POLITICAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 27 October 1919, Page 6

POLITICAL.

SHE STRATFORD CAMPAIGN

MAJOR BINE'S .ADDRESS. { Major J. B. Hine, Minister for Internal Affairs, delivered ail election address in the Town /lall, Stratford, on Friday evening. There was a large attendance, and tii? Mayor (Mr. J. \Y. McMillan), presided. " There were a few interjections, hut the Minister vus accorded a good hearing, i Major Hise. who was received with applause, rair l , tliat things had moved '.ery rapidly since he was 'before them f.i'.'o months ago. At that time the National Government was in power and lii had expressed the hope that it wnld continue in power. He was sorrv that it had ceased to exist. He was sensible that he could not speak \"it.h. the same freedom as a private member now that he was in the Calbinet, but he was there to advocate the same principles as previously. •PARTY GOVERNMENT. Coalition was needed for .the purpose of placing the affairs of the country on a firm and sound basis. That was felt by thousands of people in the country, and many men seeking parliamentary honors were denouncing the party system of Government. To decry the party system in one breath and to announce | himself as a follower of a particular party in the next, would not be consistent, and the people of this country would know what to do with the man who condemned party Government, and at the same time accepted nomination from a particular party- His own leader was not asking for allegiance to himself, but was looking for the return of good men, and he Hoped that there would be enough of these —and ladies—(applause) in the House to afford a good basis for working. He would lion say that the departure of the Liberals from the Cabinet was with the object of precipitating a crisis, but if that was the object it did not come off. He \ras there to say that the present Government had the confidence of the people: COST OF LIVING. Dealing first with the cost 01 iivinc. Major Hine said that the Board oi Trade Bill recently passed had been described Iby Sir John Findlay as the most drastic measure that had ever teen placed before Parliament in New Zealand. These were weighty words when coming from a man like him. The Bill was passed with a view to checking the huge profits made out of the commodities needed for the sustenance of life. Whether it would succeed in its object remained to be seen, but it went to an extreme length, and under it any in. quiries could be made and profits could be limited. The effect of the Bill must be to limit to some extent the increase in the cost of living. FINANCE. Speaking of finance, he said thai all had to bear a share of taxation, and taxation had necessarily as a result of the war increased. The sever.'; taxation had brought about an accumulated surplus of I's millions, and the use to which this money should be put was the only vexed question that had been bebefore the House during the session. Sir Joseph Ward took up the stand' that the money should be invested, as a. sinking fund, and he contended that for tin purpose of carrying on the country they should borrow. That was the only line of demarkation between the parties during the session. The Government took the view that it was unwise to borrow at the present time for large sums of money, and the £12,.W0,000 of accumulated surpluses was to be devoted to putting soldiers on the land, and it coul l not be put to a better purpose. At present they could "riot borrow at 5 per cent, and raise £IOO. SETTLING SOLDIERS. During the early part of the financial year the Minister in charge of Returned Soldiers' Land Settlement had been hampered because sufficient money was not available, but a considerable amount of work had been done in settling soldiers. The number of soldiers placed on settlement land was 749, and the total area, 140,000 acres. On Crown and National land 076 sqldiers had settled on 589,275 acres. Soldiers who had acquired land under Section 2 of the D.S.S. Amendment Act, 1917, numbered 1865, and the area was 432,992 acres. Altogether 3290 soldiers had been settled on 1;1#2,207 acres of rural land. In the purchase of dwellings 24-I'u soldiers had been assisted, and those who had received assistance to stock and improve their own freeholds numbered 100, making the total number of men assisted 5808. The land available for immediate selection by soldiers was 109,028 acres, and the area available for settlement, but not yet ready for offering, was 542,585 acres. In purchasing 199 properties, comprising 291,21? acres, there had been an approximate expenditure of £3.152,749, and the amount of advances authorised to assist in the purchase of dwellings, private and Native land, stock and improvements, and for the discharge of mortgages amounted to £5,629,825, makin? a total expenditure of £8,782,574. The average advance for stock and improvements on current account, was £630. The avyriige advance for the purchase of private lands and discharge of mortgages under Section 2 of the D.S.S. Act, was £1736, the average advance for the purchase of dwellings under Section 2, £630. the average price per acre of purchased private estates £lO, and the average price per acre of purchases under Section 3 of the Act, £lB 12? 