank, .such as that operated in Western Australia

Thousands of men on Public Works were merely dragging their lives out on wasted effort, with no home life and no future. The-Labour Government deserved credit for the energy "ith which it tackled tho .-unomployment problem, but what good . were temporary palliatives? The solution could only be the absorbing of this great army into production either in the primary industry, through land development, or in the secondary industries. Apart from some Native settlement work in the centre ol the No Ith Island, nothing bad been done by the Labour Government to inauguiate a land settlement scheme. Private enterprise had been stifled,' regulated, tax-ed, and bludgeoned. A lesson should be taken from Australia, and the unemployed absorbed by land settlement and the encouragement of private enterprise. Having put a land settlement .scheme into force, the exnort trade could be developed, apart from the British market. Pacific and Eastern markets could be developed, without affecting the British trade. For every man put on the land, one would be taken off Public Works, and he would become a producer and a potential employer of labour, thus becoming a permanent asset in the national economy.

The national debt went up over five millions under the Labour Government last year, (dissent). You can see that m the year book if you take the trouble to look it up.

It was a matter of regret that New Zealand was losing men they could ill afford to , lose. To-day and for years past they had let our best brains go away. The only thing wo import are our politicians (applause). Dealing with the health administration and the Social Security Act, Mr Taylor said he believed that the Government were sincere in their endeavours, and that they wished to impro'vf. the lot of the poorer section df the. community; but they were’wrong m their outlook. They had allowed a warped political viewpoint to over-ride* reason arid their duty to society. ' To implement the establishment of a political dogma, they had ignored the advice, the wishes and the ultimate 'welfare hif the citizens. They had ignored the advice of Mr Maddex, the English actuary who was called in to help; they had refused to allow the heads of the Treasury and the Labour Department to give evidence before the Parliamentary Committee; they dismissed the medical experts without thanks, and criticised them. The actions of 'the Government been boastful and over-riding throughout. The Director of Commercial Broadcasting, in defiance of policy, and instructions, used the air for political purposes and for slanderous attacks on the reputation of certain lea.] jug .citizens-,; and he received a pat, on .thmsternly fronr the Prime f re( , hand to < , ontinu.<v.,nW ! ilien', the sense of Ministerial responsibility-had -sunk to these depths, it was a, poor look-out for the. country.

So far as the Act itself was concerned, most of the pensions provisions were already provided for under the previous Pensions Acts. Labour had merely increased the amounts payable, and added four clauses. Under the superannuation provisions, from April 1, 1940, all citizens over 65 years of age would receive £lO per annum, increasing by. £2/10/- per year until the total payment reached £7B per annum. In 1966, the full benefit of £7B would;' be payable. A man of 20 would'

pay in for ‘45 years, and then would get £7B peir,, /annum. A man of 30 I would -pay in : for 35 years, a man of I 40 for 25 years, and then he would * have to wait a further year for his | full benefit. A man of 60 would pay for five years, -and would then have to wait until lie was 86 before he re-

ceived the full benefit. That was the I famous and long-awaited national su- . perannuation scheme of the Labour Government. The Government’s health proposals were just the benefits that are to-day provided by the Friendly Societies. The Act did not .provide for the expensive type of medical ser- I vices, but only for the general practitioner type of service, which was the most easily available and the cheapest. The Act wgs void of any provisions regarding'j’re prevention of disease, of feohltb, or the investigation'll .failed , tp^royj^M_vtlie; v , ess : eh|ial medi- I en) teMk&te 'Vraefe'.’Jtere -ehstly, and , failppl jto deal wil|iifhpsri;tnatters noces- ! sary, for the prevention''of disease. All the present taxpayers and a large ad- , ditional number of women, boys and; girls, would have to pay for the so- | called “free” services. Even the chil- 1 dren were to pay taxes now. This was the Government who, in 1935, said that, taxation was .too high, and that it would have to be reduced; If a race for taxation couTd be run at the Empire Games, New Zealand could concede a handsome handicap, and still be at the tape an easy first-. After the Minister of Finance hgd gone to much trouble to try and. prove that the whole scheme could be financed easily arid by orthodox. methods, the Prifrie* Ministeuktooil up ip .the House and” said, “We cSeMnot got security withorit paving for it. One way is to issue tthe necessary money, and the other jis to tax the people. We might ~<Jp soihe of each, but the faCk reinains that we have got to pay.” 'Mr Mad-' dex said that the scheme would cost - £17,850,000 the first year. Add to that the extra benefits of £550,000, giving a total of £18,400,000. Unemployment taxation brought in just over £5,000,000 last year, and the expenditure was almost '£5,000,000. There was no reason to believe that, the demand on thisMund would he less,' this year, yet only £1.500,000 is allowed for sustenance finder the Act. The other £3,500,000 must fie found. This gives a total—Mr Maddox’s figures, extra benefits, and unemployment taxation—of' £22,000,000. Pensions last year amounted to over £6,000.000, and un- , employment . £5,000.000, leaving £10,000,000 to be found. The extra. | fourpence in. the pound-levy was ex-, pected to produce £3.000.000. find this left a balance of £7,000|000 to be provided by taxation. Unfortunately, only 10 out of every 100 people readied the age of 60. However, if they died before th/v' werc'6s, their funeral expenses would lie - forthcoming, even if they did riot get their moriov b°ck. Tn ' fact, the -coffin was the best bet in this gamble for security, and the crowning achievement of the Act was that It would ijome into force on April Ist. (laughter).

