THE BY-ELECTION

Press, Volume LXIX, Issue 20955, 8 September 1933, Page 10

THE BY-ELECTION

MR FREEMAN SPEAKS AT ST. MARTINS A VOTE OF CONFIDENCE ATTACK ON LABOUR PARTY" Alleging that the Labour party [ lacked constructive policies or ideas, | and that it used inaccurate and misleading statements for which there could be no foundation in fact, Mr F. j W. Freeman, official Coalition candidate for Lyttelton, launched a warm attack on Labour, in speaking at St. I Martins last night. The candidate re-' ceived an excellent hearing, almost j free from interjection, from an at-1 tendance of approximately 40 persous, and at the close of the meeting he was accorded a vote of thanks and confidence. Mr G. H. Bradford presided, and Mr H. Holland, M.P., addressed the meeting before Mr Freeman's speech. Mr Freeman outlined the measures instituted by the Coalition Govern-; ment, claiming that they had saved New Zealand from ruin. In referring to the Labour party's claim that £750,000 had been collected in unemployment taxation from women and girls, Mr Freeman opened his first attack. "The figures the Labour party is using are out of date, obsolete and inaccurate," he said. "The members of the Labour party merely strive to pull down, criticise, abuse, or endeavour to stir up strife. The Labour party will say anything if it thinks it can get away with it. I heard the organiser for (he Labour party in thisi campaign state that if the Labour parcy was put into power it would i restore wages, guarantee boom prices to farmers, distribute new boots, new suits of clothes, and now carpets. Did you ever hear such clap-trap?'" Labour Party's Attitude. Mr Freeman added that he wns proud to beloag to the Coalition, which had done its duty, however unpleasant that duty was or however unpopular its actions must be with some sections. Figures to-day proved that the Dominion's tide of prosperity had turned for the better, and on the facts there was no refuting that statement. The Labour party did not admit it—it did not want to see it. The more chaos and the more trouble the better it liked it—at least the better it was for trade union secretaries. Mr Freeman quoted figures to support his contention that better days were dawning. The candidate added that if the Labour party had any policy of reconstruction it comprised interference with currency, credit control, and a host of artificial remedies, many of which had been tried by Mr Lang in New South Wales, and which had brought business in that State to the brink of ruin. The Coalition Government had put up a creditable t>erformance. The credit of New Zealand was good, the national debt had been kept down, the country was solvent, unemployed had been cared for, and social services had been maintained. If the social services were expanded as suggested by the Labour party, additional taxation was inevitable. After several questions had been answered, one man proposed a vote of thanks to, and no-coniidence in, Mr Freeman. The motion was greeted with laughter, and when another motion was proposed and seconded that Mr Free-man be accorded a vote of thanks and confidence, that motion Was carried to the accompaniment of loyd applause. Mrs McCombs Criticised. In a preliminary address, Mr- Holland said that he could not help being amused by the efforts of Messrs E. J. Howard and H. E. Holland, of the Labour party, in building a man of straw—the invitation to the Coalition bogey—to knock him down again. They,had said that the Labour party had never been asked to join the Coalition. Nobody had said that it was. It was asked to join in a National Government, however. Referring to the present by-election, Mr Holland added that the candidnte for the Labour party, Mrs E. R. McCombs, was a member of the Christchurch City Council, of the Christchurch Tramway Board, and the North Canterbury Hospital Board. She was on various important sub-committees of those bodies also. To combine all such duties with those of a member of Parliament he considered a physical impossibility. He also criticised Mrs McCombs's statements that the Government was doing nothing for unemoloyed women and girls. Mr Holland said that every girl unemployed and away from home, had her rent paid for her, and if sho| was on relief work half her rent. Food, clofhing, and 5s for half a week's work was another arrangement under relief schemes. Once Mrs McCombs had been asked to join the women's committee administering the funds in Christchurch but had refused. It was not very dignified for her, under such circumstances, to stand now on the other side of the fence ancj criticise inaccurately. ~ " J J " == I