MR SAVAGE’S HOPE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 12 October 1938, Page 7

MR SAVAGE’S HOPE

INCREASED MAJORITY IN HOUSE PREDICTION AT AUCKLAND ENTHUSIASTIC RECEPTION (By Telegraph—Press Association.) AUCKLAND, October 11. “I am going to make the prediction that after next Saturday we will have a greater majority in the House than we have now,” said the Prime Minister, the Rt Hon M. J. Savage, in concluding an address to 4000 people in the Auckland Town Hall tonight. On entering the hall Mr Savage was greeted with a tremendous ovation, hundreds of people standing on the seats and cheering and waving their hands, while the Waterside Workers’ Band in one of the galleries, played “For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow.” “I am going to put them on the rack tonight,” Mr Savage said in announcing that he refused to be put on the defensive by misrepresentations of the opposition. In the days of Seddon and Ballance anything that looked like progress had been described as Socialism or Communism and the same was being done today whenever there was anything likely to strike at vested interests. In a brief review of political history in New Zealand the Prime Minister said the people who should have followed in the footsteps of Seddon and Ballance' had joined up with’ the Relormers and later became the Coalition Government. It was the same old gang bidding again for office and promising mainly what it would not do. “Because a member of the party 1 writes a book, which he is entitled to do,” continued Mr Savage, “the opinions expressed in it are placed not at the feet of the Apostles in this case, out at the feet of the Government. It looks as if no member of the party is safe to open his mouth without the whole party being accused that it is their opinion.” He said he intended to devote some of his speech to showing the misdeeds of Labour’s opponents. They said they intended to restore the Public Service salary cuts made in 1922. He said they should never have made them, and he and a small party with him opposed tnem at the time. People should not be asked to believe that the Nationalists would do these things. It was said that Labour was going to nationalise farms and small businesses. The Government, however, could not exceed the wishes of the people, and if they attempted to carry out such a policy there would be a rising against them. The dairy-farmers had been guaranteed an income, and the same would be done for other farmers if they got into difficulties. However, the guaranteed price would not be forced on anyone. “It looks to me that it is quite on the cards that the wool farmers- will be asking for guaranteed prices,” continued Mr Savage. “In fact, some are coming to me already, but as an organisation they have not done that, I predict that they will, and I consider they might do worse, because at least they will have security all along the line.” Mr Savage devoted most of the remainder of his speech to the Social Security Act on the lines of his Dunedin speech. At the conclusion a vote of thanks and confidence was carried with ( cheers.