MR. C. R. PETRIE AT NGATEA.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIX, Issue 5340, 17 October 1928, Page 2

MR. C. R. PETRIE AT NGATEA.

HAURAKI CANDIDATE’S ADDRESS. Mr C. R. Petrie, the official Labour candidate for the Hauraki elec.tc ; rate, opened his campaign on the Plains on Monday evening, when a meeting, numbering about 100 was addressed in the Ngatea Hall. Mr E. L. Walton, county chairman, presided. Mr Petrie, who. is an Otahuhu storekeeper, has been in business in the Dominion for 17 years. His address showed him a® a fluent speaker with a sound grasp of his subject, and his answers to questions, put by a friendly audience which thinly disguised its inherent prejudice: against his party demonstrated his. ability to see all sides of a question. He was given an excellent hearing. Mr Petrie opened by stating that the paramount need of New Zealand was a change of Governmeint. When Mr Coat<es was returned in 1925 with a great majority much good was expected. but now it was found tha,t from the North Cape to th& Bluff there was a cry for a change. The Cabinet was inefficient. The Reform party had numbers, but unfiistinguisjied members, a,ml as a rule many of; thehi took little interest in what Parliament was doing so long ;a;s there were sufficient in the House tq outvote the- 14 Labour members.

His, party had been systematically misrepresented, and the Reform press had created a false; impression of its aims by tearing its, policy tio threads and ridiculing it. Labour did not have the opportunity to keep its; platform before the people so th;a,t they could judge it with unbiassed minds. The party was representative; of all classes;, and the movement was an intellectual one. Electors, might net agree with all the planks of the Labour platform, but it had to be recognised that it was a progressive platform which would be: consolidated as time wept on. The interests of the farmer, the business man, and the worker were identic,al, and each one received equal and just consideration by the Labour, party. The Reform candidate for Hauraki, Mr Hall, would tell the ejectors of Ngatea on his visit that he would vote for Coates on a no-confidence motion, said the speaker, but would reserve the right to vote on all subjects as his cqnsc.ience dictated. This: showed that ihe had no,t faith in the Reform Government an.d could not agree with the whole of its, actions.. Mr Hall would admit that the Reform Government had made mistakes, and he would mention several reforms which he would advocate.

Mr. Petrie criticised statements made by 'Mr Hall in other centres concerning the financial operation.s of the Government. He pqinted out that the Government was increasing the Customs duties and reducing the Land and Income taxes* which was assisting the wealthy class to the detriment of t.he people; 'of the’ country. The. policy of the Labqur party was, the increase of death dues, and the .tax on! large incomes, and large estates and the reduction of Customs duties with a view to the ultimate abolition off .tihe tax on foodstuffs. The; Labour party favoured) a State bank, as. was already in operation in some European countries. There were now six banks operating in. New Zealand, and they worked together in all matters) and together were more powerful than' the: Go,vennment of the., .country. The Government could control the policy c ; f tihe Bank of New Zealand, but it stated that it did nqt consider, this advisable, with the result that the banks dominated the business of. farmers and city operations. The speaker dealt with'the exchange question, and said that the policy of the State bank, as advocated by the Labour party, would) correspond with that of the. Bank of England; A State bank was the salvation of New Zealand, for it would not be run solely In, the interests of shareholders, He traversed the operations o.f the Australian State bank, which he. said had been founded without funds and had built up a huge re-j serve.

Regarding rural credits, Mr Petrie contended that it was not tihe right way to finance farmers. The) Bill had been brought down by the Reform Government to avoid do-ing something frr the farmer. He contended that a State bank would solve the problem for farmers and would run as smoothly as the Public. Trust Office and the State Advances Department, and on the same lines.

Dealing with unemployment, Mr Petrie pointed 'out.that t|he position was very serious, and affec.ted farmers as they had to help pay the cost. The Reform Government had said that it had done all it could reasonably be expectied to do, which preyed that the Reform Government should be put out in favour of a. Government which would tackle the problem. The Government had shirked its responsibility and pushed it on to the local authorities by giving them power to raise loans, without the consent of tlie ratepayers and subsidising this money. Hospital boards and charitable aid wquld account for a million and a half of the ratepayers’ money this. year.

By its unauthorised and unorganised policy of immigration, continued Mr Petrie, the Reform Government had created unemployment. The Hon. A. D. McLeod had admitted that t;he Government had n,o policy off absorbing these immigrant's into the economic life of the country, he said. The speaker dealt at length with the subject, and quoted extracts from the Government publication “Great Britain of the South,” which, he said, had been circulated in England And had. attracted immigrants with jn,nuendos of securing for average wqrking men from £7 IOS; to> £ll 10s a week as wages. The policy of the Labour party was tq regulate immigration in such a way that 1 the men of the Dominiqn w'ould be Absorbed in industry.

Touching o.n Labour’s, land policy, Mr Petrie said that it was .the lease in perpetuity with periodic revaluations and the right to sell and bequeath. With the assistance of. a Staje bank provision would be made

for those who c,ould not afford to buy la,nd. The tenants’ interests would be quite safe. The policy was to get Che land more closely settled and more economically worked. Large aggregations qf land would bei purchased by the Labour Government if it got into power. This would be by negotiation, and if thJsi failed it would be stopped sq that speculators would not secure a ; large un,etyrued increment and very large estates would be so taxed that they w‘ould be subdivided and fully used. When questions were invited Mr Andrews ashed whether, the Labour Party was in favour qf a bare; majority on the Liquor question, and was answered in the affirmative. The candidate also favoured a two-issue ballot- paper. To the Rev. Alexander (Mr Petrie said that he wquld oppose a Bible-ln,-Schools Bill. Commercial motor vehicles should pay a. fair sktyre of rqad maintfenance, a,nd local authorities should have some Say in its collection. In reply to a contention that the Labour Party wa.s unpatriotic, Mr Petrie said that this was :a, sample of the misrepresentation, put about by . those working against the pa,rty. The Labour party had brought d°wii a definite policy fqr .1928. This would be continued if acceptable to the people, but if found’ unsuitable, planks would be dropped. As a builder, erected a house storey by storey, so theLabour Party was building its platform, selecting tjlie planks which were acceptable. Mr. H. Dent moved ;a hearty vote of thanks to Mr Petrie for his able and instructive address. Mr S. Tarver, seconded, and the motion was carried with applause. A vote of thanks to the chair concluded the meeting.