GENERAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 35, 5 November 1928, Page 12

GENERAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN

PRIME MINISTER AT NEW PLYMOUTH ' CRITICISM REPLIED TO RAILWAY MATTERS ENTHUSIASTIC MEETING Dominion Special Service. New Plymouth, November 4. Having completed a successful tour of the Auckland province, the Prime , Minister entered the Taranaki election field on Saturday and the reception accorded him at his inaugural addresses at Waltara and at New Plymouth were every bit as cordial and enthusiastic as those which were extended to him in other parts of the Dominion. Although there was little time available on the journey from Cambridge, where Mr Coates spoke on Friday night, he was j compelled to stop for a few minutes at | . Otorohanga and Te Kuiti. where large gatherings of local residents and settlers from the surrounding districts had assembled in the hope that they would be able to have a few words with < the Prime Minister as he was passing through. Mr. Coates did not disappoint them, and after an informal , chat he delivered brief addresses and J was sent on his way with cheers and expressions of confidence in the policy , of the Government. As many people as could be crowded into the Coronation Hall, the largest i building of its kind in New Plymouth, heard the Prime Minister traverse the < works of the Government during the past three years, its policy for the future, and gave him an attentive hear- ‘ ing, while he dealt with some criticisms . which' have been levelled at the ad- > ministration by opposition candidates. ' A group of men at the back interjected throughout the meeting and tried to , make demonstrations of disapproval. ' but their strength was reveal- i ed when they were called on t> hold up their hands on a ’ no confidence amendment. The paucity , of their numbers compared with their vocal strength, as revealed by the voting greatly amused the audience, who ' burst into a furore of clapping to signify their approval of the motion of thanks, appreciation, and confidence. A feature of the interjections, at all of , Mr. Coates’s meetings is their same- , ness, particularly those of Labour sup- . •porters, whether they be old or new. 1 “Never Put Out.” 1 . 1 The Prime Minister is never put out. i Rather he seems to delight in taking 1 up a heckler and leading him from a ' generality to a positive statement, and j then silencing him with the facts and , figures which lie has at his finger tips, i The cheerful smile with which Mr. Coates does it leaves that interjector as happy as if he had scored over the Prime Minister, instead of the position being the other way about. ( “Loose and Incorrect Statements.” “This is typical of some of the' loose and incorrect statements which are being made from the platforms by some of the United Party candidates,” said the Prime Minister, preparatory to dealing with the appointment of Mr. H. H. Sterling as General Manager of the railways. "It has been said that : Mr. Sterling could dictate the terms of > his salary; that he is on a sevenyears’ contract; that his salary is free of income tax; and that at the expiration of the seven years he can retire on £2300 a year. Mr. Sterling left the service against my wishes, and he came back at my request,” the Prime Minister continued. “He has to serve his 1 full time of forty years before he can 1 retire on superannuation.” A voice: What about the superannuation of other men who have rejoined the service? The Prime Minister: There are any number of men who have had their ' superannuation made up. Whep the railway men went on strike some years ago the Government would have been quite within its rights in taking away their superannuation benefits, but it did not do that. There is no man in the service to-day who bears ill-will. The railway men know that they have had fair and generous treatment from the Minister of Railways. (Applause.) The Prime Minister said it was incorrect to say that Mr. Sterling’s salary was free of income tax. “I am sure,” he added, "that Mr. Sterling is going to put the railways on the map, and that he will give such service that he will be worth not £3500 a year, but £10,000.” (Applause.) That Broadcasting Loan. Mr. Coates said another statement was that Mr. Goodfellow had induced him, when he was Postmaster-General, to give Mr. Goodfellow the sole rights of broadcasting in New Zealand. “The answer to that,” the Prime Minister said, “is that at the time that contract was made I was not PostmasterGeneral, and I was not in the country. The loan for the erection of the station at Wellington was a perfectly legitimate one. The company was called on by the State to provide, a bigger and better station than was I ■proposed, and it had to be financed. The security is quite good, for we have assets of £20,000 against the loan of £15,000. The matter has been well thrashed out in Parliament, which was satisfied with the arrangement. Country’s Finances. Concerning criticism of the finances, Mr. Coates asked > why the Opposition did not state the position honestly by quoting the net borrowings of the Government instead of the gross borrowings. The figures were available to them in the Budget, but seemingly they preferred to misrepresent the position to the electors. “The statement that the public service can spend eleven millions every year without the .authority of Parliament shows that the ...Opposition have a very limited knowledge of parliamentary procedure.” the . Prime Minister continued. “That money is spent under the authority of Acts of Parliament for specific purposes such as railway imprdvements, land drainage, irrigation, etc. The works were approved by Parliament and the money for them voted by it, and the accounts are presented every year for the approval of the House. Such statements reflect very little credit on the men who make them.” (Applause.) Taxation Question. After dealing with the sliding scale of wheat duties on the lines of previous addresses, the Prime Minister turned his attention to the suggestion that the graduated land tax should be in- . creased in order to induce the cutting . of estates. "The man who makes that statement,” Mr. Coates said, “should be asked always to specify die estate or estates which should be cut up. To say that the graduated land tax should be applied in all cases is not practical nor is it sense. Take the

