POST OFFICE BANK
MR. HAMILTON’S TERM IN OFFICE 1 DEPOSITORS DID NOT DROP AT ALL I REPLY TO PRIME MINISTER [ Per Press Association.] WELLINGTON, May 9. “The Prime Minister never ceases to accuse his opponents of misrepresentation, but the following example will show the length he himself will go to try and put his opponent off-side,” said the t Leader of the Opposition (Hon. Adam Hamilton) in his address , here to-night. Mr Savage stated, in the course of his speech, that during the past two years of my period as Postmaster-General, the number of depositors in the Post Office Savings Bank dropped by 81,000. “My reply to this Ls, that, in , actual fact, the number of accounts did not drop at all! The Prime Minister was here guilty of ) one of the most unfair forms of f misrepresentation. It has often been stated that half a truth is the worst form of a falsehood. But the Prime Minister’s statement here is scarcely half a truth. “What happened was that the law was amended in 1932 to transfer 80,000 ‘dead’ accounts from the. Post Office into the ’ Consolidated Fund. These ‘dead’ accounts, with average deposits of l under £l, represented accounts that had not been operated on for . 25 years, and were treated as un ’ claimed money. This was asked for by the authorities to save book-keeping. By this amendment to the Act, these 80,000 accounts were dealt with in this way. This information is on the same page (651) of the 1938 Year Book, as the table from , which the Prime Minister got his figures. , “The Prime, Minister is hard up , indeed for arguments, when he adopts such tactics. As a matter of fact, it would be correct to say from the nearest figures available, that deposits were greater by over £8,600,000 during my last year of office, compared with my first year. “How can we excuse a Prime Minister who so grossly misrepresents his opponent, and misleads his listeners?’’ LOYAL SUPPORT AND CONFIDENCE MOTION GREETED WITH APPLAUSE Mr Cheviot Bell moved: “That this meeting desires to express appreciation and thanks to Mr Hamilton for his speech and assure him of the loyal support and confidence of all men and women in this country opposed to socialism, and to convey to him our conviction that he be destined to rank among the great leaders in New Zealand political life.” The motion was received with prolonged applause.
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Bibliographic details
Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 80, Issue 108, 10 May 1938, Page 8
Word Count
406POST OFFICE BANK Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 80, Issue 108, 10 May 1938, Page 8
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