NOISY MEETING

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23072, 24 June 1938, Page 14

NOISY MEETING

SPEECH BY MB. COATES GOOD HUMOUR SHOWN ATTACK ON SOCIALISM THE GUARANTEED PRICE A. very noisy but quite eoodhumoured reception was given to tho Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates when he addressed a crowded meeting in the Alexandra Theatre, Green Lane, last night at the invitation of Mr. W. PEndcan, M.P., and the National Party organisation in tho Parnell electorate. The theatre, seating over 600 people, was full half an hour before the meeting and an overflow crowd of at least 500 listened outside, where the speech was relayed through a loud-speaker. A large Labour section made itself heard throughout, and although the Nationalist supporters sometimes showed impatience with interjections, Mr. Coates was quite unperturbed and appeared to be thoroughly enjoying himself. Mr. Coates' arrival was greeted with a storm of applause, mixed with loud hooting, and before he reached the platform the rival demonstrations developed into "counting out" and the singing of "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow," with lusty cheers. The chairman, Mr. I. J. Goldstine, Mayor of One Tree Hill, had to talk through a babel of voices in introducing the speaker. Attitude of Ministers "My mission to-night is certainly not to praise Caesar, but if possible to bury him as deep as I can," said Mr. Coates, in beginning his address. This being election year, he continued, electors could look for many surprises. Members of tho Government were not new chums in politics, and electors should be on their guard-against being wheedled into supporting principles which perhaps were not in tho interests of New Zealand'® future. "As I listen to Ministers speaking throughout tho country," said Mr. Coates, "I cannot but be impressed by tho nervousness and anxiety with which they are seeking public support." They wero constantly drawing attention to the worst period through which the country had passed. Whatever tho faults of the late Government might have been, at any rate it had left the ship of State on an even keel and balanced in every direction, for the economic improvement which' quickly followed, ana for which the Labour Government was in no way responsible. Some of the financial measures which Labour had undertaken, including debt reduction, had been made possible by previous legislation. Why was it trying to ride on other people's backs P The Socialistic Objective

Remarking that the Labour Party's objective—"the socialisation of the means of production, distribution and exchange"—was seldom or never mentioned oy the spokesmen of the party, Mr. Coates said that none of them would state how far they were prepared to go to carry the principle into effect. The objective clearly was Government ownership of industry. It was the duty of everyone to think the matter over and decide whether this was best for New Zealand, because the principle was at stake. Discussing dairy produce marketing, Mr. Coates declared that "guaranteed price" was a misnomer for a_ fixed price. "How sad Mr. Nash, as Minister of Marketing, must have felt when his own Prime Minister gave the whole show away," he added. Successive official estimates of last season's deficit had ranged from £500,000 to £340,000, and now to £270,000, but in any case it had been intended to fall on the taxpayer. ' After remarking that the fixed price for dairy produce for local consumption meant a loss of about £400,000 to the producers, Mr. Coates said this showed the so-called export deficit to be all moonshine. He denied the Government's ability to predict the expected surplus for this season at the present stage. In any case, he said, the money was the farmers' money. The Government did nothing more than fix a price at the beginning of the season, and then pay out. Did anyone imagine that the farmer could" not do this equally well for himself. A Minimum Price The principle at stake was not the price, but that the butter and cheese were the property of the farmer, not of the Government. The farmer had got nothing out of the guaranteed price scheme; it was pure manipulation and in undertaking it the Government had definitely applied the principles of Socialism. Another Voice: What did you do? Mr Coates: You are not going to ask me to blow my own trumpet, are you? (Laughter). In the first place, I would hand back his produce to the rightful owner and let him decide whether he wanted a pool. In order to secure him I would be prepared to support a minimum price, he to be entitled to anything over. After expressing his objection to the control over the internal marketing of foodstuffs, Mr. Coates said he did not believe that State price-fixing could control prices and keep them level. Tho scheme was the beginning of the control of everything in New Zealand. In fact, the socialisation of production and distribution was now well established in tho Dominion. Government House Rents "Is it possible to construct a house at a rent that workers can pay under tho present Government's system?" Mr. Coates asked. He said that if the Government was allowed to pursue its housing policy, the whole of tho building trade would be brought within the ambit of Government activity. To pretend that the housing scheme was meeting requirements was "all moonshine."

An appeal on behalf of returned soldiers suffering from the after-effects of gas, chest-troubles, arthritis and similar maladies was made by Mr. Coat.es. Ho said these men were not. receiving the consideration to which they were entitled. The Labour Government had wholly failed to meet the situation. A motion of thanks to Mr. Coates was carried by acclamation, but a proposal to add one of confidence in the National Party lapsed in good-natured uproar as tho meeting dispersed.