THE OHINEMURI SEAT.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIII, Issue 4488, 6 November 1922, Page 2

THE OHINEMURI SEAT.

MR S. S. ALLEN’S CAMPAIGN. SPEECH AT CENTRAL THEATRE. A large attendance of the public assembled at the Central Theatre on Thursday evening last to hear Mr SS. Allen-, the Reform candidate, deliver his first speech in Paeroa. His Worship the Mayor, Mr P. E. Brenan, occupied the chair, and in introducing the candidate referred to Mr Allen’s great work as a soldier during the War, and said that lie was already very well known personally to a large number of people in Paeroa. - His Worship asked the audience to accord Mr A'Uen a patient and uninterrupted hearing.

Mr Allen, in commencing his speech, said he must first, thank His Worship for the very kind remarks he made when introducing him to the audience. He thought His Worship was right in sayiiig that he knew very many of the people in Paeroa, because for some years' passed he had been going up and down to Paeroa pretty regularly and knew very many of the residents of the town. He thought, as a matter of fact, that he knew Paeroa long before many of those present. It was nearly 30 years since he first came to Paeroa, driving over the old road long before the railways were through, and it was a busy place in those days-, busier, perhaps, than it was now, but not so busy as' ho doubt it would be in the near future, when it reached its, proper place as the principal city of the Hauraki Plains. (Applause.) The speaker confessed that he felt very doubtful about standing for, Parliament when first asked to do so, for several reasons.' He was not. Sure whether he could afford the time apd money necessary for the contest of a parliamentary election,, and then, again, he was not very keen on going to live in Wellington for four or five months in the year, as he would have to do if elected. However, that was. one of the things that either he or. his opponent would have to make the best of, He held strppgly to the opinion that it was up to everyone to help in some way if they could in the government of the country, not necessarily by sitting in Parliament at Wellington, but possibly by being members of local bodies, or at any rate taking some interest in the affairs, either local or general, of the country, and so he had come to the conclusion that it was 1 his- duty to stand if he could, and consequently he was standing there to-night as the Reform candidate for the Ohinemuri electorate.

THREE PARTIES. The speaker said that at the coining election there would be three parties to work the country seeking the votes of the electors, and in addition to those there would be a certain number— a small number, too — of Independent candidates, or so-call-ed Independent candidates, who must really belong to one of .the three recognised parties, those three parties’ being, of course, the Reform Party, the Liberal Party, and the Labour Party. First of all, giving the Liberal Party pride of place—as he supposed it was the party to which the present sitting member was most closely connected with the Liberal Party was supposed to be the party which inherited the traditions 'of Mr Seddon and Sir Joseph Ward and the other former, leaders of that party, many of them men of considerable ability and men who have left their mark on the country. How far the present leader of the Liberal Party, or the party itself, was worthy to bear the mentality of its forerunners the audience was able to judge as well as he, but he thought all would agree with him in their heartsjthat they would not care to see the government. of the country entrusted to Mr Wilford and 'his followers. He thought it would be a very dangerous experiment. The Labour Party was at present the smallest party ip the House, but it was very actively led. Its propaganda -to work the country was very expensive, and in all probability the Labour Party was the party that would be the second party in strength in the coming Parliament, and that was a factor which: the electors would have to take seriously into consideration. The third party was the present Government Party—tne Reform Party—led by Mr Massey, the party to which he belonged. The Reform Party had been in power for some 10 years—ever since they succeeded the short-lived McKenzie Government in 1912. The Reform Party had been at the head of the sittings and in charge of the affairs of the Government during ten very troublous years. In those ten years New Zear land had passed through great changes and vicissitudes.

FINANCE. To begin with, continued the speaker, in 1912, when Mr Massey came into power, the Treasury was empty. Short-dated loans amounting to some four millions were just falling due, and no provisions to replace them had been made, and in addition to that the large spending departments were adding to expenditure in excess of their revenues. That difficulty was' successfully grappled with and overcome, .and formed a remarkable contradiction to the statement which had been made that the Reform Party were not financiers—a very 'foolish statement. In 1913 there came ths waterside strike, which crippled the whole country for several months. That was no sooner over than the Great War started in 1914, and the effects of that war were so far-reach-ing that we would certainly feel them through all our generation, and they would probably continue to affect this country for many generations to comeIn this country he said, we were so far away from the place where the war was actually carried On that sometimes' we did not altogether realise the great change which it had made. For instance, it had doubled the pre-war expenditure of tlie country, it had more than doubled the prewar National Debt, and it had reduced the purchasing power of the sovereign to something like half its farmer

value, and so had affected almost every 'household throughout the epuntry.