With the possible exception of mental deficiency, all the New Zealand health records'we’re well in advance of those, of England and Germany. He did not want-to see introduced into New Zealand'-a System devised for different conditions in other ' Countries, which had a, poorer record. The stand-, ard of medical service in the Dominion was high,-and they could be proud of it. A system was required which would have the wholehearted support of the medical profession, one. that would retain the high standard of service, would provide inducement for further study and research, and cite that would he within the financial resources of the country. The scheme must endeavour to improve the health of citizens, must deal with the cause of disease, provide a full health service and not a partial service for everybody, and nitist aim at providing In the homes the attention the absence of which to-day made such a heavy and largely unnecessary drain on hospital finance and the taxpayer. ft must start in a small wav,.and gradually develop. Firstly, it must provide a complete medical service for; those who could not'.*afford to. pay, including all the services of the. specialist',' and not ; the- limited service/provided .under the'" present Act. ,Those who could afford" to;-pa/v only parttof-their medical expenses "should receive,; certain/ assist-ance—-past a certain figure, thev should receive the rest free. Third!.v. those whd could afford to pay, should pav; hut everyone would receive complete service. A Ministry of Social Welfare would be established to deal with the prevention of disease, health education, the health and well-being of women and-children. Extensive provision must he made for home nursing. This was most important, for even today the tendency was for mnnv people with minor complaints to enter liospl- I tals, when they could bo well treated in their own homes, "with a tremendous saving to the State, the lmspithe ratepayers. Such a ser-vice-y Smil'd be abtrntrihealth service. Tt, would 1 i-ave 'the;'Vvlio]o-he'arted support qf the doctors, I “it Would deal 'av it he the .fundamental caiises of illness* and dis- : ease, and ft would mean " that every--one would 1 obtain- a complete and not a partial service." The demands for bos- - 1 pital rating were reaching such a figure that, with further increases, the general taxpayer would be called upon, in addition to the ratepayer, to a much greater extent than to-day. Instead of a partial service, the National Party offered a full service; for a tax-breaking expenditure scheme they offered one within the means of the country to pay; for a service with . promises only, ’ regarding the fundamental causes of disease, one which provided' lor immediate attention to ; -SucH hhi-atters; for q .Service which

would make ever-increasing demands j on hospital accommodation and fin- I ancri, the}’ riffered as efficient a service within the home, and at less expense. • Every man over 20 is going to pay j 20/- per year, every woman 5/-, and every iperson between 16 and 20 have j to pay 5/- per year. In addition they would have to pay 1/- in the £<on all wages. A further 1/- in the £ they are to drag from the companies. It will cost 17 millions to 1 finance the first year of this act, what it would eost after that it would be difficult to say. If they want security, Mr Savage had said they will have to pay. The A.M.P. Society supplies a scheme of medical service that knocks the bottom out of that proposed by the Labour Party. The Friendly Societi|iy3ijpidValso been....providing a scheme that was of far more service; than the Labour proposal. Any country to-day must have efficient social services, pensions and health services. They were" rewardsfor services rendered and should aim at improving the standard of the health of the community; They must also encourage thrift. As far as health records are. concerned Ours are better than those of Britain and Germany. We should he proud of our doctors who give great service. He did not want to see the medical service standardised in New Zealand, which meant that its quality would be lowered. Dealing with the housing question,' ! the speaker said that after three years of office the housing problem was still acute. Mr Nash in' his 1936 Budget said that the Government would bpild 500() houses.n't a costtof £3,000,000,, or j £6OO each, the rentals to be from 12/6! to 16/6 per week. He hoped to have POO finished before Yffirch 81, ,1937.-; But the Government found itself caught in the grip of the'vicious circle. p( ever-growing prices, a rise due largely to their policy and actions. In 1927, under jprhjate .industry, 7179 j permits were granted. 1 From 1922 to 1930 the average was 5750 permits. Then came ,the depression, and in 1933 the number dropped to 1500. By 1935-36 it had risen to 4140. The first step taken by Labour was to drive private enterprise out of the market with the Fair Rents Act. This was a piece of legislation to protect the tenant, but, like so many other Acts, its repercussions were varied and far reaching. Building went on,' but was done hv peopje: who intended living in the houses themselves. The position of the lower wage earners, whom the Labour Government had chiefly at heart, did not improve. For the year ,19361 37, a- total of 4555 permits were issued, 1 an increase. of 415 over the previous year, but from the song and dance of Mr Lee and his friends, it would be thought that thousands of "extra houses had been built. Many of the 4555 houses were built with the aid of the Government, hut State loans for houses had been made for many years in New , Zealand; in fact, before the first LaI hour Government entered the House. J Mr Nash was going to have 900 houses i ready by March, 31; 1937, ’ but actiially not one was ready by then.

