THE COUNTRY PARTY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 19141, 6 October 1925, Page 11

THE COUNTRY PARTY.

! CANDIDATE FOR WAIKATQ. | CALL FOR FARMERS* SUPPORT. |" A SAFE AND COSY HAVEN." [BY TELEGRAPH,—OWN CORRESPONDENT.] HAMILTON. Monday, j 'J-ho Country Party's candidate for the | Waikato seat, Mr, F. S. Law,son, in I an address to the electors at Te Palm, said the farmers of New Zealand had no j direct representation in Parliament, and lit was to remedy this defect that the j Country Party was organised. The j farmers were dissatisfied with the existing state of affairs, and their votes were ' split in every direction. Those who were j satisfied with the ineffectiveness of Re- ] form, the inanition of Liberalism, and the j extremes to which Labour went, would ] at last find a safe and cosy n..veu in the 1 protecting bosom of their own party. Dealing with the valuation of land, Mr. j Lawson said the 20 Government valuers ! had 20 different standards on which they I valued land. He advocated a school of j valuation, in which valuers would be | taught their business. The word "inflation" in relation to J land values had been much misused, said j the candidate, who dwelt, on the unI happy position of the working farmer and advocated a system whereby the man on tho land could get a better return for his* labour and work shorter hours. He quoted figures to show that the farmers in New Zealand paid the bulk of the taxation. Other topics touched on were preferential trade, the national debt, housing, the State Advances Department,, the Post Office, and finance, ail of which, j Mr. Lawson said, could be so organised S a$ to lighten the burden of the farmers. | This the Country Party aimed to bring i about. j The bright star in tho farmers' firma- | meut, Mr. Lawson said, was the proposal !to establish an agricultural bank. The j farmers looked to this for deliverance in I time of stress. To their disappointment, ! the Government had held the project j up, and had resorted to the usual formula, I—a commission. The system of mak- | nig the end of the financial year March j3l was an absurd one from the farmers' j point of view, he said, for moneys rcj leased after that date could not be spent ito the best advantage, on country road i works. If the money were available for I expenditure during the summer months much better value could be obtained. By endeavouring to remove all the difficulties that now beset the burdened 1 farmer, the Country Party claimed it | would benefit the whole of the people in New Zealand. Mr. Lawson was accorded a vote of thanks. A motion that the meeting considered the Country Party should withdraw its candidates in order to avoid vote splitting was carried. THE FRANKLIN SEAT. SUPPORT FOR MR. McLENNAN. I [BY TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT.] PAPAKURA, Monday. ! A meeting of Reform delegates from all parts of the Franklin electorate was held at Papakura on Saturday evening, Mr. F. Perkins, chairman of the executive, presiding. Widespread and enthusiastic support of the candidature of Mr. E. D. McLennan, M.P., was forthcoming, and arrangements were made for assisting in Mr. McLennan's campaign, which opens at Papakura on Thursday evening. The organiser, Mr. A. F. Brown, reported having visited the farther districts in the eastern portion of the electorate, where he was accorded a good reception and where sub-committees in support of Mr. McLennan were formed in various localities.