case of the men who are working thirdclass country, most of it hills. Increase their tax and you would drive them off the land, and instead of increasing production it would lie reduced. The only proper system is to regrade and reclassify all the land before there is talk of increasing the tax.”

The Prime Minister was given very close attention when he outlined the Government’s land settlement proposals. He said that while there might be a saturation point so Car as production for the local market was concerned there was none for the overseas market, and by inducing a number of small holders to produce for the overseas markets New Zealand could add very substantially to its national income. REFORM PROSPECTS IN AUCKLAND DEFINITELY BETTER Dominion Special Service. Auckland, November 3. With the elections ten days distant the Government’s prospects are definitely better than they were at the beginning of the campaign. It is unlikely there will be many changes in this district. There is an element of uncertainty in regard to two or three seats, where it is possible the United Party will achieve its only practical effect on the contest by nolling sufficient votes to. let Labour candidates win seats on a minority vote. The most striking feature about both the United Party and Labour candidates is that they are devoting their energies almost exclusively to criticising the Government’s administration and are leaving the exposition of their own proi unities severely alone. . Mr W. Parrv, a potential minister in Labour’s first Cabinet, opened his campaign in City Central by saying the Labour Party was the only hope, not only of this country but also of the civilised world. He devoted the whole of the rest of his time to the presentation of a mass of statistical information. The Labour Leader. Mr. H. L. Holland. had a quiet meeting in the Auckland Town Hall, because , that section of ti e audience not in sympathy with him preferred to give him a fair hearing, rather than adopt the noisy tactics which Labour supporters are using at opponents meetings throughout the district* Mr. Holland gave a brief and uninspiring survey of his party s plniform, and his speech was notable for what he did not say rather than for what 11S TheUnited Party generally is becoming verv nervous about its prospects. It. is evidently much distressed at the inability of Sir Joseph Ward to take the platform. At the outset its candidates made a gallant effort to accept the seventy millions loan scheme which has, as since disclosed, surprised the rank and file of the party as much as it did the general public. The next phase was efforts by candidates to excuse the dimensions of this financial adventure by saying it was no worse than what the Government had been doing. Latterly, by common consent. candidates have been leaving the subject severely alone. ELECTION PROSPECTS IN OTAGO REFORM IN A GOOD POSITION Dominion Special Service. Dunedin, November 3. The election campaign, so far as Otago is concerned, has quietened down to such an extent that if a poll were taken tomorrow, there would probably be little appreciable difference between the results and those that will be recorded on November 14. Practically all the candidates have now addressed the electors. One of the principal features of the campaign is the effort being made by the United Party, through the medium of big advertising space in newspapers, and extended reports of. candidates speeches, space in this connection running to as much /is five columns for one candidate. The position in regard to the city seats, appears to