ADDRESS BY MR J. McCOMBS, P.M.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 2473, 29 August 1922, Page 3

ADDRESS BY MR J. McCOMBS, P.M.

Mr John McCombs, Labour M'JP. for Lyttelton, accepted the invitation of the local Labour Party to reply to Mr Massey’s speech in the Town Hall last night. He received a patient and corteous hearing save for a few well-meant interjections from a jovial spirit in the front seat. There was a very fair attendance, representative of all shades of political opinion. Mr P. D. Whibley, president of the local branch of the Labour Party, occupied the chair and incidentally mentioned that having been successful at the ballot as the selected Labour candidate for Maniawatu he would place his views before the electors at an early date. He said Mr McCombs had been asked to reply to Mr Massey, but as there was very little to reply to, about five minutes would' suffice for that. He said Mr McCombs was one of the ablest men on the floor of the House. Mr McCombs, who was received with 'an outburst of applause, wished success to the Labour candidate for Manawatu at the forthcoming election. Referring to Mr Massey’s speech he said the hon. gentleman had said little to reply to and his remarks had been made after a banquet (laughter). He proposed to t deal with the Labour programme. The first point touched on was PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION.

The Labour Party stood for constitutional and electoral reform. The present method of representation was an outrage and a travesty on democracy and the Government held office in defiance of majority rule. By a minority vote of the people the Reform Party had control of the reins of government. Parliament as at present constituted was not representative of the people. Under proportional representation the minority would have its representation and Parliament would represent the full voice of the nation. At the last general election 203,000 people voted for unsuccessful candidates and the Reform Party polled 159,000 votes out of a total of 542,000 voted recorded. Proportional representation would be a vital issue by the Labour Party at the general election. Mr McCombs referred to the abolition of plural voting and manhood suffrage and the enfranchisement of women. These reforms were all right in theory but they failed to secure direct representation. He then explained the method of voting under the proportional and preferential system. By the adoption' of this system each party would receive the representation to whiclt it was entitled. He traced

CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM in the British Parliament and referred to the power of veto taken from the House of Lords just before the war. In New Zealand the Legislative Council had the right of veto of the people’s Parliament. There was no necessity for this ehambsr which was a useless appendage and the house of political rejects. The Legislatiee Council was intolerable from a democratic point of view. If Mr Massey wanted to economise he should have cut out the Upper House. A revising or select committee, without the power of veto, could take the place of the Upper House. Cabinet in this country usurped the rights which belonged to Parliament —a power over the decision of the people’s representatives. Theoretically a private member had the right to introduce a Bill, but not in practice. Cabinet arranged the Order Paper and they saw to it that a private member’s bill never came up for final consideration. In that way Cabinet dominates the House and considered legislative questions behind closed doors and decided what questions should be considered by Parliament. In fact we had three Legislative Chambers. Such a state of things was intolerable and indefensible in a democratic country. THE REFERENDUM. The final veto should be by the people themselves by plebiscite vote upon requisition of 10 per cent, of the electors. The Referendum law worked successfully in Switzerland and certain states of America. The referendum would have a restraining and constraining influence on the governing body. The Labour Party stood for the initative and referendum. Local bodies had this right now in connection with the half-holiday question and voting on unimproved values. The Labour Party was not a body of anarchists but stood for the perfection and consolidation of government. They had to explain their views by word of mouth as the Party did not get a fair deal from the press which was principally, run by capitalists. FINANCE AND BANKING^ The - Labour Party advocates State insurance and banking and the speaker, dealt at length with these subjects and said their success was not measured by dividends but by service rendered. If the State had a monopoly of fire insurance a saving of one half of the present premiums would be saved to the people. A State bank would be of great assistance and would give credit at the lowest charge for interest. STATE OWNED SHIPPING AND FERRY SERVICE was advocated by the Labour Party as a natural corrolary to the Stateowned railways. The railways did not exist for profit but it helped in the development of the country. A State shipping service would assist in opening the markets of the world to our producers at the lowest possible rates. BUTTER FAT LEVY. The speaker condemned the Gov-

ernment for the levying of the butter tax which should have come out of the consolidated fund instead of penalising the dairy farmers. He said the Government had been guilty of confiscation in this connection.

The speaker went on to criticise the Government in connection with taxation and claimed that the burden had not been placed on the shoulders besi able to bear it. The sheep farmers had been Jet down lightly. The Government had remitted half a million in income tax but had increased the customs tax by one million. Ho dealt with the reduction in salaries to public servants and quoted figures iu support of his contention that the wages paid today were below those of 1914. The Government lvad ruthlessly forced down wages and helped to create unemployment and dismissed • 800 men from necessary public works. It had created an unemployment problem to force down wages and had re-engaged men at 10s and 12s a day on relief work. He said a “lying statement” had been made in l-eference to £7,531,000 surplus in this year’s budget as our revenue did not meet our expenditure. The Government had been guilty of confiscation in issuing war bonds at per cent, free of income tax. This money should have been conscripted by the Government. If proper financial provision had been made for the soldiers and their dependants there would not have been any necessity for conscription. He entered a vigorous protest against, the Union Jack being used for party political ends and said the King had deprecated the misuse of the flag in Great Britain for this purpose; It was a pity that the Governor-Gen-eral did not follow the King’s example and tell Mr Massey, after his Foxton speech, nor to use the flag for party political ends in future. In answer to a question Mr McCombs said the Hon. Fowlds did try (o arrange a pact between the Labour and Liberal Party re candidates with the object of securing support for the placing of the Proportional Representation Bill on the Statute book. On the motion of Mr V. Adams the speaker was accorded a hearty vote of thanks. In proposing a vote of thanks to the chairman, Mr McCombs called for three cheers for the Labour candidate which were heartily responded to.