POLITICAL ADDRESS.

Hokitika Guardian, 24 October 1925, Page 3

POLITICAL ADDRESS.

MR O'BRIEN -Vf TOWN JIA El-

Mr James O'Brien. the sitting member for Westland addressed the electors at the Town Hall last evening when there was a fair attendance. .Mr O’Brien was greeted with applause on taking the platform, and received a patient hearing through-

out. and at the conclusion of his -pooch was accorded a very hearty and continued round of applause The Mayor (Mr O. A. Perry) occu-

pied the chair. Mr Perry .‘■•aid Mr O'Hrion was present in the course of his election campaign. lie was pleased to .see lie had recovered from his indisposition. He would not take up their time liufc mid a-k Mr O'Brien to address them.

•Mr O'Brien, who was received with applause thanked the Mayor for his kindly references. Since he had been member for Westland he had received .every consideration at the hands of those with whom he had to do buxines-,. even by those opposed to him politically. He was thankful to see so | many present on such an evening. It ' iva, election time again and lie was there to place his policy before them and to point how the country was being run. Take the assets and liabilities of this country of ours. The assets wore all right. They had a most productive country. Take the liabilities of the country. Our national debt was 237 million. Some was borrowed during the war. Outside the war debt they had raised 10-'l millions. During the last 1:1 vears they had gone in debt- about 13 millions a year. The local body debt. II millions, registered mortgages were about 270 millions and there were others estimated at 1-10 million. The total liabilities were nearly 700 millions on which interest had to lie

paid, say at .1 per cent, or 3.7 millions per year in interest to lie paid. Who pays it ? It was agreed that only one ruiarlor of the people, who "ere working in the mines and the farms had to pay most of (his interest. The facing of this fact was one of the problems of flic day. Another question was that of taxation. Taking the period 1018-1021. In 1018 i lie total revenue was 20 million and expenditure 12 million and customs million, fn j O2l the figures were 27 millions. If; millions and 8 millions. In 1018 the percentage of customs was 27 per cent, and in 1021 it was 10 per cent. While customs has been increased, land tax lias been reduced by three million, the burden being taken oil' those best able to pay. and placed on the shoulders of the poorer class of the people. Income tax has been reduced hv 22 per cent, in five years, while customs has l-een more than doubled. Tn 1023 two millions were given hack to the land tax pavers, in 192-1 one million, and in 1027 C 170,000 was given hack, and to those who had an income of over £OOOO per annum. ft- only required £<o.OOO to relieve the poor breadwinner taken sick, by giving him 10s per week while sick, and Ifts for his wife, but the (I'overmnent stated they had no money for the purpose, lint they could take e|f £170.010 off the tax of the rich landholders. The little steal a- lie called the reduction made in Hie income tax. The man with an in-

come ot £ooo got an 8s hi decrease, the £7OOO man £7 Ss 11s. I lie £IO.OOO man CIII and the £30.000 man £78.7. Did they not think that ii would no belter lo consider (lie inlere-U el t!>« poorer people of the country. No squatter pays income tax. The Riddiford family have an income ot £132,000, the Rutherfords wiih £32. 0(10 income and others do not pay any income tax. These ri< h squatter- were looking to the lion Mel.cod to run the country on their behalf. Between the workers and producers and the consumers there - ere all army of middlemen 'dm were making the price- of every commodity go up. Sonic instances of huge profits were the Bank of New Zealand 3.J millions in -I years, and six banks 0 millions in 3 years, one group of .shipping. -It) millions in 3 years. Accident insurance should not be in the hands of a private company, hut should he in the hands of the State, so that they should not have these private companies filling the conns lighting against payment for accident liability. The l.ahor Party aimed at stopping the huge profits of these companies, and what was the result, the Labour Party were dubbed Communists, Socialists. or what not. Not fifteen per cent, of the farmers had the deeds of the freehold, the deeds were in the safes of the mortgagees. The avor-