REPATRIATION OF SOLDIERS. Following on the war came the great problem of repatriation, said the speaker. Some hundred thousand soldiers had left New Zealand, and m their return it was up to the Government to place them in as good or better positions than they would have been in had they never gone to the war at all. And so some 20 millions were spent in repatriating returned soldiers', cither in placing them oh farms or putting them into business or in building them houses. He was free to admit that a certain portion of that expenditure had not turned out as well as had been, hoped and many returned soldiers were now in a state of difficulty, but that was not the fault of the Government. The Government honestly attempted to undertake this work of repatriation, and the difficulties in which many of these soldiers were unfortunately now placed was due to the fall in the value of prices, which had affected not only them, but the whole community. FINANCIAL DEPRESSION. The period of financial depression, said Mr Allen, set in during the last year, when the bottom fell out of the. market for '.wool, beef, and mutton, and practically all the primary produce of .the country. Most things became unpayable. Fortunately, butter and cheese did*not absolutely become unpalable, but they fetched prices about half of what it had been anticipated they would bring for last. year. Those were the difficulties which the Reform Government had .to face since coming into power, and he suggested that those difficulties had been ably and courageously dealt with by Mr Massey and his Government, and ho statesman in New, Zealand could have dealt with those difficulties in so successful a manner as they had been dealt with by Mr Massey. MAKING ENDS MEET. The most important question in'the country to-day, said the candidate, was finance —revenue and expenditure. At the present time there were very burning question before the country, and economy was wanted all round. Economy was, of just as much importance in managaing the affairs of the country as it was in a business or in a private family, and the happiness and welfare and prosperity of the country depended just as muca on making both ends meet, as did the happiness of a private family. For the 12 months ending March 31, 1921,there was a large excess of revenue over expenditure, due to 'the very prosperous times through, which ths country .passed in that particular year. Income tax reached the enormous total of eight millions. The Customs produced a record revenue, largely on account of pur imports' for that year exceeding our exports by some 19 millions. However, the result was a surplus of some six millions. In the year ending March 31 last the income tax returns fell frpm eight millions to six millions. The Customs revenue fell enormously, and the nett result was a deficiency of over £300,000 for the current year. At the same r.ate of expenditure it was found that the income tax would produce still £2,000,000 less, bringing Jt down to £4’,000i,000 for' the coming year, and the result would be a very large deficiency in our revenue as compared with the expenditure. To irteet this state of affairs, he said, it was necessary to do one or other of two things. Either we had to increase taxation or else to reduce expenditure. As regards taxation, a committee of experts reported that the taxation of the country had reached its limits and that in fact we were being overtaxed. The speaker said he considered we paid too much taxation. If taxation could not be increased, the alternative ‘was to reduce the expenditure.

SAVINGS EFFECTED. In this country said the speaker, we spend every year between 28 and 29 millions. It might be thought at first sight that out 'of that enbrtmOus sum it was easy to make substantial savings, but it was hot quite so easy as it seemed at first sight. Out of that sum some 12% millions is made up with fixed expenditure, such as interest on loans and Pensions, etc. The country paid- some £8,000,000' in interest on loans and something under £4,000,000 in pensions. Close on £2,0'00,000 was paid in war pensions to some 30,000 disabled and partially disabled soldiers, and something under £2,000,000 was’ paid in old-age pensions and other pensions, such as widows’, epidemic, etc., which goes to make up a total of something a little under £4,000,000. That left some £15,000,000 in which economies could be effected. That amount was spent each year in the administration of the various Government, Departments. Of those Departments, however, there were only three that spent more than half a) million in the coursea year, so that in.all the Departments, except those three, only comparatively small savings could be effected. The three large spending Departments were the Education Department, spending about £2.500,000, the Post Offce, spending about £2,500,000, and the Railway Department, spending about £6,500,000. Of those three Departments Mr Allen said he did not think that the country could afford to reduce the expenditure on the Education DeaprtmenxHe considered that the Education Department was the most important in the country, because the community depended upon that Department to give the risiiig generation a thoroughly sound education and prepare them to take their places in life better fitted to meet the world than were their fathers and mothers before them. Education was the principal bulwark and safeguard against Bolshevism.

