FINAL EFFORT.

Press, Volume LIX, Issue 17937, 4 December 1923, Page 7

FINAL EFFORT.

10S> CAMPAIGN. jEI ECnON SLOGANS. ./■uTIOV COPTBIOHT.) «■ 815 r December 3. for€lectl °"; meetings will j* it dav. representing 13g7 candidates to elcctorS in - th ° ,n ° St three part.« experts » K J£agh the Marque of L„> to Liberal & ■ Ac hon»e counties tit a. Vl*ISports of the country VlCt ° ry 13 j^S'| IM dq»"rte" M ? l !' at :»2fJ i» »»» «»i» t» »•> » S ..n ton l.»- •*' w Hen(" rson as trankly iff*, ww v iot of the 7.890,000 women its;** * ■» K,rtM to to forecast. tbo Conservatives arc en - " I terron. of unemployment, ,« pl«=ardine the co.mr.K.W.n "to"" « I*4 too ro ore '" Tiin, in a manifest to women the Women's Unionist SL, cto.cteri.« tk.» cr, as SLjnbla attempt to scare the ST' Hew*;- t , T. million British homes to-day btorfmnncr is out of work, and L_gjr fora are deprived of their ijitlifc. This cannot go on. The JLeftiwworkless must not pass JJLfc The women of the counJJSpiaetoendit. By trying fy th» sorklcss employment in hj« totals 0 * 1 Wflges ' and by Id hu* industries, we can give 11108 tho huanting fear Bti, jxaory and hunger will vantfti OosMrvative programme will L» t(w production of home and jjiitoWW crowd ot Euaton station yjy jjoyd George on hi 3 re||y great difficulty in reaching jlifcMtt; In response to calls for you will find that fag, yiipiftm of a majority for &' !' - |t COMMUNIST GOSPEL. *m THE UNION JACK." 3rd, 9.20 p.m.) * December 3. political meetings ##? or&apißed by the |fa hrtyi Attpng them was an lushing ptsfaaoaium at BatterJflMic btihg, tf&re Mr Saklatvala, pftDost cudliitte, had offered the Mi w opportunity of presenting Ist esse to ifita afectors from the lifetr plftfsfn), 8S the rowdy eleptt ai fiittanei are not allowea jpUWiI meetings. parting ■W characterised by tewgiwinen #nd howling men who PtMl* Dfiion Jack. A Liberal £*.**» greeted with cries of: cad 1" !«oductiValA cried:—"l say: Let MSp tta'Uafoa Jack." (Cheers.) ffljjWj-fli "I am a man with regard, and esteem wafcr ' tvfr FEMALE VANITY. 3rd, 9.20 p.m.) L.ffiQHPQN, December 3. the Liberal candiffr ffijpt Wjoombe, says that, if PjMje intends to wear her best ™W.,Wwtainster. She will put Jfonnea, fur coat, and ® does not believe in Jffeuas wearing dull little . collars, and keep®**tt clothes for social ap- % It i* ail hnmbng. ROUGHS. WOMAN SPEAKER. I TCUMubB. J ■ Lr. December 2. N£Jf J ? beltaon ' ™onist caR " &*ta»w 01 I)iviaion of Glaa«%eked by hooligans while a se hoolroom. m p lO leg and spat r ** now confined to "■* Own bruises and shock. VOTING SYSTEM. M/. POLICY seyealed. hj, December 2.* as *as delivered by in West Leicesly conveyed the imkiberala do not exf Conservatives, but Wfl line in the Wnme3 > even if tho *etamcd, that they of perhaps W« electorates. This *?**> baffling, unfair He ( ; *««« always tried Vi® 11 80 ®e minority lJ«Mee the pocket Ot Lords' veto, on a triangular ***o declared that , **opld ha again

smashed if the Conservatives attempted to carry Protection without the sup. port of a substantial majority of the people. CUPID ON THE HUSTINGS. HONEYMOON CANDIDATES. (Sydhxy "Stm" Smtvicx.) LONDON, December 2. An interesting feature of the elections is that six candidates are combining honeymoon with electioneering, having married during tha brief campaign, and the brides are energetically helping the husbands in canvassing. Experienced election agents declara that these candidates are certain to top the poll, as many sympathetic voters, especially women, would sooner vote for a young bridegroom, irrespective of party, than for an elderly unromantic father of a family.

SELF-CONTAINED EMPIRE.

BEAVERBROOK'S IDEAL.

(B? CABLE— PEZSS ASSOCIATION —COPTBIQHT-) (AUSTEALIA.! AND N.Z. CABLE ASSOCIATIOH.)

(Received December 3rd, 9.20 p.m

LONDON, December 3.

In an article in the "Daily Express," Lord Beaverbrook has further defined his policy as "More markets abroad in order to prevent unemployment in Britain." Since the demand from Europe has been destroyed for many years to come, the only possible markets lio in the British Empire. If a proper system of Imperial preferential tariffs were instituted, the Empire could become as self-contained as the United States.

