Invercargill Seat

Stratford Evening Post, Issue 9, 2 August 1930, Page 5

Invercargill Seat

REFORM CANDIDATE SPEAKS. UNEMPLOYMENT SCHEMES. INVERCARGILL, Last Night, Mr. James Hargest, Reform candidate for Invercargill at the hy-eli action to be held on August 13, addressed a well-attended meeting this evening. Mr. Hargest referred to Hie of the Reform Party and said its eclipse in the 192 S election was duo to it s refusal to lead the country away in a wild orgy of .spending and speculation. Mr. Hargest said that since the United Party took office it had hodrowed £16,000,000, the major portion of it in New Zealand. Instead of bringing cheap money in it had gone to the post office, where money wag lying at 4 per cent. It had paid 51- per cent for it over the counter in every post office in New Zealand and it had lent this money out not at 4J per cent, but at 61 per cent, with 1 per cent, sinking fund add-

TAXATION INCREASES INEVIT. ABLE. Referring to taxation, he said that to get money to carry on the country's affair,. the Government purpos” ed hi going for an orgy of taxation, ila pomied out that the Customs tax was increased during the last two voj: sby nearly £1,000,000). Mr. Forbes admitted that thi g year lie was going out to get somewhere

about £BOO,OOO additional from Customs and that from a party which was to reduce and eventually abolish Customs taxation. Taxation was inevitable and the people would ac. copt it provided they felt that ec<>noniie s were being effected. PETROL SUPPLY. After referring to the feeling throughout the country against the proposed increase in the petrol taxtho candidate said: '‘l think the time hast dome [when the country should take over the handling of supplies of petrol. Nearly every. tßing brought to our doors is brought by means of tbe consumption of petrol gas, and it is a dreadful reflection on the business ability of the people that that wo are entirely in the hands of three or fpur compani© g who charge us what they will. I have the suggestion to make that the Railway Department could import supplies necessary for' the Dominion and that a fair tax he im. posed against private importers. Tlie Railway Department could sell in bulk to distributors, who in their turn put it into petrol pumps. Instead of exorbitant profit to overseas firms' the country would get what profit there is. Instead of half a dozen wagons rushing round supplying petrol of various brands one or two lorries could do the work. It would make no difference to the vendors of the petrol; they get little enough- out off it now. Its effect would be undoubtedly to give them greater prosperity, a reasonable profit and greater consumption of petrol, and it would help the Railway Department in finding work for its staff”.

unemployment. .Mi - . Hargest put forward two schemes lor the assistance of the unemployed. He called one, for the want ui a better name, “the farm betterment scheme”. He suggested that a body like the Land Board should unde, take the work of supervising the betterment of farms in Southland It a man in the country wished to carry out, say, draining, bush toiling or fencing, he should be able to go to a body like the Land Board and put tiie proposition before it. •• : V V .‘maul the materials, the hoard could then send its ranger lo hnspcH LV work, and if he approv•a Jl it authorise the advance of a loan purely lot labour. This loan <t>uhl be " ado at o per cent, repay■•'jio over, say, leu years, it would mean that the country was being do eloped and that rim unemployed would rmd employment at standard wages on productive work. It would be essential that tins work be earned out ui the ‘off’ season when unemployment was rife. Another scheme he suggested was that in all provinces of New Zealand public works ho undertaken with the idea of developing waste lands. Mr. Hargest said lie stood for sane government with n 0 special fav. ours to any class of the community, development works of a productive nature to relieve unemployment, current wages' on these developmental works, a graduated poll tax and integrity in government. The candidate was accorded a vote of confidence.