Mr. W. J. Broadfoot Speaks In Otaki

Chronicle (Levin), 17 May 1949, Page 2

Mr. W. J. Broadfoot Speaks In Otaki

The Anglican Hall was comfortably filled on Thursday evening last Wheh Mr. W. J. Broadfoot, National member for Waikato, addressed a public meeting in Otaki. Mr. J. D. Avery was in the chair and also on the platform was Mr. J. J. Maher, M.P. for Otaki. On rising to speak, Mr. Broadfoot was greeted with : applause. He referre'd to the increase that had been brought about in all lines of production by the capitalist system. He agreed that all systems had faults. It had been said that the only difference between the old-time Tory and the Radical was "half a crown." Who were the capitalists? asked the speaker. Returns showed that of £148,000,000, the average savings bank accouni was £116. Thus the people as a whole were the capitalists. His party believed in a fair profit for investors, as that was the motive that induced people to risk capital for the class of enterprise that increased production. It was . ths driving force both 'for. the State and the indivfdual. In places where it had been tried, the Socialist Government did not allow for human nature and there was lack of com-' forts and education. Large amounts were spent by the present Ministers in trips abroad, yet the same Ministers had been very severe critics when they were in the Opposition, continued Mr. Broadfoot. Political • Interference. Laws had to be ' enforced, he said, and if the law was bad then iiz should be repeaied. The present Government had set up many committees with ju'dicial powers from the decisions of which there was no right of ' appeal. There was too much political interference. The law courts were the bulwarks of the rights of the peop'e. The present Government did not want orivate ownership of property. The National Party stood for freedom of ownership of businesses, farms and homes, and the encouragement of private enterprise, to give to the people of New Zealand the right to work under a system of freedom — the right to come and go, the right of equality before the law, and freedom of speech and of the Press. What had happened in Australia couid happen in New Zealand ii Communist movement was not checked, declared the speaker. Communism had different methods. There were those of Hitler, Mussolini and Lenin, but the objective was the same. What was wanted was a criminal-. code to cover that sort of thing, and his party would see that that was done. All wars had been caused by attacks of States led by such leaders. The Labour Party had not introduced the idea of social security as they claimed, continued the speaker. It was started by the late Rt. Hon. R. J. Seddon in 1898, and the present claimants had enlarged upon it. What of the cost of living? How many things had gone up over 100 per cent.? What of the housewife's expenses? Kitchen utensils had gone up 132 per cent. For the farmers the higher costs had caused less production. The present cost of posts and fencing wire was a serious handicap, yet without more production the suandard of living would have to go down. Land Bill Criticised. The Land Bill of last session had given the right of purchase to leaseholuers, but when consideration was given to the formation of many committees that were appointed to deal with local questions it would not inspire much confidence, for the Government's appointees were often people of no experience in the work to be undertaken by the committee." The only fair method to deal with land values was the price at which the one party was willing to sell and the other party willing tc purchase at. Referring to the way in which values weer fixed b ythe Land Saies Valuation Committee, Mr. Broadfoot said it was most unfair. He cited a case of a ten-roomed house with three acres of shrubs and . flowers, the; selling price allowed by the' Land Saies Court being £2100, even though it had been pointed out that to build a similar house at the present timo would cost £5000. The valuer had agreed th.at this was true, but as the house had been built .33 years ago he had to write it down at so much for each year. The fact that the house had been built' of first-class heart tim-

ber that would far outlast most of that obtainable throughout the last few years could not be taken .into account, although the 33-year-old house in fact had a higher value than many of the recently-built houses of the same type. He considered that capital punishment should be reinstated, said Mr. Broadfoot. "An eye for an eye, ,a tooth for a tooth." The Hon. Sir Apirana Ngata had been. most helpful in the legislation that had brought a large number of acres of native-owned land , into a highly productive state, with much advantage to the Maoris and the country as a whole. Letter writing in Government departments was apparently largely a lost art, claimed the speaker. Last year the Government had spent £395,000 in toll calls. Not only was this system of doing business very expensive, but it caused delay to

the business men who required to use the telephones. In reply to a question, Mr. Broadfoot said he would be in favour of a repeal of the Land Saies Act. When asked why more had not been. done at the time about the Acting Prime Minister sending a eablegram to Moscow in the name of the people of New Zealand, Mr. Broadf oot said that the matter had tnot been dropped-and thanked the questioner for bringing it forward. A vpte of thanks to the speaker was moved by the ctfairman, and Mr. J. J. Maher, in a short address, supported the remarks of Mr. Broadfoot. . A vote of thanks to the chair brought a very sucoessful meeting to a close, after which supper was served under the supervision of the ladies of the National Party committee.