WAIPAWA BY-ELECTION.

Otago Witness, Issue 3995, 7 October 1930, Page 35

WAIPAWA BY-ELECTION.

MR TUCKER’S CANDIDATURE. SPEECH BY MR DOWNIE STEWART. HASTINGS, October 3, Mr W. Downie Stewart addressed a large audience at the Havelock North Village Hall this evening in support lof the candidature of Mr William Tucker, the Reform candidate for the Waipawa seat. He was listened to attentively throughout, great interest being taken in his address, which was in the main a reply to Mr Jull, the United candidate.

Replying to Mr Jull’s statement that the Reform Party had indulged in an ® r Sy °f expenditure, which, he implied, led Ao. its defeat at the poll, Air Stewart said it was an astounding statement, because all the evidence was the other way. He could quote impartial authorities in England, Australia, and New Zealand who agreed that one of the mam features in the defeat of the Reform Government at last election was the fact that it was trving to reduce borrowing and to curtail expenditure. Air Stewart said the United Barty had increased expenditure, increased Customs taxation, income tax and other taxes, increased interest rates, and increased unemployment. Air Stewart, continuing, said there was only one policy for New Zealand at the present time—viz., to reduce borrowing instead of increasing it, and take more rigid steps to see that loan moneys expended were not expended on uneconomic works. Referring to the railways, Air Stewart said the difficulties were not entirely due to motor competition, because it apeared that the Government, when it promised to solve unemployment within five weeks, forced the railways to take on anything from 500 to 1000 men, and it was impossible for the railways to be saddled with such burdens as that if they were to show commercial results. In making up the national Budget for their first full year of office the United Government had decided that it was necessary to increase taxation by £1,250,000 on the plea that m « s t avoid a repetition of the deficit of the previous year. The deficit of the previous year had been laid at his doqr, but the fact was that it occurred four months after he left office, when everything was running smoothly and he had previously come through three gruelling years, balancing the Budget on each occasion. He agreed that the Budget should be balanced” but tne Government’s method appeared to be clumsy and irritating

ADDRESS BY MR COATES.

DIFFICULT TIAIES AHEAD.

« NAPIER, October 5, inere are no plums that any really P“ bllc .aian can promise the electors to-day, said the Leader of the Rn^>nL- S,l^lOn . Coates) when peaking at Alaraekakahoe on Saturday night in connection with the Waipawa by-election. “We as a political party cannot promise you any immediate increase of pensions or salaries, aor any increase of gifts from the public revenue to humanitarian and charitable objects." baying that economic conditions forbs; J SU( ; \ e? ? tra concessions. Air Coates added: Ido not say those things in a P y . pessimistic spirit. I was never pessimistic, and neither were those men who acted with me; but it is our duty to try i point out the difficulties that lie ahead, and if anyone suggests I am pessimistic I shall reply that I am giving you facts—facts that must be faced. Do not be led away by glib and irisincere promises, or by the sort of person who c e .*J s y° u that in a year’s time the sun will be shining and all will be well.” n- rea l Position was that prices were falling and purchasing power was declining the world over. There had been a decline of nearly £9,000,000 in the money paid for the Dominion’s products in the season just ended. It was true there had been a carry-over of some products. Some had held wool, and some had held butter, but he believed the holders would have been better pleased had they sold last year. Even if the carry-over, were valued at £2,000,000, the income from exports would still be over £6,000,000 short.

Would the conditions improve? asked Mr Coates. All the primary products showed a declining tendency, and to say so was not pessimism, but fact. What steps had the present Government taken to meet the coming conditions? It had increased taxation, ' increased administrative costs, and increased borrowing. Aloreover, it was employing unemployed men, on the railways as relief works at standard rates of pay, thus drawing men -from industry and employing them on projects, the financial loss on which the men themselves as ratepayers .would have to share in paying. The net earnings on the capital invested in the railways was 4.35 per cent, in 1926, 3.99 per cent, in 1927, 3.64 per cent, in 1928, and 3.45 per cent, in ,1929, the United Party being ini power for four, months of that year. But in the first full year of the present Government’s control the earnings had dropped to 1.61 per cent., and a loss of £1,200,000 had been incurred. “That does not make healthy reading for my friend, Mr Ransom,” said Air Coates, who had been referring to Air Ransom’s criticism of himself as the Reform Alinister of Railways. In explanation of. the .Reform Party’s action in supporting the Government on the Unemployment Bill, Mr Coates said that his party did not like the method of tax created by the Bill, and was definitely opposed to anything in the form of a dole. There were only, two alternatives, however, and Reform had to see that some sort of measure was put through Parliament and to see that the country at least got nothing worse than the Bill. The'Labour Party proposed 30s a week sustenance pay as against the Bill’s 21s, and also 5s instead

of 4s for children, and that 26 weeks' sustenance be available after seven days against the Bill’s 13 weeks after 14 days, and also that women should be included. ‘We said, in effect, to the Government," continued Air Coates, “is this your Bill? If so, put it through and we shall help you. We would rather have that than the Labour proposals. Bad as the Bill may be—and I am not upholding any arguments for it —it means at least this: That you can repudiate the Bill if you do not like it, but you cannot repudiate interest on borrowed money spent on unprofitable projects.” CS we re fully dealt with by Mr Coates, and he and Mr Tucker, the Iteform candidate, were loudly cheered after uninterrupted speeches.

ATTITUDE OF LABOUR PARTY.

AN OFFICIAL STATEMENT. W’ELLINGTON, October 5. A denial that the Labour Partv was supporting Air.A. E. Jull, the United candidate in the Waipawa by-election, was given to-day by Air Walter Nash, M.P., national secretary of the Labour Party. Air Nash said there was no foundation for a statement published in Hawke’s Bay to the effect that Air Jull had Labour’s support. The party supported neither of the candidates for this seat. • previous contests: The figures at the past eight polls were as follows:— . 1905 (number ou roll 6843): Hall, 3564 votes; Hunter, 2312 votes. 1908 (number on roll 6296); Hall, 2507: Hunter, 2457. 1911 (number on roll '7725): Hunter, 3389; Jull, 2820. 1914 (number on roll 7558): Hunter, 3282; Jull, 3144. 1919 (number on roll 7884):. Hunter, 3458; Jull, 3184. - - 1922 (number on roll 7808): Hunter, 3870; Langridge, 2794. . 1925 (number on roll 8078): Hunter, 4486; Chambers, 2705. 1928 (number on roll, 8794): Hunter, 3983; 'Goodger, 2123; Kent, 1362. '