ELECTION ADDRESSES.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVI, Issue 4890, 14 October 1925, Page 2

ELECTION ADDRESSES.

THAMES CONSTITUENCY. MR. RHODES ON THE PLAINS. Mr T. W. Rhodes, Reform candidate for the Thames electorate, opened the election campaign on the Hauraki Plains on Thursday afternoon last by addressing the electors of Kopuarahi in the school. He was accorded a vote of thanks and confidence. On Thursday evening he addressed 1 a representative meeting at Ngatea, and on Friday afternoon sooke at Orongo. At both places he was accorded a vote of thanks and confidence. Despite his immersibn in a drain while on his way to Turua Mr Rhodes was able to speak to a large gathering at that place on Friday evening and received a vote of thanks and confidence. As befitting a man who has. represented a district in Parliament for years ..Mr Rhoeds is a good speaker, and is not one who has one election speech for use in every place. Speaking at Orongo he referred to remarks made by the chairman of the meeting and said that he was experienced enough and broad enough to represent all classes in the House; instead of only those who had supported him at his election. He had tried to visit all parts of the electorate as often as possible, and at all times had done all that was in his power for all sections. At the present time there were three other candidates in .the field, and they were all really good men. He had known them for many years, and the only fault he could find with them was their politics —they opposed the Government. If .the Reform Party was to remain it was necessary for tlie Reform candidates to be returned. If Mr Coates and his party were not acceptable the electors should vote for the other candidates. In all probability the Reform party would have a good majority in the next Parliament, and the Labour party would be the official opposition. The Liberals would probably be a small party, and he was of the opinion that their good sense would cause them to ally themselves with the Government. It was advisable that tha two moderate parties should unite to fight the extreme Labour party, for it was obvious that unless the people of. New Zealand woke up and took more interest Labour would gain. He hoped that this would never come about. The only way to prevent it would be to return a strong government such as would be that under Mr Coates, who had proved his worth by the way he had handled the Public Works, Railways, and Post and Telegraph departments; For Mr Coates to continue his good work he would have to have a bigger majority than in the past, so as tb be encouraged to go off the beaten path.

SOLDIER SETTLERS. Mri Rhodes said that he was pleased to see the way the Government had treated the returned soldiers. He thought that they had been dealt with justly, and that the valuations of their land had been reduced to its true level and .the conditions improved. There was no doubt .that mistakes had been made, and endeavours were being made to rectify them. He had been, glad ,to assist whenever possible. LAND POLICY. New Zealand required a reduction in taxation and an increase iii production. To that end her.d-testing should be assisted and manures cheapened. Unoccupied land should be opened for settlement. The Crown did not have much first-class land, but had plenty of second and thirdclass land, which, if given access, could be opened. He had done, and would continue to do, what he could. New Zealand was prosperous, and had the reputation of having its wealth more evenly distributed than any other country. The- working of the State Advances Department had been most advantageous. Its establishment had not been due to the present Government, but it had extended its operations and provided it with greater sums of money. About £27,0’00,000 had already been placed at its disposal, including about £4,000,06’0 last year. This had not proved sufficient, but the Government was raising a loan and hoped to be able to overtake the leeway and be in a position to meet all . demands promptly. The department was Working at .top pressure, and hoped .to clear off all. arrears by March 31. This had been publicly stated by the Minister, of Finance. He did.not think that there was anything doing sb much good for the farmers as the State Advances Department. He was not against agrisultural banks, but no one knew as much about them as they would like. The Government had sent a 1 Commission around the world to inquire into their workings, the members o fthe Commission being the chairman of the N.Z. Farmers’ Union, the .late head of the Treasury, and the late chairman of the Associated Banks. The Government would thus get the three views—the farmer’s, .the States and the bank’s. The report would come before the incoming Parliament, arid it would then be decided whether to establish rural credits, have a State bank, or extend .the scope of the State Advances Department. Anything of benefit to farmers brought out in the report would have the support of the Reform party. Primary products equalled 90 per cent, of the Dominion’s exports, and if New Zealand was to continue” to prosper the Government would have to do all it could to assist and help the primary industries. The margin of exports over imports was now satisfactory, but there was no reason why the aim should not be to increase the exports by assisting the men on the land. It had been stated .that the Reform party was helping the big men. He knew that it was the 'aim of the late Prime Minister to help the small man and that the Hon. J. G. Coates had little time for the big man. To help the masses was the aim of the Government, and there was no justification for the contrary assertions. One of the candidates when speaking at Thames, said Mr Rhodes, had stated that it was a remarkable fact

