CAMPAIGN QUIPS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 281, 27 November 1931, Page 8

CAMPAIGN QUIPS.

POINTS FROM * SPEECHES.

WHAT CANDIDATES ARE SATING.

HELPING LOCAL INDUSTRY. Pointed reference was made by "Mr; W. H. Nagle, Independent- candidate for Eden, at his. Balmoral meeting .to the importation last year of nearly £5,000,000. worth of wearing apparel, over £3,000,000 in- foodstuffs and) £1,000,000 in,non-alcoholic beverages. "Do not these figures," he asked, "stress the need for a-vigorous policy of developing local industries?"; (Applause.) • t RUBBER STAMPS.' . , ; Inquiry was _ made by' a questioner,at one. of the .meetings of Mr. ~W. P. Endean, Coalition- Reform candidate, for Parnell, whether Cabinet . Minister's slavishly' followed the advice, of Department'heads. The candidate replied that while members erf the Public ' Service appeared to be men-of ability,'there- was evidence of .Ministers, being, swayed too greatly by the opinions of Departmental heads instead of relying upon their own' judgment.' "HOME ; QN THE BIT;" , At his in Ponsonby Mr. Hi R. Mackenzie, Independent Coalition United candidate for , Auckland West, said ;he could assure Mi% J.. A. -C. Allum that although he was opposing him. there was no ill-feejing on his.«( Mr. Mackenzie's). part., '.'Mr. Allum has been-badly misled,'*, the . speaker. ,"He will need at least 3000 votes, and, with 1100, I shall be 'home on the bit.' However I'think Mr. Allum ' will come to his senses yet, and retire'from the ccntcst." V "BORROW AND BURROW/' . -At New Lynn last evening Mr. H. C 4. E. Mason, Labour candidate for . Auckland Suburbs,., stated that. the present unemployment was' very largely .due to overseas borrowing, because every credit established in-London by means of a loan was' transferred'to New Zealand in the fol ; m of goods, 'to the detriment of'local industry. "Thus,"- said? the- candidate, "the more you try to borrow your way out t>f 'the trouble the more.you/burrow' your , way.- into . it." - (Laughter.., and applause.) • ; . ; \

WHY MEN LEAVE HOME. A "neat point was scored ..by.,Mr. G. C. Munns, Coalition United candidate ,for Roskill, at the expense of a woman who attended his meeting-in the Mount. Roskill Hall. • Towards the'end'of the meeting the woman; who was seated near .the froilt,i made a number of - interjections that -.showed that her feelings- were - with the Labour party. "Now, lady, don't you get. too. angry, .or I will begin, to understand why ' men leave home," remarked the candidate. Aft'er the laughter had subsided the woman's voice was not heard' again. ' ' • 'y _" _ ;

"THE BEST INVESTMENT." "Anys attack on the Education vote cannot be to 6 strongly condemned or resisted," said Mr: A. S. Richards,; Labpur candidate for. Roskill, at his Morningside mfeeting. "Money 'rightly- spent on the child" is the best investment a nation can make." (Applause.) In reference to wages "cuts" the -candidate reminded his overflow audience that the Labour--party was'in good company in the stand it had taken..'. The directors of .'the Bank "of England had declared against, wage reductions, on the ground, of the prejudicial effect- on purchasing power. However, added the candidate,' the' people: could expect further cuts .in-wages, and reductions in; pensions also, if the Coalition Avere, returned-.-■ ' ; ' v • ' "DOOMED TO FAILURE.". .TTie failures of the' COates and Fofbcs administrations indicated clearly that the Coalition was doomed to failure, said Mr.. C. R. .Petrie,' Labour, candidate f6r Hau.raki, at his'-' meeting -in -the Papatoe to e'Towii Hall. The Coalition's policy Of " ecOnoniy was fast losing its significance, and "consisted .in transferring the burden from the shoulders of .the rich to those of the. poor. .That,was done by increasing indirect .taxes, sucli. as Customs duties', and by scaling down levies on higher incomes, .such as the graduated land tax. "There is morfe peril to the country in inaction than in making mistakes in a courageous effort to'do something for ourselves," said Mr. Petrie.

