“AMAZING CHEEK”

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 493, 24 October 1928, Page 10

“AMAZING CHEEK”

UNITED PARTY LOAN MR. A. HARRIS CRITICISES “I hold that Reform is the only party fit to govern the country. Reform is the natural successor to the old Liberal Party, and by its legislation has shown that it is carrying out on a larger scale the progressive legislation that was commenced by the Seddon Government so many ye*rs ago.” This opinion was expressed by Mr. A. Harris, Independent Reform candidate for Waitemata, in the opening speech of his election campaign at Bayswater last evening. Mr. A. H. Wilkie presided over a good attendance. There were only three actual parties in the field, he continued. The Country Party was such a negligible thing it was not worth considering. “I believe the country comes before the party,” said the candidate, “and for that reason I am not a strong party man. Though I shall vote with the Government on a no-confidence motion, I shall reserve to myself the right to support or oppose any other measures that may come up.” UNITED PARTY PLATFORM “After waiting 12 months on the tiptoe of expectation to hear the muchvaunted United Party programme, the bubble has burst,” he continued. “It is largely an endorsement of the progressive policy of the Refoqm Party, with the exception of Sir Joseph Ward’s £70,000,000 loan. Sir Joseph actually said he would raise it within 12 months, but I will accept his revised version, which extends the raising of the loan over a period of eight or ten years. The rest of the United programme can be taken by the Government as a complimentary esdorsement of what is already being done.” Mr. Harris criticised the United Party’s advocacy of the system of preferential voting. Reform had done good work, lie continued. From an expenditure of £408,000 a year when Reform took office at the close of 1912, the outlay in pensions had increased to £2,500,000. Tho progressiveness of Reform legislation could be seen when it was stated that during five.years £10,500,000 had been spent in houses for workers in city and country, about 20,000 men who would never have had a home now being able to possess one; £23,000,000 had been advanced to men on the land, the cheap money available adding enormously to the productivity of the Dominion. Mentally weak and indigent children had been provided for by the State. From £1,133,000, or 25s Id a head expended on education in 1912,

last year had seen the educational cost increased to £3,756,000, or 52s 2d a head. LABOUR’S PROPOSALS “Tho Labour Party is not quite subdued,” said Mr. Harris. “The red Labour propaganda lias disappeared. But do not be deceived by them before the election. They have a policy that will place such a. burden upon this country as to drive it into bankruptcy.” They stood for motherhood endowment, he said, with 10s for each child over two years of age, which would amount to £4,290,000. Free medical services which they advocate would cost £2,000,000. Old age and workers’ pensions would cost another £1,000,000. Unemployed insurance on full wages would cost £1,000,000. “And free lawyers, doctors and other things they advocate —no one knows- what it would actually cost. Labour’s proposal would mean an incerase of 25 per cent, in taxes. £70,000,000 LOAN “As to Sir Joseph Ward’s suggestion to borrow £70,000,000, I went along to hear him, and I must say I was amazed a.t his cheek,” said Mr. Harris. “After hitting up Reform lor borrowing, he coolly proposes to borrow £70,000,000.” The speaker said that loans falling due within the next eight years would amount to £97,000,000 and possibly more. If Sir Joseph Ward borrowed £70,000,000, New Zealand would have to borrow £ a*,000,000 annually for the next eight years, or a total of £167,000,000 over the period. “And yet he objects to Reform,” said Mr. Harris. If the money could be raised at 47* per cent., issued at £95, it could not be lent at anything like 42 per cent, to tho settler without serious loss. Mr. Harris quoted the opinion of the Secretary to tho Treasury, who said the cost to the State, if Sir Joseph Ward’s scheme were put into operation, would bo about 5} per cent, when the administrative charges of the State Advances Department were taken into consideration. Thus the loss in lending would be one-half per cent., or £300,000 over 32£ years. New Zealand w'ould receive-only £93 for every £IOO bought, allowing 5 per cent, for discount and 2 per cent, for flotation charges, which meant that to lend £60,000,000, Sir Joseph Ward would have to borrow over £64,500,000. Turning to the subject of Mr. R. H. Greville, United Party opponent for the Waitemata, Mr. Harris said that though Mr. Greville had said he was against Socialism, he had tried to socialise the derelict tramways system and pass it on to the Takapuna ratepayers at a cost of £65,000. Mr. Greville said also that the present system of defence was farcical, and yet it was his leader who introduced it. HARBOUR BRIDGE “As to the claim by Mr. Greville that he was responsible for the securing of the £SOO grant for the harbour bridge, I may say that I advocated the harbour bridge when Mr. Greville was at school,” continued Mr. Harris. “Mr. Greville had nothing whatever to do with the grant.” It was one of the three planks in his (tho speaker’s) platform when he first stood for Parliament in 1911. The other two planks had been the nationalisation of main roads and the establishment of a Grammar School for North Shore, both of which had been realised. Several questions were answered at the conclusion of tho meeting, and a motion of thanks to Mr. Harris, coupled with an expression of renewed confidence in him, was carried by acclamation.