be-much the same as it was a week ago. The return of Sir Charles Statham for Dunedin Central, and of the Hon. W. D. Stewart for Dunedin West seem practically assured, though it vvouhl cause no surprise if the Hon. Stewart s majoritv of 1025 was considerably diminished. Chalmers, which was long held for Reform bv Mr. J. Al. Dickson, will probably be retained by the Government, whose candidate, Mr. A. E. Ansell, it is generally expected, will have a comfortable victory over Air. Walls (United), and Mr. Campbell (Labour). The candidature of Air. AlcLachlan (Independent Reform), for Chalmers, does not appear to be taken seriously. . Dunedin South should provide a close contest between Air. Hall (Labour), and Air. Todd (Reform), with the chances of the former most fancied. Mr. Taverner (Alayor of the city), the United candidate, opened his campaign this week, and it is always on the cards that he may cause a surprise, as it is generally expected that he will secure the liquor vote, both his opponents being prohibitionists. _ The general opinion in regard to uunedin North is that the final result lies between Air. Tapley (Reform) and Air. Munro (Labour), with Air. Smith (United) third, and Mr. Thomson (LiberalLabour) last. For several elections past the vote in Dunedin North has been about 50-50 Reform and Labour. In the country constituencies the prospects of candidates do not appear to have undergone any change. Air. Waite, Reform candidate for Clutha. will probably poll a substantial majority over Air. Stephens (Independent Liberal), and the chances of Air. Bitchener (Reform) being agaiu returned for Waitaki, are not likely to be seriously threatened by the efforts of his Labour opponent. Air. Cooke. The contest between Air. E. P. Lee (Reform) and Air. J. A. Alacpherson (United) for the Oamaru seat should be a close one. with the odds slightly in favour of the Reformer. One factor, however, that must not be lost sight of in attempting to forecast results is that the alterations in many of the electoral boundaries may be the means in some instances of upsetting calculations made beforehand. Another factor, the effect of which is not easy to gauge, is the addition of upwards of 7000 new names to five city electorates since last election. MOTOR TAXATION AN ADJUSTMENT SUGGESTED. “The question of motor taxation has caused more noise than a truck in full sail up a steep hill, mid it is undoubtedly one that requires adjustment,” said Air. N. T. Lewis, Reform candidate for Wanganui, nt a recent meeting. “The present number of taxes seems to me to be an unwieldly collection handed down from Government to Government. and it is time that some attempt was made to simplify the position. To carry out the doctrine of ‘the user pays,’ it seems necessary to have two taxes only—the petrol tax aud the tire tax.

“In the case of heavy vehicles which pay as much as £75 per annum in heavy traffic fees, this simplified form of tax would ensure a fair payment. Although these vehicles do more damage to the roads than others, in many cases they are used only for two or three months in the' year, and it is injust that they should be called upon to pay a full tax. Moreover, they use a great deal more petrol than other vehicles and such an arrangement would undoubtedly make the tax fall where it should and avoid the confusion nnd endless red tape which has grown round this section_ of the country’s revenues. Even if it meant an increase in the petrol tnx. nevertheless it should appeal to the majority as a fair arrangement. Any such proposal would have my warmest support.