6d. These figures showed what the Government, had b'-ci. doing and lie hoped the work would <>e continued till all soldiers were provided for. No anxiety need be felt for the returned soldiers, who would receive a square deal no matter what Government mav be in power. The gratuity question had been settled, and he hoped the money received would help many soldiers to tide over between the time of their discharge and their rehabilitation in civilian lifeIn referring to, repatriation, Major Hine paid a tribute to the Repatriation Boards for the way they had done their work. He wanted to express the thanks of the Government who knew how useful they had been to them. PUBLIC WORKS. Proceeding. Major Hine said he was supposed to have done nothing for Tara. naki. He had been away for three years and could not do much during that period. His work had been left to others, and if thev failed he could not, help that. He 'accepted no responsibility for the actions of the National .government during his absence, but during the war it was impossible for any Government to carrv on a progressive po'i'-v ei Btiblli Verka. Übor was scarce*

ilntl as private industry had to be studied, only what was available after its requirements liad been satisfied could be utilised for public works. In tlie iStratford electorate, since he had represented it, from 1909 to 1919, £5(17,. 743 bad been spent on the Main Tronic line (west end), and £20,833 on the Mt. Egmont branch. On roads, including roads to open up Crown lands, £81,(184 had been expended, and on Government buildings, £5350. A voice: How much are you spending this year on the .Stratford line? Major Hine: £20,000 has bona vorxt The Mt. Egmont line had been a white .elephant, but that was not the fault of the present Government. It seemed a pity that, the line should remain in idleness when it might be used in supplying metal for the whole of Taranaki. The line was- to be re-sur-veyed. Mr. li. McKenzie had said years ago that he would either end or mend the line, and lie certainly bad not nu-'Jited It- The cost up to tho present of tJie line was £28,000. While he had been their representative the Stratrorci lino, had been carried from Douglas to its present terminus, and he hoped to be at the ceremony when the two ends met. (Applause.) There was no use in his saying that he would get all the money spent on the Stratford end. The other end wanted money too, ana \i, must be recollected that Stratford had a start of four or five years over the other end, and with level pegging he did not think they would go very far wrong. A handsome vote for all railways was being provided this year, ibut more labor would have to be found. He held tha! the small contract system was the best for the working man, as it gave him. the full 'benefit of his labor. He did not mean that a man should take a large contract and employ labor, but that a number of men should take a small contract and share the work. They wanted up-to-daite machinery, better living conditions for tlm men, and school:-; for the children. He spoke as a B.eifcber of the Government which was determined to provide these things. OUiR PRODUCE. Turning to matters affecting the farmer, Major Hine said that during the past three or four years much of the produce had been commandeered. From March 3, 1915, the Government paid for frozen meat £40.594,000. From November 4, 1015 thev paid for cheese for wool £38,709,000, for butter £5,854,000, and payments for other products brought the total up to £110,889,756. He did not think the majority of people complained at the commandeer. The Imperial Government could have obtained its supplies from a closer market, but recognised that it must help the Dominions and j had sent its ships to carry it\ Home, when otherwise it would have had to remain in tthe country to the disadvantage of the producer. | He would like to say a few words in regard to the butter-fat tax. It ?iad been ptated very unfairly throughout the country that Mr. Massey had barm | instrumental in placing the tax on the people. That was not so- When it was passed Mr. Massey was in England, and the tax was imposed by the National Government. Mr Mac Donald was .the Minister in charge at the time, Sir James Allen was acting.Prime Minister, and Mr. Guthrie was also present when the tax was decided upon. . He did not blame them so much. Tliei" object was to give the people cheap butter. A voice: Why did you not fix the price of meat? Major Hine: The price of meat was fixed, and any butcher could buy liiea: at the freezing works at the commandeered price. The speaker then read (amongst others), a telegram to Mr. Massey from the High Commissioner, stating that a sale was agreed upon at 181s. and vet the dairy farmers had to sell in New Zealand'at 1575. The proposal to give the people cheap butter would have been fair had the money been tyken from the consolidated fund, and the Government had decided to do