A CRITICISM.

Hokitika Guardian, 30 November 1931, Page 5

A CRITICISM.

(To the Editor.) Sir, —Air O’Brien in bis speech the other evening omitted certain facts which would greatly modify the impression caused. He said that Air Lang had defaulted in the interest due on loans as lie pieferred that to letting his people starve but Air O’Brien omitted to 'state that Air Lang had wrecked the Government Savings Bank at the same time and that though lib had defaulted tlie English ' lender he had paid .. trie American lender his interest on the principle up doubt that John Bull having got used to losing his money would not feel it and the amount paid the American lender might help tire gold reserve. Also that Mr Lang collects one shilling in the pound on wages and increased the Civil Service cut (which he had promised to restore) to an average of twenty per cent.—further that the farmers of New South Wales were endeavouring to form a separate State.

Mr O’Brien said -that the amount deposited in the Banks was very great but he should have also said that the Banks had loaned .it all out and something more. This would leave corrected the very mistaken impression that the Banks are full of depositors’ money awaiting investment and the Labour Party. He also with his confused reference to the charwomen and girts having to pay two pence out of their 7s 6d per week, gave to some people the impression that the higher incomes were not paying income tax, but all incomes over £250 have to pay income tax, and the bigger the income the heavier the tax and the higher the 'rate, so mat an income of £SOOO pays not ten times the tax that £SOO pays but one hundred times as much. Air O’Brien also showed gome forgetfulness of the, great depression this country in common with all Others suffers from and this seems to 1 have obscured his perception of the necessity for economy.

After hearing Afr O’Brien’s speech I am deeply convinced by what he left out therefrom that to vote 1 for a Labour Government at thjs grave crisis would be a perilous mistake. GEORGE PERRY. Hokitika, November 30th.