MR HAMILTON AT LUMSDEN

Southland Times, Issue 23634, 8 October 1938, Page 18

MR HAMILTON AT LUMSDEN

To The Editor

Sir, —At Lumsden I listened to a political address by the Hon. Adam Hamilton. It was just the usual kind of address one hears from the conservative side of politics, with some win-dow-dressing stolen from the Labour Party (furniture, and so on). He told us how the worthy pioneers had made New Zealand what it is by their independence of State assistance, but he glossed over the fact that owing to the conservatives’ much-vaunted orthodox monetary system, many thousands of them reared their families in dire poverty and distress under >half hearted Liberal and tory rule in the terrible eighties, when butter was down to about 5d per lb and everything else was correspondingly low. We are told that no fewer than 15,000 of these pioneers that had the fares left New Zealand for Australia where times were better. This was a big disaster for New Zealand as far as population went, and all through an obsolete monetary system which the changeless tory parties of this country fight tooth and nail to defend. Let us make no mistake about it. This is the real cause of the enormous fight the Nationalists are putting up in this election—to stop tiie Labour Government from carrying out monetary reform to end the effects of world-wide depressions in New Zealand.

I want also to state that the Hon. Adam Hamilton told us that all those who would receive benefits under the Social Security Act would have to pay 1/- in the £1 or 1/6 out of the 30/- a week. Now do you think it is fair to make such statements with a view to winning an election, considering that the statement is perfectly untrue? —Yours, etc., • A. A. CURRIE. October 6, 1938.