Inert Government.

Northland Age, Volume 28, Issue 66, 12 September 1928, Page 6

Inert Government.

Optimism and Criticism

Their Stock-in-trade.

The Volley Returned

In another part of this issue we publish a report of a meeting addressed by the the Hon A. D. McLeod, Minister of Lands. It is quite evident that the home truths that have been dealt out by the Country Party have not been to the hon. gentleman’s liking, and we think the fact that Mr McLeod is trying to blow forth the Reform smoke screen to cover up its blunders and mistakes, proves conclusively that those home-truths have hurt Mr McLeod and his party very much. It is a regrettable thing in a country such as ours, that we have the leading legislators slinging mud and abuse instead of introducing some measure of reform to bring about a better condition of things generally in the country. But the average citizen is wide awake enough to see that these attacks launched by Reform are a sure sign ot weakness on the part of the Party. Had the Hon. A D McLeod been able to tell the electors something about Reform’s interference with the Dairy Control Board, and why the Board was forced to abandon the placing of a reserve price on the dairy produce in London, it would have been far more interesting than his ungentlemanly personal abuse ot individuals.

His Party’s actions towards the trusts and combines, and the granting ot privileges to the trusts to enable them to extend their operations in this Dominion and enter into competition with Farnrrs Freezing Works would have taken quite a lot of explaining away.

Why the Government got Mr Poison out ot the country just prior to the last election, would also have made interesting reading matter. The Government’s wasteful expenditure of public money from one end of the country to the other, could have been ablv dealt with by the Hon. Minister, having as he has, such an intimate knowledge of the Governments undertakings. The cost of the irrigation scheme in Otago could have been given by Mr McLeod, which has been so unsuccessful that a commission has had to be set up to investigate the causes of its failure. Had the Minister been able to give a solution to the unemployment problem or give those compelled to seek refuge in doss houses and exist on the meals supplied by soup kitchens some promise of relief from the existing conditions, it would have been welcomed by all concerned. The Hon. Mr McLeod might have dealt with the manure question. And if the reports of the Reform press are to be believed he could have explained why he, as Minister of Lands and a shareholder in the Farmers Fertiliser Company, allowed that company to increase its price of fertilisers without raising his voice to protest. It was not the Hon. Minister’s intention to give the electors any information concerning the many failures of the Government he represents, but rather to direct the minds of the people from these failures. The Hon Minister’s attempt to hoodwink the people failed completely, and he can quite well add this attempt to mislead them, to the long list of Reform failures.