Mr. Sid Smith at Kaitaia

Northland Age, Volume XVI, Issue 16, 22 November 1946, Page 8

Mr. Sid Smith at Kaitaia

Nationa' Candidate Presents Party Policy to Attentive Audience Before an attentive and interested audience of over 250 people in the Princess Theatre, Kaitaia, last evening, Mr. S. W. (Sid) Smith, National Candidate for the Hobson Electorate, outlined the policy of the National Party. As Mr. Smith entered the theatre the Kaitaia Municipal Band played "For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow’ and the audience rose to applaud Mr. Smith. Apologising for the absence of the Mayor and deputy-Mayor, Mr. L. G. Thompson as a Borough Councillor, piesided. Mr. Smith commenced his address by staging that it had been a great honour to serve the people for the past three years. This election vas being fought by two parties, one with a policy and one without a policy. The Prime Minister, in commencing the campaign, had been accompanied by four bands, pipes and Maori hakas, but no policy. Mr. Holland followed with the National Party’s policy. Mr. Smith dealt mainly with the problems that today face the dairy farmer of New Zealand. Dealing with the guaranteed price, Mr. Smith said that it got away to a bad start, but that the real test came in the years 1938-311, and then the scheme failed. There was a deficit in that year of £2} million, said the candidate. The cost of living rose, but from the yea: 1939 to 1942 the farmer’s, income was static. The £2l million deficit was paid off by the farmers. ‘‘There were subsidies for all the other industries in New Zealand,” he said, “but the dairy farmers were the only ones who paid their own subsidy with their own money.” Mr. Smith did not consider that the Minster of Finance should be permitted to dip his fingers into the dairy industry stabilisation account. “Thi industry should control that money in the Stabilisation Account,” he said. “We want to see those funds protected and preserved for the industry and no one else.” The candidate said that the industry wanted a raise in pay for farm labourers of ten shillings per week. This the Government refused, and offered five shillings, saying that a 10/v.age increase would upset the wages structure of other industries. He considered that the farm labourers today were pitifully underpaid. They worked on Saturdays and Sundays, for which in any other industries they would be suitably reimbursed, and yet the Government would not permit a 10/- raise. “Our policy is to keep these young men on the land and producing for the country.” Applause. The policy of the National Party with regard to the Guaranteed Price question would be to set up a tribunal consisting of three representatives of the Government, three representatives of the dairy industry, and a Supreme

Court judge to decide the price to be paid. Decrease in Production Since 1935 The decrease in the Dominion’s dairy herds and the subsequent decrease in production was stressed by | the candidate, who said that since the I Labour Government came to pow.>r j in 1935, the country had suffered the 1 loss of 128,000 dairy cows. The pig population had shown a similar de- I cline, having dropped by one-third, j “The Government has no knowledge \ of, nor sympathy for the farmer,” Mr. j Smith declared. Mr. F. Langstone had recently stated that the New Zealand : farmer was wrapped in cotton-wool, and that he did not work as hard es the coal miner. “That, I think, is typical of the attitude of the present administration towards the farmer,” the candidate continued. At the International Food Conference New Zealand was the only country not represented by a farmer. This was indicative of the mood of the Government to the j dairy farmers. The National Party | proposes to return the control of the ; industry to the industry itself. They will give dairy farmers a guaranteed minimum price for butterfat. Settling the Soldier Dealing with rehabilitation, the speaker said that he was sure that the Labour Government was just as anxious as everyone else to see the returned soldiers settled on the land, but he considered that they had no idea of the correct way of going about it. He felt that some effort must soon be made to bring in the many acres of Crown land and second and third grade land. The policy of the Government in wanting to settle returned soldiers on fully improved lands he felt was not altogether correct. He said that he knew of many soldiers returned from the war who would prefer to settle and improve their own lands. He felt that much of the present idle Crown lands could be, and should be, broken in with the heavy machinery the State has available. A farm was recently balloted for by 200 returned boys, therefore 199 would be in the same position as before when the result was announced. Many fully qualified returned boys had little chance of getting on a farm. Warning Against Communism “Bit by bit, the Government is gobbling up everything. They say that they are only after the big fellows. But how do we know* where the big fellows stop and the small ones begin?” asked the candidate. “We ail know of a fellow in Europe who recently kept on saying ‘This is definitely my last territorial ambition.’ We of the National Party want to build up a whole lot of little capitalists, because they are the answer to Communism. This Communism is sweeping through the world today. It is here even now in New Zealand in a magnitude that alarms me.” Mr. Smith drew attention to a recent address by Dr. Finlay, candidate for North Shore, in which the Labour candidate had said that the Government would not take a person’s clothes, radio or motor car. Commented the speaker: “Well, it is nice to think that we own our own cloth-

