GENERAL ELECTION

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LVI, 17 November 1922, Page 7

GENERAL ELECTION

.MOTUEKA ELECTORATE

MR R, PATTERSON SPEAKS

(From Our Own Correspondent.)

i | Mr Robert Patterson, Hie Liberal-La- . | hour candidate for Hie Molueka seal, - addressed a large audience in ifie !n- - stitue Hall last evening. His Worship i j the Mayor (Mr J. A. M(Glaslieu) prei | sided and in introducing the speaker ■ j said thal Mr Pal I arson, a native of 1 | Reeflon. was a business-man and had ; bad much experience m Hie work of j pub Tie bodies, being a .member of Hie j Reeflon .School Committee and a C#u\vn tenants' representative on Hie Nelson Laud Hoard. The latter posillon. lie [has held lor some 12 years. Icing

' elected continuously since he was first returned. Mr .Patterson is also a mem- , Her of the P.niler Hospital and Chari j table Aid Hoard, Huller County Council. ■ Huller Licensing Committee am! Hie CBuller Domain Board. He was also a .member of the defunct Westport Har j hour Board. Mrs Patterson is a mern- | tier of Hie Westport Hospital ami 'Charitable Aid Board and is probably !I he first lady in New Zealand to lie elected under Hie proportion’d representation vote. The Mayor stated that ! before asking Mr Patierson to speak jbe would like to request Hie audience !to keep quiet and give the candidate 1 a fair hearing. j On taking the platform Mr Patierson j was heartily applauded. He eotmuenchis address by saying Hal he stood in the interests of Hu- Liberal-Labour parly, who were out to vc.ii'iy on the work established by Hie old Liberal party under Mr Seddon and Mr Ballance. Tie stated that be had been a friend of Mr Hudson's and -still was a 1 good friend despite their political struggle. Starting out on the Liberal nolirv

uuH uui un i’l ii? iiiu*.Kii |juiu t y iMr Patterson said (he Liberal party 'stood for a united Empire and consul«( ional methods. Finance. —Passing on to public finance, it was the-inten-tion of the Liberals, he stated, to stop waste and economise with the peoples' money. Mr Wilford had drawn the attention of the Government to I lie wast e that was going on and then mat!era were put- on a belter basis: but still there was ample room for improvement. When at Puponga recently Mr Patterson saw a quantity of poles and remarked that they would he required shortly. HP was told that there was no sale for them. The Government had been sending to New Smith Wales- for poles at a cost of something like 15/more per polo than they could have been got locally. Was this economy! Taxation.—The speaker remarked how taxation had been a bug-bear (n our ancestors in the Old Country, and to ' day conditions were nearly as bad in (he Dominion. Taxation has certainly been reduced, but who has benefit ed! Only the man that can afford to pay. In my opinion, said Mr Patterson, (he reduction should be made at Iho breakfast table on tea, sugar, etc., when aI! would benefit. High taxation of companies hit the worker every time. Through excessive taxation and increased hank charges, many companies had to close down and throw their cm- ■ ployees out of work, causing increased j unemployment. If State Hanks were established in place of the present- system with the sole right of note issue control, purchase and sale of gold would soon build up reserves and assets to subsidise and foster any industry investors would he likely to promote. At pre-

sent, combines and monopolies have a strangle hold on trade and industry in this Dominion and tammarv aml rings reign supreme. The Hank of New Zealand properly, according In a statement of the chairman, is valued at. £-950,000, hut stands on the hooks at £250,000 and it wmtid appear they are evading land and income tax on £700,000. The ('.nun mu weal th Haul: of Australia, is the nation’s biink: the peoples’ bank on its living side and the traders' bank on its general side. ll possesses complete freedom from political control- tin important factor in ill A. functions. It is worthy of note ii.at the hank is empowered to transact both general and saving;- bank business under one management'* The growth of the hank since its. incepiion is without parallel in the. annals of banking history. The war and peace loans were floated by this institution. Agricultural hanks should he opened in ail farming centres such as Collingwnod, Takaka, Motueka. .Murchison, etc. In these banks, farmers could deposit their deeds and receive long term credit up to ,50 per cent., repayable in installments of principle and interest., ex-

| tending over periods of from 20 to 56 years. This would absorb the Advances to .Settlers Department and also I prevent (lie Advances Department from i being used as a medium of obtain- | ing loans for building bruser excepti through the ml varices to. worker;; scheme.j : ;ai ftwaners' bank .are I compuls6ryUaVvlrfug "as 'the security is {there; and a local committee of farmers 'understanding local requirements and j values decide that question. Proporj tional representation, said Mr Paller;ffon, was not thoroughly understood by | ipany. For instance if three, members ! whro to he elected for a district of 13000 voters ICOI would he the quota: I only two could possibly get this 'and I probably only one would have that ! number of votes. The number twos I of the number ones would take the; ! next place and this would put a step to a small section of Die public being able to swing an election. Secondary industries must be helped. When a company have, say a sum of £IOOO this should be subsidised by 50 per cent, to encourage that industry. Mr Patterson staled that the Liberal party believed in arbitration and wanted to improve the system. While maintaining the Arbitration - Court they believed that special Inlnmals should be set up to deal with disputes which occur between employer and employees. The speaker said be was up against centralisation of schools. This was all' right for the city but no good to the country districts where children would have to travel great distances and would be too long away from their parents. Mr 'Patterson spoke of being at a backbloek .section recently, where he found a school but no teacher. On asking the reason the settlers .sajd they could not stand the expense. Mr Patterson considered teaching by corvespoudouee unworkable as the parents were too tired after their day’s work to teach the children. He also thought too many subjects were introduced into the .school curriculum ’ and children would be belter educated It fewer subjects were taught. He advocated (hat ■school books be supplied at cost, price and both education and hook-,, slandiardised. The land quc .imi cm opiionnl

