TO FIGHT ON AND ON

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 482, 11 October 1928, Page 7

TO FIGHT ON AND ON

COUNTRY PARTY’S AIMS FRANKLIN CANDIDATE’S ADDRESS (From Our Own Correspondent) PUKEKOHE,, Wednesday. “If we do not get where we want to at this election we will be back again next time, and if not successful then, the following time. We will be like Tom Heeney, only we will guard our optic nerves.” Thus spoke Mr. H. O. Mellsop, the Country Party candidate for Franklin at his first pre-election meeting held at Waiuku this evening, and attended by about 100. Mr. J. J. A. James, chairman of the Town Board, presided. Also present was Mr. J. W. Robinson, president of the Franklin branch of the Country Political League. “I make no apology for coming before you as the Country Party candidate,” the candidate commenced,' “and I have been chosen probably because of the keen interest I have taken in Farmers’ Union matters. The Country Party is not out to benefit the farming community solely, but the country as a whole.” During tho past decade, he went on to say, the Farmers’ Union had been responsible for the Introduction of notably the petrol tax and the securing of Nauru Island, but owing to a number of its pleadings being ignored, the farmers were forced to form their own party. “The party emanated from the demand of the farmer to make a decent wage and a decent rate of interest on his capital invested.” The candidate claimed that the large vested interests were backing the Reform Party, the funds of which were said to total £150,000. New Zealand, he proceeded, was essentially a primary-producing country, and it could never be made a manufacturing nation. It should specialise in primary products- and purchase in the cheapest markets. The production had, no doubt, increased in recent years, but instead of the country progressing it was stagnant, and under a reign of depression. The Government was loading the country with unemployment relief, and in the towns the soup-kitchens had reappeared. Although there was increased production the country was stagnant, and apparently the Prime Minister had appreciated the situation when recently asked whether a standard rate of wage could not be paid to the unemployed, he replied that if he attempted to do so the farmers would be walking off their properties. “One does not have to go to the King Country to see distress,” said the speaker, “as any amount of it exists in Franklin; people hanging on to their farms with the hope of rounding the corner—their wonderful optimism helping them to do so.” “They talk of the Labour Party’s land policy! Why, Reform’s policy has confiscated more land than Labour has ever proposed to do,” remarked Mr. Mellsop in referring to the stagnation in land settlement. Owing to the high costs, people could not be induced to settle on unimproved land, he said, while the high rate of interest burdened production, with the result that 14,000 men had left agricultural pursuits in the past six years. He ventured the opinion that if Reform reigned for an additional six years another 14,000 would leave the land. A “No labouring man is getting too much money to-day for his work,” said tho candidate. It was found from experience that he had food, clothig. etc., to pay for dearly and could not exist on less. Such w,as one of the reactions of protection, which, he asserted, was wrong in principle, precept and practice. The party was strongly opposed to protective tariffs, except for revenue purposes. The preferential rates on the railways were criticised by Mr. Mellsop. He claimed that such penalislied the backblock settler. “Yet in face of this the Reform Party is saying that it has put up a farmers' candidate for Franklin,” he added. He criticised the Westfield deviation and the Taupo railway, and expressed himself as in favour of road nationalisation, defence and preferential voting. “Reform stole one of the Country Party’s planks—the group land settlement. but it is useless unless the economic balance is restored,” he added. “I will not state one word which I do not honestly believe is for the betterment of my fellow farmers of the Dominion,” the candidate concluded amid prolonged applause. Asked as to how he would vote on a no-confidence motion in the Government, Mr. Mellsop said he would vote against the Government. On the motion of Messrs. Whitham and Lands, the candidate was accorded a vote of thanks and accorded an expression of confidence. This was carried, there being three dissentients.