SPLENDID IMPRESSION

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXII, Issue 19441, 29 October 1925, Page 8

SPLENDID IMPRESSION

MR. COATES AT OPERA HOUSE CHEERED BY WANGANUI CROWD PRACTICAL POLITICS REASONS FOR VOTING FOR REFORM The Prime Minister of New Zealand, the Hon. J. G. Coates, visited Wanganui yesterday afternoon and received a most enthusiastic reception. The Opera House was crowded in every part and a splendid hearing was accorded the Prime Minister’s speech.

Long before the hour of tho meeting people were wending their way towards the Opera House, which was soon filled by an expectant crowd. Several hundreds of people were outside awaiting the arrival of the Prime Minister, and cheers carried the news to those inside when Mr. Coates arrived. Before entering the Opera House Mr. Coates had to deliver a short speech, and, spontaneous as it was, his address was “just the thing.” The Mayor also added a happy little touch to the proceedings by presenting JSTr. Coates with the “Freedom of the City.” The Mayor (Mr Hope Gibbons) presided, and in introducing tho Prime Minister said it was quite unnecessary to introduce Mr Coates to the audience. They all knew him quite well, and knew him to be a man in every shape and form, and that whatever he promised he did his utmost to give effect to. Whatever might be the result of the election, he thought that 95 per cent, of those present would vote for Mr Coates as Prime Minister. (Much applause, and a lone cry of “Never, on your life.”) Tho Mayor then called upon his hearers to sing for “He is a .lolly Good Fellow,” and this w T as done lustily and with enthusiasm. Prime Minister Speaks. On rising to speak the Prime Minister received a rousing reception, and after the applause had subsided, remarked that he was deeply impressed by his hearty welcome to Wanganui. I He realised that his audience had come along at a good deal of inconvenience to themselves to give him a welcome. He knew it was sincere, but he also recognised the fact that there was a good deal of curiosity to see this new Prime Minister. “You want to see what he looks like,,” observed Mr Coates in the direct manner that is characteristic of him. “Very good,” he added, “and if you are satisfied, then give him a lift along on Novemi ber 4.” Jocularly, the Prime Minister | said that he had had a good look at his audience, and they all passed muster. In fact, he should say, that they were the best looking lot of people he had seen since he left Kaipara. (Laughter ; and applause). He could say more in ' this connection, but the job he had to Ido was of quite a different nature. I First of all, Mr Coates said, he desired to take his hearers back to 1912, I when the late Hon. W. F. Massey took ' over office. Mr Massey carried on till the war, and then became leader of the National Government. He carried on during the most difficult period that the country had ever seen, and later tackled the post-war problems, and tackled them in such a manner that to-day their little country stood out pre-cm- | inent above all other parts of tho •British Empire. (Applause). And then ; again his hearers would remember the I fact that during the whole of that time i the late honourable gentleman spoke I with no uncertain voice for his people. He placed such trust and confidence in J his country and countrymen that never ; on one occasion was he pessimistic. He 1 was always certain of the issue. He left an incentive to every citizen in the country and one that everybody —no matter of what political view—• could follow. The late Premier was a man who gave his whole life in the interests of his city, and finally left his job with clean hands. (Applause). I They knew him to be straightforward i and honest, and he never equivocated over one single item. Instead of Liberal legislation being retrogressive, under Mr Massey’s guidance, it had been I widened and developed. In addition I to that, the man himself was one of tho foremost of the broad-minded, liberal men who had stood high in the public estimation of the country. It remained for his supporters to take up the work where he left off. It was in their and I the electors’ hands to say what was going to happen in the future. And now they came to the point when he (the speaker) had been selected by the Reform Party as their leader. There were those who found fault w’ith the Reform Party.

“But you were a Liberal,” called a voice at tho rear of the house.