THE UNEMPLOYED WILL DECIDE.

[Contributed.]

llio democratic system of government, as existing under the British flag, depends for its successful continuance upon the fact that the scale between the die-hards of political parties is held by a comparatively small proportion of the electorate.

This minority is drawn from different sections of tho community according to the issues involved. The Irish question, for instance, .before it was laid to rest, was wont to drive a wedge straight up and down through the British nation, leaving, betwixt and between, a proportion of ' all classes whose vote could not be counted upon by either party. This proportion was composed, as it is in all elections, of those wlio cannot make up their minds upon the question at issue, or whoso vote is decided by the appeal of some catch-word or even by euoh trifles as a candidate's aptitude for kissing babies.

These waverers are at once the need and despair of organised politics: need because if they did not exist one tide or other would be in power for ever without the chastening incentive of public opinion, and despair because some ,futile catch phrase may bring a capable, useful, and patriotio Government to helplessness on the Opposition berchee. Cries 6uch as "Chinese slavery''—an allusion to indentured labour in Scuth Africa—or "Hands off the people's bread" have served their turn only too well, and it is distinctly noticeable that the less the chance of winning by appeal to reason th<= greater the tendency to rely upon and arouse blind prejudice. In tlie present election in the Old Country the cleavage in the community is horizontal rather than vertical. Formerly, the middle classes with fixed incomes were certainly against any fiscal change that add to the cost of living, but they an now taxed so heavily, inter alia, to keep the unemployed, that they may regard such change as ultimately affording them much needed relief. This is especially in view of the work-for-all position in France, a protectionist country and England's nearest neighbour. If, therefore, the middle-classes side with the upper classes, these being overwhelmingly Conservative, matters should be fairly even, and the scale would probably be turned by a smaller number of "wobblers" than usual, but for the existence of a class, viz., the unemployed, to whom tho election is more vital than to any other section >f the community. One and a quarter millions of unemployed men and their »vive-3, all voters, and who have had all too much leisure in which to reflect upoa political questions, constitute a decisive factor. The election supplier, indeed, a cruel >»cid test to these unfortunate people. If in their bitterness of heart they have come to the conclusion that only communism and a levy upon capital can in one stroke redress the balance between thomselves and more fortunate members of the community, they will vote "Labour," or for any of the Newbold varioty who may temporarily be bowing the knee to the constitutional method of the b:illot-box. However these poor fellows vote nobody can complain if the privations and ingratitude of which those who have fought complain, should blunt their faith in slower moviri^ / and, to their mind, more problematical changes. The better feelings of tho unemployed ex-service men would certainly impel them not to take i ii«ie that would jeopardise their native country that they have fought for, and such may be content to rely that the fact that unemployment has become the chief issue of tho day must somehow bring them help if not deliverance. As remarked above, the wives of the unemployed also have votes, as have., also, a proportion of the women who are themselves unemployed, and these, though having a very practical sense of everyday needs, have also, as is natural, comparatively unijstructed political judgment. It is noticeabje that when the pot of social restraint boils over "the women are she worst," and it would not be remarkable if those of the unemployed variety were even less restrained than others when it comes to what they may regard as the chance of revenge by means of the vote upon the existing order of tilings. Labour has lately been singing in a delusive patriotic falsetto voice that will ensnare many. It is the peculiarity and weakness of Labour representation in any shape or form that ideas ot the" Jack-is-as-good-as-his-master variety detract from the authority of their leaders and increase to these the danger of sitting on the safety valve to passion. The Labour leaders are not well known in New Zealand. Mr Snowden has lenrnt a lot that he never knew when he started his political career. Mr Thomas is unique (Continued at foot of next column.)

among them in having never said a foolish thing, though his ability to do a wise one is still untested. Mr Clynes fmds it easy to talk nonsense on occasions 'but is, no doubt, patriotic in intention. The best of tnem. was, perhaps, Mr Roberts who, after being Minister of Labour at the end of the war, became too sensible to suit his party and turned Conservative. This capable and modest little man, who started life as a compositor, impressed one greatly when met in 1918. When aii is said and done, an election remains a frivolous method of deciding great issues. One noticed an example of this at Cambridge, when Mr Montagu was doing his worst as Secretary of State for India. Cambridge, excluding the University—where some also vegetate—is an agricultural constituency, and not a single word was said during the election campaign about India. Every petty matter that could interest the bucolic mind was thrashed out, and the result was to leave in power a man who was doing more harm to the Empire than any other man who ever lived. That is the penalty of ignorance, of a libertv that has out-run wise education, and that may bring to grief even 6uch a happy little country as N>w Zealand if teacfiern* atid statesmen fail in their duty to the present and rising generation

A thing one hopes is that the Old Country may be spared any necessity for government by coalition. Fortunately, the proportional system has not been adopted, _ thus increasing the number of parties and add to the confusion. But it may be bad enough with three strong parties, for if the two-party system often involves the suppression: of conscience in the individual, government by coalition requires its sacrifice en bloc.