REFORM PARTY.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVI, Issue 37, 19 June 1913, Page 5

REFORM PARTY.

FAST—PRESE NT-FUTURE.

WHAT WILL BE DON If

ADDRESS BY MR J. B. HINE. There was a rather small audience at the Town Hall last night, when Mr J, B. Hine, M.P. for Stratford, delivered a pre-sessional address, the Mayor (Mr W. P. Kirkwood) presiding. Mr Hine dealt at some length with the general politics of the country, and he also dealt with matters particularly interesting to Stratford. The meeting was remarkable for the great number of questions asked at the conclusion of the address.

Mr Hine said that no apology' was necessary from him as regarded the address that night. He had always regarded it as the duty of a member of Parliament to address his constitu-

ents from time to time and to give a record of work in the past and a

forecast of work contemplated

THE REFORM PARTY

Since the last general election there had been a great change in the polities of the country, and he hoped that as time went on the benefit to the country resulting from the change would increase. The chief result of the change had been the defeat of the continuous Government. The Reform Party was looking forward with pleasure to putting its platform before the country, and expected to “make good.” The platform which the party brought down was composed of plank® which had been decided on after long consideration by the whole of the party' in conference. There were men in the party who wore quite conversant with the wants r the country, and they had designed legislation to fill those wants. The platform of the party had been before the country, and a good deal of it had been placed on the Statute Book.

THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. The Reform Party had stood for years against the nomination system in tiie Upper House, which was largely used to ensure' that the Upper House should faithfully carry out the will of the party predominant in the elected Chamber. If the Reform Party had been afraid of its position it would never have aimed a blow at the nominative system, which had been so long and successfully used by the continuous Ministry in furthering their political designs. The measure brought in by the Reform Party had been passed by the House by a good majority, but the Upper House had refused to pass it. In the coming session several nominations would be made tc the Upper House to enable the measure providing for an elective Upper House to be passed. The party went so far as to suggest a compromise to the Upper House—that members be nominated for a term of three years in order to have the measure passed. That compromise was refused, and the nominations would have to be for seven years. Therefore it would be some years before the * Legislative Council became wholly elective. In the Lower House the party had gone through without a single defeat, and of that record they were justly proud. PUBLIC SERVICE BOARD. The party had placed on the Statute Book an Act creating a Public Service Board. This also was a measure designed to destroy the patronage which had been so extensively used by the defeated Administration. In the past the late Government had as strenuously opposed the measure as the Reform Party had fought for it The Commissioners had a hard task to perform, but he thought they would do it with credit to themselves. The chief Commissioner had been a long time in the Public Service. and was highly respected by the members of the Service. All members of Parliament looked forward with pleasure to the time when they would not be importuned to use their influence on behalf of constituents and others. That course had been departed from, and ' their hope was that there would be no return to it.

THE LAND POLICY. The Government was making good their promises, as regards the land of the country. The Reform Party was solid for freehold. The late Government stood for leasehold, though there were several freeholders in the party. He would be a bold man who would come before a country constituency and advocate the leasehold tenure.

The Land Act of the Reform Party would, he was sure, never ho removed from the Statute Book, at least not by the country constituencies. THE FINANCIAL POSITION. The position of the country’s finance had not been a source of pleasure to the Government. In the past there had never been a full statement of the country’s affairs.

Mr N. J, King: You did so in the prospectus of the loan in London.

Mr Hine said everybody knew what a prospectus was—it would be made to look very attractive and still be deceptive. The Mackenzie Government was in power for three or four months, and then the Reform Party had to prepare a statement of the financial affairs of the Dominion. It was found that during the short time it had been in power that Government had increased the country’s liabilities by £400,000. This startling rate of increase was accounted, for by the fact that no provision was made for meeting commitments. Mr C. D. Bole: And you made him High Commissioner for his cleverness. Mr King: Ha was bought.

Mr Hine said Mr Mackenzie was a Liberal supporter of long standing, and had been chosen as leader of the Liberal Party. Yet there were Liberals who would say that ho had been bought. He could hardly believe anybody could say so. The Mackenzie Government also borrowed four millions and a half for only two years. There was no provision for conversion of their loan, and all the efforts of the present Minister of Finance had failed to persuade tin l money-lenders to agree to conversion. Next year, in addition to providing money lor the lending departments, the Government would have to make provision for renewing nine millions of loan money, a legacy from the Liberal Government. They could easily understand how much this would handicap the Reform Party. Also the Government had to find money for commitments of £750,000 made for loans to local bodies, there being only £17,000 in the Treasury to meet the liability when the Government took office.

At this point there was some interruption in the hall, and the Mayor appealed for order. He said he would extend to the Liberal candidate the same degree of protection as ho extended to Mr Hine.

Mr Hine: “This time Ido not think there will bo a Liberal candidate.” Continuing, Mr Hine said that every day he heard statements that there was a shortage of money in New Zealand and there was an underlying intention on the part of those who made these statements to imply that the shortage was caused by the Reform Party getting into power. Mr Sole: Mr Fraser started the

Mr Hine said there was no money in the Treasury owing to the Liberal Government’s commitments. Of recent years the liabilities in the Public Works fund at the end of the year had increased at an alarming rate. By careful administration the Government hoped to be able to launch out and provide all the money required for lending to local bodies, farmers, and workers. The party had done very well to carry on the lending policy, considering how hampered it was when they took it over. Ho had always supported the lending departments and believed that soon the Government would .have to extend its operations. THE DEFENCE QUESTION. The defence vote was growing apace .and was being seriously regarded by the people of the country. The Navy was looked upon as the first line of defence and nobody grudged the contribution to the Navy. In respect of the vote for land defence, it must be remembered that it was for defence not offence. The Minister for Defence had stated that the system could bo run for a maximum of £-100,000 per annum, but that amount should be decreased in the future, as to date there had been large outlay for equipment. THE WORKERS. The Government realised that In many cases the lot of the worker with a large family was far from being a happy one. Personally, he thought that the whole basis of taxation was wrong—not enough was taken from the wealth of the country. Too much was taken from the man who could never hope to amass wealth. Incomes up to £3OO were exempt from taxation and a bachelor with a salary of £3OO paid far less in taxes than the worker with a large family. He would like to see the Customs tariff abolished, and the whole of the taxes levied on wealth and land.

