THE GENERAL ELECTION.

West Coast Times, 21 November 1914, Page 3

THE GENERAL ELECTION.

WRITS ISSCED TO-DAY. ELECTION OX DECEAIBF.R 10th. [PER PRESS ASSOCIATION.—COPVRIOHT], WELLINGTON. Xov. 20. It was definitely announced to-night that the. writs for the general elections will be issued to-morrow and that the elections will be held on Thursday. December 10th. The Afaori elections will take place on December llth. THE PRIME MINISTER AT INVERCARGILL, (per press association.—copyright], INVERCARGILL, Nov. 20. Ihe Rt. Hon. A\ . E. .Massey, Prime Minister, addressed a huge and enthusiastic meeting in the Almiicjpal Trca*re to-night, the Mayor (Mr. AfcFarlane) presiding. Touching on the war. Air. .Massey said it had brought home the necessity c! doing something adequate in the Pacific. We owed a deep debt of gratitude to [he. Australian Navy, and hj ‘ believed that at the end of the war tlu-iv would he a conference of Empire siatismeu, and he hoped there would hj * an agreement hy which there would he pieced in these waters a fleet sufficient io hold its own against anything hkely to come along. (Applause). Air. .Massey thought further sacri-

Mr. Massey thought further saerilieev would Still he required fr.irn N ni Zealand and other parts of the Kmpire, and he was certain sacrifices would he cheerfully and readily given. He also paid a tribute to the pan the v.om.-n of \ow Zealand had played in (■...nipping troops ami assisting in ivlief operations. Mr. .Massey reminded the audience ol the diffienlties tho Government had had to rout end against since assuming office in regard to financial trouble*. the smallpox epidemic and (he. stiik.s. Now they had the war, hut the Government would steer the eountiy through that as it had through other diffienlties. i[o condemned the Ward Government for not having borrowed while the market was good, compelling the Mackenzie Government to borrow on short-dated debentures. Iho Ward Government had lowered tho borrowing limits of Covei iiment Departments and tho Massey Government had raised them, ami he rpioted figures showing what hail been tent during the present financial year, figures, he said, which should convince anyone. Concerning bormning, the I'rinie Minister pointed mu the inaccuracy of Sir Joseph Ward’s suggestion that the Government wanted to borrow over CT2,000,000 this year. As a matter ot tact. Ihe Government did not propose to borrow more than •C0.000.00U. ,\s to indehtnes.s, during the last two years of the Ward Government the increase had been f-V, Is per head and during the first two years of the Reform Government the increase had been £49 jier head. Hie alleged increase of taxation had no foundation in fact. Hie Government had not increased the Customs duty o.i any single article. Direct taxation had only been increased In regard to tier graduated land tax and incomes over £2OOO a year. H u quoted from the 1 ear Book showing that during me two years of tho present administration the revenue from taxation per head had increased by 6s 2d, and dur•ng the two years previous to the Massey Government. taking office it had increased by IS? 4d per head. Tied tho war nut intervened, the Goternniont would have revised the Customs taxation, and would have placed taxes on luxuries and removed them from the ndeessaries of life. Ho was in favour of reducing (ho duty on plug tobacco.

The Government had fulfilled its promise to convert iho leasehold i>olicy into a freehold policy, but the option was left to acquire the leasehold. Ho deiended the Government's land lor sctleme.nt policy ami quoted figures, to -how ; ,',e {’.ro-.-rnmenr had’ done in this direenon, K\ fM.r[- ill: 1 increased by T-3,000.000 during the two years ending June 30, and ir it. bad

not boon for the war, by tho end of the present year there would have been an increase of another £3,000,000. Tho Government intended to cope with Ibe influs of people to tho towns, and already ho was dealing with the valuation question. The land should only bear its fair share of taxation. Mr. Massey pointed out that the shortage of wheat in Europe and Australia was beyond the power of the Government' to deal with, and unless wo grew enough wheat for our own requirements, the price was bound to increase. Ifc referred to the remarkable prosperity of the Dominion in spite of the war, as evidenced by the Post Office Sav "ngs Hank, where in tho first ten months of this year the deposits had exceeded the withdrawals by over a million pounds—almost a record. /.Applause.) Tho Government had carried out as many of its pledges ns it had time for, i and would fulfill every promise. He j ridiculed tho baby bonus in the i r n‘-,.-proposed, and enumerated the measures passed to assist workers.. He ! dwelt, on the increased salaries paid jo State servants. eople had now to choose between the present Government and a party that, if returned, would be dragged at the heels of the Red Foils. A motion of thanks and confidence was carried amidst cheers and counter cheers. Slit JOSEPH WARD AT HA NO 10 HA CHRISTCHURCH, Xov. 20. At Kangiora this evening Sir Joseph Ward addressed a crowded meeting on behalf of the Hon. D. Bnddo, M.P. for Kaiapoi, who is indisposed. Sir Joseph

Wiin] was accorded a very good reception by the meeting. IK- criticised the Government's finance methods iiiid specially condemned its borrowing proposals. Last session it bad taken authority to borrow £12,000,000 "bii b was a record for New Zealand, lie did not know bow tbo country could stand the pace with all the trouble in Knrope. Now was not the pro]iei- time in harrow largely [or public buildings. lie claimed that a loan of L'd.ooo,ooo a year was ample for the public expenditure of New Zealand, lie would cut expenditure upon public buildings d.own by half, and be believed that in four years, upon a loan of £,1,000,C00 a year, all trunk lines could be completed. Sir Joseph Ward also referred to bi B baby bonus scheme and tbo land question. Ho advocated a special graduated land tax but, at the same lime, be would see that nothing unjust or improper was dune to largo landowners. The landowner would either have to pay a special tax or band bis land over to the Government, who would hand it out as farms, giving the landowner debentures. If at the end of a term tlie farms were not worth the Government valuation, a deduction would be made from the debentures, and if wortli more, an addition would be made so ensuring justice to the. large landowner. The Liberals aimed at giving proportional representation, preserving the country quota. Sir. Joseph Ward denied that he, had entered into any arrangement with the Ited beds in connection with the general election. As many Bed Feds were standing against {[Liberals this time as lasi time. Ho bad tried ie win over Labour i,-, vote for the Liberal Party, and be believed lie would secure it. Ho dealt extensively with defence subjects, claiming full credit for the Defence Act, ami denying any suggestion that the Liberal Party would ever repeal the Act. He believed. however, that the internal defence of New Zealand should not cost more than £-150,000 yearly. He strongly condemned the idea of a local navy and supported a naval policy of strengthening tbo Imperial Navy, which had been pursued in the past. It was nonsense discussing the idea of a local navy until after the end of the war, when Britain would know what she would bo doing with her fleet and with the German fleet which would then be her’s by capture.