WET WITH DEW. The mention of camps for unemployed always brings forth a howl of protest from a section of any election gathering. Miss E. Melville, Women's candidate for Auckland: East, was saying at her Grafton Library meeting that- if unemployed women were sent to camps they .would; not 'complain; like: the, men. An Interjector: What about the water and the mud. A man can't get hia clothes dry. The Candidate: You could dig a ditch round your tent,- and a little clean mud' never hurt anybody. . The Interjector (plaintively): I was up at Bombay camp in the summer time ..and the; dew wet '.my clothes. (Laughter.) - ' ; .• .

WITH ORGAN MUSIC. To the accompaniment'of organ niusie and the fervent - singing of , the church choir next door, Mr. J. A. C. Allum, Coalition candidate for Auckland West, addressed a crowded meeting in All Saints Hall, Ponsonby; Interjectors attempted to rule! the roost - from the first, and when the shouting was at. its height the - candidate raised his voice above .it and shouted his. criticism of Labour. Even the" strains of the organ next door were drowned. When the chairman, asked, just before nine o'clock, whether there were,any more questions, there were erics of," "Give us a bottle of home-brew," and one man, in . a disappointed voice, called out: "Don't close the meeting yet—rgive us a go."'

LABOUR'S LOAN PLAN. Labour's proposal to raise a loan of £25,000,000 -within .New Zealand .over a period of years was '.elaborated by . Mr. M. J. . Savage,'./.'Labour, candidate for Auckland West, at bis England Street meeting. • Mr. Savage., said that the idea was strongly supported l>v a well-known daily -before - the Coalition was formed, but was now condemned by it. At the Inter-party Committee's conference banking /representatives' had admitted that" a loan could'be "raised, provided the Government' could show that the objects,of -the plan were sound. They bad also supported, Labour's proposal to set up -,a board which would safeguard the' expenditure of the money in appropriate channels of . industry. Furthermore, Sir Henry Buckleton had said that the Bank of New Zealand avouM . fall into line with the.Government in moving for a reduction of interest rates. "We can raise the money here, as was done during .the war," said Mr.. Savage. "In this case, however," the 'loan proposed is mueb smaller, and will be used for productive purposes. Our plan . is ; to raiise money for industry, not "foe costly relief works."

f CAMPAIGN BY AEROPLANE. The first aeroplane tour round a city electorate in' New Zealand is to be made this afternoon by* Mr. W. C. Hewitt, Independent candidate, for Parnell.. The aeroplane,, which will be piloted by Captain J. D. Hewett, will leave the hangar at Orakei-at 5 p.m., and will .make-a complete round, of the electorate within an hour., . . . .

LIKE A HORSE. • "Are you in favour of educating a man like a horse?" asked a questioner of Dr. W. H. Ho rton,. Independent Coalition' United candidate for Auckland East, at St. Andrew's Hall.

The' candidate • replied: "Certainly, I am.-, .Horses are educated to be loyal, faithful, honest, . and self-sacrificing. Another thing a horse "does is to work until'Tie''sweats. Let hie-recommend this to you/' 1 . ■ • • '

..... : THE; MILCH COW. ; ' "You . all seem < to. think that- the Government is. a sort of milcih. cow, and that 3 r ou can go along and get a bucketful of milk whenever you. like," said Mr. G. C. Munns, Coalition 'United candidate for Roskil}~, at his Roskill hali meeting. He said that' one of the worst things that had happened was the i)-> per eenc advance for workers' houses. One result was that there were 600 empty houses, and all the people had to pay for, tliem."

\ CIVIL SERVANTS IN HOUSE. - The definite opinion that the civil servants should have their own representatives in Parliament was expressed by Mr. V. H. Potter, Independent candidate for Eden, at his Dominion Road meeting. "No politician," he declared, "would dare refuse the demands of the combined civil servants of New Zealand at election time, and some of the best brains of , New Zealand would be elected, not' only to deal .with civil servants', questions, .-but to assist to 'frame the laws of the Dominion." ;.'" ■ ;