There were only twp large Departments in which considerable savings could be effected, the speaker, continued, and those were the Post Office and the Railways. Although these Departments spent large amounts of money they were also the two Departments that produced the largest contribution to the revenue, and if one interfered with those departments too

much revenue might be reduced to more than a corresponding degree. The Minister of Finance lObked into them closely, apd came to the conculs’'on that he could save some £519,000 by a careful system of economy in the different Government Departments. The result was that instead of saving £500,000 on the whole year the amount actually saved for the past six months in the year was close on £2,000,000. FARMERS’ INTERESTS. There were one or two points, which especially concern the farming community, he said. During the closing hours of last session two measures of considerable importance to the farming community came before Parliament —the Dairy Bill and the Rural Credit Association'Bill. The former met with' a considerable amount of opposition, and as a result it had to be dropped, but it was probable it would be introduced again in the next session.

The other important measure, the Bill to establish rural credit associ-i.-tions', or agricultural banks, as they were sometimes called, had just been passed into law. The idea of agricultural banks was to enable the farmer to borrow money from his agricultural bank at a reasonable rate of interest. The proposed formation of agricultural banks was a step in the proper direction, but he thought that the thing which was ; going to help the farmers far more in the country districts was the Advances tp Settlers Department. Provision had been made for a very large increase of its operations in view of the fact that the Moratorium was about to expire, and he thought that was the thing which was going to help the farmers far more than any other proposal that could be made, or measure introduced.

ROADS AND RAILWAYS.

A most important question to the whole country was that of roads apd railways. The candidate thought that railways were going out of date. Of course, he said, the railways would always be required for long haulages or for shifting gpods in bulk from the seaports to the different distributing centres. That .was their proper function, and that only, and instead of , building branch railways he thought the people ought to concentrate expenditure as much as possible on . good roads. He said that the expenditure on railways should be trated on main lines, which' should be completed. He considered that the present Minister for Public Works< was on the irght tqaek in his policy, which has concentrated the expenditure on three principal maip lines'. He advocated that instead of branch railways lines good roads should be made, especially through all the country districts, roads suitable for motor transport along which, motor lorries could be run from the distributing centres. The bulk of the Public Works expenditure should indeed be on roads such as these. WATERWAYS.

There was another question whicn was very intimately connected with the queston of rbads and railways, and which was of especial importance in this district, he said, and that was water transport. An enormous work was being done by the Government, and being done very successfully, in bringing vast areas of the Hauraki Plains into a proper state bf cultiva - tion. An enormous quantity of some of the very finbst land in world , was' being made to be productive by the drainage scheme which was m operation. In that scheme he thought that at times the importance of water transport had been lost sight of, and the tendency of that scheme to reduce the value of our rivers in dry weather had not altogether been considered, and where the rivers were silting up on account of this scheme, or for other reasons, steps should be taken to keep the' channels clear to enable people to get water transport throughout the Plains, as in the past. This, he said, enabled the. people to get cheap goods. If there was no water transport, and the ordinary rates of freight co the various stations ir. this district had tc be paid, to'hse rates would; be considerably highei and would put a substantial amount cr< to the price pf everything dint was bought. Tha. was the effect of the water transpo.r, and that was the reason why it involved the necessity of keeping the channels of the various rivers clear for traffic. EDUCATION. At the present time, he said, an important development in the education •scheme was in its experimental stage. That was the establishment of Junior High Schools. The Educational experts say that the child ought to cease its education at the primary schools at about 12 years of ago, and that he does not get proper benefit at the district high schools pr the high schools until be is 14 or 15, he said, which left a gap of two or three* years, and this gap it was intended to fill by the establishment pf junior high schools. At present they were only in the experimental stage. One was just being started in Auckland and another would probably be started in this electorate. (Applause.) He understood that during the recess, after the elections’ were over, the Minister of Education was cbming up to this part of the country to decide on the exact locality where that Junior high school would be established. DEFENCE EXPENDITURE.

In dealing with the subject pf Defence, he said he professed to know something about the subject. He had spent four years at the war, and did not want to see another one, but he felt sure that future wars would come. He was convinced that people could not at present be educated up to. such a point where war wbuld cease. He did not think that as’ far as human experience went that nations would be stopped from fighting one with another, and he thought that a fresh war might come at any time. Two or three weeks ago it was daily; expected. He maintained that in! those circumstances! and with the constant menace of wan before the country it could not .afford to economise in the expenditure bn defence. At present, the expenditure was cut down below* the margin of safety.; For the next or three years, while there wer/ plenty pf returned soldiers

