MR A. M'CARTHY AT RAVENSBOURNE.

Otago Witness, Issue 3005, 18 October 1911, Page 3

MR A. M'CARTHY AT RAVENSBOURNE.

About 30 electors, including some ladies, attended the Town. Hall, Kavensbourne, cm the 10th to hear a political address" by Mr A. M'Carthy, one of the candidates lor the Chalmers electorate. A chairman was dispensed with by the speaker, who was accorded a courteous reception. Mr M'Carthy said at the outset that he hoped to explain a few matteirs which be. trusted would throw light on same of the questions affecting the labour party in New Zealand to-day. He said many dairy farmers had looked askance at him because he was a Labour supporter. The email farmer seemed to think in the past that the best thing for them to do was to elect large landholders to represent them, . being apparently under the- delusion that in so doing they could guard against the so-called encroachments of trades unions. Yet it was a fact that the majority of small farmers' sons in the Dominion left the farinas to seek labour in the towns.. It therefore followed that the town labourer and the farmer had largely identical interests, besides being mutually dependent upon, each other. Capital without hinman labour was worthless, and yet nearly everything possible was being done by capitalists to prove that labour could not exist without caoital. Having condemned usury, he said there was something seriously wrong when a farm labourer or a miner could only earn from £1 to £3 per week, and yet others could live abroad and ride round the country in motor cars enjoying' incomes ranging from £3O upwards per week. In New Zealand there were 4000 persons who took 7£ millions per annum out of the country, as shown by a parliamentary return which he quoted. He referred to these people as the "idle rich," and said there should be a stiff income tax which would divert six millions of that sum into the Treasury. The million and ■a'-half left would be ample to sustain the 4000 taxpayers very comfortably, whilst the remission of siix millions from general taxation would make tho burden vastly easier for the small wage-eamer. The Labour platform stood for free dental service for school pupils, because the Dental College was being maintained out of public funds. A widow's pension fund found a doughty champion in Mr M'Carthy, who also maintained that every man snould have tho right to work. The State called on every man to rear a family, and yet it made no provision to guarantee him employment —an anomaly that would assuredly vanish in the neair future. Ho favoured a State note issue. Australia had issued four millions of a State note issue, for which the Federal Government had received that sum in gold from private bankers; and since then another five millions had been issued, and had apparently proved a complete success. For this nine millions Australia paid no interest, which was in striking contrast to the five million loan, concerning which Sir J. G. Ward had shown such iteticence. Tho State guarantee had bolstered up the Bank of New Zealand during the crisis in 1893, and figures showed that the bank was making about 25 per cent, profit. If that result could be- obtained through the backing of the State, it was evident that the" State could successfully run a Stato bank. A State boot faotory was also a plank in the Labour paltform, and the speaker twitted the Government with having taken the chief planks of the Labour platform to make up an attractive Budget with which to cajole the electors. If these thing's were of such importance- to the Government, it was surely more important that those who had originated these ideas should be entrusted with their fulfilment. Mr M'Carthy concluded a very interesting address by offering to answer any questiions or to supply any information desired. No questions were asked, and tho candidate was accorded a hearty vote of thanks.