MR. G. W. RUSSELL AT LINWOOD

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2309, 17 November 1914, Page 6

MR. G. W. RUSSELL AT LINWOOD

THE CBVERNMENT'S FINANCE

Chrlstohurch. November 16. Mr.\G. W. Russell, Opposition candidate for Avon, opened his campaign to-night, when he addressed a largelyattended meeting of electors in North Linwood School. Mr. Kussell said it was a matter of regret that members of the Opposition found themselves embroiled in a political conflict. When tho war opened both parties joined in the common cause, and a conference was held to decide whether the elections should take placo or not. Liberal representatives at that conferenco urged that at all events the elections Should be postponed till February next. The Prime Minister, however, decided to liolcl the elections at the usual timoy and the. result was that what would nrobably be tho most bitter political strugj;l<vin tho history of New Zealand would' bo waged at a timo when .the

Empire was fighting for its existence. The responsibility for it rested with the Government and not with tho Opposition. The dominant issue before the electors was whether the present Government should stay in office or whether Sir Joseph 'Ward and the Liberals should replace . them. All other questions were side issues. A change of Government after tho last, election was. tho best thing that could liavo happened to Now Zealand—(hear, hear) —for it showed tho people of the ■country, and especially tho young men and women, what the ■ Conservative Party really was when it got into office. Ho charged thoMassoy Government with having broken nearly every ono of tho promises and pledges upon which it was returned to power in 1911. Dealing with finance, Mr. Russell said tnat when the Massey Government went into office there was a surplus of £807,000, the following year tho surplus was £709,000, the next year it had fallen to £426,000, and Mr. Allen had admitted that £50,000 of that was for the Admiralty subsidy not paid, so that the real surplus was only £326,000. During the first year of Mr. Massoy's term the increase of expenditure was £741,000, and in the second year tho increase was £744,000, an increase r.f £1,485,000 in two years, as against an increase of two millions in five years that Mr. Massey had charged against tho Liberal Party. ■ The finances of the country were going headlong to ruin. During the year ending March 31 last the expenditure had increased by £744,000, while the revenue, had increased by only. £494,000, which meant a deficit of £250,000. For the first six months of the present year there was another deficit of £232,000. The balance to tho credit of tho Consolidated Fund two and a half years ago, when the present Government came into power was £939,000, that had dwindled down until at the end of tho last six months the credit was £150,000, although. the Government had arranged to pay £376,000 into the Publis Works Account. When the present Government took office there was no Treasury bills out. At the end of September,. 1914, Treasury bills to the amount of £980,000 had been issued, in order to carry on the government of the country. ' The prosperity of the country depended. upon its ordinary finance, and if there was a Government incapable of controlling the ordinary finances of the country, then ruin was at hand, or,at any rate, financial trouble. The' expenditure on railways had also increased much faster than _ revenue. The Government had promised to reduce expenditure, and they had not done it. They had promised to reduce borrowings, and they had not done that. In 1911 Mr. Massey promised to bring in a system of compulsory insurance against sickness and unemployment. Where' was the Bill now? Nothing was heard of l it until February last, when Mr. Herries said the Government were watching to see how 1 Mr. Lloyd George's scheme at Home operated, and that there was no hurry. There was plenty of hurry, however, to grant, the freehold to Crown tenants.

A Voice: "You voted <, for that." (Laughter.) • Mr. Ruseell: "I will deal with that by and by." Continuing, <Mr. Russell said' that Mr. Massey had promised to provide purity of Government What happened? The Royd Garlick case; the Reed clause in the Land Act;' Public Trust scandal; Westport Harbour Board' appointment., Tho Massey Government also promised the "square deal" for everybody. What about the deplorable event at'Huntly, on September 12, when forty-two brave men were killed outright? He was not going to throw harsh words at any Minister—(laugh-' ter) —hut very grave responsibility lay ab the door of the; Massey Government in connection with that matter. Mr.. Russell also dealt with proportional representation for the House of Representatives, which would enable Labour to secure its full. representation. Mr. Russell complained'that the Government's scheme of Legislativo_ Council reform would not be effective till 1923. He also dealt with the position of women workore in woollen factoriee, and maintained that the Bill introduced , by Mr. Wilford was strangled. Mr. Russell contended that the policy of the Government had been/ to emasculate the cheap monoy scheme, nnd he believed there would be no free flow of cheap money until Sir Joseph Ward was back again in office. Continuing, Mr.' Russell said the borrowing powers passed by the Government at the present time totalled £12,425,000. .Ho expressed sorrow that the leasehold policy had broken down.* ' < ■

Mr. Russell said he would. support some form of public control on 'the. Bible-in-schools'. question. He would strongly support the present system. „ A motion of thanke and confidence was .proposed and declared carried, al-. though there was considerable opposition to it when put to the meeting. ■;.

•In their desperate effort; to find some weak spot in the Government's armour, the Opposition are stooping to the use of weapons, the employment of whioh will recoil upon themselves. The satellites of 1 the party have been announcing the fact that they have found another canteen scandal. They state that the New Zealand Expeditionary Force in Samoa is being charged- exorbitant prices for cigarettes, ginger beer, etc., and, of course, they blame the Government for this. In their eagerness to make party capital these Oppositionists do not stop to inquire as to the real state of affairs. ■' The canteen at Samoa is run by the Tegiments, and nil profite" go into the funds of the regiments. prices charged are less than those charged in. New Zealand for the articles sold. The Government have nothing whatever to do with the canteens at Samoa. Instead of having discovered a. canteen scandal the Opposition have only found one of their old mare's-nest.— "Wairarapa Times."

Writing of Mr. H. de Lautour's first meeting in Gisborrie on Thursday night, a local paper says:—"lt is very pleasing to record that Mr. H. de Lautour, the Reform-Liberal candidate for the Gisborne sent, had an immensely successful meeting nt the Opera House. As is well known, the occasion was his first big speech in connection with the present campaign. No doubt he had felt that when he reached Gisborne in the course of his campaign, he would be honoured with a. particularly largemeeting, seeing that the political barometer in town as well as in the country would seem to bo clearly pointing' to "change" in the matter of the representation of this electorate in. the House. But, for all that, we venture to say that both as regards size of audience and amount of enthusiasm as regards his meeting last.night,: what was actually the position must have been far bej'ond even his highest expectations. The commodious building, it is no exaggeration' to say, was'filled, to overflowing in_every part; every section of the community was well represented; and members of the fair sex formed no inconsiderable section of tho {gathering. As for tho amount of enthusiasm that was manifested, wo are, it will be agreed, equally within the mark when we say that it was'such as would have made thoroughly gled the heart of any aspirant for political or any other kind of high honour."

Russian tolorance towards' prisoners of war is astonishingly illustrated at Kostroma, where a number of Austrians interned there havo been permitted to lease a kinema theatre, while another group of prisoners have formed a band which plays Czech airs in the streets.

Grand Duke Nicholas, the Coinman-dcr-in-CMof of the Russian Army, is 6ft. Gin., and is noted for his enormous strength. He has boen known to take up an ordinnry-sized man with each Jiand and carry them eomo distaiioo.