“STRATFORD EVENING POST” FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 9,1928. MR MASTERS’ ADDRESS.

Stratford Evening Post, Issue 75, 9 November 1928, Page 4

“STRATFORD EVENING POST” FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 9,1928. MR MASTERS’ ADDRESS.

THE great reception accorded, Mr Robert Masters, Dominion Chairman of the United Party, when lie addressed a crowded meeting in the Stratford Town Hall on Wednesday night, was a great tribute to his worth. Though not standing as a candidate, Mr Masters, as chairman of his party, tills a. position of great importance in the political world, and as the Mayor .stated in his remarks his selection for the high position is a distinct honou r to Stratford. The huge, crowd displayed the greatest enthusiasm, and the outbursts of cheering which occurred during and at tire end as well a;, the beginning of his meeting, showed that the majority of those present recognised his ability and his remarkable grip of his subject. There was nothing of a pettifogging nature about Mr Masters’ address. He confined himself to National issues. He hits hard, but he hits clearly, and though he trenchently criticised the claims of the Prime Minister in re.gard to that gentleman’s party, no one could say that hjs speech was anything but constructive. The .>aino may be said of his New Plymouth address. lie traversed a great many activities, finance, tunas, railways, land settlement, and y 0 passing from one to the other ui bucn a iwnuer as couid only denote his perfect understanding of tne subjects with which he dealt. For everytmng lie criticised he had an alternative, and tlxe cneers and applause winch broke out irom time to time denoted] surely that in the opinion ot the great majority comprising that vast audeeuce he proved his case. Ho clearly explained the proposal to raise money over a period of ten years for farmers and workers as outlined by Sir Joseph Ward, without any extra burden upon the taxpayers, and proceeded to justify the. claim, that it could be done. As far as land settlement is concerned 1 , there is no doubt that it is one of the Dominion’si greatest needs to-day, and as. press and public of all shades of political belief have pointed out for] years past the country cannot hut go back unless a vigorous policy of land settlement is put in hand and earned through. It is a matter that cannot be tinkered with, but must be carried out in an efficient way. Everyone must be agreed upon that point, for in a primary producing country such as is this the only sound basis of prosperity lies in the development of primary industries. There must he | more production, and without a progressive laud settlement policy the required level of production cannot be readied. The alternative is stagnation and unemployment, which latter problem will always remain with us until it is tackled at the root.