. /WOMEN'S QUESTIONS. '• The appointment ,o.f a committee of four women to advise, the Government oh. all questions affecting women was advocated by Mr. V. H. Potter, Independent candidate for- Eden, at his Dominion . Road meeting.. .The candidate argued that such "questions as the factory, the home, etc., . could be more trxily and forcefully portrayed by an able woman nominee from each' centre, who "would 'devote' :her< time to the problem in the.-same. manner as did a member of, say, the Railways Board. '

J ... SIX HOURS A.DAY. The proposal for a six-hour working day is supported by' Mr. J; A; Arthur, .Independent .candidate for . Auckland East. .In answer, to.a question.on the point at his meeting in Ivhyber Pass, Mr. Arthur said that, this-would'be." in effect the rationing of work. .. .Under such a- -scheme the worker, would -have completed his week when he had done 36 hours,' and for 1 the remainder' o£ the 44 ; or 48-hour week,' hundreds of men now-idle could be employed. -

• ,- ATTRACT CAPITAL. Answering a- question as to whether lie was in favour of the compulsory reduction ofi interest rates, the Independent Reform candidate for Eden, Mr. .R. Glover-Clark, said that he was not. "There .is . only. one way to deal with capital," the candidate added, "that is to encourage and attract it. If by a restoration.;.of confidence, activity ',in investment takes place and industry expands then a general reduction, of interest; rates-: will tike place." • '

. "STARTING FROM SCRATCH.'' '•■"Easy money is a good slogan,", remarked Dr. W. H. Horton,- : United Coalition candidate for Auckland West, at liis meeting in the Lyric Theatre, "but we" have heard it 70 million times too often. What we need in New Zealand to-day is a race of self-i-eliant citizens who are prepared..to Work hard and conscientiously, and-are not afraid to. face facts. : We have; to meet our national obligations as. well .as our persQnal ones, -and the sooner that fact, is faced tlie better will it be for all. Talk about-Mr. Burton starting from scratch; it's nothing like New Zealand's- handicap at the present' time." (Laughter and applause.) - .

HELPING THE FARMERS. .An assurance that the Coalition realised the necessity for helping the farmers was given by Mr. J. N. Massey, Coalition candidate for Franklin, in the Paragon Theatre at Papakura. Mr. Massey said that if" the primary producers were placed in a sound position, many of the country's difficulties would disappear. v If one farmer in four could afford to employ only one unemployed man, the unemployed problem would be solved. The Coalition had already given relief to farmers by three measures—the vote of, a subsidy to reduce the .current rates:of county "ratepayers, the subsidy on superphosphates, and the Mortgagors Relief Act.

STUDENTS IMPRESSED. ■ A band of lively students created some fun at the Epsom Theatre meeting'of Mr. R. Gloyer-Clark,lndependent Reform candidate for Eden. The candidate seemed to derive pleasure in handling the hecklers and scored freely at their expense. At question time, the spokesman of the students fired several questions at the candidate and reproved his followers for not asking more questions. "He's, got us beaten with his facts," commented one, who subsequently led cheers for the speaker and started the singing of "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow," after the vote of confidence had been passed.

QUEER PLATFORMS. Side by side t\vo--of. the candidates for the Roskill seat gave addresses last evening.' >, Mr. G. C. Munns, Coalition United candidate, gave an address on. a spare section at the intersection of St. Leonard's Road with Mount Eden Road. He stood on an empty oil drum. Mr. W. J. Holds worth spoke in a large garage on the next section. Mr. Holdaworth's platform was a. blacksmith's forge set in a . colTUgated iron tank.' He surveyed his audience from quite a good vantage point,-and .there was much laughter when he facetiously remarked: "I hope you will not go away and tell yonr friends that.you saw W. J. Holdsworth 'on the tank.'"

SECTARIAN CIRCULARS. "It is. futile'for Mr. Glover-Clark to deny that lie is a consenting . party to the issue in this electorate of sectarian literature of an untrue - and bitter nature," commented Mr. A. J. Stallworthy, Coalition United candidate for Eden, at his Epsom Library 'meeting. "On one circular issued from his committee room in Dominion Road the vv'ofds are typed: 'Vote for GloverClark.' On the other circular distributed by one of his canvassers the Independent's name is printed in the text of the circularwith Mr. Glover-Clark's precedent consent. I exhibit these two circulars now, and it will be clear to electors why this Independent has refused to. meet me 011 the public platform." '