THRUST AND PARRY

Northern Advocate, 16 November 1935, Page 12

THRUST AND PARRY

MR COATES IN RECEPTIVE MOOD \ BRIGHT SPARKS FROM OKAIHAU LIGHTER SIDE OF POLITICS. The Minister of Finance, Right Hon. J. G. Coates, was at the top of his form in dealing with interjectors at Okaihau last night, and, although his guard was occasionally pierced, he usually retaliated with a smarter thrust.

The meeting was most orderly and good humoured. . I “Be careful about men who make promises these days,” Mr Coates warned his audience, when making a pass-: ing reference to the Democrat policy. A voice: “Does that, apply to the ladies?” Mr Coates: “The young fellows will be pretty careful.” “Kindly tell us how you raised the wheat price,” asked an interjector of Mr Coates. “We do not produce wheat for ex- ’ port,” replied Mr Coates. “We just grow enough for internal use and there is no analogy between dairy prices, on a sliding scale and wheat prices. We are the heaviest export country in the world per head of population.” A voice: “What about the fruit?” Another voice: “Grape fruit.” Mr Coates: “I am not talking about lemons.” No Wild Promises. Mr Coates advised that the institution of such intricate schemes as national superannuation should be left to tried administrators, and not those who freely made wild promises, which gave no possibility of fulfilment. He asked which party before the country today offered the best tried minds to put such desirable legislation into force.

A voice: “The Labour party.” Mr Coates: “What experience have they had in administration?”

Another voice: “Let them have a try to employ your ‘Brain Trust.’ ” Mr Coates: “If they got into power that would be the best and safest thing they could do. While I am in power I will retain to myself the right to employ and have around me whom I want as advisers. That is my business, and I am informing the country here and now.”

“We understand, finance,” Mr Coates asserted. A voice from a windowsill: “Do you understand making out a balance sheet? What about the AuditorGeneral’s report?” Mr Coates: “He has fully certified every balance sheet I have submitted.” “A Rough Passage.” “Tell us about Savage,” an interjector asked when Mr Coates was dealing with the Labour, Party’s guaranteed prices. “He skates over the whole thing and just says that he is going to guarantee prices,” said Mr Coates. A voice: “He is going to skate over you before long.”

Mr Coates: "Well, he will have a rough passage.” , At question time Mr H. Ingram asked Mr Coates how it was that the “Brain Trust” had not ensured every man, woman and child in the Dominion having e’nough to eat. By so doing they would have obviated protests such: "as those recently made by the heads of churches.

Mr Coates: “Another way of stating: ‘Poverty in the land of plenty.’ We all know what follows —”

Mr Ingram; “Your job is to answer the question.” Mr Coates: “There are officers and charitable- organisations whose function it is to inform the Government as ,to whether the people are getting a sufficiency of food and clothing.” Mr Ingram: ; “I suggest that you might go arid see for yourself.”

Complaints Justified. Mr Coates: “When, time has permitted I have done so, and have usually found complaints I have investigated

fully justified. However, I can’t say that people are starving in the country today.” A robust voice: “I’m not.” A young man wanted to know the equity of half the national income going to five per cent of the population while the other half was .-divided among the remaining 95 per cent. Mr Coates said that such a computation was quite fallacious. It was wrong to include banks, stock and station agents and companies, in which many thousands of people had interests. New Zealand compared very favourably with other countries in the distribution of national wealth.

The parting shot was from someone who inquired of the Minister whether he knew that Egypt enjoyed a scheme of guaranteed prices. Mr Coates admitted that he had not studied Egypt very much. “There are a good many here, who have, however,” he added smilingly.