“Of course I was a Liberal, and J am still a Liberal. And I am a Reformer, too,” was the quick retort. “If you follow this along what do you find? What does Reform mean?” It meant the initiation of only those things that were good. He was banking on the country to consider and confirm the selection of the party that chose him as its leader. He asked the electors to consider the manifesto he had issued and the terms of that issue. He had not endeavoured to accomplish things that would please every individual in the country. They had not tried to do that, but they had endeavoured to use honesty, and straightforwardly put before the people a few of the matters that require legislation during the next few years. There was sufficient legislation on the Statute Book to meet most of the difficulties, and all they required in addition to what they proposed was to bring that legislation into operation by the thoughtful management of departments of State. If that was done, then this country would progress better than in any other possible way. Bedrock of Appeal. The bedrock of their appeal to tho people was equal opportunity to tho humblest citizen in the land. And how could they get there 1 he asked.

Only by the management of the affairs of the State in such a manner that they would have wealth sufficient to distribute amongst the people in such a way that they could give attention to the aged men and women who had given the best of their years in the service of the State, to those who had been maimed in their service, and to assist the family man. That could only be done by the proper management of the State as the Reform Party proposed. What is the use of promising everything under the sun almost! he asked. A voice: Mr Massey did! “Mr Massey never broke a promise in his life,” was the reply, which produced applause. Mr Coates proceeded to state that they were not telling the people that if elected the people would not have to work any more, and that everything in the garden would be lovely. It was necessary to recognise that there was no short royal road to success, and that they could get there only by dint of perseverance and hard work. It was essential for the employee to be loyal to his employer, and the employer loyal to the worker. It was only by co-operation on the part of both that cither could make a success. If there was anyone who thought he was going to make a success of things by taking things easy then it was better for him to get that idea right'out of his head. They could only make a success of their country by paying reasonable attention to results and the amount of work, energy, initiative and organisation put into work. It could not be accomplished by any other course. It depended, to a large extent, upon a citizen’s calibre and determination to make a success of an undertaking. Strong Government Wanted. On this account, said the Prime Minister, they were appealing to the country to return to Parliament a strong and stable Government, for the reason that there were insidious influences at work directed at undermining those things that Britishers were proud to own. The men who were endeavouring to accomplish that end w r ere not of British breed and stock. These men were concerned about other countries and the international question, and not about the British race. The best friends his hearers had, however, were the people who belonged to their family and no one else. The Reform Party ’s first concern was for their own people. He asked them to recognise and remember that fact, although they were prepared to assist in international mat'tors after that. He asked that the Reform Party be returned to power, so that the Government could be formed independent of any sectional influence in the country. For that reason he was before the electors to ask them to consider the question from their own point of view. He appealed to them to return a Government that was in the interests of good conditions, that was not giving way to class conscience, and had before it the consideration of all the people of the community. He asked them, to consider that matter for themselves and no one else. Banking and Borrowing. Mr Coates went on to deal with criticism levelled by other parties at the Government’s banking and borrowing systems. In regard to statements manufactured in Wellington and fired from the platform, the speaker said the increased cost of administration was £15,000.000, but not to the taxpayers. £8,000,000 of that amount w r as due to war pensions and interest and repayment on the war loan of £76,000,000. The increase in ordinary pensions amounted to £600,000, and he defied anyone to prove his figures to be incorrect. Th figures he was giving were certified to as being correct by the Treasury. He added that £300,000 of the administration expenses were in regard to the repayment of money borrowed for schools and roads, which were not interest earning. Were his opponents prepared to say that New Zealand should not have participated in the Great War and stood by the Mother Country when her honour and standing were threatened? If they said the figures were wrong they had to say that. Were they also prepared to say that the war pensions were not justified, and roads should not be put into the back com try? Mr Coates paused for a moment and then remarked: “All silent.” (Applause). Post and Telegraph and Railways In mentioning the Post and Telegraph and Railway Departments, Mr Coates asked if they had been a charge on the taxpayers since 1912? A voice: “The railways are going back. ’ ’

Mr Coates: “That sounds like a real dinkum Liberal.” (Laughter and applause). Continuing, the speaker referred to an observation made by a Liberal candidate recently to the effect that they did not want the railways hurried up, and he desired to get back to the “good old days.” If that w r as what was classed as Liberalism it had nothing to do with him. He personally was going to make the railways the best department in the land before he was finished with it. (Applause). The trouble was that the men who were criticising the railways knew nothing whatever about them. He defied anyone to alter the policy he had laid down for the Railway Depart-

ment to follow. When the Railway Statement was under discussion, the Opposition had little to say lt was easy to talk to the people of the country who did not know anything about the exact position, but it was a different matter to talk in the House where there were men who know something about the railways. An interjector: “Do you refer to Mr Veitch?”

