GENERAL ELECTIONS

Opotiki News, Volume I, Issue 97, 14 October 1938, Page 2

GENERAL ELECTIONS

END OF CAMPAIGN AIR, HUUTQUIST AT OPOTIKI ENTHUSIASTIC RECEPTION The final address to be presented this side or tne range by wir. a. -Jr. j Huitquist, the Government ’candidate in tne Lay of Plenty electorate, was given in the Regent Theatre last night to an attendance of between 3U> ana 400. Air. Huitquist was given, a very ' good reception both by supporters and. opponents and the meeting was quite free of any obstruction tactics. The chair was occupied by the Alayor (Mr. G- S. Moody) and on the platform was \ also Mrs. Huitquist, .who was presented with a beautiful bouquet prior to tlie member commencing his address. In introducing the speaker, Air. Moody said ALr. Huitquist had rep re-. seated his constituents most worthily and all requests put before him had. always received the best of attention. Air. Huitquist, lie stated, had done a lot for tho district. The Alayor also extended a hearty welcome to Airs. Huitquist. A telegram from the* national secretary ol; the LabOUT Party and also n let— * ter from two Opotiki businessmen extending best wishes to thecandidate were read by the Alayor. On rising to .speak, Air. Huitquist thanked 1 residents for “Their enthusiastic welcome and apologised for his husky voice. He stated that he had addressed 06 audiences-in the last fiveweeks and his voice had given out early in the campaign. On Saturday (to-morrow) the people would have the * right to say who would govern the country. Labour, he'claimed, came before the people with a record that was unparalleled in the history of the world. Labour bad 1 kept the twelve points they had gone to the country with at the last election. Every single one of those promises had been kept. He would later say something about the promises his opponents said Labour had not kept* The campaign in the Bay of Plenty had been a clean one and be congratulated bis opponent on the way he had. conducted lus campaign. The job of Labour’s opponents was to tell the people they had not taken off the sales tax, reduced the exchange rate and say they had raised the cost of living. His opponent would lie a political fool not to do that. Air. Huitquist said he hoped to hack up every statement he made by proof. He was not going to blame the National Party because there was a depression. Under the existing conditions New Zealand had felt the depression in ail aggravated form because of their money system. There would he something wrong with the present Government if New Zealand "'as not as prosperous as any other country, hut Now Zealand was more prosperous than any other country to-day. In dealing with allegations that Labour bad not reduced the exchange rate, the speaker said that the National Government had decided that the only way to assist farmers was to raise the exchange rate. For many years the exchange rate had stood at £llO. The exchange rate had acted as a burlier but even at that figure, in 1903 farmers were going off the land. Tho Government then raised it overnight; to £124 10s. The Government then made the fatal blunder of reducing the purchasing power of the people. The people couldn’t buy British goods he-, cause they didn’t have the money. British goods were stopped from coming to New Zealand and for a period the people went without £32.000,000 worth of British goods, while workmen in England were put out of employment. If the Labour Government reduced the exchange rate at the present time it would throw out of focus the exchange rate with Australia and there would he a rush on British goods. London funds at present were being exhausted and raising the exchange would only precipitate a crisis greater/ than at any time in the history of New Zealand- The exchange rate could only be: reduced over a long period and with the of Australia. The. Government had a ter'rifioj' (responsibility. The alternative (was: to iißrpase the purchasing power, /_df '..*the* -people. This had enabled people, to save more than ever before cemntry’s history. The figures/’ j in c.-oimee'tio'i'i'with the P.O. Bank in the'Bay of Plenty electorate irere tlic candidate to show -j ''.Tlint-Tlm/paoplo had more money to save during Labour’s term of office. Thei-e irasy;evidence of unparalleled’ prpsnerlfSL^^ l6 country’s history all

