KAIPARA ELECTORATE.

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 27 November 1919, Page 3

KAIPARA ELECTORATE.

BteON. MR COATES ADDRESS

Oi Hon. J. G. Coates, Postmaster KpKreneral and Minister for Justice, P^H^ressed a large gathering of M|HPfionstituents at Helensville - ofreThursday evening last, and ij./'waff given a most attentive and r > enthusiastic hearing. Mr Jas. chairman of the Town presided. The speaker, ||||during his address, dealt chiefly BJMJtjfth the legislation which had Hlpßen placed on the statute book Hipuring the late session, and Hfljoiiched on a wide range of subHpjects. Outlining the reasons E|||which led up to the formation of ■||Hthe National Government, Mr ■p||Cbates also dealt with matters ■Kgrjor to the "break." People, he HHpid, were surprised at the way EKMr Massey had progressed during IBthe session, and at the able and BPcourageous manner in which he |||;yhad handled and carried through ■ft?wise and beneficial legislation. pit Speaking of the coming election, stated that the men in Parliament were those capable of'carrying out the great task of reconstruction which faced the country in the future. H L " So far as the Kaipara seat was Ill^concerned, he would like to see a KKT keen contest, free from personali■pfjties, and he hoped the electors ■llpWould choose the man whom ■Ifethey thought best suited to repre-■ife-sent' them. Xi LAND SETTLEMENT. ', W~'2 The Minister dealt exhaustive|||Jjy -with the land question, par-Klf-C ticularly with reference to land ■pf.for soldiers' settlement. The ■fe.Governmejit's policy was to first Hp|tttilise Crown lands, a certain Bl|[mouht of which had to be set HPljMde for timber bearing areas. bearing land, native HBjpinds Which had been purchased Bpffor the.purpose, and waste lands, Hp^>n which experiments were at H^present being carried out to test suitability for settlement, lit; would be thrown open for settleP|% merit in due course. He claimed gpfv that up to the present very few §jp>t 'failures in the purchase of land K^'lor soldiers had been made, but P^"" admitted that hitherto the settle" W%' / ment of such land had been too pV slow, and he hoped for a more gl> ■ forward policy in the future. |y Fourteen and a half millions had \\ /been voted for land settlement, |" . and a big task lay ahead. One &L* of the rhost important things this IFj country had to do was to get its fer'i house in order: After that, an i^" extensive immigration policy if*; '^should be gone into. There was IpC, room in the Dominion for thoushl^ ands of new settlers and workers R| and he favoured preference being' ■§£ljc«ren to those men who had BBpfousht for the country and Kp|l£!mpire. Kfp In regard to . accusation's that Kip the .Government had paid too |r high a price for land,*the speaker [£/ stated that it was a difficult j^j matter to judge the price of land y $,% the present time, as the price p; went up or down in proportion to I"' the productivity of the same. jr* FISHING- INDUSTRY. ||/, In respect to this industry, p- which particularly affected this Ik ,', 'locality, the Government had W-:* placed the sum of £25,000 on the IT"^ -1 Estimates to assist the industry. fe-^f^tn important provision was that lip by which fishermen were enabled Wtk * to purchase their own boats and &!% Rear, under conditions similar to ijpK'' tfyose affecting the Advances to "VVorkers-Act. It was now profit?"'* Rosed to pface the whole industry wL^; tf nder the control of one Minister, illPCwhiph,would make for efficiency. RpT '- 1 REPATRIATION. Esfe^.The speaker detailed the work Rlll^which had up to the present been accomplished in settling soldiers il^'back into occupations, etc. The life' Government recognised, their if 6"^ obligations to the soldiers, and Wf' they were determined not to |l»>eease their efforts till they were WR' satisfied every man and every gp dependant needing assistance had life received it. It was the country's j|C; as well as the Government's, Rp£' to see that the men were looked m^'. after in the future. (Applause). Bar'--In respect to loans to returned B^z rn«»n for farms or businesses, Mr RlMffoates said it was the rarest that any application was YT turned down. The policy of the N> Repatriation Department was de- !■-. • centralisation, whereby local \*y' branches and committees, having ■jjl^ a knowledge of the applications ■p£>>submitted, reported on them to M^ the"central body. M67T ' ETOLIC WQRKB. with Eub]ic Works HR* matters, the speaker said the war Bfjjp;IHad taqght certain lessons in rer Rp^'gayd' to the handling qf men Kiv^which had to be heeded. It had ■■r^'shown the possibility of handling bodies.of men satisfactorily, 'providing they were we^j, clothed and housed and had y:"suitable conditions. To .get the out of the population it was

essential to have good living conditions on the public works. In his own district reforms were being carried out, and provision had been made at the northern railhead for movable and well" constructed huts for the employees in place of the canvas shelters which had hitherto done duty for habitations.

A number of other subjects, including education, housing, coal mining, cost of living, etc., were touched upon by the speaker. At the conclusion of the address a number of questions were asked and answered satisfactorily.

On the motion of Mr Jas. McLeod, seconded by Mrs Reardon, a vote of thanks, and confidence in the Minister as representative for Kaipara, was carried most enthusiastically.