Mr King: You are a single-taxer

Mr Hine said that if the views expressed were those of a single-taxer, then lie was a single-taxer. It might he that lie was a hit ahead of public thought in New Zealand, but if anything he could say or do could tend to ease the social condition of the people ho would he a proud man. The Government had had all the superannuation funds actuarially examined and placed on a solvent footing. Big increases had been granted to railway workers. And yet there were those who persisted in speaking of Mr Massey as representing the wealthy classes.

THE COMING SESSION. In the coming session the Government hoped to pass the remainder of its land legislation. The land for settlements people would be given the freehold this year. Some settlers would find themselves in a different position to what they expected. By the 1907 Land Act, all grazing runs had become National Endowments. Holders of grazing runs had previously the right to convert to lease-in-perpetuity and it was now possible to convert lease-in-perpetuity to freehold. He did not know how the Government would get over the difficulty, as the National Endowment lands were inalienable. The Government intended to reduce to GO the age at which women could apply for the Oldage Pension.

Mr Hi no concluded by thanking his hearers for coining out on such a cold night. Ho resumed his seat amid anplause. QUESTIONS.

Mr Hino said he thought tho increaso in tho cost of the Immigration Department was justified. He had always hold that the Department must be an active one. Ho had never seen tho proposals- of tho Bible-in-Schools League, and so could not say if he approved the Blhle-reading proposed. Mr C. 1). Sole asked if Mr Bine was right when he had previously said that the surplusses of the country in the past had all been bogus. The prospectus of tho loan in London said they wore all genuine. Was that statement made merely to deceive tho investors ?

( * •Mr Hine: I have never said tire Liberal surplusses were bogus. Mr Sole: AY hen you were last on the platform here you made the statement. Air Iline: 1 was referring to the Budget figures. Mr Sole: Lid Mr Massey say in Christchurch the other day that the Reform Government’s surplus was the only genuine one for many years? Mr Hine: i am not responsible for what Air Massey says. Air Sole: AA’as it right for the Government to appoint a physical instructor at £6OO a year without calling for public applications? Air Hine said the salary seemed great when compared with that paid to the head-master of a school, who had tho responsibility of a child’s moral training. Mr Sole: 1 was asking more about the principle of public applications. Air Hine said that perhaps Mr Garlick was the only available man .vith tho necessary qualifications. He certainly thought it would have been better to have called for public applications.

lii reply to further questions, Mr Hine said the railway expenditure mist always increase when new works were being carried out. The strict dairy regulations were necessary, although Messrs Allen and Cuddie had said that the quality of our produce was deteriorating. It was the duty of the Government to find work for people in times of depression. A questioner asked why estates were being bought up, seeing the money market was so tight. One Minister said there were acres of Crown and Native land waiting to be settled while another said there was no'money for public works.

Mr Hine said it was sound policy to buy up lands for settlement. They did not always have the class of land on hand which was wanted by landseekers. The question would imply that cash had been paid, but in a great number of cases debentures were accepted by the sellers. If the buying of land hampered the opening up of the country, a halt should be called, but he did not think this position would arise.

Question: Are you against a Police Officers’ Association?—lt all depends on what they want.

Can you advise us of any method to put a stop to persons getting money from the Advances to Settlers’ Department and charging others 12 per •ent. ?—lf the loan has been granted the Government cannot call it back; but to keep down the rate of Intercast it was the duty of the Government to compete in the lending busiress.

In reply to a question as to whether he would vote for the adoption of the Public Service Commission’s report, Mr Hine said he could not say as he had not yet seen the rer

port. , Mr Osmond asked if, before last election, Mr Hine had not said that when his party got into power’ they would- make'startling revelations following on a search through the Departmental pigeon-holes. Mr Hine. I defy anybody to prove that I said so.

Mr Sole: Did you not say it by implication?

Mr Hine replied that time and again ho had said the Ward Government was guilty of Tammanyism. He had proved that to the hilt. He had done it in the open and did not need to search pigeon-holes. Mr Sole: Did you not find Sir Joseph Ward a straightforward and honorable gentleman? A Voice: No personalities. Mr Hine; I decline to be drawn into a personal attack, and I am surprised at an elector endeavoring to draw me,.

Mr King: You have been tackled about the pigeon-hole statement, and have not answered it. The Reform Party found nothing in the pigeonholes.

Mr Hine: They found gross mismanagement of the Departments.

Mr Hi ne. denied having ever accused the Liberals of getting “pickings” out of loan flotations. He thought a State Bank would be a useful institution in giving to the public a share of the huge profits of banking. In reply to Mr McCluggage, he said he would search the land regulations and see if there was one calling on applicants to Land Boards to produce evidence of means when applying for bind. He would be surprised if such i regulation existed. COMPLIMENTARY. Mr Sole moved a hearty vote of thanks to Mr Hino for the manner : n which he had explained the party’s policy. Mr King seconded, and the motion was carried with acclamation.

Mr Hine said ho was glad to hear the remarks of Mr Sole, who was an. old friend and an old enemy. A vote of thanks to the chair, on the motion of Mr Hine, concluded the meeting.