Reform Rally at Kaitaia

Northland Age, Volume 1, Issue 5, 6 November 1931, Page 6

Reform Rally at Kaitaia

A Reform delegation, who were touring the Bay electorate this week, visited Kaitaia on Tuesday and addressed a fairly well attended meeting of Reform supporters in the A. and P. hall. Mr. G. Wilkinson presided and briefly introduced the speakers. The Reason of the Coalition Mr. H. W. Crawford, of Whangarei, chairman of the North Auckland group of the Reform League, which covers the three Northern electorates, said the delegation was not an invasion but a friendly visit to keep them in touch with one another. He dealt with the present position of the Dominion, which was much worse than any of them realised, and so the Reform party had allowed the United party to link up with them, to work so that the Budget might be balanced and the country rehabilitated. It was absolutely necessary to have a strong Government to carry out the necessary measures. No weak Government could add to the income tax, make another cut of 10 or 20 percent on Civil Service salaries, and abolish the Arbitration Court, but these things had to be done. He felt sure they were going to win the Bay seat. Their candidate had been a very valuable member before, most of the legislation that had benefitted the North had been owing to him. He concluded with an appeal for unity and organisation so that every available favourable vote might be polled. The Mother Country Anxiously Watching Dr. Margaret Roper contrasted the roadless condition of the North when she first knew it and its excellent roads now —all due to Mr. Allen Bell, who was an expert in roads and bridges. She pleaded with them not to disappoint the Mother Country by failing to elect a strong Coalition Government. Ramsay MacDonald and Philip Snowden were converts from Socialism, it was their duty to make others. Derating by Degrees Mr. V. Trounson, who is chairman of the Hobson County Council and a fluent speaker, said Mr. Coates was a successful farmer, who understood the farmers’ needs and promoted measures for their benefit. The Highways Act passed by Mr. Coates was the first step towards derating which he strongly advocated, but which they could not get all in one shot. Under that Act in his own county, at a cost to them of £2,500 they had £IO,OOO spent in metalling, v'hich had put 100 miles of their roads in first-class condition. If there had been no Highways Act they would have had either no roads or their rates doubled. By the efforts of Mr. Coates and Sir A. Ngata under the Native Development Scheme the natives were being put in a fair way to be able to pay their rates. Part of his own county was in the Bay Electorate and he could tell them that they had never been so well represented as when Allen Bell was their member. How to Handle Politicians Mr. W. Begg, who denounced the separatist political tactics of the Farmers’ Union, very earnestly and in a rich Scots accent, said the best plan was for the farmers to act together as a united body, go to the leader of the party in power, state the number of votes behind them and then present their requests which would be sure to be granted. They might as well vote at once for the Labour Party as for the Country Party. Farming Self Help Mr. Rodney Coates, introduced as chairman of the Otamatea County Council, left party politics largely alone, devoting himself to the present position of farming and the necessity of farmers, for their own sake and the sake of the country, taking full advantage of the farm labour unemployment scheme to employ labour in farm development. By doing so they would be building up their assets and getting men on the land. They hoped to get a thousand men employed on the land in this way in his own county—he would go as far as saying that every farmer who could employ a man should be compelled to i do so. As regards mortgages the j farmer who was doing his best had ! nothing to fear, mortgagors and 1 mortgagees were all in the same boat, j Their remedy was more production, j and they should take every means to increase production. Many farmers ! had more land than they could pro-

perly handle, if land could be broken up cheaply it might by advisable to do it, even by compulsion. After Mr. D. M. Robertson, the Reform organiser for the North, had dealt with the need of preparing for the coming election, the gathering unanimously affirmed its confidence in the present government, and after the usual mutual thanks and compliments the meeting ended. REFORM WIT AND HUMOUR AT KAITAIA “There is no more interesting hobby than politics—it has saved me from becoming a discontented old woman.” —Dr. Margaret Roper. * * * * “The position of the country is so serious that it is not advisable to tell the public the truth about it.”—Mr. D. M. Robertson, Reform Organiser. * * * .« “Women should use wisdom when they come to vote.”—Miss Ada Coates. “All other parties—the Labour Party, the United Party, the Country Party—are all class parties seeking to legislate for a class. The Conservative Party—the Reform Party—seeks to legislate for all the people equitably.”—Mr. H. W. Crawford. * * * * “We Farmers’ Union members in Kaipara are mostly Reform supporters and we are not going to stand for Union money being spent on another party candidate.”—Mr. W. Begg. “If a man goes on to the land he has got to work.”— Mr. Rodney Coates. * * * * “Never engage in argument with people on the other side unless you are sure of your facts and sure of beating them.”—Miss Ada Coates to Women’s Auxiliary. KAITAIA REFORM PARTY WOMEN’S AUXILIARY At a meeting of the Kaitaia Women’s Auxiliary of the Reform League on Tuesday afternoon in the A. and P. hall, the following officers were elected: President—-Mrs. D. Buckle ; Secretary—Mrs. F. Holder ; Executive Committee—Mesdames Wilkinson, Quilter, Woodall and Parker. As representing the outlying subbranches the following Vice-Presidents were nominated : Awanui Mrs. H. Subritzky ; Takahue —Mrs. Bromley; Kaingaroa Mrs. Cooper; Victoria Valley Mrs. H. Thompson; Fairburn Mrs. Hoskins ; with Mrs. A. McKenzie as the Kaitaia vice-presi-dent. Mr. G. Wilkinson, Miss Ada Coates and Dr. Margaret Roper addressed the meeting briefly on the work of the Auxiliary, especially during the forthcoming election. UNIVERSITY EXAMINATIONS AT KAITAIA At present the N.Z. university degree examinations are being held throughout the Dominion. For the first time, Kaitaia has been made a centre, and the examinations are being held in the Presbyterian Church hall. There are three candidates ; One for Accountancy and two for the degree of Bachelor of Arts. Another centre has been constituted at Mangonui, where three Accountancy candidates and one aspirant to the B.A. degree are sitting. During the first few days in December the Matriculation examination will also be held here. As a result of the re-opening of the Kaitaia District High School there will be about a dozen candidates for this important examination.