OTAKI ELECTORATE MR. H. DYSON AT TAITA ISSUE BETWEEN REFORM AND LABOUR The Labour candidate lor Otaki, .Mr. H. Dyson, spoke at Taitu on Saturday night, a considerable portion of his time being taken up in explaining that the fight was one between representatives of the present administration and the Labour Party. Mr. 11. E. Combs presided over a small attendance. Air. Dyson mentioned that Having come into the contest at a fairly late stage he would find it somewhat difficult to fit in all the meetings he would like to. It would be a physical impossibility to hold meetings at every centre in such a far-flung electorate as Otaki. He was, however, going to do his best to reach a maximum number of centres in the constituency. There were four candidates seeking support—representatives of Reform, United, Labour, and an Independent. “In referring to the policies of these candidates,” said Mr. Dyson, “the question of personalities is far from my mind. I am pleased to say that up to the present personalities have been absent from the present campaign. That is just as it should be.” ■ Tlip candidate said that although there were four candidates and the issue might appear on the surface to be somewhat confusing, it was not. so difficult as it might seem. “I submit, he said, “that the issue lies between representatives of the present administration and the Labour Party. The issue is between Reform and Labour. T find that the Reform candidate in this electorate agree.; with me on that point. I men tion this because we find that where representatives of the newly-named party in the present Parliament have been in the House when n division has been recorded, when a real one has taken place, the representatives of the old Liberal Party have been in the same lobby as the Reform Party. We find representatives of the United Party almost invariably trooping into the looby with the Reform Party, although on some occasions thev have boon absent, and to use a term that has already been used by other candidates ‘they are in the middle of the road.’ When questioned how thev would vote in the event of a no-eonfidonce motion the United Party candidates renly that they will vote to t.-oep the Contes Government in power \Vc say. therefore, that there is no difference betn-een the Reform and United Parties. Therefore the issue is centred around the Reform mid Labour candidates.” “Are We Satisfied?” Air. Dyson went on to say that it appeared to him that the question could be further simplified. The question to be decided wasl “Are we satisfied with the present administration? , Are we satisfied with the social and economic conditions as they present themselves at the present time?” If they were, the issue was simple. They would vote for the restoration of the Coates Government. But if they were not satisfied the people should cast their votes on behalf of the Labour candidate. That was the main issue he had to submit to his audience. The Kight to Work. “The Reform Party,” said Air. Dyson, “has been in charge of the administration, and to-day it is our job to point out to where failures have been, and also where improvements can be made. One of the greatest indictments of the present administration is the amount of unemployment in New Zealand. We are of opinion that hopeless unemployment should not exist in a well-organsied state, and I submit that it should be one of the duties of the Government, and the people claiming to represent the Government, to give that question serious consideration, so as to eliminate unemployment to a very minimum. Unemployment lies in and through our industrial system, but 1 am not here to submit any panacea for it. But I say that an effort should be made to minimise the difficulties that arise with unemployment. We say that every individual willing and able has the right to work. If we deny the individual that right, then we deny him the right to live.” Air. Dyson said that the Labour Party claimed that a board should be in exist-