over the. Dominion. Many new factories had' been ix'gistered, while the number of workers, shop assistants and other industry workers had increased by many thousands. More people were employed to-day than in the history of the country, lie stated. The present Government had been responsible for more humanitarianism than any Government- since the days of Seddon. The sneaker asked what the Government would do with the land if ' they took it from the farmers. The Labour Gove lament had advanced money to the farmers to keep them on their own land- The National Party was using the fear weapon to turn people against Labour. The old Government had bought the Te "Worn station and the Galatea block. To-day, 120,00(3 more acres of laud were in occupation in the Bay of Plenty in private hands than three years ago. More land had been top-dressed last year than in any other year. Under Labour the profits of companies and the dividends had been raised while the farmers had gut their farms hack from the companies and banks. Mr. Hultquist then presented figures showing the greatly-increased profits of numerous companies and particularly mentioned a well-known newspaper family as owners of many shares in'insurance and other companies. The complaint of the companies was that they were losing the mortgage grip on the people. The Nationalists were fooling the farmers that Labour would take their farms. The candidate said that everywhere in his campaign he had had votes of confidence and had spoken before record audiences. He then dealt with the minutes of the National Party (ouference in 193 G and sought to show how the National .Party were trying to deceive the people. He then read a list of hills, passed 1 by the National Government and which were extremely socialistic in his opinion. Mr. Hultquist said ho had had a talk with Colonel Gamble in Gisborne during the week, for ail hour and nhalf, on the question of defence. Colonel Gamble had agreed with the speaker that. New Zealand, in the event of another war, would not- be able to got a man. to the Old Country and not a pound ol- butter would he able to he sent away from New Zealand. New Zealand would he crippled as a nation unless the country could procure iron and stool supplies- During the present year the Labour Government was spending £3,000,00 oil defence, while in its last two years the National Government had spent £500,- ()()() and £1,000,000. respectively. Mr. Hultquist dealt with the beneficial legislation of tlie Labour Party, and stated that the socialisation of the means of production and distribution. meant- the socialisation ol the money system. “Socialisation to-day.” said Mr. Hultquist, “meant humanitarianism.” He would rather lose liis seat than not toll the truth, the candidate continued. Farmers were writing to him in hundreds to got him to socialise their debts. Mr. Savage had promised to extend the lending system to help the farmers. Labour wanted the people to own their own places. “I want, to go through Labour’s 12 points,” said Mr. Hultquist. "ho then dealt with Labour’s pre-election plank and claimed that the Labour Part.' had fulfilled 1 every point. The speaker then dealt with a number of the points in detail. C\ hen the Government put the Social Security Act on the Statute Hook they told the world they were their brother’s keeper, the candidate stated, and went- on to say that that was the most humanitarian piece of legislation ever placed on the Statute Book, in the world. “How will it- he financed ?" asked Mr. Hultquist, “By tin* same 1/- >» the £ as when they were getting less wages.” The Civil "Service superannuation scheme had always been unsound and 1 to-day could only pay Bel. in the £.. The people were spending £7,000,CUD now annually for hospitals and medicine. The National Party opposed the hill by every means and then voted for it, lie stated. The candidate said lie bad had practically no opposition to the guaranteed price throughout his campaign. Ihe farmers were overwhelmingly satisfied throughout the electorate. Since bis election, the Government had spent £2,000,000 in the Bay of Plenty electorate. In that period the electorate had paid npproximatcly £1.000.000 in taxation. The Bay had received very favourable treatment compared with the rest ol the country. In his electorate there was one-third \ of nil the Native schools in the Dominion. Publ ic Works expenditure in the period had amounted to £750,000. Mr. Hultquist tlien'statod that Opotiki businessmen had that day received letters increasing their rents by

tlie Auckland property owner and were i told tiie Da hour Party was to blame. iVi'r. Hhltquist then quoted figures of numerous-countries to show tiiar on an income basis New Zealand 1 was one of tlie lo.vvest-taxed countries in tile world, being second to Australia. Mr. Hultquist then stated that his opponents were circulating reports im-.o the people would not have a chance to vote again if lie were returned- Mr. Hultquist then read .the following from one of ' liis pamphlets: “Be on the winning side and say Hultquist is your representative for many. years to come. Do that and avoid a contest next time”. According to the Na- - tionalists that meant that if Hultquist were returned there would not be another election, the speaker exclaimed with sarcasm. The National support- * ers did not believe tbeii' own propaganda. Mr. Hultquist concluded liis ad--xlress by stating that Mr. Anthony Eden, claimed to be England s next Prime Minister, claimed that taxation was so low as to cause a twinge of envy to tlie overburdened British taxpayer. After reciting a poem “The Builder” Mr. Hultquist resumed 1 liis scat amidst a tumult of applause. The chairman then asked for questions. Mr. Guthrie asked how the Government would get on‘ with the unemployed with £3,500,00(3 taken away' from the funds under the National Health Scheme. He contended the amount represented 35,000 unemployed. Mr. Hultquist said ho could say definitely that there were not 3-3,000 unemployed l to-day. Tlie Government could not go on indefinitely paying subsidy. There was a general shortage of labour and local bodies would have to. stand on their own feetHe would be pleased to forward on to the questioner unemployment figures required. Mr. Guthrie expressed dissatisfaction with the candidate’s reply. Another questioner doubted whether the Labour Party would continue the ' railway to Opotiki and asked why permanent work was being undertaken in the Waimana Gorge if the read were to; he shifted on the other sideMr. Hultquist said it was stated in the Labour Manifesto that the railway would lie continued to Opotiki and ho had not seen any new permanent work j being undertaken on the gorge road. j Another question was in connection -> with wages being paid to Maoris who were producing on farms. Mr. Hultquist said the Labour Government had promised to continue the Ngata scheme and no one could complain of the work being done to establish the Maoris on the land 1 . - f Mr. A. Macdonald then moved a vote of thanks to the speaker and of • 1 confidence in Mr. Hultquist and the Labour Party. The motion was second-” p ed by Mr. W. prow and on being put K to a vote was carried by an over- | whelming majority, only one or twO:-‘-- N dissentient voices being raised. A hearty vote of thanks to tlie chair- Vjj man concluded the meeting. Cheers wore then given for the | Labour candidate and - “Micky” Sav-„ ' I age. I