young enough to fight a sain, the country was perfectly safe, lhe said, bu* they were all getting older, and it they went away to war again he did not think some would feel quite as active and as useful as they_did at the last one. The country had got to prepare for future wars and train the rising generation. He thought that any of those who were at Gallipoli or in the earlier campaign ’n France must have realised tht they were part of a very incompetent army, owing to lack ol experience, knowledge, and skill in non-commissioned officers and officers. That was not the fault of those officers—they did ,their best. It was the country’s fault for npt spending a sufficient amount of money on their training to make them competent, he said. LABOUR PARTY'S PLATFORM. In concluding the speaker. dealt with the question of the Labour Party’s policy. At the coming election it was almost a foregone conclusion that the Labour Party would win a certain number of seats from the .Liberal Party, and possibly a few from the Reform Party. It was almost certain that the Reform Party would go back considerably the strongest party in Parliament, and it was equally certain that the Labour Party would be the second in strength. That being so/it was mos; important that the electors should know exactly wlhat the Labour Party proposed to do, because at the coming election the electors would be merely choosing between those two parties, the Reform Party and the Labour Party. The Labour Party some considerable time ago put their policy on paper so that there Could be no doubt as to what they proposed > to do. He thought that some Of those proposals were some of the most ex-

traordinary and foolish that could be imagined. He reviewed the land policy o>f the party, contending that it would have a most unjust effect. Increased value caused by better farming would not go to the owner. The present value would represent the owner’s interest, and the could only sell to the State. State farms were to produce the people’s foodstuffs, probably to get- some of the enormous profits the farmer was supposed to gez these days. Labour proposed increased taxation and much heavier pen - sion payments. He believed in pensions, but vyho would pay a universal pension ? The party’s proposals were absurd and abjectly si,lly. No educated person would ever make such proposals unless for an ulterior purpose. They were advanced to catch votes' from dupes in the towns. i In conclusion the candidate said he did not claim to be in any way better qualified to represent the electorate in Parliament than the present member. That gentleman had many excellent qualities to recommend him, qualities which .the speaker would be one of the first to admit, but he sat and ypted on the wrong side of the House. As a candidate he was not there to make any promises to the electors as to roads, railways, bridges, or post offices, although the palatial structure in which the local postmaster did his work seemed rapidly falling into decay, and he hoped it would very shortly be replaced by a larger and finer building. (Applause.) He could hold out np promise pf a. larger in the Public Works fund, for that fund was distributed according ' to the need and pot according to political conditions. That Would be the wrpng basis for asking support. He would ask them to consider which party would manage'the affairs! of the country most successfully. The Reform Party was the only party they could trust in that respect. The time had gone past for independent members. A member of a party could exert a wider influence than any independent member. He was a member of the Reform Party, apd considered that Mr Massey was the only statesman the country possessed to manage its affairs. The speaker then resumed his seat 'amidst applause. QUESTIONS.

In reply to a question asking the candidate's opinion of the Thames Harbour BiH, he said that the Thames Harbour Bill had already become law. He would certainly have voted against it. The' only thing now tp do Was to vote against the loan proposals as far as possible. To another question he said it was impossible for the country to afford any economy now bn education. In regard to Public Works employees’ he would not support any proposal to bring them under .the Industrial Conciliation Act. Asked for his views on prohibition the speaker said he did not touch on prohibition in thte course of his speech because he did not regard it as a political matter. Nowadays the matter was purely in the hands of the electors to get prohibition or npt, as they choose.

“What Is ,the candidates’ opinion of the Waihou River Improvement Scheme asked Mr L. E. Cassrels. The candidate said he had formed the opinion that all those works were part of the great scheme of the drainage, and thought it was very important. If there was any particular point affecting Paeroa he would be very pleased to answer if he could. Mr Cassrels: There is the matter of navigation, which seems to be neglected altogether.

Mr Allen: The question of navigation was one that I pointed out was being neglected, and that P considered it a matter of very great importance fo r the river channels to he dredged so that navigation can reach some point which it. always has reached in the past. I think the Government should spend money in keeping these river channels dredged. Dealing with the question ofj mining rights, Mr Allen said that for a long time it was thought that the rent payable for mining privileges was payable to the owners of the pastoral lease, but the Crown Department had ruled otherwise. He also agreed that too much of the Warden’s powers had been taken away from him, and too much power had been entrusted to < ' rent departments .operating in mining areas’. \ On the motion of Mr J. Towers, seconded by Mr J. a hearty

vote of thanks was passed to Mr A.len for he able and interesting address, and continued confidence in the Massey Government. A vote pf thanks to the chair concluded the meeting.