NATIONALIST ADDRESS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 19142, 7 October 1925, Page 13

NATIONALIST ADDRESS.

MR. S. C. G. LYE AT HOROTIU. ATTACK ON GOVERNMENT. INCOMPETENT AND WEAK.. [By TELEGRAPH.—OWN CORRESPONDENT. ] HAMILTON. Tuesday. Lack of interest in the political campaign, or in the National Party's politics, was evidenced at Horotiu last evening, when Mr. S. C. G. Lye, the National candidate for the Raglan seat, addressed a meeting. The night was fine, but at eight o'clock the attendance numbered less than a dozen. When the meeting finally commenced there were less than 20 electors present. Mr. R. Eyre, of Ngaruawahia, presided. Mr. Lye characterised the Government's administration as one of mess and muddle. The National Debt was mounting up to a prodigious sum. The cost of running the country had increased to £29 millions. If the present state of affairs continued, the cost would total £35 millions before long. The "newspaperboomed" Minister for Railways had really shown no capacity for handling that service. Maintenance had been neglected, and the rails had been allowed to wear down to the ground. The Government waited until an accident occurred before remedies were carried out. It was cheaper to rail goods from Auckland to Morrinsville than it was to rail them to Hamilton. A Voice: Why ? Hallways Competition. Mr. Lye: Because the department wanted to beat the steamer traffic. The railway should not be run in competition with the steamers. A Voice: Certainly it should. Mr. Lye: Certainly it should not. It is a public, service. There was no need for immigration, because the people of New Zealand were strong and virile enough to bring sufficient children into the world to increase the population of the country, provided adequate opportunities were given. While acting as Prime Minister, Sir Francis Bell had admitted to an overseas immigration delegation that the Reform Government had no land policy. As far as native land affairs were concerned, the Government had to depend on Mr. Ngata, so inept was the present Native Minister. The incidence of taxation should be removed from the customs and placed on large areas of land. A Voice: But many land owners did not have the cash to pay the present land tax. Mr. Lve: Some of them might tie in that position. Reference was naade to the surpluses shown each year under Reform administration. Mr. Lye described these as evidence of incompetence. A Voice: There were surpluses in Mr. Seddon's time. Principles of Development. Mr. Lye quoted from speeches made by members of the Reform Party to show there were opponents to its policy even in its own ranks. Immigration and road and land development should go hand in hand together. Immigration should not be encouraged until the local population had a sufficiency of land. One of the reasons there had been so many bankruptcies among farmers in New Zealand was that primary producers had cot been sympathetically treated by the Government. The farmers w-ere notorious in that the more they were knocked about the more they respected those who hurt them. But rt last the farmers were waking up and even their leaders, members of that conservative body, the Farmers' Union, were now seeking Pailiamentary seats in opposition to Reform Party candidates. New Zealand was in the hands of the trusts, said Mr. Lye, who referred to the shipping combine and said enormous profits were made by the shipping companies. He advocated the formation of a co-operative shipping company, in which importers, exporters and the Government would have a third share each. The Government showed weakness in giving protection to the flourmillers. The National Party stood nrft only for a land bank but for a State bank also. I here was no doubt New Zealand was being exploited by the Associated Banks, most of whose huge profits went to English capitalist*. Ho stood for free, secular and compulsory education. Better roads should be given to the people on the land bv the capable administration of the Main Highways Act. The Motor Vehicles Act was a crime, because it penalised the man whose roads were so bad that he could not use them. He considered that the country should be governed by Parliament and not by commissions. The cost of the banking commission would have been sufficient to establish the agricultural bank. The candidate was given a vote of thanks. ADVOCATE OF FUSION. WAiKATO'S SITTING MEMBER. [By TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT.] CAMBRIDGE. Tuesday. Mr. F. Lye, the sitting member for Waikato and the National Party candidate, fired the first shot of his campaign at Karapiro last* evening, when he addressed a good attendance of electors. Mr. James Bruce occupied the chair. In the course of a vigorous speech Mr. Lye condemned the several party system and advocated fusion of the Reform and National Parties, with a view to setting up a sound party with a sound policy and a good working majority. Ho criticised the methods of the Reform Party and advocated State agricultural banks. He received a hearty vote of thanks and confidence. ADDITIONAL CANDIDATES. Mr. H. W. Forbes has announced that Mr. W. A. C »reen, farmer, of Raohotu, has been selected as the National candidate for Egmont.