ABANDONMENT OF RAILWAYS

Taranaki Daily News, 24 July 1929, Page 11

ABANDONMENT OF RAILWAYS

REFORM’S POLICY CRITICISED.

SPEECH BY MR. S. G. SMITH.

(By Wire—Special to News.)

Wellington, Last Night. Mr. S. G. Smith (New Plymouth), in th© House of Representatives to-day complimented the Native Minister (Sir Apirana Ngata) on his speech on the Address-in-Reply motion, and said his remarks had aroused much interest and enthusiasm amongst the Natives in Taranaki. Discussing the abandonment of the Taupo-Rotorua railway, /Mr. Smith said it appeared to him that the protests came Trom a very narrow quarter. He went on to criticise the arguments of the member for Palmerston North in respect to the s >ppage of the Palmerston North deviation, and asked what the Palmerston Chamber of Commerce had thought .of the decision. One of the reasons for tjie unpopularity of the Reform Party was its lavish expenditure on that deviation. The cost of buying support in that locality was too great. Mr. -Smith referred to the cost or building the new primary school at Palmerston —£45,000 for a building to house 800 children—alleging it had been done by the Reform Government to “keep the people of Palmerston sweet.” Mr. Smith said he was of opinion that the chief argument in regard to the South Island main trunk railway was whether Parliament should rule or the big newspaper interests. He thought mopt people would now agree that the Government was justified in going on with the South Island line.

Discussing unemployment lie said it was curious that last year and the year before the Tory newspapers were declaring it was not the responsibility of the Government to find relief moneys, but now the tune had changed. He read a letter in regard to the improvement in the unemployment situation in New Plymouth, and said that if the same cooperative spirit were adopted in other centres the problem would be relieved.

Mr. Smith recalled the existence of unemployment when he was a boy and pointed out that the country had enjoyed a period of prosperity when the Liberal Government was in power.

Mr. A. M. Samuel; What about 1908?

Mr. Smith: That was a temporary setback. If the member does not watch his P’s and Q's he will have a permanent setback.

Hundreds of people .in the Dominion to-day, said Mr. Smith, were waiting for the opportunity to go on the land, and if the present Government went forw’ard with the same determination and the same leader as in 1891 satisfaction would be given to many people. The Prime Minister would raise the finance for settlement and other purposes on the best possible terms. Mr. Smith commended the- system of teaching agriculture in Tasmania, and sadi that from that system the- Girls’ and Boys’ Clubs had arisen and had reflected great benefits to the farmers themselves. All kinds of suggestions had been made for the improvement of the education system, but he hoped the present basis of the primary school system would not be broken down. He had not the slightest doubt that when the Minister of Education brought down his proposals he would be able to advance constructive reasons for what he thought was necessary. Discussing the wheat duties, the member for • New Plymouth said he was .

not in favour of a continuance of the system of dictation by the wheat distributors as to the price at which wheat and bread were to be sold. Distributors, Ltd., had such a stranglehold that • far too much was being paid for pollard and fowl feed, and this was affecting the returned soldier poultry farmers who were fitted for no other occupation. He expressed a hope that the select committee which was to be set up this session to inquire into the matter would do the fair thing and that it would result in a much better system being brought about. ■ • -■•• •• Mr. Smith believed the present short-, age of money was largely due to . the action of the banks. They had obliged pay-rolls to be ’reduced. ■Sooner or later a- State bank would have to be established in New Zealand :■ -