age farmer to-day was nothing more than a serf. This Government had only made a mortgage hold on the farmers of to-day. The Labour party promised the farmer the full benefits of his Labour and the value of his improvements. Their policy would do good for the farmer, hut it would cripple the man who wanted to live on the land without working the farm. They urged a State hank, a State shipping serviie and State accident insurance. One person in every seven were living in a stale of indecency owing to the disgraceful condition of the housing system. There were 21.000 houses needed at once to relieve the present eonditons. Now they say the Labor programme is drawn up in Moscow. In Greymouth there was a little whispering gang who were out to get O'Brien out. who say he must go out at all costs, lmt

he was not going out. he was going to stay where he was to stop this Kelly gang from carrying out their desires of trying to run that town for their own little benefit. The question of universal pensions was one of their platforms, which the Government was trying to take. Then there was their motherhood scheme, which Labor proposed to give an endowment of 10s weeklv. About the worst thing the Prime Minister had said in his manifesto was that the immigration policy was working well and sinoothily, hut what were the facts. Numbers of those immigrants wore workles.s and starving. He quoted press clippings, one continual cry of the condition of flic immigrants in this country, and more were coming, while those here were a burden on the Hospital Boards of the eountr--. while there were another 9000 of them on the way. They were being brought

for a purpose to cause unemployment. and so enable the cutting down of the wages of those earning more than the basic wage.

He was sorry on this election that he had to answer a number of matters. In that day's “Argus” he had I icon reported as stating Mr Seddon had spoken at Teromaknu (settlement on Sunday. That was not correct. He said that- Mr Seddon did visit Teremakau Settlement on Sunday. He knew he did because he was there himself. Mr Seddon does not address meetings on Sundays, but be went visiting these places on Sundays. Personally be saw no more barm in addressing meetings at outside centres where be could not otherwise visit, than be saw in playing golf or football on a Sunday. Then there was the Communist stunt, the bogey of Socialism and Sovietism. It was a great pity that Mr Seddon used that stuff against the policy of the speaker, If they had

gone hack .3] years ago they would find that the same stuff was given against Air Seddon’s father, Ballanee and cither Liberal leaders, the same old cry of the Conservatives of those days, and now we have the term of years and they had Mr Seddon saying the same things against the Labor party that had been said 30 years ago against his Father, who had been termed in one instance, as one of the sevn devils of socialism. He quoted a number of press cuttings, of criticism of the early nineties, and one from Hie last speech at Sydney before the late Mr Seddon made his last journey. Mr O’pjrien referring to his past services, staled he had at. al! times done his best to advance the interests of the district and he instanced the increasing grants from the Public Works fund for tin* district which had increased in three years from 1:70.C00 to £IOO.OOO. including that set apart for the Main Highways Hoard. During his term no public building had gone hack, and not in one single instance was he imsiiccosful when a legitimate request- was put- in his hands to advance.

About the of Xovcmbor lie was o<>in *4 in leave that in 1 lie hands of 11 1 <? (doctors. 1 1 was their rich! to do as they like. If they cave liim the right of tdio hoot, then ho would accent their decision with a good or ace. On the other hand if ihe decision showed they were satisfied with Ids work in the past- three years and lie was nonin returned lie would do his utmost to prove that confidence was not misplaced. Doting his period as mouther, lit" I hoi ltd 1 1 he had been of service to Westland. When lie went to I’arliament in 1022. the widows pension was 7s fid ! per week and 7s (id. for each child Now it was Ids per week for each, fie did not say it was all his work, hot ho did say lie had some hand in it. Then the old ace pension was lbs per week, and now i! was 17s (id per week. Ih' had helped to Inin;; this ahnut. In 1022 there were no pensions for Ihe blind, now a blind person cels I7s (id a week. Ife had helped to the best i.f his ability to cot these benefits passed. Tn regard to the addition to old age j pensions, he did not like to give ad-

