POLITICAL

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 2956, 31 October 1925, Page 2

POLITICAL

MR. ROBERTS’ ADDRESS,

Mr. Ben. Roberts, Labour candidate for Manawatu, addressed the electors of Foxton in the Town Hall last night. There was a good attendance, presided over by Mr. J. Chrystall, in the absence of the Mayor (M. E. Perrcau, Esq.).

In introducing the candidate, Mr. Chrystall referred to his work on many public bodies and said that if he came into this district, he hoped he would put the same energy into it as he had done in his own (Wairarapa).

On rising to speak, the candidate was accorded a warm reception. LABOUR' —THE COMING POWER. The Labour Party, lie said, could claim to have been the live Opposition in the House last Parliament, and it was the only party with a programme that was democratically conceived in that every member of the party had a voice in moulding it, whereas Reform candidates had to wait until the Prime Minister issued his programme before / th'ey knew what it was. The past belonged to Reform, but the future belonged to Labour and not only in New Zealand was it the coming power. Twenty years ago Labour could only poll 3000 votes. At last election they contested 45 seats and polled 139,045 votes, as against 113,000 votes given to Reform in those seats. The four largest polls in the Dominion went to Labour. Good government in a democratic country was the greatest good to the greatest number. That was the thought in all minds when they tried to make the best of the wonderful land in which they lived. He denied (hat the Reform Government had that ideal.. Under their administration the greatest good had gravitated to the favoured few. We were not ns a Dominion paying our way. The chairman of the Associated Banks said there was not a sufficient margin to pay the interest on our national obligations. As to whether the Dominion was being maintained in a site of productivity, they had the Minister of Lands presold ing a report on the deteriorated lands. The demand of the farmers for subsidies, laboratories and other assistance was also evidence of the fact that the virgin fertility of our soil was being depleted. DOWN TO THE SUBSISTENCE BASIS. Mr. Roberts said the tendency of Reform administration had been to get as many of the people as possible down to the fodder basis —the point where they were just able to pay their way and no more. He contended that life held something' higher and better than that. New Zealand was a wonderful country with nil intelligent and industrious population, and the problem was how best we could develop the fib million acres in this Dominion with all their potentialities so that the rising generation could share in all t ho advantages and i'au-ilit iti- of modern life. New Zealand was one of the most favoured islands of the Pacific, destined to play a great pari in tin* future. In China and Japan and India there were great masses of people looking forward with apprehension to the days which were to come. It was recognised that the storm centre of the future lay in the Pacific. Here in New Zealand we had a people with the largest amount of British blood of any of the Dominions, and one of the fairest inheritances a people could have Wje should see that that inheritance was developed on the highest plane of human endeavour with all the advantages That science and education could give. He paid a tribute to the spirit of the New Zealand people, but said that as lie went round amongst the farmers and workers in the towns he found that their spirit was being broken by the inability of the people to make both ends meet and . by their inability to give the highest' and best to their children. The Labour Party, however, had a policy designed to give the highest and best things in modern civilisation to the people and it was the only party that had a policy which put human values first and before the value of property. LAND POLICY FIRST. The Labour Party put the land problem first because on making it inore productive depended every other issue—the financial question, tlic housing problem of the cities and the educational problem. The usehold tenure would eventually supersede the morlgagehold in New Zealand but little did they think that so eminent a statesman as Mr. Lloyd George would outline as he had done recently to the British Liberal Party, a policy that was identical with the Labour Party’s proposals in New Zealand. Reform said the iieople were not prepared to go out into the hackbloek-s and carve out homes for themselves as did the pioneers. But within close range of the factory of which the speaker was chairman, there weie enormous areas of land that could he sub-divided and brought into closer settlement ancl production. In IP2I there were 1742 sub-divisions of land; in 1922, fi44; in 1923, 433; and in 1924 so few that they were not recorded in the returns. SCIENTIFIC PRODUCTION. Mr. Roberts contended that the application of scientific agriculture to the land already in occupation would double and quadruple the production from it and if only the millions now wasted in the cost of the transfer of land was used in research and the improvement of agriculture the increase in production would be enormous. The Min-