Mr Coates: “If the cap fits wear it!”

When the critics quoted the increases they did not say how the increases came about. They did not refer to the increased salaries to the P. and T. employees. The critics either had to say the employees should have had the cost of living bonus or that they should not. Mr Coates said that in considering the cost of administration, the P. and T. Department and the railways had to be eliminated, for they paid their way. As the Government had to pay bonuses for increased cost of living, fully onethird had to be added to that cost. The debt per head of the population was £3 5s 6d in 1914, compared with £3 0s 9d in 1925, or a reduction of 4s 9d.

A voice: “How has the cost of living gone up, then?” Mr Coates: “Because of tho depreciation of the sovereign. Everyone knows that.” Continuing, Mr Coates said the Reform Party stood for everything up-to-date—the best, and the very best. Interest-Bearing Debt. The Government, Mr Coates said, had handled the departmental costs with the greatest economy. Why did the critics not tell of the revenue as well as the expenditure? They spoke of the “orgy of extravagance,” but they did not tell ho.w the revenue had also increased. Referring to the Public Debt, he said that in 1912 it was, £84,300,000, of which amount 77 per cent, was interest-bearing. Since then money had been borrowed for war purposes. Would any one say that New Zealand should not have helped Britain in the war? Some £66,800,000 had been borrowed for developmental purposes since 1914. Ninety per cent, of that was interest-bearing and no charge on the community. An Optimistic Note Mr Coates then struck an optimistic note. New Zealand had weathered strikes and war and slumps. “We are well round the corner now and going ahead,” he said. To be optimistic was a better attitude than that adopted by opponents. “There are better times ahead than have ever been in the past,” he added. Critics quoted other countries and compared the debts. But there was no analogy. New Zealand was a new country in the developmental stage. The debts on the old lands were a dead weight and not in-terest-bearing, as in New Zealand. Opponents of the Government came along with wild promises to do everything, and at the same time they said the expenditure should cease. How were they going to do all these things without money? Were these people likely to give better results to the community and the taxpayers than the party which had designed such schemes as the hydro, and was pushing them through with such success? The hydro schemes when linked up would give power at a price which would compete with that of any other country in the world. How to Borrow How would the critics i fi uance land development, irrigation, roads, drainage, railways, schools, etc? They would borrow in the country, they said. Unless it could not be avoided, it was better to borrow outside the country and leave all the capital in the country undisturbed for other development works by private enterprise. So far as the Government’s schemes were concerned, its policy was to complete them as quickly as possible, and put them on a commercial basis so as not to be a burden on the taxpayer. .Nationalists’ Flattery So far as the Nationalists’ policy was concerned, Mr Coates thanked them for copying word for word from his Public Works Statement. Go Ahead Policy. The Government had completely eliminated political influence from its programme of works. The Government was well away from the old scheme of 10 or 14 years ago, when it handed out a bit here and there without any definite programme. This Government had a definite policy for developmental works. “Smashing Figures.” Quoting from an article in the local Nationalist journal of October 23, under the above heading, Mr Coates referred to the assertion that the expenditure on the railways was greater than the revenue by £332,805. The fact was that a mistake of £320,000 had been made. A voice: “Near enough for the ‘Herald.’ ” Mr Coates: But it has to bo answered.

