PRIME MINISTER ON TOUR

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 165, 8 April 1921, Page 5

PRIME MINISTER ON TOUR

VISIT TO TARANAKI SPEECHES ON QUESTIONS OF GENERAL POLICY

PRODUCERS’ PROBLEMS By Telegraph—Special Reporter. Hawora, April 7. The Prime Minister paid a visit to the Patea electorate to-day for the purpose of speaking to the electors on behalf of the Government candidate, Mr. .E. Dixon. He was accompanied by the Minister of Agriculture (Mr. Nbeworthy). The by-election campaign has been proceeding vigorously since the end of the Parliamentary session, and tho supporters of the Reform candidate have no reason to be dissatisfied with the progress that Mr. Dixon is making. Ho has been having excellent meetings in many parts of the electorate, and the <■ policies that he is advocating are such as are likely to appeal to a conptry electorate in which a sturdy farming element predominates. Mr. Dixon has two opponents, the Liberal Opposition being represented by Mr. W. Morrison and the Labour Party by Mr. M'llvride. Mr. Morrison polled well at the 1919 general election, when he was defeated by the late Mr. W. D. Powdrell, but there were local circumstances in his favour that do not exist at the present time. The Labour Party is being particularly active in this contest. Members of the Parliamentary Labour Party are sneaking all over the electorate, and,the party is canvassing thoroughly. They do not expect to win with Mr. M'Tlvride, but they are making an eager bid for second place on rolling day. Local people anticipate that the Labour candidate will be nuito definitely at the bottom of the poll on Anril 13. Mr. Dixon’s victory is confidently expected hv his friends. Mr. Massey reached Waverley before 5 p.m., end was accorded a very hearty welcome by the local wople. The chairman of the Town Board (Mr. H. A. Adlaml extended a formal welcome in the hall, where two or three hundred people had gathered; and Mr. Masseymade a vigorous Speech, chiefly an ai estions of general, policy. The Prime Minister paid a tribute to the lato Mr. Powdrell as an able and conscientious advocate of farming interests. Me Paid he did not know that his participation in the by-election was necessary, but like on old war horse ho liked to be in any fight that was going. '' The Dominion at present, said Mr. Massey, was passing through a period , of exceptionally severe financial stringency. though he was optimistic enough to Believe that it would not last long. The financial trouble during tho var had been nothing to the present trouble, hut the people ought to realise that New Zealand was not suffering a.s badly o’ many other countries were ’oing. Wool Market Mismanaged.

Mr. Massey proceeded to refer to the mismanagement of the wool market by the Imperial authorities, who had starved the market at inflated prices and so allowed a huge quantity of wool to accumulate. He feared that this year’s clip would not bring more than A 1,500,000 or -£5,000.000, aa against over A 11,000,000 last year. The British authorities were hold ing now their New Zealand wool, for which they had paid £22,000,000, and they were also holding £8,000,000 of profit made on the wool already sold. They said that this profit must be placet! against the loss likely to be made on the unsold wool, but he was not satisfied with this arrangement, and he propose dto carry the discussion, further. He hoped to secure at least a small part of the accumulated profit for New Zealand. 'The wool situation would right itself when the manufacturing nations, including France and Germany, were able to buy and us® the wool that they urgently required. Freights on Meat.

The trouble with regard to meat was less severe, and should not last more than a few months, eay, until August. Even now, if freights and charges were reasonable, there would be very little to complain about. The reasons for the increase in freights were complex. One reason was a combination of shipowners, an danother was the increased running costs. Those costs certainly would have to be reduced. The delays that occurred in the loading and unIwiding of produce on the New Zealand coast would have to be stopped. Butter and Cheese. He did not think that there was much wrong in the butter and cheese markets. Butter prices had fallen, but that had been bound to come, and the producers would have to make the necessary adjustments. The new price WOJiltl be a remunerative price, and 'he believed that in the'future the Dominion would be the dairy farm of the Empire, No man in the Dominion worked harder for his money than the dairy farmer did. and the Government did not lose eight of that fact. He hoped that the time was not far distant when the Government would be able to stop all interference with prices and leave the producers to make their own arrangements as in prewar years. That was the goal he had in view. > » Financial Matters. Mr. Massey proceeded to outline, the position of the Government’s finances. The country was entirely sound, and this year’s surplus would be a record, not. less than .85,000,000. The money was going to be used for the needs of the cun-ent year, which admittedly was likely to see a serious drop in revenue. The Government would be fully prepared, if neceesary, to employ a larger number of men than usual during the winter. Tho beet barometer of the Dominion’s financial position was the Post Office Savings Bank, and ho ’had jffiit received a report informing him that the deposits for the March quarter had shown a very handsome surplus over the withdrawals. That was a belter result than had been expected. After dealing with economies tn the Public Service, and saying that ho hoped’ to be able to reduce the income tax by 10 per cent, next vear Mr. Massey told the meeting that he was looking forward to the time when he would be able to lift the income tax from the farmers. The producers were paying land tax, and one tnx was quite enough for any man to pay. The Government was recognising the vital importance of education, and had made a big increase in educational expenditure. That was necessary since New Zealand had to face new and keener competition in the markets of the world, and its people must be alert and competent. He believed that tho census about to bo taken was going to disclose an unexpectedly large increase in the population of the Dominion. and that this incroapo in largo measure for the shortage of houses. The Imperial Conference. Before concluding, Mr. Massey referred to the busings of the Imperial Conference and to the matters that he had io take in hand Tn london, including The Xi business and a public works loan, which would make matters very mch easier in New Zealand. His principal object at the inference would be to P assist those who were working to make the Empire stronger and safer. A League of Nations might not be attainable but a league of British nations was a. goal that could be attained. He had been behind the scenes and ho 4id not believe that the Brituffi ptTO would tmr stand alone in

of war. Britain and France would support one another in the future as they had done in the past. Tho Primo Minister was enthusiastically applauded when he eat down, and a vote of thanks and of continued confidence in Mr. Massey as leader of the Reform Party and Prime Minister of New Zealand was carried by acclamation.

