HARD HIDING

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 507, 9 November 1928, Page 14

HARD HIDING

PARTY LEADERS BUSY MR. COATES AT WELLINGTON UNITEDS’ POLICY ANALYSES Press Association WELLINGTON, Thursday. The Prime Minister to-night addressed a meeting in the Town Hall, which was packed to overflowing, with hundreds lining the street outside listening to the speech by loud speakers. The Mayor, Mr. G. A. Troup, presided. Mr. Coates received a wonderful ovation. He analysed the platform of the United Party, and said its main planks were the borrowing cf 1:60,000,000 for advances to settlers and workers, and £10,000,000 for railway construction. They said they would reduce income tax and Customs tax. they would pay subsidies to assist local industries, they would provide a cheap loaf, and they would adopt preferential voting. "And don’t forget,” the Prime Minister said, ‘‘they are going to do all this without adding a penny piece to taxation. With regard to their borrowing I would like to ask the United Party how it proposes to find the £5 it will lose on every £IOO, for it is going to raise the money at £94 10s at 4* per cent. How is it going to find that other £5 ? “The next point is how does it propose to bring the money into New Zealand? Does it propose to bring it in goods or gold? If it brings it in in goods, then those goods will affect our local industries, and if it is in gold then the primary producer will have to pay, for he is the only exporter.” The Prime Minister said that the effect of borrowing £60,000,000 in ten years would be to increase the price of land. The Government’s policy had been to bring the price of land down to a level In keeping with the price of our produce overseas, and to maintain stability. RAILROAD COMPLETION As to the proposal of Sir Joseph Ward to allocate £10,000,000 for the completion of railroads, had the Leader of the United Party, its chairman, or any member of its explained how it was proposed to expend that money? Had any indication been given as to the lines which would he completed? “Under attention at present are the North Auckland, the Gisborne, the Stratford, the Inangahua, and the Midland lines. How does the United Party propose to complete these lines?” the Prime Minister asked. "All it says is that it will spend £10,000,000 in three years. "It was not only a physical impossibility to complete the railroad in three years,” the Prime Minister continued, “but even if it were completed in that time the economic effect would be disastrous. The cost of construction had been reduced by about 40 per cent. The men on the works would be kept on if the Government’s policy was maintained.” WHEAT AND FLOUR Referring to wheat and Hour, while it might be correct to say that when wheat was low abroad the sliding scale of duty had the effect o% keeping the prices slightly higher than would otherwise be the case, the sliding scale also kept down the price of bread when there was a shortage of wheat in New Zealand. The sliding scale had not prohibited the importation of flour, and under it wheat and flour had been imported free of duty.