ister of Lands had said that no country had become great by its agricultural industries alone and that we must go in for secondary industries. That showed that the Reform Government did not realise the enormous potentialities in the land and agriculture and that it was bankrupt of any policy of land settlement. Mr. Seddon in 1899 said that the end of the freehold was that the mortgagee got the farm and the farmer got the road. Twelve years of Reform had proved that statement up to the hilt. Scores and scores of farmers had been the victims of that system which gave the plums to the speculator. OVERSEAS SETTLEMENT NEGLECT.

The Reform Government also failed to take advantage of the British Government’s overseas settlement scheme. The British Government was willing to lend several millions of money at cheap rates of interest if the Government would put a reasonable form of settlement in operation. There was thus a golden opportunity of co-ordina-ting labour, land and credit —the three most vital factors for the creation of wealth —but no, the Reform Government would not avail themselves of one iota of the money available. CUTTING OUT FALSE VALUES. The land policy of the Labour Party was designed to cut out the enormous fictitious values that had been placed on the 'land of the country. He contended that it was as reasonable to have a mortgage assessment court set up to deal with over-mortgaged land as have a Conciliation and Arbitration Court to fix wages. The Labour proposals provided that a man had an absolute right to every penny of the improvement he did to the land. He could give scores of cases where fanners under mortgage hold had to go out and leave their improvements an ddeposits as well behind them. They walked off with their wives and children to seek day labour. He would like to congratulate any freehold farmers in the audience. If there were any with mortgages Labour was going to help them. When Sir Rider Haggard asked to see some of the successful farmers of the Dominion, they took him to men who had sold out at exhorbitant prices and were living in the cities. The speaker did not blame individuals for that, hut the system that enabled anyone to reap where lie had not sowed was morally and fundamentally wrong. Mr. Coates said that 18 millions had been lent through the State Advances Department during the last six years. This money largely went to release' private advances, which were nor pul hack into land, hut into local debentures, motor ears and line houses. The Labour Party would cut out this futile system and would lend money through the dairy companies to the working farmers. One pound spent on topdressing woidd bring in £3 in 18months. Eighteen millions spent on increasing production by research and scientific methods could he multiplied by three and would bring in 54 millions in increased wealth which would filter down through every section of the community instead of making a beeline for America for motor ears and whereever else it went on luxuries at present. ONLY ONE LAND AGENT.

The Labour Party held that there should he some machinery to prevent recurring speculation. If by a swing of the pendulum dairy produce and wool went up to war values we would again witness that nightmare of speculation that the Dominion had recently gone through and after it people would be going to the Government to be spoon fed again. There were 987 land agents in New Zealand. The Labour Party would abolish 986 of them. There was nothing revolutionary about that since ~we already had the Land and Survey Department doing thirty millions worth of business and the Public Trust doing 35 millions worth annually. He then outlined the Labour policy of valuation. Tlie Labour Party did not stand for interference with the right of inheritance or confiscation. It believed in helping a man to settle bis sons on the land instead of sending them to the cities. It was in the country that the air was pure, that character could be built up and that homes might be made. HIGHER INTEREST.

Mr. Roberts also dealt with the increase in the amount borrowed at high interest rates and increase in the mortgage load. The seven or eight millions of interest had to come from the land and the land alone.

BANK OF NEW ZEALAND’S PROFITS.

