GENERAL ELECTION.

Otaki Mail, 10 November 1922, Page 3

GENERAL ELECTION.

Mr McClure, the Liberal-Labour candidate for the Otaki seat, addressed a largely-attended meeting at Paraparaumu last evening. Mr W. J. Howell presided, and at the conclusion of his address the candidate received a unanimous vote of thanks and confidence. Mr McClure, who was well received, said: "I have been a Liberal all ray life and stand as u Liberal-Labour candl date for the Otaki seat. As Commissioner of Crown Lands and Chief Hutveyor. 1 have had lung experience ill all matters pertaining to the set tic- i niont, survey and reading of lands of | the country. Such knowledge would be helpful if I am elected to Parliament. I have seen the legislation of the Liberal Party produce lasting benefits to the people. This legislation included cheap money for the people, advances to workers and settlers at low rales of interest, the placing of thousands of men on the land under the Land for Settlements Act. and the consequent prosperity of the country. The operations of these Liberal measures namely The Factory Act, Employers' Liability Act, Workers' Compensation Act, Shop and Offices Act, and the Arbitration Act, had emancipated and helped the whole of the workers of New Zealand. To those must be added the Old Age Tensions Act, and the Widows.' Tension Act, the Classification Act, and the Superannuation Act, which stand as.-monuments of foresight and prudence. The Liberal Tarty gave to the people educational facilities, including the opening of the doors of the high schools and universities ,to the children of the wage-earn-i ers. The grading of dairy produce and j the assistance to the dairying industry were products of the Liberal brain. No party has a finer record in the domain of progressive, humane, and social legislation, then the Liberal Party which carried these measures despite

opposition and despite the prediction that they would land this country in bankruptcy and ruin. The press has said that the Massey Government is the farmers' friend. The organ of the Auckland Farmers' Union denies this, and I say that no government has done less for the small farmer. Shipping freights have secured beyond a reasonable amount on all our products, though we were told the Reform Party would protect the interests of the producers ancl eonsunmrs. Railway freights on butter and cheese on an eight-five mile basis have soared skywards. The small farmer, through extravagant borrowing, is being taxed out of existence, and the Taxation Committee says "There is no taxable capacity left." When the Liberal Party opposed the small farmer paying super-tax .last August on land of value not exceeding £20,000 unimproved, the Reform Partsvoted solidly against it. Since then Reform has partly relented. Compared with local body taxation the rates of interest payable by farmers are out-

yageoiw, ana to-day, while a business firm in a main city can borrow from lending institutions readily, the .farmers have difficulty in obtaining- ordinary accommodation. Everything the farmers use is being taxed very severely. The farmers of New Zealand would prefer to sea more practical assistance rather than mere words. The Massev manifesto promises legislation to deal with Trusts and Combine?. It has had ten years to act in. Mr Massey knows that the big combines are eating the very vitals of the producers. The new platfprm of the I-ib-tjrai-Labour policy' promises a judical enquiry into'the operation of combines Ivith penalties of imprisonment for prolitccring. I will help such legislation gladly/ The Massey Government rei\'-- fin Royal Commissions and Order?-in-Cotmcil, and though numerically L-rong. individually it is weakness it--ulf. When the Prime Minister left for England he could not find one of !■'<• cabinet, he would entrust to take charge, and he selected an outside Minister who was nnk i';~r a a member of the House of Representatives. Mr Massey no doubt acted wisely in refusing to entrust authority to any otter jx Ilia ministers. ± remember he stat■.'l that tie could run New Zealand with

;fs secretaries, but never said where ti„. terminal station was. Want of foresight, and a failure to look ahead, has caused serious trouble. His public statement on revenue and expenditure will not balance up, and while he states thai increased taxation is due to war nxnenditure, £37,635,265 was added to j ,„o public debt beyond war expenditure between 1914 and 1922. The cry of reduction in expenditure is camouflage and political hypocrisy. The Railway statement shows a loss on the year s working of £1,026,000. though oS6,p-? l m train miles have been run and more passengers and goods have been carried than in last year, which means that the taxpayers have to find £-Sll for every day in the year, notwithstanding increased freights and pnsson,™i f ftleß , The Rural Credit Association Act is unworkable and useless for farmers who have mortgages or for farmers who require to build houses. The £SOO limit is nonsensical. 1 believe the time has now arrived to revalue lands purchased by the Government for soldiers under the ' Discharged Soldiers' Settlement Act, but the appointment of men. outside , the Land Boards must end in waste of | public money, for under the law the recommendation for revaluation must come from the Land Boards. In cases of hardship where revaluation takes place all arrears to be cancelled It is necessary in my opinion to put heart into such settlers, and it is the duty of the State to .give them a chance notwithstanding the. fall in price of land or produce, or both. I am a strong advocate of a very progressive Land Poller, a* * is only by inched settlement and production that to pay the interest on the public debt, and r«duce taxation. This, drastic economy in public administration

.'restoring the. Dominion to prosperity. J The promises of Reform, made in 1911, have not been carried out. The Second Ballot Act has been repealed aud nothing, substituted, though in Sir {James Allen's Budget of 1912, a definJ ite promise was made to the country j that the second ballot would be repealI ed, aud another method of election subistituted. MR FIELD'S CAMPAIGN. , Mr Field has been busy addressing meetings throughout the electorate during the week. He spoko at Wcraroa on Monday, Upper Hutt on Tuesday, and at Manakau on ■ Wednesday night, and in each case had an excellent reception. Notwithstanding the rain a large number of ladies attended the Manakau meeting. Mr Field said that though the Liberal candidate, who was a stranger and had no interest whatever in the electorate, expected a large support front Labour, there being "no Labour candidate announced, and though, much to the gratification of the Liberals, a Reform sympathiser was splitting the Reform vote, he expected to win the scat by it solid majority. Mr Field spoke at Pofirua hist night, will be at Pahautanui to-night and Rikiorangi to-morrow night. Mr Charles Irvine Harkucss has been nominated for the Otaki seat by the following:—Messrs J. D. Brown, K, G. Wall. L. I. Howell, E. Macdonald. R. V. Brown, W. G. Bishop, J. Davies, and F. J. Ryder. <