HOPES AND FEARS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 208, 3 September 1935, Page 8

HOPES AND FEARS.

ELECTION PROSPECTS.

"BREAD AND BUTTER" ISSUES.

M.P.'S "WATCHING THE PRICES

(By Telegraph.—Parliamentary Reporter.)

WELLINGTON, Monday

The commercial pages of the newspapers contain items of information that are of vital interest to members of all political parties. These are the reports of the produce markets in London, and each day they ar« with great interest by members )>■ Parliament with a view to estimating their effect on the general election.

Government members naturally are delighted that the price of New Zealand butter in London has had a rising tendency for some time, and they look hopefully to this development being maintained as a means of bringing many of the dairy farmers back "into the fold." Labour members, on the other hand, are wondering whether the dairy farmers with larger cream cheques in prospect will be quite as keen on giving their support to Labour, as Labour, organisers say they have been in recent months.

There seems a probability that the appeal to the people this year will develop into a "bread and butter" election. Butter will be a vitally important factor in many electorates, and in Government circles it is predicted that if the dairy farmers see prices rise steadily right up to the date of the election they will view the Government in a more favourable light.

Cheaper Bread,

The Democrat party has not yet declared its attitude towards the wheat and flour duties, but as the abolition of the sliding scale of duties was one of the main principles in the original manifesto of the organisation, there seems to be good grounds for believing that the cry of "cheaper bread" will be heard on the platform, especially in the North Island constituencies.

What the Democrats will offer the wheatgTowere as compensation for the removal of the duties, assuming that this policy stands, must be a matter of speculation for the time being, but a definite promise of cheaper bread and cheaper fowl feed would be well received in many parts of the North Island. Labour and the Fanners. It would be idle to deny that the Labour party has made considerable headway in the farming communities, and the hopes of the party of gaining office this year are largely based on this fact. At previous elections the Labour policy has not made a deep impression in the rural districts, but in recent years intensive propaganda has been carried on among the farmers, many of whom, it is asserted, have been induced to study Labour's programme. Sixty-seven official Labour candidates have already been' selected, and it is probable that only 5 per cent of tlie 76 European constituencies will not have Labour candidates. Candidates have yet to be chosen for Hurunui, Mid-Canter-bury, Mataura and New Plymouth, but Bay of Islands, Kaipara, Franklin, Egmont and Nelson are practically certain not to have Labour candidates. The position in New Plymouth is interesting, as this electorate may have two Labour candidates. At the last election Mr. W. A. Sheat was the official Labour nominee, and he has announced that he is standing this year as a Labour candidate. It is unlikely, however, that lie will be endorsed, and within the next few days the official Labour candidate will probably be announced. The candidates for Hurunui and MidCanterbury may not be announced for two _or three weeks, but these seats will be contested. Government Prospects Better. Since the return of the leaders there is a feeling that the prospects of the Government party have improved, and Coalition members are more optimistic regarding the result of the election than they were some weeks ago. Much, however, depends upon the Budget proposals as far as a , real hardening of support is concerned. On the other hand, the possibility of Labour attaining the Treasury Benches this year is not being ignored, and the indications are for one of the most keenly-contested elections in the history of the Dominion.