The Prime Minister then quoted from the Treasury Statement setting out the gross earnings and expenditure for the department, and he concluded by saying that not much credence could be given to people wtio were £320,000 out in their figures. “If you are going to have good Government you must have good management and sound finance,” said Mr Coates. He believed the Reform Government had managed the country well and its finance was sound. (Applause.) The interest paid by the railways was at the rate of 3.55 per cent., which was about £90,000 short of the amount required to make them pay their way last year. But, then, there were exceptional circumstances. The railway strike cost £95,000 and the infantile epidemic £lOO,OOO, and in addition £BO,OOO had been paid into the superannuation fund. Critics said the rate of interest paid on the railways loan money was 5 per cent., but it was 4 per cent., and the aim of the Government was to make the railways pay 4J per cent. And the Government would do it. The Government was going to make the Department a credit to the State. It could not be done instantly. Out-of-Date Workshops. The railway workshops were costing the State £200,000 to £300,000 a year. They were a millstone around the Department ’s neck, and the men did not have a chance to turn out work as they should. Under the existing conditions, the men did wonderfully well. Of the machinery in the workshops, 60 per cent, was out of date, 30 per cent, was 10 to 20 years old and 10 per cent might be of some use. The Government’s policy in regard to the workshops would take three years to accomplish, but then the Department would have most modern shops, and be in a position to get repairs carried out at

the least possible cost. The workshops would cost £1,500,000, but that would be returned to the country in ten at no charge to taxpayers—simply through the better and more up-to-date work. Team Work Mr Coates then went on to speak of team work and co-operation. “ Unless these is the co-operation of every man in the show, you arc not going to make any headway. But we are making headway now,” ho added. He said that every man was taking an intelligent interest in his work, but it took time for them to feel that they were a real live part of the show. Mr Coates said he took it that all departments of the State were for the purpose of serving the State and not only for the workers engaged in those departments. If the employees gave good service, their merits would be recognised. Land Legislation. Mr Coates said the party’s policy was freehold, and it was definitely opposed to aggregation. A stock-taking of all land in the Dominion was to bs made for the purpose of deciding what land was fit for closer settlement and the Government would not hesitate to apply the compulsory clauses of the Act. No man would be put on land unless it was got at a price at which he could make farming pay. Pumice and swamp lands would be developed by the Government.

Referring to the financing of farms, the Prime Minister said a State Bank would not meet the case. A commission had now gone abroad to find out all about agricultural banks. It was better to find out if the system would work in Now Zealand before legislation was put on the Statute Book. That was the cheapest way. Immigration. The Government’s immigration policy was to bring out about immigrants. There were over one million unemployed in England, and it was up to New Zealand to help the Old Land. No better stock than the British could be got. (Applause). Other Points. Mr Coates then briefly and rapidly ran over some of the remaining planks of his platform—education, assistance to family men, help to injured -workers, extension of public health policy and the protection of infant life, improved housing conditions, etc. On the subject of defence, he considered New Zealand should not throw away all protection but be able to look after herself if necessary. Appeal to Electors, In conclusion, Mr Coates earnestly asked his hearers to consider the few claims he had laid before them. He was, he said, asking them to send to Parliament a man who was going to stand by the Government; and a point to be remembered was that those W’ho were not for him were against him. No half-hearted support could make for good Government. He appealed to his hearers to support the Reform candidate for the Wanganui seat, Mr John Coull. There would be no difficulty in choosing between the policies at the forthcoming election. On the one side they had the policy of the Labour Party, and on the other the platform of the Government, which was a different and defined policy. The other party, he considered, did not come into the question, and it was imperative that they should get back to the two party system. Thanks and Confidence. Mr F. K. Turnbull, in proposing a hearty vote of thanks to the Prime Minister, and confidence in the present Government, remarked that Mr Coates had laid the plain unvarnished truth before the electors. He felt sure that, after hearing what the Reform Party had done in the past, and the Prime Minister’s clear and lucid explanation of what the party wanted to do in the future, the great majority of the audience would go with him in carrying the motion. Dr. E. E. Porritt, in seconding the motion, said that after thirty yeras’ residence in Wanganui the electors would believe him when he said he knew sufficient of Mr Coates, and his family, to know that every word he said could absolutely be relied upon. The motion was carried without a single dissentient voice, after which cheers were given for the Prime Minister.