ELECTIONEERING SCHEME

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 501, 2 November 1928, Page 7

ELECTIONEERING SCHEME

SIR JOSEPH WARD’S POLICY UNEMPLOYMENT CAUSES Addressing about 350 electors at Northcote last evening the Independent Reform candidate for Waitemata, Mr. Alex. Harris, declared that the present Reform Party was the true Liberal Party in every sense of the word. Mr. Harris described the legislation that had been enacted in the last few years, declaring that the present platform as advocated by his party was a plain businesslike one, and based on sane legislation. He declared Sir Joseph Ward’s borrowing policy to be a purely electioneering scheme. The contention that immigration was responsible for the unemployment in New Zealand was challenged by Mr. A. Harris.

He said a lot had been said about unemployment, which had been freely attributed to the immigration policy of the Government, but there was no justification for this allegation. In the Great War New Zealand lost 17,000 men and 7,000 were assessed as permanently disabled. Therefore the loss of man-power from war causes was 24,000. Since the close of the war 21,113 men had come to New Zealand so that the Dominion was 3,000 short in man-power, and the leeway from war losses had not yet been overtaken.

Unemployment was the aftermath of the war. There was less unemployment in New Zealand than in any part of the Empire. The Government had endeavoured to cope with the situation by establishing relief works of a productive nature. He quoted returns of earnings to support the statement that men on contract in no case averaged less than relief rates. He advocated unemployment insurance as a scientific method of dealing with the question. The candidate was subjected to slight interruptions from the back of the hall, but in the main received a good hearing. Question time was chiefly spent in replying to questions put by stalwarts of the United and Labour Parties. A vote of thanks and confidence in Mr. Harris as the member for Waitemata was carried, an amendment of thanks for his address and past services to the electorate being defeated by a large majority. Mr. A. E. Greenslade, Mayor of Northcote, presided. _