ence to assist in the control of unenipluy meiit. They had in New Zealand quite .-. number of seasonable occupations, aud it should he the duty of a well-organised Slate to see that the surplus labour was used up. He recognised that unemploy meat was economic in its general up plication. Land Problem. Associated with unemployment, he said, was the laud problem. They knew (lint unemployment was caused by the trek from the country to the towns and cities. The land question had to be tackled in a bold manner. They had heard a lot about more production, and the great need of it. They knew that for some time to come New*Zealand had to depend on primary production, although they felt that secondary industries should he encouraged. The big estates should be opened up for closer settlement. On the other hand, there had been a closing up of .settlement, and. instead of a trek to the country, there had been a trek from it to the cities. The Labour Party proposed a bold policy of land .settlement. They all recognised that there was something radically wrong with the present system, and that the question should be tackled. In his 1925 manifesto, the Prime Minister had said the Government would go to thd extent of applying the compulsory clauses of the Land Settlement Act,. but returns showed that, instead of a vigorous policy, a state of stagnation existed, and that no attempt was made to appease the land hunger that still existed. Referring to pensions, Mr. Dyson sai-l that the Labour Party held that ade quatc pensions should lie provided for those who had served their country laith fully and well in the industrial field, when they reached the eventide of their lives Tlie increase in pensions proposed by tn** Labour Party was a reasonable suggestion to make. Taxation was also dealt with by Mr. Dyson, who said that one of the charges against the Government was that they had been looking after their own triends Comment had been made as to how the taxpayer had been relieved, notwiuistand, ing the continual cry from the Reform Party that they had not the money to provide the social necessities lor which demands were made from time to tune “We suggest that a nominated chain her is a travesty on democracy.” said the candidate, when discussing the Legislatiie Council. “We submit that it is wrong that the voice of the people should be stifled bv a chamber that docs not represent them. We say that the lime hits long passed when an institution of this description should come to an end. In conclusion. Mr. Dyson suggested that the time had arrived when a change was due. and that the Labour I arty should be given an opportunity to carry out what it liad advocated. M bile a few years ago, tlie Labour Party was purely a propagandist party in tlie wilderness as far as the political arena was concerned, it had steadily increased its support. There was a feeling of dissatisfaction with the present administration, and he believed that this was going to be recorded in a protest vote on November 14. There was one question, after wliicn Air. Dyson was accorded a vote or thanks for’ his address. MR. FIELD’S CAMPAIGN Mr. AV. H. Field addressed a full hall at Paekakariki on Friday night, Air. Arthur Mackay occupying the chair. He was met with considerable obstruction from a large body of men at the back of the iiall. Though he delivered his speech it was under conditions of great strain am difficulty. The chairman and Air. hieltl expostulated with the disturbers, but with little effect. At the conclusion of Ins address he answered a number of questions and received a vote of thanks and confidence. Mr. Field spoke to a large attendance nt Reikiorangi on Saturday night. Mr. G. A. Monk, chairman of the Horowhenua County, occupied the chair, and in introducing Mr. Field mentioned his long years of service as their member. Air. Field said he had been associated with the district for many years prior to representing them in Parliament, and was proud to know that he had made a multitude of friends. He said that the district was a beautiful and interesting and highly historical one, and probablv the most favoured by nature in New Zealand. lie was privileged to have assisted to carry on the good work of development and progress which had been initiated by his brother before him. He spoke strongly of the extravagant misrepresentations which had been made ns to the number of men

Further election campaign news appears

Who hail gone oil the land, or been "drivoff” 11“ his opponents put it, m recent years. anil said it was marvellous, in lace of all the difficulties conlroiitiiig him. with what success the Minister ol Lands tnd kept rhe men on the unit,. Among other subjects he referred to imnngration and said Ihe number ot men who had come here as immigrants was less than the number ol men killed aud peinianent ly dis bled in the Great far. He men tinned that his United opponent. who had fought two elections against Laboui. had pledged himself not to support any noconfidence motion moved by Hie Labour Party, and yet lie win pleading for Labour’votes. 'Mr. Field dealt strongly with a series of mis-statements which had bee., made by his United opponent. Air. Field received a vote of thanks an-l confidence, with one dissentient.

MR. SIEVWRIGHT AT NEW-

LANDS

Alr. A. I!. Sievwriglit, the United Party candidate for Otaki. toured the electorate during the week-end. The concluding meeting was held at Newlands, over which Mr. B. Knight presided. Mr. Sievwriglit condemned the Coates' Government as having no policy- except how. best to retain office. There was muddleinent in tlie railways, which were not paying, and yet further huge expenditure was being made. The Taupo-Ro-torua railway would never pay axlegrease. Mr. Sievwriglit stated that in three years 12.000 fewer people were settled' on the land. 100.000 acres per annum went back to fern and second growth, and nothing had been done to satisfy the demand for land. Stagnation in business and 30 per cent, increase in bankruptcies in two yeais showed the trend of Reforms maladministration. „ ■\t the conclusion of the meeting, on the motion of Mr. R. McFarlane seconded by Mr. P. Ring, a vole of thanks and confidence was carried unanimously Mr Sievwriglit attended a conference of school teachers on Saturday morning at Lovin and a number of committee meetings in various centres. Reports were received concerning the progioss o tlie campaign. Mr. Sievwriglit visited Maknra on Saturday pvennux.