.tenure, was fully discussed. The Dominion's • ■population has more or Jess been encouraged to go to Use cities. This must, not he allowed to continue. Mr Serfdom's policy of "3 acres and a, eow” is an ideal one and is worth encouraging. Mr Patterson instanced a case in where lie and Mr Red refused to tax a soldier. When Mr

Bell's term was up Hie Board jin him off because he did not fall in lim

with the Department's views. Land; purchased by the Government for sol dims should he re-valued in order tc give immediate relief in all cases where excessive prices have been paid. Inex perTenced soldiers had been pm on Hie land at top prices and were now up

againsl il. They .should have Hie I’aU 1 of interest reduced in cafes of bard ship and arrears should he wiped off. The Land Board at the present time have, a number of experienced men visiting all the returned soldiers' see Hons purchased from Hie Govei/imenl. Rimy are to report on the condition of each section; reports to be icceivcd in February and discussed bv the Board.

Ihe soldiers will gain nothing from lids inspection while those inspecting the properties are receiving £3'3.' per day and travelling expenses. Defence. Mr Patterson said he did not believe in the territorial system but rather favoured the old volunteer scheme, which tin dmibtedly made better soldiers. The Dominion should subsidise Hie Bn!is!. Navy and have a Heel kept in the Pacific. This would be a benefit to the country, for the boats would coal here, etc., besides supplying the necessary protection. An aeroplane service of say four planes should he maintained. The Liberal party believed in legislating to enable Hie (Invernmenf producers and importers lo establish in copartnership their own lines of ships to prevent exploitation. .Inferring to public works, Mr Patterson .said he favoured uivimi small eon frael s so t hal

IUVUUUtU Ct iVili O L.wlJl'l (I I I .'.U 111(11 Hie work would be done more economically. 'The railways pass through much waste country and thus about a mile’ on either side of Hie line should he purchased by the Government and planted with trees. In later years these forests would be easily accessible. Fares and freights .should be reduced to encourage more travelling on the part of the public. The whole railway system requires re-organising and put on a paying basis. Transport companies have sprang up all man’ the country and the people have to pay for extra upkeep of roads besides railways that do not pay. Housing.-'—The conditions for the man in the city arc quite good, but what of the country districts? The same facilities should be. given the bacfcblocks for building houses as the cities. Mr Patterson stated that fruit could be taken lo the West Coast and coal brought hack. Apples wilt realise 16 J- per case in Westport, while coal can he shipped from there at 20/6 per ion. The matter of trusts and combines was discussed, and tfie had effect they have on any country pointed out. The cement, control was brought up by Mr Patierson. He said (hat the

Napier Harbour Board required a quantity of cement- and asked for quotations. The local quote was £6/19/10/,. They thought this too dear and tried the English market. The latter offered to supply at £5/16/8, including duty. The parents of every child horn in the Dominion should receive a bonus of £lO owing to high coste. This is quite reasonable when one considers that the New Zealand Government allows children under 6 years of age to lie brought into the country free of charge. PensidUs should be made universal for ok! men and a, pension be granted to invalids. Referring In Mr Massey’s loyalty stunt, Mr Patterson said: '“ls there' any reason why a New Zealander should not have preference for any billet that is going in the public ' service! Why do Mr Massey and Mr Holland think that- New Zealanders should not have preference for State, employment! Because neither/ Mr Massev nor M r Holland is a New Zealander". When the education estimates were being considered Mr Sidey moved a reduction in the vote as an indication that the approaching vacancy in the ■ office of the Director of Education should be filled bv the appointment of a New Zealander and that the appointee should he given at. least one year s leave of absence in order to study the education system of other countries. This was the course adopted by the late Mr Seddou when he re-organised the department in 1903. Mr Wilford supported the motion of -Mr Sidey, but to the astonishment ol everybody Reform and Labour, as represented by Mr Massey and Mr Holland, co-operat-cd and turned it down. On concluding the speaker was loudly applauded. Several questions were asked and answered.

Ah’ Goodall'proposed a hearty vote of thanks to My-Patterson for his' able address. t • Mr J. i.JVilkiiism/; in seconding .the motion, endorsed those reniaVks. The Mayor put the to the meeting and it was cayricd. unanimously. Mr Patterson asked' the audience to join with him in a vote of thanks to the Mayor for presiding.