THE ELECTIONS.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18517, 20 October 1925, Page 11

THE ELECTIONS.

i « | AVON SEAT. MR W. E. LEADLEY AT NEW | BRIGHTON. Mr W. E, Leaalcy, Beform candidate for the Avou neat, opened his election campaign last evening in the Jnyland Theatre, New Brighton, The Mayor. Mr J. Gamble, presided over an audience vhich nearly tilled the theatre. The chairman read the following telegram from the Hon. J. G. Coatee:— "I have learned with great pleasure that you have been selected to contest the Avon scat in the Government interest at the forthcoming election. As head of flic Party. I gladly accept.you as the official candidate, and extend to you my best whites for your succcs?.'' A similar telegram was read from the Hen. A. I>. McLeod. Mr Leadlev f.-iid the issue at. the coming election was far too serious to allow "any seat to go bv default. It wsf going ta be a good light, a straight tight and, an far a:' he was concerned, a clean fight. Reform or Labour ? The time had arrived when people should get into on" camp or the other. They had to combine to meet tho challenge of Socialism. On the one hand there v.-ss Mr Coafes, with an honourable war record, and on the other hand Mr Holland, an extreme Socialist who preached cla.?3 -varfars and class hatred, Referring to tho fusion negotiations, Mr Leadley said it waa the greatest i pitv in the world that they broke down. ! He" did not know whose fault -it was, but now they were witnessing threecornered tights all over the country, and the Labour Party would reap the <' lienefit. The Labour candidates were j laughing up their sleeves at the family quarrel between 'Reformer? and Libera'!?. Even at this late date it might still be possible to come to an agreerient. There was no doubt that after the election fusion would take place,, and if it was accomplished, tho resultI ant formation of a new and strong ! Party would be for the good of New j | Zealand. I Immigration. . 1 | He believed that the Dominion could support a much larger population. It j v.*as necessary, however, that better methods of absorption should be adopted. Selection "in the Old Country j should bo on better lines. Men who were familiar with New Zealand conditions should supervise the choice, andit would be better if emigrants wero obliged to undergo a stringent medical examination. The Eepatriation Boards of the post-war periods had pro'ved very successful, and the proposed immigration committees should be constituted on similar lines. Although he believed ithat there should be a larger population here, the best citizens -were the New Zealand-born boys and girls. "Keep the cradles full" was a good maxim. Tho Housing Question. The Labour Party, under its nationalisation proposals, might take over the houses which the peoplo owned, and their occupants would become merely tenants. Would a man take as much interest in tho house in which he lived if he Was.only paying rent? The legislation under which any person of good repute could obtain a loan to build a house was the most democratic ever placed on the Statute Book. It was only unde'r'tho Beform"'Party that the law had been put into full operation. He had heard it said that tho Government was legislating only in the interests of the wealthy. A voice: True! Mr Leadley: That is one of the greatest fallacies uttered in this country. The Government recognised that iT people with families larger than two children had- a hard struggle, he continued, and proposals had been put forward with a view to ! alleviating the position. The Government had initiated a policy of setting up maternity homes and assisting the Plunket Society. The salary of every Plunket nurse was subsidised £125 per annum, and the Government had assisted th© society's operations last year to the extent of £26,831. The Contest in Avon. His opponent had opened his campaign with a milk-arid-water speech. '•The word had gone out from headquarters that there must b6 a policy of "Hush, hush," and tho tool, must be on the soft pedal. • Mr. Sullivan I ' s speech was a socialistic lullaby, and 1 he had omitted to say anything about the shipping strike, State-owned ship ping services, and other proposals in the Party's platform. Ho had played a lullaby on tho old SociaJistic fidale. The Shipping Strike. Where was Mr Sullivan on tho shipping strike P Was he on the side of Mr McCombs and Mr Armstrong, who I had stated. honestly that they \rero j on the side of tho .seamen, or was lie | with Mr Coates, who had said that j New Zealand produce was being held up, and tho people were not £>ing to allow the Dotoinion to drift towards a financial catastrophe? Tho Labour Party had not hesitated ! to ..send a cablegram to the Russian Government Lenin died, although | it was now disavowing Communism. | Communists and Bolshevists could do a great deal of harm before they broke the laws of the country. If tho Labour PArty's policy was ■ put into effect, New Zealaaid would soon be a hotbed of Communism, like some or th© Australian States. He did no. think there was a man in New- Zea. land who had been l in tho returne soldiers' movement longer than ho haa and he could say that- the Reform Government had played tho game by the returned men. Ho knew. land had been bought for them at pi toes which wero tooliigh, and men "' h ? w <? r o u, _" suitablo had been ]o(WO men dement scheme, but the 10,000 men wlio had been settled T*™ 5 "] 1 fl,» land, and would make gooci. while the Government would see them th Mr leadlev was accorded a good hearlar'aXrf b.' a tog. m.JontTAVON ELECTORATE. TO TH* IDITOS OT "THS FBBSS Sir,—All supporters of : sound,, con' stitutional government as repi-esen bv Mr Coates and the Reform Part, * t t,« -rOpa<;<»d at. the decision to courr■£-. tht eJ 'tld b\' members of Mr Views held dj cerwiu interesting Holland's Party and it J m to note the caution displayed^ present member i A - an extremist., m his open * of old to the electors. Like S id _ he "comes f fc might ing certain topics P° , a( j Ten t of a be risky to strong opponent viU face certain it necessary for u]d doubtless prequestions which ho w j torg 0 f the fer. to avoid and e be el^° grat ulated Avon district aro toeWMS conteEt on Mr Leadley s dec^ £ tKo seat m tho interes