that. The National Government had two years in which to remove the tax, and iiad not done it. It had not taken t!v; reconstructed Cabinet long to discover its injustice. HOUSING. Coming next to the housing question, Major Hine outlined the Government measure under which money r.iav be obtained from the State for workers houses. EDUCATION. MajoT Hine dealt next witn education, which had been said to be lagging behind- He was not so sure that this ivas 'true- Very probably schools were required in some districts:, but in a- developing Country this was inevitable. Before a school could be erected there had to be a demand for it. The greatest trouble with the present system was that it was too much in a groove, and they had b'een trying to make every boy and girl a classical scholar. Thty should provide for different pursuits siic.ti as agriculture. The Government had passed a Bill making available for education £150,000 ithis year, and £i1,750.000 for each of the succeeding three years. AH the money that will be needed by the Minister for four years will be available without the necessity for passing a loan bill. The teachers' salaries were to be increased considerably this year. Last year, teachers' salaries had b?exi increased to the amount of £ll S.OOO. and the increase this year would be £200,000, making a total of £318,000. From what he. could hear teachers wore fairly well satisfied with the increases. RAI'LWAYMEN'S PAY. The railways servants had also been granted increases. The Government had not seen fit to grant an increase of Is a day, but had granted one of 3s per day. The men were now getting 12s. A voice: And have to pay 30s a week rent. _ ..... i Major Tlino, continuing, stato': it fcrVi been said that he opposed a Is a day rise to raiwaymen in the first division. When he made his remarks in :tlie House in the eary part of 1910, the Is had been paid, and lie was criticising the Minister and the men over the rate. He quoted the Hansard report of his speech, and said he still held that his remarks were justified. He had said that he was annoyed at the remarks of the men and at the Government sanctioning them- > He did not see why men left in New Zealand should benefit from an Increase any more possible because other railwavmen had\gonc to the front- Had the 1b extra been set aside for the dependants of those who were on active service, it would have been a different matter but that was never the way of those who professed socialism. PERSONAL. A voice: What did you do with your honorarium while you wore away? Major Hine: Tf T went away •!- a private would I have been justified in taking my honorariumj? Answer that question. ' Tie had had/15 years military trainig when war broke out, av.d He «*at to tlu War beiause be felt that

he was efficient, and should go. Would any one say that he should have resigned his seat in Parliament? There were always some who were waiting to step into other men's shoes. Had his constituents wanted him to resign he would have resigned, and he did not think there were many who would say that he should not have taken ii's- honorarium. A statement had been made too that later in the year he had voted for increases in the salaries of highlypaid oliidals, but when these increases were granted lie was doing his bit at the iront. Had he been in the Government he would have voted against them NAURU ISLAND. Major Hine wenlt on to refer to what was being done in regard to Nauru Island from which the Government intended to obtain phosphates for New Zealand farmers at a low cost. The Government would proyide their own ships for bringing the phosphates to New- Zealand. A voice: Too late now. You ought to have done that before the war. „Major Hine: "What is the use of talking nonsense. We did not own the island before the war." He quite agreed that the Government should have had ships, bu!t they should have been 'bought before the war. While the was was on the cost would have been £7O per ton. Tho price in normal times had been £3O, and lie believed it would come down to £4O Continuing, he saifr that the phosphates would be prepared for the market fby treatment with sulphuric acid in New Zealand, whereas formerly this was done in Japan, LABOR REQUIREMENTS, In regard to the Dominion's labor requirements. he said that word had just come from the Imperial Government that it was prepared to give British soldiers and their wives free passages to New Zealand. We could do with these taen, but before they come out Mie whole of tho New Zealand soldiers must be back. They wanted to bring as ir,anl* of their own kith and kin to the country as possible. In the past sufficient care had not been exercised in dealing with undesirable immigrants but in future ithey would be more cartful. A voice: Will you put them in tents'' Mr. Hine: They would not (be the first men to live in tents. SALARIES. Coming next to school teachers' salaries, he said it had been urgec! that the maximum pay should ibe increased from £450 to £750. It flras all very well to be progressive, but there wa? responsibility also. What would be the 'cost to the country if a 06 2-3 per centincrease was granted to all civil servants. A voice: How about the General Manager of Railways. Mr. Hine: He had received no rise The Government would take good care that he got none. He referred !"