ELECTION CAMPAIGN.

Shannon News, 30 October 1925, Page 3

ELECTION CAMPAIGN.

MR ROBERTS ADDRESSES THE ELECTORS. The Maoriland Theatre was well filled last evening when the Labour candidate, Mr Ben Roberts, delivered an address to the local electors. Mr A. S. Coates occupied the chair, and the candidate received a splendid hearing. LABOUR—THE COMING POWER. The Labour Party, he said, could claim to have been the live opposition in the House last Parliament, and it was the only party with a programme that was democratically conceived in that every member of the party had a voice in moulding it, whereas Reform candidates had to wait until the Prime Minister issued his programme before they knew what it was. The past belonged to Reform, but the future belonged to Labour and not only in New Zealand was it the coming power. Twenty years ago Labour could only pod 3000 votes. At last election they contested 45 seats and polled 139,045 votes, as against 113,000 votes ghen to Reform in those seats. The four ! largest polls in the Dominion went j to Labour. Good government in a democratic country was the greatest good to the greatest number. That was the thought in all minds when they tried to make the best of the wonderful land in which they lived. He denied that the Reform Government had that ideal. Under their administration the greatest good had gravitated to the favoured few. We were not as a Dominion paying our way. The chairman of the Associated Banks said there was not a sufficient margin to pa.y the interest on our.. national obligations. As to whether the Dominion was being maintained in a state of productivity, they had the Minister of Lands presenting a report on the deteriorated lands. The demand of the farmers for subsidies, laboratories and other assistance was also evidence of the fact that the virgin fertility of our soli was being depleted.

DOWN TO THE SUBSISTENCE BASIS. Mr Roberts said the tendency of Reform administration had been. to get as many of the people as possible down to the fodder basis—the point where they were just able to pay their way and no more. He contended that life held something higher and better than that. • New Zealand was a wonderful country >vith aa intelligent and industrious population, and the problem was how best we could develop the €0 million acres in this Dominion with all their potentialities so that the rising generation could share in all the advantages and faclities of modern life. New Zealand was one of the most favoured islands of the Pacific, destined to play a great part in the future. In China and Japan and India there were great masses of people looking forward with apprehension to the • days which were to come. It was recognised that the storm centre of the future lay in the Pacific. Here in New Zealand we had a people with the largest amount of British blood of any of the Dominions, and one of the fairest inheritances a people could have. We should see that that inheritance was developed on the highest plane of human endeavour with all the advantages that science and education could give. He paid a tribute to the spirit of the New Zealand people, but said that as he went round amongst the farmers and workers in the towns he found that their spirit was being broken by the inability of the peopble to make both ends meet and by their inability to» give the highest and best to their children. The Labour Party, however, had a policy designed to give the highest and best things in modern civilisation to the people and it was the only party that had a policy which put human values first and before the value of property.

LAND POLICY FIRST. The Labour Party put the land problem first because on making- it more productive depended every other issue—the financial question, the housing problem of the cities and the educational problem. The usehold ten-

ure would eventually supersede the mortgagehold in New Zealand, but' little did they dunk that so eminent a statesman as Mr Lloyd George would outline as he had done recently to the British Liberal Party, a policy that was identical with the Labour Party’s proposals in New Zealand. Reform said the people were not prepared to go out Into the.backblocks and carve out homes for. themselves as did the pioneers. But within close range of the factory of which the speaker was chairman, there were enormous areas of land that could be sub-divided and brought into closer settlement and production. In 1921 there were 1742 sub-di-visions of land; in 1922, 644; in 1923, 433; and in 1924 so few that they were not recorded in the returns.

SCIENTIFIC PRODUCTION. Mr Roberts contended that the application of scientific agriculture to the land already in occupation would double and quadruple the production from if and if only the millions now wasted in the cost of the transfer of land was used in research and the improvement of agriculture the increase in production would be enormous. The Minister of Lands had said that no country had become great by its agricultural industries alone and that we must go in for secondary industries. That showed that the Reform Government did not realise the enormous potentialities in the land and agriculture and that it was bankrupt of any policy of land settlement. Mr Seddon in 1899 said that the end of the freehold was that the mortgagee got the farm and the farmer got the road. Twelve years of Reform had proved that statement up to the hilt. Scores and scores of farmers had been the victims of that system which gave the plums to the speculator. OVERSEAS SETTLEMENT NEGLECT The Reform Government had also tailed to take advantage of the British Government’s overseas settlement scheme. The British Government was willing to lend several millions of money at cheap rates of interest if the Government would put a reasonable form of settlement into operation. There was thus a golden opportunity of co-ordinaung labour, land and credit—the three most vital factors for the creation of. wealtiibut no, the Reform Government would not' avail themselves of one iota of the money available.

