THE NATIONAL PARTY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 19144, 9 October 1925, Page 11

THE NATIONAL PARTY.

CANDIDATE FOR FRANKLIN. VOTING ON NO-CONFIDENCE. " MR. HOLLAND OR THE DEVIL." "I come before you as the Liberal candidate, supporting the National Party, for the Franklin seat," said Mr. J. Rea in introducing himself at the Gaiety Theatre, Otahuhu, last evening. About 50 people were present. Mr. .). Gillis presided, and the candidate was supported by Messrs. F. S. Morton and 0. Browne, National candidates for Auckland Central and Auckland East respectively. Mr. Rea said he had been a Liberal for 30 years and would never be anything else, but he was willing to support the National Party, which was in favour of agricultural banks and an active, live land policy that would put people on the land and keep them there. He made a brief reference to the question of fusion, which, he said, was possible on the part of the Liberals, but was not favoured by the Reform Party simply because the .presence of the Hon. A. D. McLeod and several other Tory diehards, who would have none of it. He had the highest regard for Mr. Coates on personal grounds, but had been greatly disappointed at the Prime Minister's failure to take advantage of the opportunity presented l:y the fusion negotiations to form a strong stable Government for the benefit of the country. Mr. Rea reminded the audience that in 1919 he predicted that the Government was going about the soldier settlement scheme in a way that would end in disaster for many of the soldiers, and he claimed that his words had come true. He claimed that soldier settlement in New Zealand was a disgraceful example of maladministration, arid repeated the assertion that the Government had bought properties from its wealthy supporters at exorbitant prices. Economy in Administration. One of the aims of the National Party was to introduce the strictest economy in the administration of the country. This was also one of the planks of the Reform I I'artv, when it, came into power in 1912, ! but from a little over £10,000,000 in 1912 j the cost of administration had risen to ■ £27,399,200 in 1925. Mr. Rea spent some time in criticism o! the Reform Party, devoting consider- . able attention to the question of finance I and quoting reams of figures. His adI dress throughout was mainly a criticism of the Government, and an appeal to tire electors to return the Nationalists in sufficient strength to take up the work j where it was laid down by the Liberals . in 1912. 1 The candidate expressed his resentment of a remark made by Mr. V. H. Potter, ! M.P., during the recent, by-election re | fleeting on the Liberals. Mr. Potter had j referred to the Liberal criticism of the j Reform Party in the House as futile and practically non-existent. "You know j very well," Mr. Rea said, "that in the j second session of the late Parliament Mr. | Massey was practically a dying man. Mr. j \\ ilford gave the lead that the Liberals ' were to facilitate the business of the •' House so that there should be no friction or trouble for the Prime Minister. No one knew better than Mr. Potter why ; there was so little criticism of the Reform j Party, and vat he was ungenerous j enough to make that statement." Electoral Reform. Mr. Rea accused the Reform Party of tampering with the Liberal Laud Laws and said the country's present troubles were directly due to this action. He advocated some measure of electoral reform and devoted some time to an explanation of tire intricacies of proportional representation, saying he was chiefly concerned j about getting majority representation. | He expressed his strong conviction that Parliament should elect the executive so that the best men would find a place in . the Cabinet, irrespective of their party j principles. In reply to a question as to which party j he would throw in his lot with in the j event of fusion, Mr. Rea said he would ! never be found standing in with Messrs. McLeod and Nosworthy or any of the old Conservative diehards. Replying to a further question he said that on a noconfidence motion he would vote with the Labour Party to oust the Reform Party. He added vehemently that on such a ques- , tion he would vote with Mr. Holland or ■ the Devil himself. (Laughter.) After Messrs. Morton and Browne had i delivered short addresses in support of Mr. | Rea and the National Party , the candidate j was accorded a vote of thanks and c.onfidI cnce, this being practically the only de- | monstratioti by the audience throughout I a quiet meeting.