LIBERAL-LABOUR CAMPAIGN.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17348, 13 May 1924, Page 12

LIBERAL-LABOUR CAMPAIGN.

SPEECH BY MR WILFORD. Per Press Association. NAPIER, Alay 12. Air Wilford, opening the LiberalLabour campaign, in Waipukurau tonjght;-■ said the party had decided to visit all electorates represented by Re * form members. He declared his party did not stand for any class, but ehar- | acterised the Reformers as the docile servants of the wealthy. The Liberals j agreed with the remark of Mr Massey ! in 1912 that it was a good thing fo.* a Government t-o feel another coming along to look into the pigeonholes and see if the Administration had been alright. The time had arrived for a I clearing of the stables, j Air \\ ilford complained that when, the Liberals left the National Government in 1919 the expenditure from the Consolidated F*und was £18,673,599, but three years later had jumped to £28,466,835. * The economies the Premier claimed to have effected were forced on him by the extravagance of the Government. The speaker saiu j the Advances to Settlers Department was put on the Statute Book bv the Liberals, but to-day the Reform Party walked it. about- as if it were their child. From the funds of that department the Government had collared i two million pounds for investment in war loans. This money was taken 1 from those who wanted it, and should have been repaid. He charged the j Premier in the House with taking 1 money from the department. He would like to know whether portion of ; the recent tire million loan for State | Advances was to repay this money, or j was it fresh, money-. Mr Aiassey’s j love of the State Advances Depart- ; ment was due to the fact that be saw ; the Liberals’ proposal for an agricul- : tural bank, tbe chief point about : which was . long-term mortgage and I repayment of principal and interest. ; There would be. no short-term mortgages. Tbe Liberals advocated r* State bank, to work in' conjunction i with an agricultural Hank. Reference | was made to the market for produce in the East, but the Government was i cold to his proposal, i Air AY ilford said the Goyemment/s j soldier settlers’ scheme was carried • out in a wasteful way, and now it. . was necessary to write off millions of pounds, and bring tbe value down to a reasonable figure. AYith reference to the Imperial Conference, the speaker said Air Massev on previous occasions bad represented the country with dignity, hut on the last occasion lost both bim dignity and bis temper Air AA ilford was accorded a vote «f thanks, and was given a sympathetic hearing.