UNIQUE FAILURE

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 505, 7 November 1928, Page 11

UNIQUE FAILURE

REFORM’S LOST OPPORTUNITY UNITED’S INDICTMENT -•The Coates Government, with its big majority, has had a unique opportunity of restoring the country to prosperity, and it has made a unique failure of it/’ said Mr. Kells Mason, the United candidate for Manukau, at Greenwood’s Corner last evening. Mr. Mason addressed an apparently sympathetic audience of about and went on to say that Mr. Coates had enunciated the slogan, “Less government in business/' “but/' said the candidate, “this Government has interfered in no less than 41 branches of private enterprise.” Dealing with the Mental Defectives Bill, Mr. Mason declared that some of its clauses were so outrageous that they could not be mentioned in a mixed audience, but he would be willing to explain them privately.

He claimed that there had never been a party so free from professional politicians as the United Party. He quoted Mr. Bartram as having said that if many of the present members of the- House were defeated, 50 per cent, of them would be bankrupt. “In a number of instances,” he said, “the letters M.P. after a man’s name constitute rather a reproach than an honour.”

He blamed the Government for failing to 'exploit the oil-bearing lands of the Dominion, of which there were some 44.000 acres. From 1925 to 1927 £9,000,000 had been sent overseas for petroleum and allied products. There were indications that there was sufficient oil underground in New Zealand to pay our national debt, but not one member of the Government had brains enough to spena a few thousands on systematic research work, with the object of developing those oilfields. FREEDOM OF SPEECH

He said that the Post and Telegraph Department was the most highly efficient of all the public services, but the employees were seething with discontent. Both their hands and tongues were so tied that they were powerless to obtain redress for their grievances He advocated according a greater measure of liberty to all civil servants, thereby placing them on a with private employees. Attacking the administration of the Department of Education, he said that the Government was requesting parents to keep their boys at school for an extra year, as there was no work for them to go to. but in the same breath they were inviting boys from overseas under the Flock House system, and Sir James Parr had recently said to some 400 of these boys: “You are going to a land of golden opportunities.” tie repeated his statement that there was a sum of £1,000,000 lying in the Treasury, accrued from the petrol tax, and said that if it were not used quickly it would disappear as other funds have already disappeared. In explaining the United Party's group settlement scheme, he said that it was proposed to grant the freehold or leasehold at the selector’s choice, but if he preferred the freehold, he would not be permitted to sell the land without the consent of a land board, thereby putting a stop to speculation. The Labour Party, he said, had never advocated a system like that. Dummyism and land aggregation would be stopped, although a few deceitful persons would probably find a, way of circumventing those provisions. it is difficult to change human nature, ho went on, “and that is the rock upon which Socialism will split.” Mr A. M. Loasby occupied the ehalJ. and an orderly meeting accorded Mr Mason a vote of thanks and confidence. -