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Hokitika Guardian, 23 April 1932, Page 4

It would appear the Member for Westland has been .saying much the same thing in Masterton as he said in this electorate when wooing the electors. He has been drawing the long bow and trying to talk down to tile penpie, and say something to please nts audience. He did that very spwtwr I'ully here, hut lie Ims been called to account in the North Island for Ins

extravagance: of speech. He was addressing an unemployed rally and no doubt thougljt lie- had a receptive audience hut when wider publicity was given his utterances, he manes the complaint that he was misreportcd! He says he did not advocate the repudiation of the overseas debt, but when speaking here we recall his remarks of appreciation of Air Lang’s policy mot to pay overseas interest, hut to keep the money in the country to feed the people! He said the same thing in Masterton, and his excuse there a,s here, auditors of his preelection speech will recall, was that “little comment was made when Mr Baldwin was unable to pay interest to America for three years.’7 Thjat was a statement here, hut there has

never been any explanation of the occasion of the default alleged on the part of the British Government. Mr O’Brien has also ibeem reiterating his talk about reducing interest on overseas public debt—it must have been a stock platform address which was administered to the people. To lower the interest on the public debt at Home is an act of repudiation, sugar coat it as you will, which penalise' those who have no stake in the country for the benefit of those who have. There was also the proposal to “issue Treasury hills,” a form of borrowing to which there must he a reasonable limit, but the Labour cure is to issue ad lib. On the whole while wo must accept 'Mr O'Brien’s diso'mimer of the statements attributed to him in the north, we are not unmindful that he had the same “policy” ideas when contesting the AA estla>tid i c eat, and ii we accept his disclaimer as wo are prepared to do, we have to believe, ahm, that- what was said on the local plat form was just a little verbal oxrur ;, m into the impossible to capture the vote,® o| his auditors. And looking beck 111 the result of the election it. nm -t he admitted he succeeded. That brings us to the question. Are we to believe the electors of Westland arc such poor simps as all that?