ANOTHER ELECTION?

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIII, 29 July 1929, Page 8

ANOTHER ELECTION?

“REFORM DARE NOT RISK IT” yr. At It ATMORE’S CHALLENGE "MOVE A NO-CONFIDENCE -MOTION” Charging sceptical members of the Opposition with laiture to perforin their duly by not backing their expressions ot lack of trust in the Government with a want-of-cuiifidonce motion, tho Alinislcr of Education, the linn. il. Aliuure. in a vigorous, speech in the House ot Kepresenlaliv.es last week, siii.il .Reformers dare, not risk going to the Country at the present juncture. II it were true, as alleged by the Opposition, that the Government was inimical tu the progress of the country and the prosperity of the farmers,, and a Government allied with trusts, then those who failed to move a im-coiilideiiee mol loti were failing in their duty. Mr 1). Jones (Alid-Canterbury): "We can’t do it without the Labour Party.” Air Atmnrc: '.'l’m quite sure the hun. member for Alid-Caiiterbury will never get the help of the Labour party in anything lie may do.” The Minister said there had been cheap sneers from "the precocious Reform infant” who represented Clutlia, and from tli G "representatives of AlidCanterbury and Kieearton, concerning tho education policy as outlined by himself, but they seemed to overlook, the fact that tho Fanners’ Unions had passed motions approving the suggestions he Jiad outlined tentatively. Could it bo that tliose members were .sneering at the proposal to lit boys and girls lor their life work? If Opposition members failed to back their criticism with an amendment of no-confidence, their utterances amounted to nothing but illnatured party criticism, which was not in the interests of the country. •' REFORM'S I’OOLI WAGES As showing that (lie Deform .party liad been m> trieiul of the labouring man placed on relief work. Air Atniorc quoted again the rates of wages to winch ho made reference in the 192!J session. These showed that on Public Works jobs uiie mail had earned JEM 9s lQd for a month's work, but after squaring his cookhouso account ho was still 13s in debt, and all bis money had gone. Another man had only 7 t | left after squaring his account at the. end of the month. These were authentic cases, and he could prove their truth to anyone who cared to see the envelopes. Was there a single member of the Reform party who raised the.question whether those men were receiving inadequate rates of pay? That was one of the reasons why the Reform party could not go to the country in i.t's present mood. REASONS FOR UNEMPLOYMENT Giving big reasons for unemployment, Air Atnmre said it, seemed to him the main reason was that the population had increased at a greater rate than production, and that statement was not discounted by the fact that New Zealand had enjoyed a very* favourable season with good prices. He had been charged with voting in the past for immigration, but it should bo remembered that he had .always voted in that way when -it was closely allied with the closer settlc'ment of land. The trouble was that our population had got beyond the production standard. There were 50,000 men, women and children brought in as immigrants, and added to that there was the natural increase. It was fatal to get beyond the production standard, for to-day we were not producing from the soil sufficient to pay the wages of any more than were in-employment today. An authority had laid it down at Home that the .best way to get rid of unemployment was to sell-more goods, because England was a manufacturing country. Similarly, in New Zealand, a primary producer’s country, it was essential to have maye men on the 'land. Chat'was where Refqrm had failed. The Minister of Lands in the Reform Government had said he was more concerned with keeping on the land those who were already there than lie was with settling anymore, and. another -Minister had said no one wanted to go mi the land. That was one of the most glaring examples of Reform’s ineptitude, and an open confession of dismal failure. The Reform Government had no hope for (lie future, but an optimistic people would not be represented by such men, and I.lk* people sent them riidil about, as they would always do when a 'Government got out of touch with the spirit of the country.