CAMPAIGN NOTES

Press, Volume LXIV, Issue 19462, 8 November 1928, Page 13

CAMPAIGN NOTES

Mr Coatea Confident. "The election position from my P oillt of view is very satisfactory, and there is not the slightest doubt that we Will go back with a sound majority probably as big as ever," said the Prime Minister at Bulls yesterday to members of the Reform League, whet tendered him a luncheon. "I have had a very friendly reception throughout tne country, and no hall has been big enough to accommodate all the people who wanted to come in. There has been some opposition, but nothing of a serious character. To be quite honest, one rather welcomes some opposition to put life into a meeting, and to prevent it from becoming too dull. —Pbess Service. Sural Credits. Criticism of the Intermediate Rural Credit Act, which Mr D. Jones was largely responsible for initiating, have been raised in the Mid-Canterbury ejec-. torate during the present campaign. When asked at Southbridge if it was not a fact that there were conditions in the Act which made it impossible for the small farmer to secure a loan, Mr Jones replied that he realised that the Act would require considerable amendment. It was working successfully among the class that needed it most, the dairy farmers in the North Island, where the companies were guaranteeing suppliers' accounts. He recognised the difficulty in advancing to individual small farmers, and said that legislation would be introduced next session to extend the scope of the Act. An Ex-Mayor on the Mayor. "The Mayor has taken it into his head to be a Mussolini. He will yet dictate to us when to blow our noses and what coloured handkerchief to affect. Last night he corrected a man's English, yet the man was perfectly correct. Surely you don't want to put a dictator into power," said Di\ i H. T. J. Thacker, who took the, chair at the Winton street Hall last evening, where Mr E. H. Andrews, the United Party's candidate for the Christchurch North seat, addressed the electors. ' The chairman also asked how much of his £SOO had the Mayor given to the unemployment funds? Public Ownership. "The Labour Party's policy includes in its platform the public 1 ownership of land, and food production on State farms, and I don't think the people of this country will stand for a Socialistic policy like that." —Mr E. H. Andrews, the United Party's candidate, for Christchurch North, at the Winton street Hall last night. Help for Returned Men. That the Government is in earnest in its desire to assist those returned soldiers who are up against it was made clear by the Prime Minister in the course of his address at Foxton yesterday. "Some of these men won't admit they are up against it. They are 'cracking hearty,'" Mr Coates said. "We, the public of New Zealand, do not want that. It is our responsibility to give them a lift along in their hour of need. (Applause.) We intend to help them,- but we must have' the co- : operation of the R.S.A. to bring the Cases under notice. We can then investigate them and treat them on their merits. It will be a labour of love for the Association. They won't get much payment for the work, but we must have their assistance. We do ask them to take up the wor'c of obtaining the necessary information so /tha£ each case can be dealt with on its merits. If they will do that we will do our part." (Applause.)— Press Service. Kept Their Promises., "Was it not a fact that one of the' pledges of. the Reform Party was to reduce indirect taxation?" asked an interrogator of Mr D. Jones at Southbridge. Mr Jones: Yes, and we have materially reduced it. . The questioner: Yes, about two 1 months before the election. : Mr Jones:> No, in the middle session, about 1$ months ago. We carried out our promises. Another Guess? In the course of a ppeech to the employees of the Addington workshops' yesterday on protection, apiong other matters, Mr C. S.' McCully (United Party), who is- standing for Christchurch South, asked: "Do we want more money in this country?" A lugubrious voice: No, of course we don't. We're trained to live without it. "Ah, I think you're better with the whistle, Charlie," called the man,to Mr C. S. McCully later in his address. The Farmer. "The farmer is a simple kind of petson, who believes that if he could get one member into the" House he would convince the other 79," said Mr A. G. Christopher, Labour candidate for Rotorua, during an address at Putaruru. This remark was made when referring to the aims and aspirations of the Country Party. When question time arrived an elector asked if it was right'for the official Labour candidate to ridicule farmers from the public platform. Wordy warfare followed, and the questioner tried to find out whether the candidate's statement was the official view in which the Labour Party regarded the farmer. Order was restored by the chairman, who said that at the last election the farmers' candidate, Mr P. Colbeck, had said that "farmers were too green to burn." In view of. that precedent, he thought the remarks made were quite permissible from a Labour candidate as a figure of speech." Houses for Railwaymen. A United Party supporter asked Mr D. Jones, Reform candidate for MidCanterbury, at his Southbridge meeting: "Why is it that, since so much money has been available for the relief of the housing shortage, we have not been able to get houses at Southbridge for the railway workers, although repeated applications have been made?" Mr Jones: They are not prepared to spend the money with so many changes in staff. If the workers wanted homes, the candidate continued, they could apply through the Advances Department for loans, which had been available for years. He did not reipember any Southbridge worker writing to him in connexion with applications he had made. The money could not be secured unless it was applied for. Bobbles. The £70,000,000 loan proposal of Sir Joseph Ward has passed through two bubble stages in the eyes of Mr A. G. Osborne, Labour candidate for Waitemata. Speaking on the Marine Parade, Devonport, on Saturday evening, Mr Osborne said at first the £70,000,000 loomed as a great golden bubble. People must almost have heard the golden sovereigns jingling. He declared, however, that the bubble had since deteriorated to the "ordinary soapy variety." Brawn and Brains. A reference by Mr J. S. Dickson, Parnell, to brawn and brains, led to the following passage-at-arms:. "I've got brains—not brawn,'' said Mr Dickson. I "You can get brawn at the butcher's!"! "Brains tool" came back from crowd. Mr Dickson: "Yes, you get. sheep's brains at the butcher's." (Up- j roar.) " > |

