A CASE FOR MUDDLEMENT. REPLY TO MR J. W. THOMPSON

Shannon News, 17 October 1922, Page 4

A CASE FOR MUDDLEMENT. REPLY TO MR J. W. THOMPSON

(To the Editor.)

Sir,—Your correspondent, J. W. Thompson, is certainly a joke. Any man who can mix up the P.P.A., the Catholic Federation, the Press, the Pubs, the Welfare League and the Parasites as one party is most surely in a bad way. Think of this irate individual putting the P.P.A. and the Catholic Federation in the one camp against ;those he calls the “useful people.” The latter, we presume, means the members of Mr Thompson’s party. That party evidently does not need to- pray “Lord send us a good conceit of our selves”—it has it all right. Your correspondent’s confusion of the principle of his party “that priviately owned land shall not he sold or transferred except to the State” with the principle of taking land under the Public Works Act shows a muddlement of intellect that is really depressing to contemplate. Does he not know that in taking land under the ' Public Works Act it is acquired for some particular public work, the principle is not applicable to land in general, and (the price payable is fixed by agreement or arbitration. That.is a different thing altogether from his party’s proposal that all rights of private sale or transfer shall be done away with and the State shall fix its own price for the laffd which is surrendered; He says “Why did your party give power under the Public Works Act?” What nonsense the man talks—the Public Works Act provision has been supported by all parties and by non-party men as well. His recitals about the National Association, Reform Party, or any other party, does not concern the League, as it is a non-party organisation, and ’ cares not a rap for any of the parties.

Our difference with Mr Thompson is this: he affirms that Ballance and Seudon supported his Red Party principle of confiscating all land owners’ rights to sell or transfer their land, and we say that it is absolutely untrue. We (have asked Mr Thompson to quote any words wherein these statesmen endorsed such a principle, and he cannot do so. The attempt being made by Mr Holland’s party, with its semi-communist leanings, to pose as the descendants of Ballance and Seddon is, in our opinion, a most gross political imposition, which should repel all fair-minded people, apart: from all party considerations.— We are, etc., N.Z. WELFARE LEAGUE.