NEW PARTY IN POLITICS.

Taranaki Daily News, 7 October 1921, Page 4

NEW PARTY IN POLITICS.

SPEECH BY MR. C. E. STATHAM. “NEW BLOOD AND NEW THOUGHT.’ By Telegraph—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. When the Labor Party’s no confident motion was disposed of in the House to night th? leader of the proposed nev political party, Mr. C. ‘E. Statham (Dun edin Central) spoke. Mr. Statham sail he had made it clear that he had losi confidence in the Government, but hi had not transferred his confidence to thi Liberals or the official Labor Party Therefore he had not taken part in tht debate.

He deprecated the proposal to reduci wages as a means of restoring the finan cial equilibrium. To remove unemployment was distinctly the business of the Government and he did not agree with the member of the Government who said it was not their business to poke their nose into it. He agreed that New Zea land wanted more population, but he die not think people should be brought her* if there was neither work nor houses foi them. Departmental expenditure wai -excessive and wasteful, and the pu-blii service commissioners were not justify ing their existence. The present slump was largely due ti the banking system and what we want ed was a bank run in the interests o< the country—a State bank. Taxatioi was at present crippling industries Company taxation was especially in. iquitous and there could be no progrest while it existed. He formerly advocab ed a levy on wealth rather than loam and heavy taxation and he still though; that was the proper way to extricati ourselves from the present difficulties.

He blamed the Government for npi commandeering the products of th< country during the war period and disposing of them in the interests of tht country. This was not done and consequently prices rose abnormally. Land values rose proportionately and on top of these values the Government bought land for soldiers’ settlements, with the result that the country would have to come to the rescue of distressed soldiers. He asked the Government to take a sympathetic view of the misfortunes of soldiers, notwithstanding that there were many unascertained losses in connection with these settlements. The speaker roundly condemned the Government’s housing scheme, which was giving unsatisfactory results at an enormous cost.

Economy in our public life was necessary, and one of the first was the abolition of the Legislative Council, which was an altogether unnecessary expense. What was needed in the House was an effective opposition. That was th® object of the new p&rty with which he was personally associated, which would give the country new thought and new blood. This new blood and new thought would be forthcoming at the next general election.