UNITED POLITICAL PARTY

Taranaki Daily News, 9 February 1928, Page 8

UNITED POLITICAL PARTY

LEADER HAS LIVELY MEETING THE NEW POLICY NOT DISCLOSED’ REFUSAL TO ANSWER QUESTIONS. By Telegraph.—Trees Association. Auckland, Last Night. Declining to answer questions and promising to give the policy of the United Political Party when the next general eleotion campaign opens, Mr. G. W. Forbes, Leader of the Nationalist Party and the present political head of the new party, spoke at the Town Hall to-night, dealing with political sins of the present administration and suggesting reasons why there should be a change of government. The audience filled the greater part of the lower portion of the Town Hall, and it was evi. dent from the reception which was accorded the references to the Labour Party that the majority were adherents of that cause, a fact on which Mr. Forbes commented. The Mayor, Mr. G. Baildon, presided, and associated with Mr. Forbes was Mr. E. A. Ranson, member for Pahiatua. The meeting was the first under the auspices of ths new party. Mr. Forbes said there were signs of disintegration of the Reform Party, with which there was dissatisfaction throughout the country. Unemployment was the test of the Government’s efficiency and he said that in 1890, when the Liberal Government had come into power, it had met a similar situation by palliative measures, which had become unnecessary when a vigorous land settlement policy had been inaugurated. There was need to-day of more vigour in setting the land, and he criticised the Minister of Lands for his lack of energy in this respect. He accused the Govern, ment of extravagance in borrowing and asked how could the last Budget be termed an economy budget when it forecasted a fall in revenue and an increase in expenditure?

The needs of the country to-day were a vigorous land settlement policy fostering without spoon-feeding worth while secondary industries, careful eontrol by Parliament of national expenditure, a more equitable system of election by preferential voting, and legislative rest. Many members of the audience were calling on Mr. Forbes to answer questions and to state the new policy, while at the same time others were calling out eulogies of the Labour Party when the Mayor declared carried on the voices a resolution of thanks to the speaker, th e motion also proclaiming that the speech revealed the urgent need of a change of government, and that the meeting welcome the new movement as a basis for united political action commendable to and in the interests of the community. The motion was moved and seconded from the body of the hall. An amendment protesting against conscription was lost.