THE EGMONT SEAT

Stratford Evening Post, Issue 64, 25 October 1928, Page 8

THE EGMONT SEAT

mi IVILIvI\SCN AT ELTJIA^i. an enthusiastic meeting. Despite thg inclement weather a crowd of about 750, including many ladies, gathered at the Eltham Town Hall last night for Mr C. A. Wilkinson’s election address, a number standing at the back of the hall. The candidate was given an enthusiastic reception, and throughout his address, lasting ■ over two hours, his ifemarks were frequently applauded.

On resuming his seat, Mr Wilkinsi n was again enthusiastically applauded. and a resolution was unanimously passed “expressing unbounded confidence in Mr Wilkinson as a candidate for the Egmont seat, and expressing appreciation of his again offering,.liis services to the Egmont c mstUuoncy and to the Dominion g-ji.ev.-.ily.” OPPRESSIVE TAXATION. In the course of Ms remarks, Mr Wilkinson criticised the Reform Government on “its oppressive taxation on shoulders least able to hear it; lack of economy in Government; excessive borrowing resulting in wasteful expenditure; official control in place of Parliamentary control; recklessness in railway expenditure. considering the g rave P oSi ' cion of this branch of the country’s ’business."

I i'icvi Zealand’s tax burden was I about double that cf prosperous Canada, over double that of America, nearly three times that of Germany and over four times that of Italy. According tc these faxes, who lo»t or won the war? Not England or New Zealand. If taxation was any guide, we were nearly a good last. England was reducing her debt while New Zealand was increasing hers. The figures for taxation showed that the burden had been largely removed from the wealthy section to the general community. The tax on Australian flour increased the price of bread in New Zealand to double what was paid in London. The pioliibition on the importation of Australian potatoes also increased the cost of living. LAND AND INCOME TAX. Referring to land and income tax Mr Wilkinson said all salaried men earning over £3OO per annum paid. Companies all paid with no excep tions, on profits up to 4s 6d in the £1 Farmers did not pay, and ic 'agreed the small farmer such as those in Taranaki should not pay, but wealthy farmers, sheepfarmers with princely incomes, should be made to pay. They did pay during the war and should pay- now. The general argument was that they paid land tax, but the business men paid both laud and income tax. Referring to what he described as Mr Hawkeu’s personal attack regarding his connection with the cement industry, Mr Wilkinson said'. “I am not against secondary industries; the very opposite 1 air J very friendly to local industries am will assist any industry worth while, including the wheat grower. Protection must b e reasonable and the general public are unduly penalised. NATIONAL DEBT. Referring to the national debt, Mr Wilkinson said it had increased in the period from 1924-28 inclusive £174 per head. , Th e total amount borrowed was over £29,000,000, and the increase, no matter how excused, was alarming. The amount of interest payable per head was glow ing every year and with the conversions now pending a very large increase might be looked for. All this necessitated a determined effoit to economise. . RAILWAY LOSSES. As regards the railways large losses had been incurred and were increasing yearly. In three years the accumulated losses were £1,606, 415. To run the railways in 19 it required 13,002 men,, and in 1927, 18 458 men, an increase in ten yeais 0f’5456 men. In 1921 the ordinary passengers carried numbered ovei 15,000.000, and in 1928 they had decreased to a little over 9,000,000. The revenue decreased by £568,000. The capital dost of lines and unopened approached £60,000,0 and commitments were near y ■ > 000,000. Last year they spent over £2,500,000 on construction. On eveiy £1 earned interest cost os. T e policy was to spend more and moie, no matter what the losses. H,could foresee £100,000,000 being sunk in railways. “NO LAND POLICY.” The present Government had no land policy whatever, said Mr Wilkinson. Both the Minister of Lands and the Minister of Agncultuie a ed nothing but pessimism regarding ’ the prospects of land settlement,

they were crying Jeremiahs. With*out vigorous land s settlement there would he no openings for our young la’ds’ and some of the farmers, and without a steady increase in production wo could not flourish. Why import boys and train them as farmers when we had thousands of boys of our own, sons of settlers and those with a liking for farming, that we spent nothing upon, and drove them into the blind alley occupations of common labourers? No matter what Government was in pow,er it was absolutely essential that all our land should be developed and made fruitful, and every effort on his part would b e directed to that end. “What about the sudden burst of expenditure in Taranaki, especially in the Egmont electorate?” asked Mr Wilkinson. On th e statement of Mr Smith, Egmont had received ' a school vote of £6283, Waitara £3403, 'Stratford £2BOI, and Waitomo- £2226, a' total of £14,713. Children had suffered for years so that the Reform Government might made a splash a, ti election time, and the thing was a standing joke to everyone employed on Government jobs. Schools, ’roads, bridges, dredging, hoys’ and girls’ clubs, instruction in herdtesting, three-planting, th e mayor’s park, any old thing—the more the, ( merrier. [ QUESTIONS ANSWERED. Answering questions, Mr Wilkinson said he favoured a bare majority on the prohibition question, with six-year polls. He would not vote with; Labour on a no-confidence motion unless that Party modified its policy. He favoured all expenditure of public money being under the control of Parliament. As to the Power Board’s availability rate, he felt sure any hardship inflicted for a year or two would be outweighed by the benefits as compared with levying a general rate for, say, ten or twenty years. When the load was -built up , so as not to necessitate the ’rate, the board could reduce the price of current, as it was not out to make profit. The necessity for a rate was no doubt due to the usual thing —faulty estimates by, engineers. He was in favour of Vialf an hour’s daylight saving, but would oppose a further half hour.