POLITICAL POINTS.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 252, 24 October 1925, Page 14

POLITICAL POINTS.

JOTTINGS FROM THE PLATFORMS. "The Reform party will do anything for you before the election," said Mr. W. J.- Jordan, when speaking at Green Lane. "Yes," he repeated, "they will do anything for you before the election and do you for anything after it." "You have a more dangerous man in the Prime Minister than you had in Mr. Massey," said Mr. Bartram. A voice: Xo! Xo! "Yes you have. He wants to be the "Big Gun/-' , replied the candidate. "Reform's escutcheon is tarnished, its honour is besmirched, and impugned at the bar of public conscience. Its land scandals have enriched its supporters and ruined a large number of soldier*" \ Hall Skelton at Eoskill. r? 0W ;,- a * tlle a S e of 70 - don't you really think you are too old to represent the electors of Manukau?" Mr John Massey, Reform candidate, was asked at Onehunga. Mr. Massov did-not answer. "Xow, Mr. Massey, will you pledge yourselt, if the Labour party brings forward a proposal to make the minimum wage o/ a day, to support that wao- e '" asked an elector of Mr. John Massey Keform candidate, at Onehunga. "Yes, heartily," replied the candidate. An amusing incident occurred the address of Mr. B. J. Cookc. the Labour candidate for Wairau at Can-' vastown. Mr. fooke was referring to interest charges. "What is it, ladies and gentlemen," lie asked, "that keeps you awake at night, hour after hour, while you toss and turn and \ rack your brains? , "Crossword puzzles!" came the reply, and tlie meeting resolved into uproarious laughter. Mr. R. McKeen, M.P., Labour candidate for Wellington South, speakin- at \opltown. said: "I wish you to understand definitely that I don't stand for the policy of 'to hell witn agreements.' neither does the party to winch I belong. The workers of this Dominion know that any agreement or understanding entered into by the Labour Party will bo loyally carried "'it. That is more than ran be said lor many of our opponents." Mr. Wilson, Reform candidate for Aiukland Central, at the Bright Street Hall: -Look what Mr. Coatea" has done ■» pending the railways and roadmaking. Why. to-day you can go from Auckland to Whangare! on the railway m a couple of days." The audience roared. A Yoke: Is that walking? Mr. Wilson: I'm sorry, my wife cor-hom-me' ' Bh ° Uld havesaid ' a C0 «Pl« uf pktdy. convulsed tlie """iience com-

"The Government professes to ho , against trusts and combines vnf- „ ? the first official acts of the ° administration is to grant a monopoly?, a broadcasting concern."—Mr nL Browne at Grafton HalL ' ***! "Your reply to my question i= 'J& ' the truth or a lie/ sa id a persist questioner at -Mr Harris' Stanley Bay. "Oh, is it?" *£? atelector at the back of th e "Mr. Harris is a politician." (Laughter). When speaking of immi<*raH n Mr. Harris would stating how many people the com g could absorb in a year, in usin* mm*/ instead of thousands. After he]U been hauled Up a few times, and £ corrected himself, an interiepw shouted: "Oh, go on, Alee, a S? two is neither here or there to a Rp form candidate." . A Bit Doubtful! During the course of his address last night, Mr. \V. J. Jordan, Labour candidate for Manukau, made a Statement that was a rather doubtful compliment to the church. He was referring to his efforts in Parliament and to his activities outside the House, aod mentioned that he sometimes took the services ■in church, concluding by saying: "X am a bit of a wowser you* know." The Singapore Base. "Let us have your views on the Singapore base," was the invitation extended to Mr. Lamont at Birkdale last night. J"I believe in the maintenance of Britain's • supremacy both by land and sea, and am in favour of the establishment of a I naval base in the Pacific to safeguard British possessions in that ocean. If the naval experts agree that Singapore is the best location for that base, then I am unreservedly in favour of it," was the reply. Quiet Night at Kingsland. .' : The request made yesterday by Mr. M. J. Savage.. M.P., "that Labour sup-' porters should refrain from interrupting the speeches of political opponents had a quiescent effect on the proceed-. ings at MLss E. Melville's meeting at the Jubilee Hall, Kingsland, last night, lit was obvious from an occasionalgentle disputation of some remark dur-. ing the address, and from the tenor of the subsequent questions, that the candidate's views were not shared by a considerable section of the audience, but' the meeting was entirely free from any remark or interruption which could be considered in the slightest degree objectionable. ,! The "Retort Courteous." A striking instance of the "retort courteous - ' was evidenced last night dur-, ing the address given by Mr. W. J. Jordan, Labour candidate for Manukau. An interjector had been asking numerous questions, and after one reply that did not seem to suit him, he said: "I i would suggest that Jordan would suit : I lils purpose better if he were a centi- ; pede —he could orawl better." I The remark drew forth a storm of protest and cries of "Shame!" "Dirt!" I but Mr. Jordan, with a beaming smile, ! turned to' the man and said: "If I am i a centipede, my friend, I would be down in the dirt where you are speaking from." (Loud applause.) Woman's Rights. After denouncing the Labour party as extremists. Miss E. Melville, the Reform candidate for Grey Lynn, in her speech last night at Kingsland, complained that Labour did not go far enough in its proportional representation advocacy by applying it to the community as well as to the candidates. On proportional representation of the I community (and she did not like, or ■ advocate v p r °P ortional representation) ■ there would be 37 women in Parliament. Why, she asked, did not the Labour party act on their principles by having that proportion of women among their'candidates? An extremist, she explained later in answer to a question, was a person who was unreasonable and "one-eyed." Unemployment and Industry. "There seems to be a feelins amongsi the workers that the Arbitration Court has outlived its usefulness," said Mr. , Oakley Browne, in Grafton Hall last evening. "An Act was established to meet the labour conditions of the time, 1 and if it did nothing more than abohsti sweating it was worth while. Conditions has now changed, and a strong Government should realise that if contentment is to come to the workers it must provide legislation to meet tne present conditions. The keynote of ai» the workers' troubles is the spectre ol unemployment, and the only way to clem with that problem and keep unemployment at a minimum is to provide industrial councils with joint control, where all sections of the workers are reeo 0 - Inised, and the consumer is also considered." (Applause.) Mr. Browne outlined briefly an- industrial council scheme which he said needed the germ s of Liberalism to place it on the Statute Book. Reform's Political "Virtue." "Reform is always whining about the unfair tactics of its opponents, jnd makes a particular grievance ot vihat k declares to be vote-splitting oy« Liberal party.' , remarked Mr. r. ■ Morton at a meeting of the electors of City Central. "Yet, as in many other " charges winch it is so ready to level against the Liberal part}, it would be hard to And a greater sinner in deliberate vote-splitting than tto same hypocritical party of Reform. Take the instance of the Otaki election, ffjeu tlu- Reform vote was deliberately e*un o over io the Labour candidate. Mr. K°° ertson. in order to defeat the Liberal candidate. And again in the WWWJJ case of Grey Lynn, when Reform, to keep tin- Liberal candidate, the Hon. vFowlds, from winning the ail it. political strength ai«l lavished Hβ motor cars to ciieurc the return ot Mx. John Payne, whose very name wasi an» tin-ma to the ears of Informers -An would like to a>kHi,- Hon. Mr. McLeoJ. who seems to l.aiv a f emO^i° a these matter.. «lmt was the poUueJ consideration whi.-h the paid for the assistance of the Labour party in the Tanranga election to W*H Sir Joseph Ward uut of Parlwne» • (Hear, hear, ami prolonged apptau*.) ■