Uniteds Basking In Old Halo Light

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 493, 24 October 1928, Page 10

Uniteds Basking In Old Halo Light

MR. BARTRAM’S ATTACK ! REFORM “SINS” DETAILED “Mr. Coates, bad as He is, is a white rose compared with those men basking in the effulgence from the halo of the old Liberal Party.” This was one of the stinging observations on the United Party made by Mr. F. N. Bartram, M.P., Labour candidate for Grey Lynn, during his first campaign speech at the Point Chevalier Hall last evening. There was an attendance of about 200 electors, and the meeting was without incident, the candidate being j accorded a vote of thanks and continued confidence. Speaking on the “sins” of tlie present Government, Mr. Bartram said it had floated into power on the wave of a huge majority, and a press campaign combined with an adulation of Mr. Coates. Voters had been caught , by the cant and catch-cries of the Re- ! form Party, and the Government had | been returned to power by the votes | of the workers. He went on to say that the voters I should not attach too much importance to the names of leaders. It was the principles underlying the policy of the party that mattered. Last election, thousands of voters hitched their wagons to Mr. Coates, the new political star, and now they were grumbling about the bumping they had received. The Reform Party was the party of the rent-monger and inter-est-monger: the party of those who rule and have their living through the labour of the workers. No matter who led, the party would always be tho same. Some members of the Reform Party were not satisfied with Mr. Coates, and now the disgruntled Reformers had a new star in Sir Joseph Ward. It was almost a tragedy to see Sir Joseph become the catspaw of the i United Party. “Just think of the promises the Reform Party made last election,” he ; said. “The party bragged then of the | country’s prosperity and freedom from unemployment, and even claimed that these things were due to them. Those who voted ‘Coates and Confidence’ were promised a remedy for wrongs and an era of prosperity.” REASONS FOR UNEMPLOYMENT In his indictment of the Reform Party, Mr. Bartram said it had shown utter inability to deal with unemployment. Want and misery stalked rampant throughout the land. Unemployment, however, was one of the inherent defects of the capitalist system. Tho Labour Party did not charge Mr. Coates with being responsible for all unemployment, or even tho main part of it; for the main cause of unemployment was the displacement of labour by modern inventions. “When captains and ex-captains, of industry claim they can solve the problem by borrowing a few million pounds, they are talking utter piffle,” he said. “Unemployment is just part of the system.” lie went on to say that the Government had intensified the evil immigration policy which had cajoled migrants to come to the Dominion. The only remedy it had in sight was to offer relief work at nine bob a day. The immigration policy was one of the causes of the present situation, and thousands had been tempted to New Zealand by misleading advertising. The Government’s excuse was that it was not doing it now: that was like shutting the stable door after the horse had bolted. Another charge brought against the Government by Mr. Bartram was that

it had played into the hands of financial interests. When it was seriously proposed that the State should have control of its own banking and insurance, it was then that the financial gentry had cold water running down their backs. The pi'ivato banking institutions controlled the Government, and as soon as “The Man Who Gets Things Done” came into power, the first thing he did was to increase the interest on State advances loans. He also asserted that the Government had not kept its election pledges concerning housing. COMET-LIKE UNITEDS During a spirited assault on the United Party, Mr. Bartram said it had appeared comet-like in the political heavens. The real fight was between Reform and Labour. The United Party was the biggest piece of political humbug ever perpetrated on tlie country. It was begot not in love, but in spleen following the last Eden election. “The shade of Seddon stands fti protest to-night against that chicanery,” said Mr. Bartram. “Seddon would turn in his grave if he knew his old lieutenant was leader of a party fighting the socialistic tendencies of Reform.” Continuing, Mr. Bartram said was nothing in the United policy apart from the proposal to borrow £70,000,000. Speaking of the aspirations of the Labour Party, Mr. Bartram said the universe had been harnessed to the service of mankind. Yet man was just as much a slave as ever he was. The Labour Party sought to obtain a full rich life for everybody, and it believed that a man should not work so long, and that he should get the full benefit of«llie produce of his labours. In reply to a question, Mr. Bartram said his experience had forced him to tho conclusion that the average English Parliamentarian regarded New Zealand only as a happy hunting ground for surplus population, and a dumping place for goods.