vice to l lit* Westland Hospital Board, as they ooncrally wont in the opposite way. Imt lie did hope tlml I-I ley would consider his Miypest ion that at least some port ion of that tis fid would find its way lo tin* old people who were inmates of its ilist iltll ions. lie had outlined some of his work and if he was favoured with a eont innaime of their support, ho intended to emit mile ill that direction. If In' were a tin in elected lie would do his lies! to advance their ho*! interests. He advised them not to he misled when thev heard the talk of Bolsheviks and Communists. Ilis platform was down in black and white to he read to everyone. Ilis views ** 11 Socialism were easilv exohiiiied. What would they do if they found it neinldnuir in trouble and slarviny. Thev would run round and yivo them shelter and what assistanee lay ill their power. That was all they wanted InCommunism. I > help one another and carry on that help from ope (own to another. After :>(>!;() years of Christianity one can still hear that old erv if Cain ‘‘Am I my hrol her's keeper Of course you are tn-dav. In eonelusion he hoped to maintain ih"ir confidence on November Ith next. (I.oud applause'!. QtT'-OTONS, Mr C. Friend : At Mr Seddon’s meetiny he had asked a ipiestiou on t.ahours I,and Policy and Mr Sedden had stated lliat if farmers wanted to sell. I In*;. - would have to sell I o the State. | Mr O'Brien replied that t'ds was pot so. If a farmer wanted to -"I 1 . he

nisi y sell In a nn| !•<•»• fanner nr In trie Stale. If lie Mild In a fanner all I fie Stale would do would, !„■ n pal |Fie transfer thrnuuh ivil'• ■ •:1 1 en-l. 'l’lm I .abntir I’arlv aimed a: a wtiiiv t<• iit>r--I'nr evorv farmer, a secure tenure i n i every householder win would eel lie ) molested. Tim valuation would lie made | eti I lie i; -mil lines aad if I !■<■ owner f were an! sajisiied !:■- , odd apnea! mi j tile Court. Ilf enlirso lie would lie , liable in he lave I ai !..is .»•,valual inn. I There was one million •■! 1•i• • puiiey. lluil was iin | n >!’' aHI and I In:! was a steeply {iraduated lav en larfie areas, to force the holders ~f hie estates In either use or sell them.

A questioner; If :i person • •">!< up land and improved il would he get tie' full value of 15- improvements. Mr llT.n.ii • Y.and a l-o V hat Ing:i > u fni ils land. Mr K. lie. min: Did Mr O'l’.nen favour a t;i>: on imported timber to give our timber a chance. Mr O’Brien said he was verv much in favour if it. It was necessary to use our timber resources. These fores Is were fully grown and when cut iiiil c mid tie replanted. but j the areas would have to be done j a hit better than the plant- | ing on tlie Ross road. M hat had been j done there did mil sav much for the i intelligence of the Forestry Depart- I ineiil. lie was strongly in favour ot I taxing timber ('specially that coming from Sweden and the Baltic, up io ts per 199 or me.”*’, as long, as the price is pot raised t.n the builder. Mr E. I feenan : Are you in favour of celestials entering into ibis country. Air O’Brien replied that be was not in favour of Ibis rounlrv being swamped by Asiatic labour. They bud to keen the nice pure as long as they possible can.

THANKS AND CONFIDENCE. Mr .1. ('o 11 Iso il moved a hourly vote of thanks and confidence in Mr O'Brien for his able and linen I address. During the last three years he had proved a capable, able and st might forward man. and they were looking; forward to his representing them lor a long term. Seconded by Mr M. McGavin and carried unanimously. Mr O'Brien returned thanks for the vote and the hearty reception given him. H showed hi- work had been appreciated, ami it relumed auain be would continue to do bis host lor Die interests of the iK'onle ol file district. lie moved a hearty vole nl ('hanks to the Mayor for presiding, which was carried by acclamation, and a very successful meeting came to a i•(inclusion.