SPEECH AT HAWERA NEED FOR LESS PARTY AND MORE PATRIOTISM. The Prime Minister and Mr. Nosworthy were entertained at dinner in Waverley,. and did not got away from that town until after 7 p.m. A fast motor run took them to Hawera, where Mr. Massey was due to speak at 8 p.m. He found a very largo and very friendly audience waiting him in the Theatre. The building was crowded in every part before he arrived, and many people were unable to gain admission. Hawera evidently was taking the byelection seriously, and was anxious to hear - what tho Prime Minister had to add to the very many speeches that have been made in the contest. Mr. Massey was given a great reception, which he acknowledged cordially. He dealt to some extent wiIJJ the matters that he had touched on at Waverley, and he made a brief reference to party matters.

His, own idea, he said, was that the country needed less party and more patriotism. He was aware that some people were very anxious to get rid of the Massey Government, but they were not going to succeed. (Applause.) What was the alternative to the Massey Government, anyway? If the Reform Government went out of office tho people would have either a Government with Mr. Wilford at the head and Mr. Holland at the tail, or a Government with Mr. Holland at the head and Mr. Wilford at the tail, (Laughter.) A voice: Where will you be? Mr. Massey: I will be in heaven when that happens. (Prolonged laughter.) No Government Extravagance. The Prime Minister, who had apt rejoinders for saf/eral other interjections, proceeded to traverse some of the arguments that had been placed before the Patea electors by the Liberal and I/aboiir candidates. A good deal had been said about the extravagance of the Government. He could say in reply, first that the Government had already affected important economies, and, secondly, that he had invited all the members of the House of Representatives during the recent session to quote him examples of extravagance, but had got no response. Did the Opposition candidates expect the electors flo believe that Ministers cculd have paid increases in wages ft.’ d salaries throughout the Civil Service without, at the same time, increasing public expenditure, or did they mean to suggest that the bonuses should not have been paid? Every shilling of the public expenditure could be justified. He realised fully that taxation was too high and lie was going to reduce iti directly the tuianc?al 'situation made that possible. S.,me relief had been given to the email men on the land already. Dealing with financial matters, Mr. .Massey defended the action of the Goveminent and Parliament’ in connection with the extension of the moratorium. The extension had averted a very serious financial crisis and had saved hundreds of people from being turned cut of their homes. Some Labour members were, saying now that the Government bad done wrong, bur. this little effort to r, anufacture partv capital looked rather absurd in the light of the fact that the same men had not cast a single vote icgainst the proposal in Parliament. Advice to the Farmers. ■ He advised the farmers in vigorous language not to be discouraged by temporary financial troubles. He remewbered a time in the ’eighties when he had been a straggling settler and had scarcely known how ho was to keep on his feet during a period of severe financial depression, but he and other men had not lost heart, and they through. If the men on the land today kept etout hearts and turned deaf ears to counsel of gloom, they would enlarge safely from their presen troubles. He denied that land aggregation had been proceeding to any significan extent. A community of farmers scarcely needed assurances on that point: they knew that the subdivision of large estates had been proceeding *l™d’y for twenty-five years past and that 11 ■ • ing of farm te farm was a relatively 6 Massey spoke of Nauru phosphate and many other matters. He said that the unrest that was tionbling the world to-day was an inevitable outc come of tho war. The times called for loyalty and for a united front against the disrupting elements that were at work inside the Empire and outside it. He did not believe that, the present generation of Britons would be involved m war again, T>ut there should be no weak points in the Empire’s defences The seaways must “be kept open to Bntisl trade ‘in peace and in war. He advocated in this connection a strengthening ol tlie Empire’s navigation laws with th oAiect of securing the -carrying of British goods in British ships manned by Britisn sailors. Tn conclusion, Mr. Massey eaid he was going to the Imperial Conference assured that ho represented a loyal 1 eopl <1 - tined to ploy a great part m the future of the Southern Hemisphere. He appreciated deeply the confidence that: the people of the Dominion had reposed in h m in the past and that they were continuing to renose in him. (Applause.) It the electors of Patea believed that the Government had done the right ’ 'they would oast tlheir votes on piling day* for their townsman, Mr. Dixon. (Prolonged applause.) The meeting closed with hea'h' cheera for the Prime Minister,, who nod held the attention of the audience for hours. The gathering was probably the largest ever held in Hawera and its very friendly treatment of the Minister was an ' excellent augury tho success of the Government candid The Prime Minister intends to return to Wellington to-morrow. The of Agriculture will remain in the electorate for a few days.