| es. As for our radios, 1 really don’t ! think that they matter very much, as j if Labour is returned we will probably soon be able to get nothing but j Government propaganda over them, | and as far as our motor cars go, the j Government will soon own all the i petrol to run them.” Labour’s Aim Ultimate Socialism | “Ultimate socialism is the aim of i the Government,” the speaker said. He considered that this commenced ! when compulsory unionism was in- ! troduced. The National Party considered that whether membership i:i a union should be compulsory was a matter for the workers themselves to decide and not for the Government j i to dictate. He considered that the acquisition j ] of shares in the Anglo-Iranian Oil j Company was the first step towards j i the State taking over all the oil and | petrol companies of the Dominion. I “Next to take their place in the firing j J line of Socialism will be the stock and : station agents,” he said. Mr. Smith mentioned the abolition of the Upper House as part of the policy of the National Party. The Upper House cost £25,000 per year, but no one would mind the cost if it was doing a job of work, but he considered that it wasn’t. “It is supposed to j be a revision chamber,” he said, “but it has become an echo chamber.” Bretton Woods It was his opinion ‘that the ratification of the Bretton Woods agreement was not discussed in the House because there was a divergence of opinion in the ranks of the Labour Party. The Prime Minister had said there was no time, but there had been plenty of time to discuss it. “There i.; a division in the ranks of the National Party over this matter, too, but the majority of us are against ’it,” said Mr. Smith. Speaking of the slump, the candidate said that he considered that the National Party of today did not cause the slump, and they were not responsible for failing to cure it. The National Party of today was not then in power, he declared. Poor though the relief measures taken were, they were better that the Labour leaders of those days and today had suggested. “The Labour Party was asked to form a Coalition Government,” lie said, “but preferred to stand on the side-line and throw bricks.”. The National Party did not interd to abolish Social Security, nor did the party wish to bring wages dowr. “£35,000,000 is spent on Social Security,” he said, “but we know that the people of the Dominion want it, and are prepared to pay for it.” However, no Government ever produces anything. It cannot give the people anything that it first does not take from the people. Output per man, per hour in industry in New Zealand was lower than it had ever been. This must stop.

We must produce more to maintain our standard of living. Social Security started in 1898 with Seddon, the National Provident Fund in 1910, the Miners’ Pension in 1916, yet the Governments of those days were sneered at as Tories. “If a Tory means a returned soldier who has made his own way in life without help, then I’m a Tory, and proud of it,” said Mr. Smith. • Without casting reflections on Mr. Boswell, New Zealand ambassador in Russia, Mr. Smith stated that this post cost New Zealand £45,000. The Prme Minister stated that the purpose of the ambassador was to encourage trade. In his three years in Russia, one report had been received from Mr. Boswell’s under-secretary. New Zealand had exported to Russia nothing and imported goods to the value of £142. Referring to the Land Sales- Act, Mr. Smith stated that his party wou'd abolish the compulsory clause, Clause 51. They would also give the return-' ed men the right to buy property on the 1942 basis, but the seller would have the right of valuation on the 1946 basis. The Government would pay the difference. He saw no reason why a civilian should buy property on none but the 1946 basis. The National Party would see the Courts of Justice were free of any Ministerial interference. They would improve the broadcasting system. We were the only British country with broadcasting under political control. “I would like to see controversial subjects like Bretton Woods, discussed over the air,” he said. Hospital Rating Mr. Smith referred to tile hospital late as unfair and a heavy burden to the farmer of the country. The rate of the tax had increased on the incoming of Social' Security. Recommendations by the Parlia-

mentary Select Committee were against by every Government member including the members who had served on the Committee. The National Party was prepared to accept the recommendations of that Committee. “1 won’t rest until the rate is wiped out,” said Mr. Smith, “there is no justification for a rate on the land for hospitals.” “I would also like to see all petrol taxes used on the roads,” said Mr. Smith. The National Party however, proposed to remove the war tax of 4d on benzine. In conclusion Mr. Smith said the people were now at the cross roads. If they wanted the freedom and the liberty to live their own lives, there was need for a change of Government. Parliament should be the servant of the people. Mr. G. Bell moved a vote of thanks to Mr. Smith and an expression ot confidence in Mr. Smith, Mr. Holland and the National Party. This was . seconded by Mr. C. S. Puckey and carried by acclamation.