Bound Hand and root. la the course of an address at Wellington, Mr Martin Luckie, Eef orm candidate for Wellington Sotfth, stated that the Labour-Socialist members entered Parliament tied hand and foot by the Party's constitution, objectives, and platform, which were entirely Socialistic in character, though they carefully refrained from giving the electors any information on the subject. Every Labour member entering Parliament was subject in any political matter of importance to the absolute control of the Executive of the Labour Bepresentation Committee, and was bound to act in accordance with its decisions, regardless of his own convictions or the wishes of his constituents. This executive consisted of a president, vice-president, secretary, and committee of 17, elected by delegates appointed by various Labour organisations, and this executive, an entirely irresponsible one, controlled the Labour members in Parliament. Thus, the electors who sent the Labour members to Parliament were left in entire ignorance of the principles and policy which they themselves were supporting in doing so. Not in Touch. ... "It is obvious thht the mind wnlch formulated that scheme is not in touch with the realities of life."—Miss Ellen Melville, Reform, Eoskill, referring to the United Party's proposal to borrow £70,000,000. Extravagant Promises. "My opponent, Colonel McDonald, is making extravagant promises—in one district he informed the electors that he would bridge the streams if returned," said the Hon. Mr McLeod, Eef orm candidate for the Wairarapa seat. "I will allow my own record in that respect to speak for itself. I was responsible for the erection of the first, concrete bridge in the Dominion—the Ruamahanga bridge on the MartinboroughFeatherston road." The speaker mentioned the difficulty he had experienced in obtaining the approval of the County Council to that typo of bridge, and stated that the Government of the day had refused assistance unless a wooden structure were erected. Foreign Films. When speaking in the Te Aro School Sir John Luke, Eef orm candidate for' Wellington North, said that he did not think that the weekly screening of scenic and historical films of foreign countries was in the true interests of the education of New Zealanders, either children or adults. . For Election Purposes. "At least part of Sir, Joseph Ward's loan is to be, utilised in land settlement—that is, in the purchase and subdivision of large estates. The cheap money and large supplies of it will immediately force up the price of land, and the large farmers will be able to quit' their holdings at a. price in excess of what they are really worth, arid we shall have once .again in our midst;,the specur lator, making his huge profits at the expense of the small settlers and workers. Then this Party which, according .to its propaganda,. has no love for the large settlers and speculators, will directly confer upon them an enormous accretion of wealth. This only tends to confirm the impression that this borrow, boom, and burst policy has not been thought out beyond November 14th."— Mr N.'J. Lewis, Reform candidate for Wanganui. Destroyers of Credit. "You call them critics of the Government—l call them destroyers of the country's credit"—Mr A. M. Samuel, Reform candidate for Thames, at Puriri, dealing with some criticisms of the Government's land policy by the United and Labour Parties. : United Finance. . Mr R.B/Speirfl,'United candidate for Auckland Westj expressed .no doubt about the capacity:of his Party to obtain revenue.. He would, he said, tax income, from land after the farmer a reasonable margin of. £IOOO or £1500.. ''A,million is there going, to; waste, I believe," he said. • Then '< ha would put a 50 per cent, super tax on income froa land that -is/sent' out of the country to absentee' owners. As to the railways he would -sell them to anyone who would t>ny them. • Below the Belt. "When Colonel McDonald's candidature was announced, I was informed by many Wellington friends that my op-< ponent would take the .-. line he has taken,'', said -the.Hon. Mr, McLepd,; Reform,. candidate. for the Wairarapa: seat, in an address at vLangdale, Wairarapa, referring to the United candidate for tb.B seat. "I replied .the contest would not be fought on such lines so far as lam concerned. On Parliamentary matr ters I can hit as hard as any man, but when .an opponent brings personalities into the contest it;is hitting below the belt.'* : .

"Not Loyal;" . ' "The Labour Party is not peddling out its land policy this. time. Mr ■ Holland did not.refer, to it, at v all,in his Wairoa speech, "beyond mentioning that Jiis Party would give the landholder an appeal against his valuation. A southern trade union council advertised the fact that 'were New Zealand's wealth decently distributed every man, woman, and child r would be worth £537,' and invited/the contribution of silver bullets to help the workers'to gain a real share in the wealth of the country.': The Labour Party wants to cut up the wealth of the country for distribution.. You take it from me, the Labour Party is not loyal, 'Eussia is our goal,' the Leader of .the Party declared in the House." —Mr W. D. Lysnar, Independent Beform candidate for Giaborne. "Never Will Be." Asked why he did not criticise the Labour Party's platform, Mr W. C. Hewitt, Auckland City Central United candidate, replied, "Because. Labour is not in power, and never will be." (Uproar.) Half-Holiday toe Hotels. Some suggestions of possible value when the licensing question is again being considered by Parliament were made at a meeting addressed by Mr W C. Hewitt, United candidate for Auckland Central. "I am prepared to close the hotels at one o'clock on Saturday, just like ordinary shopkeepers have to do," said the candidate to one questioner. ?'And will you have them opened until nine o'clock on Friday night, like the shops, too!" asked a hopeful voice. Mr Hewitt was dubious about carrying reform that far. Party Fledges. In reply to an interjector, who asked what written pledges the Beform candidates had given before being elected, Mr Martin Luckie, Beform candidate for Wellington South, stated that neither he, nor as far as he knew, any other Beform candidates had given a, pledge of any kind, other than the verbal statement that he was a supporter of the Beform Party. Evidently, such a pledge was not regarded as sufficient by the Labour Party, which required the written adherence of its members of the platform, objectives,.; and decisions-of the Labour Bepresentation Committee, as evidenced by Mr Holland's action in the Bangitikei district. ____ ~~. - r " i ~~ t_