CUTTING OUT FALSE VALUES. The land policy of tile Labour Party was designed to cut out the enormous fictitious values that had been placed on the land of the country. He • contended that it was, as reasonable to have a mortgage assessment court set up to deal with over-mort-gaged land as have a Conciliation and Arbitration Court to fix wages. The Labour proposals provided that a man had an absolute right to every penny of the improvement he did to the land. He could give scores of cases where farmers under mortgage hold had to go out and leave their improvements and deposits as well behind them.' They walked off with, their wives and children to seek day labour. He would like to congratulate any freehold farmers in the audience. If there were any with mortgages Labour was going to help them. When Sir Rider Haggard asked to see some of the successful farmers of the Dominion, they took him to men who had sold out at exhorbitant prices and were living in the cities. The speaker did not blame individuals for that, but the system that enabled anyone to reap where he had not sowed was morally and fundamentally wrong. Mr Coates said that 18 millions had been lent through the State Advances Department during the last six; years. This money largely went to release private advances,’ which were not put back info land, but into local body debentures, motor cars and fine houses. The Labour Party would cut out this futile system and would lend money through the dairy companies to the working farmers. One pound spent on top-dressing would bring in £3 in JB-irionth6. Eighteen millions spent j on increasing production by research and scientific methods could be multiplied by three and would bring in 54

millions in increased wealth which would filter down through every section of the community instead oi. making a bee-line for America for motor cars and wherever else it went on luxuries at present.

ONLY ONE LAND AGENT. The Labour Party held that there should be some machinery to prevent recurring speculation, if by a swing of the pendulum dairy produce and wool went up to war values we would again witness that nightmare of speculation that the Dominion had recently gone through and after it people would be going to the Government to be spoon fed again. There were 987 land agents in New Zealand. The Labour Party would abolish 986 of them. There was nothing revolutionary about that since we already had the Land and Survey Department doing thirty millions worth of business and the Public Trust doing 35 millions worth annually. The Labour Party did not stand for interference w.ith the right of inheritance or confiscation. It believed in helping a man to settle his sous on the land instead of sending them to the cities. It was in the country that the air was pure, that character could be built up and that homes might be made.

HIGHER INTEREST. Mr Roberts also dealt with the increase in the amount borrowed at high interest rates and increase in the mortgage load as given by Mr Holland. The seven or eight millions of interest had to come from the land and the land alone.

BANK OF NEW ZEALAND’S PROFITS. The Labour Party believed in a State Bank. ..The Bank of New Zealand made profits of £400,000 in the slump year and last year it made over £BOO,OOO. Last May the Bank of New Zealand’s shares stood at £2 16s 3d for £1 shares. The Government made arrangements by which the Bank should lend the Government money for State Advances and woutfl be allowed to allot 750,000 £1 shares to shareholders. They heard a great deal about the, iniquity of the doles in England, but surely It was not as bad to give people the money to obtain the necessaries of life as to give £1,359,375 in this way to people who did not require it. The exchange problem was one that no one seemed to he able to discover the meaning of. At one time last year it stood at 55s per cvvt and meant a tax of 4s per cwt. on butter, 2s 6d on cheese and 13s 9d a bale on wool. Just when they were carrying out the Bank managers’ advice to produce more, the banks said, “There is too much money over there; we will have to charge you exchange to get it back.” Mr Massey and the bankers and producers had several conferences over the matter of exchange, but could find no loop hole of escape. The Hon. Downie Stewart hit the nail on the head when he said; “How can you expect any solution from those who are living on the game?”

HOUSING NEGLECTED. ' The Government had neglected the housing problem and Mr Coates now proposed to meet it by building tworoomed whares. Tile Government had had every opportunity in the last 13 years and they put legislation on the Statute Book providing for the raising of £2,250,000, but the local bodies w-ere told that there was no money when they asked for it. The scheme was only a hollow mockery. They put legislation on the Statute Book and then emasculated it by making no financial provision to carry it out. One of the greatest slanders hurled at, the Labour Party was that they would attack the home. But there was no greater menace ito the home and morality than slum housing conditions such as the Reform Government had tolerated. In conclusion Mr Roberts referred to the need for scientific agriculture in the fact of the competition New Zealand would be faced with from such countries as Siberia and the Argentine, and made an appeal for support for the Labour Party as the

Party which put human life, value and happiness first. After a number of questions had been asked in respect to the Labour Party’s land policy, the cost of living, and State shipping, a vote of thanks and confidence in the candidate, and the hope that the Labour Party would be returned was moved by Mr J. Roberts and seconded by Mr R, Downes and carried by acclamation, a vote of thanks to the chairman terminating the meeting.