that gold production had fallen, since, the present Government had come into power. There was nothing logical in the argument, just as it; would not be logical to attribute the increase in the rise in the exports of ;s primary products from four to eighteen millions to the Government. TAXATION. Since the war the Government had raised money by many means. Conditions were now getting back to normal, and the Government was able to remove some of the .anomalies. Until 'recently farmers were charged land as well as income tax. Now the income tax was removed and the tax on mortgages was On a sliding scale. Income tax reductions and other concessiong had cost the country £3,000,000, yet notwithstanding this the Government had a surplus of £1,250,000 ; and had been able to do many things, such as increasing and improving. pensions. - FLAX GROWING. Mr Rhodes dwelt at length on the flax industry. He said that there was an area of 3800 acres on the Hauraki Plains that for many years would be unsuitable for dairy farming, but it would be very suitable for flax growing. He had advocated an improvement in the tenure, and had received, support from all over the Dominion and from the Lands Department. As a result an amendment of the Hauraki Plains Act had been made altering the tenure from 10 years to 21 years, with the right of renewal. With this concession he looked forward to seeing a lot of the land around Torehape, Kaihere, and Patetonga planted in flax on systematic lines. It would give a lot of employment, and every farmer on the Plains would benefit as the flax lands would become rateable by the county. Mr Rhodes explained the enormous possibilities in connection with the flax industry, and urged every farmer to plant a portion of his farm with the ’ plant. He explained the side-leaf cutting system, as developed by Mr G. Smerle, of Kaihere, and pointed out the enormous yield and improve - ment in the quality obtained by .its adoption, and the ready market there was for the fibre if the demands for it co-uld be met. Even in the past/ under the old methods of cutting and only utilising the wild plants, flax had always been a payable proposition, and now, with the selection of varieties, improved methods, and a steadily increasing demand, it would be a greater revenue-producing plant than any other. The candidate referred to some flax fibre that had been sent to Japan and the arguments that'had taken place when the Customs Department had contended .that it was not* flax but silk .that was desired to be readmitted to New Zealand. He pointed out the enormous possibilities of the plant when the secret of the separation of the fibres, as was being done in Japan, was discovered in other countries, and concluded by pointing out how fortunate the Plains were in being so suitable for the production of a plant with such a bright future. In concluding his address Mr Rhodes said he hoped that he had not spoken in any way disrespectfully of his opponents, all of whom he regarded as friends. In-the past he had done the best in his power for the electorate and for the Dominion. He was not a shirker, and had endeavoured to serve all classes well.' He had always had an absolute majority of the votes in the past, and he looked forward to the same again. If the electors thought that he would continue to serve them they knew what to do, but he would remind them that there was more at stake .than returning T. W. Rhodes for Thames. Mr ' Coates should be given an opportunity to show what he could do. He had been weighed in the balance many times and had not been found wanting. He had proved his worth many times, including his treatment and firm stand in connection with the recent shipping strike, and had shown himself as the right man in the right, place. By returning the Reform candidate for Thames the electors would be assisting to give Mr Coates a chance of continuing to serve the Dominion. At Orongo the candidate was asked to do what he could tb get the Hon. A. D. McLeod to fulfil his promise tb have at least one more flood-gate erected at Orongo to test' the position and prove the advisability of additonal outlets. Mr Rhodes said he remembered the promise, and Would be ,glad of a letter From the settlers to back up his representations. Mr P. C.- Hall stated that the Hon. A. D. McLeod had said at Orongo that those settlers who had no water for stock would be given immediate relief. In a reply by letter the Minister had stated that nothing would be done unless the settlers gave an undertaking to pay at the rate of onequarter of each milk cheque. On the motion of Mr J. Smith, seconded by Mr J. Rutherford, Mr Rhodes was accorded a vote of thahkis and confidence. At Kopuarahi on Thursday afternoon Mr Rhodes addressed a representative meeting of electors at Kopuarahi and received a vote of thanks and confidence on the motion of Messrs W. E. Hale and T. O’Carroll.