POVERTY AND THE REFORM PARTY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 216, 12 March 1914, Page 2

POVERTY AND THE REFORM PARTY.

T» the Eidtor. Sir,—Generally speaking, the farming community takes with a certain amount of salt any statement made by an outsider or layman as to the amount of misery in this, our Dominion. We have Jieen told and especially by supporters of the lieform Government, that the city worker is on a good wicket, etc., and 1 should like leave and space to reprint a portion of the speech of the member for Wellington East (Dr. A. K. Newman) made in the House on July 4th last, and which I feel sure will go a 1 little way towards causing the Roller j to pause and ask, "Can tins be true and why?":— j "The question of the cost of living Jis becoming more serious day by day , and prices are getting higher and higher. I do feel this, that from one end of New Zealand to the other the townspeople are feeling worse than anybody else this question of upward expenditure, and there can be no question that this Government and tho tiovorimients in years gone by ought to have taken up this question. I look at it in this way: From one end of New Zealand to the other and is all the towns, there is a large amount of misery and Bufl'ering growing up and I hate to see it, and 1 say it is time we as a llouso book this question in hand and seriously tackled it. We are going to have a Board of Agriculture to deal with sheep and pigs and beans, and these Ihingß. Sir, we want a Department of State that shall look after the misery and suffering in the towns. One of the the things I could think about is this, and it depresses me very seriously: j That we are a young colony, a rich colony and a sparsely settled colony; J and yet the amount of misery, and suf(faring, and poverty that occurs in our towns is absolutely shocking." Now, Mr. Editor, coming from a supporter of the fieform Government tiie above is remarkable, and 1 would recommend those rank and lile supporters of the "Reformers" who promised to better the condition of living, etc., and who ridicule the idea of misery in the towns to seriously ponder on what the doctor says, and if in search of further information, to get Hansard No. 2 of last session. I have quoted sullicient, I hope, and would ask if the Massey misery in increasing the burdens of the people by increasing the cost of running the different departments in the way they have; by appointing Public Service Commissioners it is estimated the cost of running that little sinecure will be anywhere between £12,000 to £15,000; by jumping over the heads of Wv Zealanders who were getting about £ISOO a year as head of the Railway Department and importing a manager from Britain at double the figure; by adding to the cost of defence tho way they are; and in going in for the tin can navy as extra addition to the same. I think even the member quoted wiil agree that the misery and poverty of the towns must be added to in the long rum and the man in the country—the man who says because he has to work 14 hours a day he has no time to rea<l, and who allows people with axes to grind to do his thinking—the oasily befoozled man in the country says, it' 3 all rot; the chap in the town is on a good wicket," and shows his interest in the welfare of his country and fellowmen by supporting a so-called party of Reform, that was going to give a "square deal" all- round, but which has shown itself to be nothing but tho architects of a class system that should not be allowed to extend in a young country that prided itself as giving opportunities to all, and which in the past had laid the foundation for the carrying out of that object. Well, the day of reckoning will be all the harder; but the pity of it!—f am, etc., JOE. B. SIMPSOX. Durham Road.