“MAN OF THE HOUR.”

Shannon News, 20 March 1923, Page 4

“MAN OF THE HOUR.”

COUNTRY MUST HAVE CHEAPER MONEY.

MATAMATA, Last Night. “The man of the hour,” is one of the phrases which has been used to describe the candidature of Sir Joseph, Ward for Tauranga. The chairman at one of Sir Joseph s meetings this morning put it anothei Avay. “This country,” he said, “is as a ship Avhieli is going on the rocks—financial rocks —and we have with us to-day the captain Avho can steer the ship clear of trouble, THE DISSOLUTION BOGEY. “This,” said Sir Joseph, at the same meeting, “is more than a local election.” His opponent was saying that the return of Sir Joseph would mean dissolution. "I want to give the gentleman credit for believing that is so, but in my opinion it is nothing of the kind. I don’t believe any of the members of the House want a dissolution. I don’t beliebe the Reformers want it, bcause they might not come back as strong. I am perfectly sure the Liberals don’t want a dissolution, and I don’t think Labour does, because it is a costly job and they could not better their position in the House to any great extent.” THE MORATORIUM.

In repeating that the moratorium should have been lifted as soon as the peace treaty was signed, Sir Joseph said he had been in favour ot that from the commencement but had been unable to have it done. People had been told what a fine thing the Government had done in extending the moratorium till December, 1924, because it prevented loans from being called up, but the fact .was that while the moratorium continued, so our position was becoming worse and worse. ihe settler who thought he was being’ protected by the moratorium was standing a double chance of being ruined. Ilf the moratorium remained in operation the settler would be worse off than he was to-day, and if it was lifted without something being put in its place the settler would still be practically ruined; Sir Joseph was out to prevent the man from being ruined. He wanted to see money raised for the people as he had raised it in the past, under the State Advances legislation. He considered Ave needed twenty-five ini'lions of money. This was one of the reasons why he was standing for Pa rliament to-day. TTr ,„_ GOVERNMENT BONDS SCHEME. This led him on to his Government bonds scheme for financing the construction of raihvays, roads, etc., ana he said it had been suggested in a leading article in a Reform journal, that the working man might not get paid in cash. That Avas the . greatest nonsense on tlie face of the earth, for under liis proposal every working man ivould get paid in cash in the ordinary way. These bonds could be cashed at any bank, and the working nien would be paid in cash. What he wanted to do Avas to see that the contractors accepted Government bonds. Give the contractor, say, £SOO in five per cent, bonds. If the money market was against him, he might have to take £99 15/. or £99 10/, instead of £IOO, and the. only thing Avas that h£ Avould have to consider that when tendering for the contract. SAVING THE SETTLER. There was no doubt that Avithout money this country could not live.. ■*,«> was the products A\ r e sent out of New Zealand that brought the money back to the country. NeAV Zealand had to Avork in the direction of helping all. the settlors, Avho were in trouble, the advances to settlers system of othei davs had made the farmers ot this connin' and saved many of them from ruin. That gave money at 4 h per cent, and nearly every money lender in the land had to come dOAvn to 5 per cent, to get his money out. That system altered the whole face of the country changed it from end to end and revolutionised it.

AGRICULTURAL BANKS. He was out for progress and de_ veloptnent, but he Avanted to have the tiling right at the base and that Avas Avhy lie had adA r ocated argiculturai banks and put it into his 1911 budget. That avhs a time long before those now advocating these banks had ever 7 men. tioned the matter. He believed agricultural banks Avouid be of immense service to the farmers of this country oml Avould fill a great void.

In reply to a question touching the moratorium, Sir Joseph said that if a man had paid too much for his land for speculative purposes, he had to do the same as anyone else, he had to pay for his mistake. No settler could afford t.o take the speculator out of his trouble or put the burden round his oAvn neok. We had to keep the men who legitimately wanted help and bad to do it by providing cheap money That could not get the speculator out of his trouble, but Ave could not afford to let the settlers suffer for that. INCREASED PUBLIC DEBT.

Sir Joseph replied to.night to an editorial disputing his figures respect, ing the public debt. He said he would proA'e that he was correct in saying that there had been an increase of £68.000,000 since 1918, by quoting from an official source in table No. 2, on page 64 of the budget of 1918. The total of the public debt %vas given as £150,840,655 on March 31, 1922, Mr. Massey’s budget gave the total as £209,054,385. Simple subtraction would show the difference to be £68,000,000, so the official records shoAved that his statement was absolutely true.

BEST • BRAINS IN PARLIAMENT. SHOfTI.U WORK TOGETHER. MATA MATA, Lust Night. When you say the best brains in Parliament ought to put their heads together to endeavour to get the country out of its difficulties, does that mean you are. prepared to join Re. form?” was a question put to Sir Joseph Ward at one of his meetings to.night. Sir Joseph: T did not say that. , ” Then do you mean to say there are no brains in the Reform Party ?” asked the elector, who had previously presided at a meeting of the Reform candidate. Sir Joseph: I have, not said that. The elector wanted a little more information.. Sir Joseph: You have to realise that I am not preaching anything at the present time except the good of this country (applause). It is as much the duty of the Reformers to see what they can do in the meantime—the men with brains —as it is the duty of the. Liberals. It is the duty of all in Par. liament to help the country out of its difficulties.