Referring to the State houses at Cc-bden, Mr Taylor said that they were well built, and looked nice, but there was not much room for garden, and not much opportunity for privacy. But why should a man want to grow vegetables, when he had to pay only 33/6 per week for rent, and who wanted privacy when they could become good little Socialistic friends together? Where was the . house with room for more than three children? Not in the ;*Cobden settlement. The man with five or more children was not catfered for by the Government. ' | Mr Taylor went on to state that a scandalous action had been perpetrated at Cobden, where a dairy farmer had his grazing paddocks taken for houfi-. ing areas, while there was plenty of other land nearby suitable: for building areas, and the owner .had not even yet been compensated for the land taken. Instead of the people being urged to Become the owners of. their 1 1 •own homes, the Labour Party was doing their utmost to prevent this occurring. It was an old proved saying that a man’s home was his castle but this did not appear to be the aim of the Labour Party (applause). ...Compulsory unionism must go, declared the speaker, and it was going to go (dissent). They, should have free unions and a free Arbitration Court. He would not stand for compulsory arbitration. They should have absolute freedom. Many members of the unions do not support the Labour Party and why should these members have to pay to provide the fighting fund for the Labour Party.

Much had been said about prosperity, but much of it had been beyond the control of any party. The extension of public works had entailed an expenditure in. three years of 47 millions and this with a national debt of 330 millions. The money had to come from the taxpayers pockets. (An interjector—He could not see that). If the interjector is so dense let me make the points clearer, said the' speaker, which he proceeded to do.

''Lengthy references were made to the dtVxirtijm inflicted, the cost of living, tfm'failnrv to remove the sales tax as promised, the increase in income-tax, ‘increased company payments, and the reduced liquid assets in England. He claimed that the ! present Government had stifled land settlement and by its system of employment, so many on public works was causing one of the greatest tragedies of its policy.

Concluding, Mr Taylor said in spite of the interruptions he had placed before them his main planks. Ho had come here at Easter time and since he had become interested in the political question he was here for good. He recognised that there was a great scope for the inhabitants of Westland

and -lie hoped to he found worthy to represent them in the House of Representatives. He offered his services to them. There was much land in Westland to be developed and roads to be improved and he asked for their votes on October 15. They had to consider the main question and that was whether they would vote for Socialism or fbr democratic government and he felt that on election day they would vote National (applause). t

QUESTIONS. Mr Taylor was asked several questions at the conclusion of his address, and to each of those asked he gave a, satisfactory, reply. To Mr Shroy, who asked what socialism meant, the candidate said he would give the briefest definition he knew, and that, one which was adopted by the Labour Party, i.e., the State ownership ;nf the whole means of production, disitribution and exchange. ; ■ “Are you in favour of conscription,”* nslced another of the audience of the candidate. Mr Taylor replied that personally he was not in favour of con-, seription, and considered that a person! should have freedom of opinion in the event of an outbreak of war. To a further question, why are there depressions, the candidate replied that depressions were due to innumerable; causes. The last was due in part to' the effects of the Great War, and the subsequent economic policies which the various countries adopted in an endeavour to move toward economic selfsufficiency, which was impossible except where a country was self-contained and self-supporting,' such as Russia. The Labour Government claimed that it had ' a policy of insulation for New Zealand in the event of another depression, but' he (the candidate) maintained that as far as New Zealand was concerned nothing could be done to isolate the ,country unless the people were prepared to go back to a primitive state of livI ing. Certainly the Dominion could supply all the butter and woollen clothj ing which we require, but we could not go -much further, find we would be able to have practically none of the imported goods wo to-day have. “The country is dependent on its exports overeas,” said Mr Taylor, “and we cannot do anything to prevent ’a fall in world prices.” Mr A. R. Elcock then moved a hearty vote of thanks to the candidate. This was carried by acclamation, and Mr Taylor’s motion of thanks to the chairman concluded the meeting.