MR. PURCHASE AT MAKARA

On Saturday night. Mr. J. Purchase, the Independent Labour candidate tor Oitaki. delivered an address in furtherance of his campaign, in the Mnkara Hall Mr. J. Trotter presided. .l he speaker dealt with the whole range of politics in so f*ir a« they concerned the farmer, ano incidentally touched upon the tunny serious problems affecting our na lonnl life. After speaking for nearly two hours, and answering tunny questions, the candidate was accorded a hearty vote of thanks for his address.

OROUA ELECTORATE

MR. J. G. COBBE AT

FEILDING

By Telegraph. —Press Association

Feikling, November 3. • Air. J. G. Cobbe, United Party candidate for Oroua, had an overflow meeting for his main political address and received an excellent hearing, lie strongly criticised the Reform administration and said that Mr. Coates, hailed three years ago as a new Aloses, had now been weighed in the balances and found wanting. The'Government failed to show any sympathy for Ihe farmers’ freezing works. He hoped, if elected, to do something towards protecting those works from trusts. He criticised the expensive High Commissioner’s Office, saying tlie salaries of the Jerks and messengers cost £2ti,oJo a year. He favoured proportional representation in Parliament. supported the two-issue ballot paper and bare majority on the 'licensing issue, opposed extending the life of Parliament, explained the United'Party proposal for raising £00.000.000 over ten years to lend to farmers and workers, and was against an agricultural workers’ union, but favoured unions with a preference for industries. ~, '

MR. HOLLAND IN THE NORTH MEETINGS ADDRESSED AT ERANKTON & TUAKAU. By Telegraph.—press association. Hamilton, November 2. Mr. 11. E. Holland, Leader of the Opposition, addressed a crowded meeting at the Erankton Town Hall to-night. The speaker, who was greeted with cheers, went briefly over Labour’s policy. He emphasised that the land policy offered nothing to the speculative gambler in land values, but was in the interest of the occupying user, such was “usehold,” against which Reform offered criticism. He promised that the dental service would be extended to private schools as well as State schools. Labour would abolish boy conscription, would support international arbitration and honour the signature to the Peace Treaty by sending representatives to the International Labour Conference. The speaker dealt with Samoa at length on the lines of previous statements, and condemned the Government’s action in reducing income tax, especially in abolishing the income tax on rich farmers, while the war debt burden was still heavy. This meant that small farmers, small business men and workers had to pay more in taxes. At Pukekohe Mr. Coates, referring to his (Mr. Holland’s) charge that the Licensing Bill had been brought down after the ballot papers had been printed, had said that the charge was untrue. Mr. Holland produced “Hansard” of September 13, and quoted the speech of the Hon. A. D. McLeod to show that 120.000 ballot papers for absent voters had been printed, and these provided a three-issue ballot paper. The speaker further quoted a communication from the Chief Electoral Officer that for the licensing poll to be held about the middle of November it was necessary that the order to print the papers not be delayed further than August 9.

Mr. Holland spoke for nearly three hours, was entirely free from heckling, and was frequently applauded. A vote d£ thanks and confidence was declared carried by acclamation. There was no dissent. | Last night Mr. Holland addressed a crowded meeting at Tuakau. A vote of thanks to the speaker and confidence in the Labour Party and Mr. Holland as leader was carried without dissent, and the mee'ting concluded with cheers for Mr. Holland. I SPEECH AT HUNTLY. By Telegraph.—Press Association." Hamilton, November 4. Air. 11. E. Holland, Leader of the Opposition, addressed a crowded meeting at Huntly last night and was cheered on entering. Besides speaking on the usual lines, he gave attention to the coal industry. Labour would use the Research Department, he said, with the aim of producing all the coal needed in the Dominion. Briquetting should have been established long ago. A motion of thanks and confidence was carried unanimously. '