CAMPAIGN OPENS

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume 52, Issue 3286, 9 July 1943, Page 8

CAMPAIGN OPENS

FIRST ELECTION ADDRESS MEETING HELD AT TURUA REAL DEMOCRACY MOVEMENT The first shot in the forthcoming election for members for the House of Representatives for the Hauraki Electorate was fired on Thursday night when Mr R. G. Young, a candidate of the Real Democracy Movement, addressed a meeting held at Turua. Mr Young, who is a well-known Waikato farmer stated that he had been farming at Gordontbn for 24 years where he settled after the Great War in which at Fleurs in 1916 he was seriously disabled for life. He is well-known in local body politics, being chairman of the Taupiri Drainage and River Board, a member of the Waikato County Council and also the Central Waikato Power Board. Tour Through New Zealand Mr Young stated that he had been organising for the new social order throughout New Zealand over the past eight months, having travelled from Kaitaia in the north to Dunedin in the south. Probably no other man in New Zealand had mixed so extensively with all classes of people over such a wide area in such.a comparatively short space of time as he had. As a result of his wide experience he would definitely say that there was a very general desire among all

classes of the community for some better financial and economic system which would realise the general desire everywhere for national unity. Even the most conservative people to-day freely admit that changes had to be made in the monetary system. It was also realised that the party system of government was the very negation of democracy. The broadcasting of Parliament had exposed fully to the public the utter folly and stupidity of the party system. The people everywhere were saying that the party system was merely a racket and must cease if New Zealand was to have a really representative Government by the people for the people. Vote Out “Party Men” The mood generally was to vote out “party men.” The public generally were thinking very deeply indeed and he had often heard the expression “This is going to be a thinking election.” Throughout the Dominion the programme suggested by the Real Democracy Movement had received general approval for the simple reason that the proposals were sound, moderate and progressive, benefiting all classes and penalising none. He had found the most . bitter resentment among all classes at the staggering load of taxation the Dominion was bearing. It was a curious coincidence that as a result of war conditions the workers of the Dominion were prepared to extend the hand of goodfellowship to the farmers by changing the financial system to enable justice to be done to all sections of the community. This happy result had been brought

about because the workers generally, had become heavy payers of direct taxation and now fully realised for the first time that the present system meant simply depreciated currency and an everlasting fight for better wages to meet ever-increasing costs. The workers fully realised that changes had to be made and it was now up to the farming community to grasp the friendly hard extended to them by the workers. As a working farmer all his life and having a great respect for the intelligence of the masses of the people he

sincerely hoped and believed the farmers as a class would not lightly turn down the proposals put forward sincerely and honestly for their consideration. Stabilisation at present could ,only ■be a dream —an evil dream—that would cause farmers many headaches. Under a better system stabilisation could be achieved with justice to all. Derating of Land Mr Young also dealt with derating of land for reading purposes, also better, methods of financing main drainage waterways. Old loans were troubling many local bodies to-day, in many cases the original security had vanished, yet the debt lived on. The proposals of the Real Democracy Movement for meeting the situation on a Dominion-wide scale had received

general approval and there was littledoubt that the Hauraki Plains people would be. equally interested. In conclusion he said he was looking forward with pleasure to an interesting tour of the Plains.