MR NEWMAN ON THE NATIONAL GOVERNMENT

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLII, Issue 10109, 1 June 1917, Page 3

MR NEWMAN ON THE NATIONAL GOVERNMENT

Speaking at the banquet to the Farmers I uion deh'gates at Marlon, Mr K. New man, M.R., said the Parliament of Nev Zealand was now one without party, ex cepl a few members who had no weigh in public aliairs. Indeed, the Natiomi Llovenimenl was created for one purpose mainly, and that was to organise the tut fore" of New Zealand in the war. This i had done as shown by the 60,000 men son to the' front and the 10,000 in training Another big thing it had done was to ad minister (In' law without, feat or favom during a critical period of unr history, no failing even to restrain the action of .■ member of Parliament. The National 110 vernmenl had also kept down tin' cost o living, particularly in regard to bread butter, meal and sugar. He had just licet informed that satisfactory arrangement had been made in regard to the import o sugar. A million bushels of wheat luu been purchased at a price that would pre vent a rise in the price of bread, and a ; the same time not cause competition wit! New Zealand growers. Recently then had been a fall in prices of stock owin' to a shortage of shipping space. Ho wouh say on anlliorily that ho could not: mom that I lie shortage" was not likely to be ; serious one until February or March, there fore there was no cause for a slump it prices. Speaking of the prosperity o fanners, of which there had been so inncl talk, Mr Newman quoted the followin' figures to prove that the prosperity wa; general, ami that the manual labourer; also participated in it. The number of depositors ia the Rost Office Savings■ Haul at March 31, 1914. totalled 491,353, then deposits amounting to £17.422,563. Tin total number of depositors at March 5 Ost was 547,036. and the amount of theii deposits £26.901,629. This shows an in crease of 55,678 depositors and of £9,479,26; in deposits. The gross increases in tin deposits for the three years in ail bank, are shown in the following table: Deposits in Increases Rost Office Savings Hank ... £9.479.266 t’rivale savings banks ... ... 620,564 Other banks— Non-interest bearing 7,494,931 Interest bearing ... ... 2.831,35 c Total increases £20,425,916 Mr Newman concluded by referring t some lessons of the war in regard to the necessity of the Empire being independent of foreign supplies of food, the necessity for the federation of the Empire, and tie sirability that the ’United States should join us again, thus uniting the whole oi the Anglo-Saxon peoples.