NO PARTY POLITICS

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 493, 24 October 1928, Page 11

NO PARTY POLITICS

aim of united forces election on merits only "The contest in Manukau,” said Mr. Kells Mason, at the Foresters’ Theatre, Onehunga, last evening, “is like a horse race, and I am in the bird-cage for inspection. I have sacrificed a position worth 500 guineas a year to contest this election/* Mr. J. E. Cowell, J.P., occupied, the chair and introduced the candidate. Mr. Kells Mason alluded to the fact that at last election, although the Reform Party secured only a minority of the votes cast, it had a majority in the House. When Ballance ousted the Atkinson Conservative Ministry in 1891, soupkitchens, doss houses, and unemployment were rife. The working classes clamoured for work or revolution, and empty stomachs were the surest road to Bolshevism. The same conditions prevailed to-day, owing to the gross mismanagement of the present government. Labour also stood condemned for having failed to offer any solution of the difficulties. Liberty had been filched from the people by such measures as the Police Offences Act. which made it possible for innocent men to be arrested on suspicion and forced to prove their innocence. POWERS TOO GREAT “Ministers to-day,” said the candidate, “have the power to make any provision they chose and give them the effect of Jaw. They are continually making regulations which override anything in the Statute. Their Orders-in-Council have come to have the effect of law.” There were but two issues in Manukau —either United or Labour. The Reform candidate was right out of it. After having read Mr. Bunn’s .speech at Penrose on Monday evening lie could not believe that gentleman could possibly support the Reform Party. “Indeed,’* he said, “he must have had his ear to the keyhole when the United Party was formulating its policy, and had subsequently adopted it as his own.” He accused the Labour Party with having voted with the Government on ibe Motor Omnibus Act, which had tho effect of throwing 45 bus drivers in the Manukau electorate out of work.

without finding them other jobs. The Hon. A. D. McLeod had recently stated that there was no more available land in yie Dominion, and yet the stream of immigration flowed on. Tho United Party would see to it that not one more immigrant -would reach theso shores while one New Zealander walked the streets looking for work. The Government had spent £43,000,000 on land settlement and 13,000 men had walked off their farms in the past three years. Last year £500,000 had been spent on relief ■works, the wages being 9s a day. After drawing this pittance many of the men, after paying for their board, found themselves still in debt to the canteen. Its door was open to all shades of public opinion, whether it be Reform, Labour, Liberal or Independent. When Sir Joseph Ward left the treasury benches he also left £17,000,000 in the safe. EXPENDITURE DOUBLED Public expenditure had been more than doubled in the last ten years. AVhen Sir Joseph Ward relinquished office the total expenditure was only £15,000,000. To-day it had reached the alarming total of £31,500,000. £5,000,000 alone had been squandered in settling ex-soldiers, by a fatal policy which Sir Joseph had condemned at its initiation, but Reformers had pooh pooed his prophecy which had now been fulfilled to the letter. They were now pooh pooing his proposal to borrow £70.000,000 but they could not show it to be wrong. That money would be available straight away fox' settlers at 5i or per cent. It would be immediately productive, would relieve unemployment, open vast areas of idle lands, and not cost tho taxpayers one penny Piece. It was intended to open up 7,000,000 acres of Crown land and purchase a further area of 14,000,000 aci*es if necessary. *‘We intend to adopt what is known as the group settlement system,” said the candidate, “similar to the policy inaugurated in West Australia, where hundreds of ex-miners and ex-water-siders now drive about in their limousines. “We would build schools, stores and all modern facilities.” A Voice: What about a pub? ‘Now those men who have no mon^y—*’ A Voices That’s me. “Would be financed with stock, fertilisers, implements and buildings. That’s where the £70,000,000 would So.” Referring again to Mr. Bunn, the candidate, Mr. Mason said: Banish him from your mind. If he condemns the Government, lie should |!ot be standing in the Reform interests. He’ll only tell you what I uni telling you/* EDUCATION WEAKNESSES He condemned the present system of education, which crammed a boy’s mind with rubbish he did not need, and encouraged him in adopting a light, eas Y. indoor life instead of going on the land. a steeply-graded land-tax was advocated, and also drastic changes in the mode of appointing land boards, yfkich h© blamed for their treatment of 111 ® Maori owners of the Orakei block. Tho Maoris received £ SO,OOO for that land,” he said, “and in a year they th d spent eve ry penny of it. What did th© Government care for the welfare ° f J hose Poor natives, who know not the value of monev? “But the worst sin of the whole indictment is the fact that farmers Pay no income-tax, ’ continued Mr. -lason. “There is one man I know of, JMio drew in orff year for his Wool, and he never paid a penny |hcome-tax. The man with the big income is the man we are after.” ♦u Start with Joey Ward then. answering several questions Mason was accorded a vote of by a large and attentive audience.