CHRISTCHURCH CHEERS UNITED PARTY LEADER

Manawatu Times, Volume LIII, Issue 6755, 7 November 1928, Page 7

CHRISTCHURCH CHEERS UNITED PARTY LEADER

Speech £n Route

SCATHING CRITIC OF REFORM’S RECORD

PREPARATION FOE NEEDS OF NEXT WINTER. Per Press Association. CHRISTCHURCH, Last Night. Looking remarkably fresh and vigorous, Sir Joseph Ward spoke to an appreciative audience on the Christchurcl railway Station this morning for nearly three-quarters of an hour. He delivered a strong extemporaneous speech which was frequently interrupted wits cheers and applause and cries of “yon’ll be Prime Minister.’ l When the boat train arrived, Six Joseph was met by the Christchurch executive of the United Party, United candidates for Parliament and a number of supporters totalling about 50, As soon as ho commenced to speak, a crowd assembled, over 200 being present. In his address, Sir Joseph scathingly criticised the policy of the Reform Government in respect to land settlement and put forward his own plan on the subject. Loud cheering, marked the end of the speech, followed by the singing of “For he’s a jolly good fellow,” and requests that he deliver an address in Christchurch before the election. “I’ll be back again,” he said. “I won’t say good-bye, just an revolt.” In, referring to his proposed loan ol £70,000,(TOO, Sir Joseph said his opponents had. raised a cry that the money could,not be obtained. Ho had obtained it 30 years ago and the Do- \ minion had been obtaining it ever since. Now, they had the consummate’ audacity t/o say that money-lenders did not like lending money to bo re-lent in the Dominion. “Human beings make the country,” added Sir Joseph. “What is the use of standing by, knowing that next winter we shall have 30,000 or 40,000 men unemployeds Are we going to tolerate the system which denies work to these men who want work, not charity? They want work at the current rate of pay, 1 “In the policy I have laid down and which has been supported by my party, these men will have homes and they wil have work; they will be on the land.” In describing details of his land settlement schem?, Sir Joseph said that ho would set aside blocks of 25 acres not far away from the railways. He would make it possible for settlers to obtain needed money at a low rate of interest. , “ ’Back to the land* should be tha cry,” declared the speaker, “amid applause. They should be settled on smaller areas than ever before; they would bo able to support themselves and families and have their own homes. Tho other people would not requirs assistance and they should not complain, because his scheme would not cost them anything. Unemployment would be stopped and th<j productivity of the country increased. If another 50,000 people went on the land, the increase in the productivity in the aggregate Would bo great. - * Reform Aspirant’s Challenge SIR JOSEPH ENTHUSIASTICALLY GREETED AT INVERCARGILL. INVERCARGILL Last Night. Sir Joseph Ward’s return to Invercargill this -evening was the occasion for h. remarkable demonstration at tha railway station, where he was greeted by three bands and cheering crowds of wildly enthusiastic citizens. The leader of tho United Party received a tremendous ovation as ha stepped from his carriage and it waa with difficulty that ho was escorted to a waiting motor car from which ha spoke for-about 15 minutes. Sir Joseph said the,, on Thursday night he would remove the existing delusion about tbs loan which he considered was the only way to get the country into n stable condition.- Those who objected to it were not friends of the people. From vfchat-he-know of New Zealand, the United Party was going to be victorious. 1 He drove away to the accompani-ment-of-further cheering. Mr S. Morell Macalaster, Reform candidate fdr Invercargill, has iseued ’following challenge to Sir Joseph , Ward (T) To show that there will not bo a large annual loss on money to be borrowed for the State Advances office (nearly £60,000,000) on the terms he * proposes and lent out at 45 per cent. (2)' To sliow how he can make up , even the loss admitted by him out ol sinking fund payments and interest thereon and yet have adequate sinking funds for' the loan. () To say whether sinking funds oa loans- for the State Advances offica should not bo adequate to repay tha loans on maturity and borrowed for the same term at which the money is lent out, seeing that the borrower from that office will pay a sinking fund pay.men’t to the Government. (4) To show that his suggestion that sinking fund and interest should ba taken into account in making up tha loss in the annual charges would not, if divulged to Lodon investors sorioualy damage the credit of the Dominion. (5) To say w-hether as what he terras the sinking fund is to be ava/Iablo to make up the losses in tho annua! Charges, such fund can in any sense bo properly called a sinking fund.