> the improvment in tl\p conditions in the railway service. The men now had a 48-liour week and received overtime if they worked more at the rate of time and a quarter, and for Sundays, time and a half. The cost of the new arrangement would 'be over f200,000 a year. OTHER MATTERS. Major Hine dealt fully with Lord ,Tellicoe's report, which he said provided for naval defence in the South Pacific. Speaking of the attention given to local requirements, the Minister said he had. only been back three months, and since then the Technical 'School question had been settled, and the foundation stone of' a building costing nearly £13,000 was to be laid on Monday. A request for assistance in building a new bridge over the Patea River in Stratford Borough had been granted to the amount of £2500 taking .the cost of the bridge at £IIO,OOO. A mountain road was going to be made enabling the people of Stratford to get a '"pick-me-up"' at the mountain at the week-end. A train was going to be run every Monday morning from Whangamamona in time to connect with the express for the south for the next three months as an experiment. (A voice: It's getting near the election.) Owing to the growth of Stratford and the difficulty experienced by the Railway Department in determining its own requirements tlie post office site had not 'been TJie general manager would be coming up himself shortly, and hoped to rattle the question of railway leases. He hoped to see a good row of shops along the east side of Broadway with a post office somewhere about :the middle. Concluding, he said there was no great divergence of opinion between politicians. At no time since the House met had there been any danger of an adverse vote. The whole of the legislation passed had been for the good ol the coun'trv and embodied no extreme or academic ideas. REPLIES TO QUESTIONS. Replying to Mr. Kirkwood, Major Hine said the question of having the unexpended vote of last year and the previous year for the Stratford _ end of the railway line expended in addition to the amount voted this year wouSl be placed by him before the Minister for Public AVorks, but he could make no promise that it would be done. As a matter of public policy the sooner the railway,was completed the better. In answer to other questions, he said he could give no information about the embargo on hides, but, the matter was going to exercise the mind of the Government; he was not in a position to express an opinion as to the value of instruction in private schools, but be ad. mired the parent who sent his children to school for religious instruction. He admired the State system as well. He did, not favor increases to the salaries of the higher paid men in the Railway Department, while men in the second division were refused He agreed that service should count in promotine men. and to that extent he did not, think the general manager should liave autocratic powers. He considered a married man was entitled to more than a single man and must have consideration, even if it was a straight out bonus He saw no reason why an officer' in the railway service should not receive an increase in salary shortly before his retirement or why that increase should not influence his superannuation allowance. He was not in favor of the Government becoming the only medium For land transactions. The hidi cost ol livin" was based on values abroad, and the law of supply and demand. He did not think the new general manifger for railways should receive less than bis predecessor, seeing that he controlled £3O 000,000 in property. The present svtem of acquiring land for returned soldiers was good. He thought soldiers should have some of the beat land in the fonntrv, but there <vas no compulsion (or a soldier to go on any land. At the present price it was a o.ncsmn whether it would not be better for tne soldier to stand off. Thev could not com I'd men to sell land. The Governm»nt had a responsibility not only to.

the soldiers but the whole country. He certainly would not favor taxing farmers who refused a price for their land on that price. While he was away at the war he drew his honorarium. Members of Parliament did not jooic upon themselves as civil servants, and the cases were not paralell. They did not get superannunation. The Government was trying to check land aggregation, and in a few days a Bill would be brought down enabling them to take aggregated land at the valuation, plus 10 per cent. It was difficult to compel the owners to destroy noxious weeds ou Native lands, because titles were not individualised. • He was not in favor of a State bank to the exclusion of other banks, but he had no objections to a State bank competing with other banks. In this he was not speaking for the Government. On the motion of Mr. Geo. Sangster, seconded by Mr. Friday, Major Hine was accorded a Vote of thanks and confidence, without dissent.