ELECTION

Southland Times, Issue 22732, 7 November 1935, Page 6

ELECTION

* CITY CONTEST k-‘ . ' DEMOCRAT CANDIDATE — SECOND ADDRESS GOVERNMENT ATTACKED Mr Gordon Reed, the Democrat Party’s candidate for the Invercargill seat, addressed the second meeting of his campaign in Smith’s Hall last evening. There were enough electors present to fill all the seating accommodation in the hall and the candidate was accorded an excellent hearing. Mr Reed dealt with his party’s policy and criticized the Government’s actions since the last general election in 1931. Mr J. G. Imlay, president of the executive of the party, was chairman. Mr Reed outlined the policy of the Democrat Party—restoring the ■ exchange to its normal level and replacing it by a bonus paid direct to the individual and only to those in need of it, reducing unemployment by large scale reproductive works financed by borrowed money, the restoration of wage and salary cuts in full to Civil Servants, the establishing of the super- •- annuation schemes on a sound basis, increases in pensions to returned soldiers, widows and the aged, Parliamentary reform, and the reduction of taxation and the offering of every encouragement to private enterprise. That was the Democrat _ policy—bold, progressive action, combined with tax reduction, he said. “That is what the party promises and that is what it will do,” said Mr Reed. “As a contrast what has the National Government done?” Country's Position. “You all know the position of this country to-day—board ridden, bureaucratically administered.” said Mr Reed. “There are boards for everything, in i fact several boards for one thing; no fewer than a dozen to deal with agriculture, for instance. And the cost of these boards is at least £20,000 , % a year. We pay the Prime Minister and the ten ’ members of the Cabinet £lO,OOO a year, eighty members of Parliament £32,000 a year, and thirty members of the Legislative Council £BOOO a year to look after the affairs of the country. I don’t say that this is too much—not for a moment —if they did their job. But they don’t. They draw their salaries and delegate the work to these boards, which are not elected by the people, i which have wide powers, and which really control every phase of activity in this Dominion. “Who are the members of these ■ boards? I could name them all—no I couldn’t, there are too many and I have forgotten several of them. But I can give you here and now the names of four of them and tell you about a letter they wrote recently, a confidential letter, to the supporters of the Reform Party in Christchurch. They are Messrs H. D. Acland, C. P. Agar, H. G. Livingstone, and Norton Francis. Mr Acland is a lawyer, a sheepowner, president of the Reform Party in I Christchurch—and a member of the Meat Board. Mr Norton Francis is a sheepowner, a director of Messrs Pyne, Gould and Guiness, Ltd.—and a director of the Reserve Bank. Mr Agar is a Government representative on the I Dairy Board and Mr Livingstone was L recently appointed a member of the ■ Broadcasting Board. And all these are | salaried posts—on boards created by the Government. What then do these I gentlemen say in this confidential letter p of theirs? ‘Each wool cheque, each return for fat lambs, and proportionately the prices received for store stock would be one-fifth less if New Zealand currency had not been depreciated through the exchange rate,’ they say. ‘At whose instigation was this policy adopted? If the Leader of the Reform Party and his followers had not been firm on this question where would the landowner be to-day?’ And they appeal to supporters of the party to set aside one-tenth or at least one-twentieth of the benefit received through the exchange to help the party funds. They’ll get a lot of money that way, particularly, from runholders whose wool cheques amount to £15,000 and to whom the exchange means over £3OOO annually.” Mr Reed said a habit had grown up of sneaking important legislation into Finance Acts or Washing-up Bills. An example was the enactment threatening instant dismissal to civil seryants if they said anything derogatory to the Government. This meant that if a civil servant said to a friend, “This is the worst Government we ever have had,” he would be liable to instant dismissal. “Surely that is important enough to have a Bill of its own and not just form Section 59 of the Finance Act, 1932,” declared Mr Reed. Question Time. Replying to a question seeking the candidate’s opinion of what comprised full wages for the unemployed, Mr Reed said 13/8 was regarded as the full wage, but his party would endeavour to raise it. However, it could only be done gradually. He would rather see all the unemployed on 13/8 than have a patchwork, hodge-podge business. . To another questioner he said the exchange could not be taken off overnight. It would be left to the banks, who had their pulse on such matters. Another questioner asked the candidate how he thought the English exporter could be protected against other countries. Mr Reed said New Zealand had recently been flooded by Australian goods. He thought a tariff would have to be put up to protect English ; goods against other goods as England I was New Zealand’s best. customer. In reply to a question regarding the Democrat Party’s attitude in the House of Representatives in the event of the other two parties being of equal strength, Mr Reed said his party would vote the Government out, but it would support neither of the other parties on the Treasury benches. He stood or fell by the Democrat Party and no other. On the motion of Mr E. V. Wright, seconded by Mr G. Fredric, a vote of thanks and confidence was carried with two or three dissentient voices. p NATIONAL CANDIDATE MR MILLER AT SYLVAN BANK. In furtherance of his campaign, Mr John Miller (the National Government candidate) addressed a large meeting at Sylvan Bank last night The candidate was given an attentive and cordial hearing, and after answering several questions at the close of his address, he was accorded a vote of thanks. Mr Miller, who was introduced by Mr E. J. Boyd (chairman), reviewed at length the conditions through which the Dominion had passed and emphasized the value of the Government’s legislation in effecting the recovery made after the depression. He instanced, in particular, the Government’s policy as shown by measures such as the Mortgagors’ Relief Act, the remission of rent and interest, assistance to local bodies and the reduction in farmers’ costs. The raising of the exchange, he said, had undoubtedly increased the farmers’ receipts and the sales tax had been very necessary.