WOOING THE FARMER

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 487, 17 October 1928, Page 8

WOOING THE FARMER

LABOUR IN MANAWATU MARTON, Tuesday. The Labour candidate for Manawatu, Mr. J. H. Taylor, opened his campaign at Greatford last evening, and his party’s efforts to win the farmers’ votes were very evident. His remarks dealt chiefly with matters affecting the land. As a small farmer himself, he solicited the support of all men on the land with small holdings. “I know what it is to be up against ft; Pknow how the boot pinches, . and I know how the Co'ates Government., in spite of its promises, has taken the farmer’s equity and given it as a -present to the money-lending institutions/* he declared emphatically. “There is only one solution, and that is to give the reins of Government to Labour.” Referring to Labour’s land policy, Mr. Taylor strongly advocated Stateprotected mortgages. “To-day, if a man is up against it, and he cannot meet his interest account with the private money-lender, out he goes, but with the State he would receive all the assistance he deserved to get on his feet.” He quoted instances where hard working men had had to walk off, leaving all behind them, and he condemned the Government for permitting such a state of affairs. The Labour Party would stop the land gamble. “We contend that when a man sells he shall sell only his improvements, for the gamble <in land has done much to place this country in the sad position it is in to-day/’ he went on. The speaker criticised the private banks for raising the bank rate of interest some time ago, stating that such action could only impose hardship on the people who deserved assistance. The business people passed the increase on to the poor consumer, but the farmer with the mortgage and overdraft could not pass it on. “I declare/* he went on, “the banks are defeating the objects of the Act of Parliament. They are nothing better than the dictators of the economic life of the people.” Following this caustic criticism, the candidate continued to advocate a State bank, explaining it along the well-known line of the Labour Party. “We want a bank,” he said, “that will get right in behind the people, help the farmer to develop his land, aryl in every way promote the happiness of the people." He referred to the “crying shame” of the Government’s soldier settlement schemes, stating that the big landowner, the big moneylender, had benefited — they had got away with the “swag”—and the soldier who had fought for his country wa.s left with a heavy mortgage sucking him under. Mr. Taylor was accorded a vote of thanks and confidence.