NATIONALISTS POLICY

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LVI, 28 October 1925, Page 5

NATIONALISTS POLICY

EXPOUNDED I'.Y LIBERAL LEADER another side of run fusion gUKSIION (United i’i'estj Association.) CHRISTCHURCH. Oet. 26

Mr C. \\ . Fmlvs. Leader of the Na- ! to; lit Ii st I’m lv. addn.,sed a large aud:du e to night in llie Rieeaitoii I own Mosers A. K I. limit, anti 0- F. Deniiehv. Nationalist i aiididates for I’iicai ton ami Clni.Uehun h East rcspectLelv. were alsu on the jilntUirm. Mr Forh<“.-'i said that the Liberals hail been criticised for el.angiiig their name to. Nationalists. He hail been a Liberal all his life, anil had been one of the

tiers on the Cheviot F,state as a result of the siieeessfnl ('Spit by the old Liberals. Retelling to the fusion negotiations. .Mr l'orbes said there was a feeling after the death of .Mr -Massey that the Reform and Liberal I’artieS should examine their differences and get together to form a Government. l!e---lomo was returned with 38 members in 1622. and way apologising all the time for steering a wobbly eotirse. It was really a w eal; Government. A eon.tereiiee'was held attended by lour Liberals and four I’eformeivi, but the tormer laid il down as essential that there must, be an entirely new party. Reform ; mild not agree to this. Air Con 11 rs said that lie was committed to the policy* be Ciiieailied to him bv Mr Massey. To Air Coates tin; difficulties were greater than tile opoi tunities. He reset ted the statement by Air Coates that the Liberals were disgruntled over the distribution of portfolios, and bad run away. The Liberals bad agreed unanimously that Air Coatcvi would have a free hand in the selection of his colleagues. He was sure that Air Alassey would never hi -e shown (lie spirit exemplified by Mr Coates at Palmerston, At a siuhse(ln»■ nt meeting of the Liberal Party it was agreed to adopt the name of the National Party. They had nob gi<*en up any principles. They hoped to give the r.iutitry a strong enough Government p? mu the country as it nliould lie run. rhroughout the world there was a rlinllenge to const it ut ional government. New Zealand war fortunate in this respect. In limes of adversity a Government repreno ta.tive of (he great hulk of the people was more neee.-.sary than ever. If a time did come when the country would pass through a most difficult period, a Nationalist Government- would he more necessary than ever. Air Forbes coni lasted the tactics of Reform in going ahead with its election organisation with those of the Liberals, who had stayed their hand because the. lesion negotiations were in progress. When the prospect of fusion was apparent money (lowed into the Reform Party for the purpose of defeating it. No doubt the wealthy land owning class behind the Government did not object to this, but he did object to a Government representing only this class. The Nationalists represented all classes.

Air Conte.-i was saying that people could look forward to the future with confidence, hut it must not lie forgotten that the Public Debt bad increased from £95.000.000 in 1914 to £234.000,000 to day. Interest had increased in the fame period from £3,000.000 to £9.GOO.OOC annually. 'Pile position could la? faced with eciunnimity if the prices of produce remained high, hut bad to be an optimist to believe (his. When in Opposition the Reformers had criticised Sir Joseph Ward and called him a reek Je.s sspcndihrift for borrowing £5.000. 000. but they had later got the £5.000. 000 habit and had increased the. national borrowing to £8.000.000 in one year. M lien a country went oil increasing its borrowing the people front, whom they were borrowing began to snv. “Wliat sort of people are you? Let’s have a look at you." Air Coates bad increased the Public Works expenditure far above the £2.000.000 annually, which van formerly recognised as a safe figure. The rest .Minister of Public Works would not get a lepuiation for getting things done because lie would have no money with which to do them. The Public Works -Minister in New Zealand was an uncrowned king. The liberty given to him amounted in the ease of Air Coates to lieensca Not one member in fifty was qualified to state whether the large Public Works \ote« were justified. hi Australia public works were controlled by a committee. If the same course were adopted in New Zealand Parliament would have more power. Air Fnvlie.s proceeded to condemn the Alain Highways Act. lie said that the main rondo had never been worse than to-day. Air Coates hail treated it, as a party question when Hie issue of giving the Highways' Hoard power to make straight-out grants to local bodies was In for.' Parliament.

Dealing with the appeal for Coates met?-. Mr Forbes said that there were ini Forbes men. lie did not. believe in men being tied hand and foot. Members of the Reform Parly had supported Mr At more when lie spoke in the Mouse in favour of fusion, but Mr Coattvi had treated the matter as ore of no-confi-dence, and all the Reformers obediently followed him.

Th<> Government had written £3.000.000 tiff the value of ex-soldiers’ land, li was. extraordinary in face of (his that the lion. A. I). McLeod was claiming that tile scheme had been and was proving a success, lie considered it one of the greatest blunders in land settlement in any country. So long as there were large lat downers in the Government it could not make a success of any land settlement scheme. Auckland and Dunedin Reform newspapers had condemned the Government methods of settling sol dices. In regard to a statement that the Liberals through their association with the National Government in the war period were partly rcisponnihle for some land purchases, lie said that members of his party had no voice in • lie matter. The compulsory clauses of the Laid for Settlement Act must be put into effect in easesi of large blocks of land. Mr Forbes condemned the Government’s inaction in this regard, and contrasted the lion. A. D. McLeod's attitude towards closer settlement in .1919 and that of to day.

In conclusion, Mr Forbes said that the Nationalist manifesto laid down a policy of reasonable progress. The Gov • iii.ment was getting decrepit. It had lost, half its team by Mr MasseyV death, and put up a new jockey—Mr Coates. Reform had no faith in the l.orse. and was asking the jockey to lift him ever the fences. The Liberals were under no domination, and had r«> Monet for large newspaoer advert o" nu , n!''>. New Zealand at. heart was Libora 1. (Sustained applause.) The speaker was accorded a vote of ‘hanks and confidence in the National I arty on a show of hands. There wi re a number of dissentients.