ELECTION QUESTIONS

Dominion, Volume 23, Issue 55, 28 November 1929, Page 6

ELECTION QUESTIONS

MR, JOHNSTON’S REPLIES Several questions of interest were answered by Mr. H. F. Johnston, Reform candidate for the Hutt seat, at his Lower Hutt meeting last night. In answer to one inquirer, the candidate said he was opposed to compulsory week-night drills for Territorials, but favoured the holding of camps. He certainly agreed that those attending such camps should receive their wages. Asked whether he was in favour of an increase in the capitation allowance for school committees, Mr. Johnston said that adequate funds must bo made available for the cleaning, lighting and heating of class rooms. Children coming from clean homes should not be asked to go into dirty, cold schools. (Applause). “Arc you in favour of daylight saving?” asked another questioner. Mr. Johnston replied: "Yes. As chairman of the Sports Protection League, I have been one of the chief advocates for it. We now have a permanent law providing for half-an-hour daylight saving, but 1 am in favour of the full hour. (Renewed applause). , . . „ Asked to give his views on the licensing question, the candidate said that such a query always cropped up. although it was of no practical importance in the contest. “I won’t touch the question,” he ‘added. "I will leave it on the Statute Book as it is until the principal protagonists will come to some agreement, as I hope and believe they will. Answering a question as to whether he was in favour of a better allocation of the educational vote to permit of greater expenditure on primary education, Mr. Johnston said that in hi? opinion primary education was just as important as secon-, dary education. He realised the headmasters had to be better paid. He could not see why the primary schools should not be put on a better basis.