Tlie Labour Party believed in a State Bank. The Bank of New Zealand made profits of £400,000 in the slump year and last year it made over £BOO,OOO. Last May the Bank of New Zealand’s shares stood at £2 10s 3d for £1 shares. The Government made arrangements by which the Bank should tend the Government money for State Advances and would be allowed to allot 750,000 £1 shares to shareholders. They heard a o-reat deal about the iniquity of the doles in England, but surely it was not as bad to give people money to obtain the necessaries of life as to give £1,359,375 in this way to people who did not require it. The exchange problem was one that no one seemed to be able to discover the meaning of. At one time last year it stood at 55s per ewt and meant a tax of 4s per cwt. on butter, 2s Ud on cheese and 13s 9d a bale of wool. Just when they were

carrying out the Bank manager’s • advice to produce more, the hanks said, “There is too much money over there; we will have to charge you exchange to get it back.” Mr. Massey and the bankers and producers had several conferences over the matter of exchange, but could find no loop hole of escape. The Hon. Downie Stewart hit the nail on the head when he said: “How can you expect any solution from those who are living on the game?”

HOUSING NEGLECTED. The Government had neglected the housing problem and Mr Coates now proposed to meet it by building two-roomed whares. The Government had every opportunity in the last 13 years and they put legislation on the Statute Book providing for the raising of £2,250,000, but tho local bodies were told that there was no money when they asked for it. The scheme was only a hollow mockery. They put legislation on the Statute ißook and then emasculated it by making no financial provision to carry it out. One of the greatest, slanders hurled at the Labour Party was that they would attack the home. But there was no greater menace to the home and morality than slum housing conditions such as the Reform Government had tolerated. LOCAL MATTERS. Mr. Roberts said he was given to understand that the Levin-Marton deviation of railway had been under consideration since the 80’s and that it would save 16 to 19 miles of runnig time and the upkeep runing into thousands-of miles. This deviation as well as the Rimutaka deviation had been sacrificed in order to carry out the deviation at Palmerston costing hun--1 dreds of thousands of pounds, but that was no doubt the result of their representative living in Palmerston. All the legislation of the Reform Government seemed to be directed towards the cities and the wealthy section of the community. Even in speeding up the trains they wanted to get the big business men as quickly from Auckland to Wellington and hack as possible without taking much notice of those in between. The member for Manawatu explained that it would have made no difference if he had been in the house when the matter was brought up because the Government had already made up its mind in regard to the deviation. If that was so why did the Government send the Commission to enquire into the deviation. It was a case of pulling the wool over the eyes of the people of Manawatu. They could hold indignation meetings and Chamber of Commerce discussions hut there was only one place where an effective protest could be registered and that was at the ballot box. In conclusion Mr. Roberts made a strong appeal to the electors for the return of Labour candidates on November 4th and said that Labour had to come. Elections were only mile stones leading from barbarity to civilisation.

QUESTIONS. The following questions were put to and answered by Mr. Roberts: — If the Labour Party had been in power what would it have done in the recent shipping strike? —It would have called on the shipowners to carry the produce,, for the Dairy Control Board had a contract for three years with the associated shipowners to carry its produce and they should have been made to carry it out. If elected, do you intend to reside in Manawatu? —Yes, if I top the poll on Wednesday, I shall take it as an indication to come up, and would do so at the earliest possible moment.

Are you in favour of the Arbitration Court? —Not as it is now. I would improve it.

Would you be in favour of a longer life of Parliament? —No. Do you consider the Legislative Council useless? —Yes.

Do you believe in legalised sweep stakes? —No.

Are you in favour of Bible-in-sehools V—No, the Labour party’s platform provides for free, secular and compulsory education. THANKS AND CONFIDENCE. A vote o_f thanks and confidence was proposed by Mr. Chaffey, seconded by Mr. Jacobsen. The chairman, before putting the motion, said Mr. Roberts’ speech was the best he had listened to for many years. His name had always been connected with the Reform party, but said he must admit the latter had much to answer for. Manawatu was in a state of stagnation. It would be twelve months ago tomorrow since the shannon Bridge was washed away and in its place an “ antedeluvian contraption” (the punt) had been placed on the river. That and the Levin-Mar-ton deviation were two links the Reform party had sacrificed and it made the electors pause to think if they were going on to support Reform as far as Manawatu was concerned. There was a good deal to be said in favour of the Labour party. The sooner this country had a state Bank the better. The motion on being then put, was carried by acclamation, as was also a vote of thanks to the chair.