THE ELECTIONS.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20308, 6 August 1931, Page 15

THE ELECTIONS.

CANTERBURY MAIN ROLLS. INCREASES IN ALL ELECTORATES Tho main rolls of all the Canterbury electorates now have been printed, and show an increase of 7815 persons enrolled as compared with the numbers on the main rolls in 1928* The greatest increase in any one electorate is in Riccarton on the main roll of which thero are 1050 more names than on tho 1928 main roll. Of the threo City electorates Christchurch South shows the greatest increase, with 642 more names on the main roll than in 1928. Of the suburban electorates, apart from liiccar: ton, tho Lyttelton main roll, with an increase of 907 over the 1928 figures, shows the greatest increase. The electorate in which thoro has been the lowest increase is Temulca, tho main roll containing only 33 more names than in 1928. The appended table gives the details in respect of each electorate in Canter-

Westland Electorate. For the Westland electorate the figures compare as follows: — 1931. 1928. Inc. Westland .. 9,258 9,078 ISO

LABOUR AT KAIAPOI. MR J. K. ARCHER'S CAMPAIGN. Tho Parliamentary campaign in the Kaiapoi electorate was commenced la» f evening, when the Labour candidate, Mr J K. Archer, addressed a meeting of about one hundred electors at Kaiapoi. The Mayor of Kaiapoi, the Rev. W. 11. A. Vickery, presided, and at tho conclusion of the address a unanimous vote of confidence in Mr Archer's candidature was passed. "I havo received a very fine letter from Mr 11. C. Revell, who, until a week or two ago was tho Labour candidate for this constituency," said Mr Archer. "In his letter Mr Revell expresses liis regret that a business engagement in tho North Island makes it impossible for him to be here, or else he would, witli tho consent of the Mayor, have been prepared to take tho chair. It also expresses the hope that any feeling which may have been on> genderod by taking! the second selection ballot will be swept aside, and that tho Labour people will get together and do their utmost to win Kaiapoi for Labour.

Second Selection Ballot. "So far as the second selection ballot is concerned, you may accept my assurance that I bad nothing whatever to do with bringing it about} that I accepted nomination for it only under pressure, and after Mr Revell had consented to it; that I took no steps to soenre my election, andj that, before I agreed to nomination, I, secured a promise from my nominees that, if Mr Revel! won the ballot, they would all work and vote for his return to Parliament. "It has been reported to me that our opponents in this electorate are already trying to make capital out of this second ballot business. If thoy are, let mo say that thoy will have to find a different and better weapon. "A Model Constituency." "From my point of view the Kaiapoi electorate is a model constituency, for Labour to contest at this election. Tho reason is that it is partly rural and partly urban; partly town and partly country. The idea that the interests of town and country are antagonistic is foolish and false. We are necessary to ono another, dependent on one another, and must co-operate with one another. The wheat, beef, mutton, milk, butter and cheese produced in the country are partly bought and eaten in the town. The hides grown on the bodies of the country cattle are turned into leather and boots by the industrialists of the town. Neither section of the community can live to itself. When the slump came we all got into it together, and we have got to get out of it together, "The election campaign cannot begin in earnest until Parliament has dissolved and the date of the General Election has been fixed. When that time arrives the headquarters of the New Zealand Labour movement will nO doubt issue a manifesto for tho guidance of its candidates and the consideration of the public. Meanwhile what is said must be more or less personal and tentative.

Interest Burden. "Ia my judgment, we should first consider lightening the colossal burden of interest which this little country is carrying. We are paying interest on millions of pounds of money, on debts owingr by the Government, including tho war debt,. wliicli should not have been incurred; on mortgages, *nd mortgages, house mortgages; on chattel securitie - - on bank overdrafts, ant 1 on liabilities innumerable. "My idea is to make a big, compulsory, and universal reduction of interest charges; not a beggarly half per cent., as made by the Government on its own charges, and a cap-in-hand suggestion to private lenders to do the same. No flat rate duction can be equitable. It imposes too heavy a burden on the people receiving low rates of interest, and lets off too lightly those receiving high rates.

Banking. '■' Closely allied to the interest problem is the banking problem, and you may take it. from mo that the advocacy of State banking will be a prominent feature of our election campaign. By a State bank we do not mean the abortion suggested by Sir Otto Niemeyer. He may know a. great deal about the machinery of banking, but obviously his sympathies are with the plundorers rather than the plundered. Of all modeTii plunderers the banks are among the forem9st. They extract from tlie public at least twice as wueli as their services to the public are wort!). Whatever times come to us the banks turn them all to good account for making money. Even last year, ceding March Slat, 1931, the Bank of New Zealand made a net profit of £845,813. It has a reserve fund which is mainly accumulated net profits, of £3,575,000, A few years ago it gave its shareholders a present of £1,125,000 of accumulated net profits, and is now paying

them big dividends on that gift. The other five banks doing business in tlie Dominion are acting similarly. We want a State bank which will ultimately become a monopoly, and, in the meantime, have the sole right of note issue, do all Government business, and as much private business as the public cares to do with it. "Indeed, in tho Post Office Savings Bank we have the 'nucleus'of such a bank, and we can start a State bank by giving it the power to conduct all kinds of banking business. If such a course were adopted the easing of our financial burdens would be enormous. Other Subjects. "Other things which might be discussed are: "(1) The question of production versus distribution. This would givo one an opportunity to expose the fallacy that the world is suffering from over-production, and to emphasise tho indisputable truth that production has not yet overtaken the world's needs, and that the trouble is.inefficient distribution.

"(2) The question of bulk buying and selling, as between the producers and the consumers here and the people of the Old Country and this Dominion. In connexion with this the story can be told of the offer of the Wholesale Co-operative Society of England to buy the whole output of our cheess and butter —an offer which would have stabilised our prices for several years. " (3) The question of the Budget, and the general finaeial policy of the present Government, which puts the heavy part of the burden on the backs of those least able to bear it, and the lightest part on those best able.

bury:— 1D31. 192S. Inc. Christchurcli—■ North 13,54:2 12,911 631 East 12,099 11,811 2S8 South 12,379 11,737 042 Avon 12,412 11,663 749 Iticearton 11,747 10,697 1050 Lyjtelton 11,722 10,813 907 Kaiapoi 10,203 9,670 533 Hurunui 10,251 9,750 501 Mid-Cauterbury 10,247 9,379 868 33 Temuka 8,89G 8,863 Timaru 11,036 10,884 752 Waitaki 8,971 8,110 861 Totals 134,105 126,290 7,815