General Election WELLINGTON NORTH

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 308, 23 September 1943, Page 9

General Election WELLINGTON NORTH

Refuting the claims made by Mr. C.IL Chapman, that the AVnllingtou City Corporation hail done nothing to assist in the housing programme, whereas it had operated its own scheme and had made many sections available for Government bousing, Mr. T. C. A. Hislop (balional, Wellington North), when addressing a women's meeting at Webb Street yesterday, Quoted the following extract from a newspaper report on December IS. 1036. of a discussion on the Wellington City Council housing scheme: “Everyone would admit that there was a housing shortage in ‘Wellington, said Or. C. H. Chapman. MJ?. , Hundreds of people were experiencing difficulty in finding accommodation, The small survey already carried out on the Tc Aio block had clearly proved that there was a shortage of houses, overcrowding, and that some of the houses in which people were living were unsuitable for occupation. The expenditure of £3OOO on an extensive survey of the whole city was, he felt, absolutely unnecessary. -they knew from their own observations that what was true of Te Aro was true of portion of Thorudon and almost all the thickly-settled areas. There were great difficulties and evils which the council should consider 'before it thought of venturing into the realm of house-letting, added Or. Chapman. There was an undoubted' need for more houses, but in view of the fact that the Government was undertaking a comprehensive housing scheme, it was not desirable that the council should consider a scheme of its own. It was more desirable that the council should co-operate rather than compete with the Government.’ This, said Mr. Hislop, was Mr. Chapmans view then on council housing activities. Mrs. A. McVicar presided at yesterdays meeting. , , „ “It was Mr. Lee who. when on the Defence Committee, pressed for an air force officer to come out and report on air defence.” said Mr. IT. E. Herring (Democratic Labour, Wellington North), in an address at Aro Street on Tuesday night. “Mr. Lee subsequently urged _ the permanent appointment of this officer, and close concentration on air defence when other members toyed with the idea of a cruiser. Curiously enough, both Mr. Lee and Mr. Barnard were later dropped from the Defence Committee, bn, I suppose, the good old principle that nobody with capacity and experience is appointed to a task if his political colour is not correct.” One would have expected the so-called Labour Government to give cousideratiou to workers, but the very reverse had been the case in many industries, said Mr. Herring. Mr. Webb bad himself stated that “no country in the Empire had gone so far as New Zealand in the relaxation of conditions relating to work and labour.” “The difference between per cent, proposed by Democratic Labour and 4 1-8 per cent., the existing rate, for house building, means about 14/- a week difference in the rent on a £l2OO house,” said Mr. Herring. “You must remember that interest is the biggest item in costs. Seven-eighths of the rates paid in Wellington go in interest charges and nearly half of the highway construction costs aro interest, or. as it should be called, usury, which, remember, is forbidden by Biblical law.” Women should receive pay equal to men’s when they did work equal to men’s, said Mr. C. H. Chapman (Labour) in an address at the Mount Cook School last night. Dealing with the social security taxation, he said that the. tax was one shilling in the pound on all income. Some people thought the tax was two shillings and sixpence, but that was not correct. One shilling and sixpence was the national security taxation levied for war purposes, and he expected that that would be remitted as war expenditure became less.

WELLINGTON SOUTH

“For the last eight years under the Labour Government, the value of the people’s money has been allowed to depreciate,” declared Mr. E. R. Toop (National), to an Island Bay meeting. One of the principal duties of a Government, he added, was to protect the buying power of money. The National Party, it returned to power, would remove the present restrictions on the spending of the people’s money. The present high prices were very largely due to Government interference and conttol, quite apart from debasement of the currency. Mr. Toop challenged the Labour Government to say that the Internal Marketing Department was not making 6/- a case out of bananas and doing nothing for it. (Applause.) Speaking of the freedom of the Press, Mr. Toop said: “I have no brief for the newspapers at all except that there is an avenue 'by which I can say what I like, within certain bounds, but if you are against our present freedom of the Press and think you can control it, I would ask you to think deeply where you are going. If you think you can hand over that freedom to the politicians you are arriving at the conditions they arrived at in Germany, where the party in power, through a controlled Press, can mould the people’s will and regiment them so that they have lost the freedom to think and express themselves.” Speaking at Berhamporc last, night, Pte. C. Teece (Democratic Labour) said he doubted Mr. McKeeu’s charge that a vote for his party was a vote for the National Party. “Why the Labour Party let the Nationals -in 18 months ago!” he said. “But it was true that Mr. McKeen voted with the support of the Nationals, to impose the war insurance racket, the war sales tax, to extend the life of Parliament, and to overcommit New Zealand’s manpower.''

WELLINGTON CENTRAL

Political expediency, rather than war necessity, had been ‘the rule as far as our Press censorship was concrned, said Mr. Will Appleton (National) speaking at Kent. Terrace Presbyterian Church Hall last night. He quoted some of the edicts issued by the Censor, Mr. J. T. Paul, who in the past had been one of the leading lights in the Labour Government. This was the man, said Mr. Appleton, who decided what New Zealanders should read in their newspapers. For instance, reference to flic alleged hoaxing of the Security Intelligence Bureau, which was referred to in oue of the leading weekly newspapers, was prohibited. That had no connexion at all with conveying information to the enemy, said the candidate. .Similarly, the question of the condition of some of the camps was barred from being discussed in the Press, and when the question of the sentence of the Court on the coalminers in the Huntly strike was under discussion, newspapers were stopped from detiling with it. Again, in reference to the Police Department, they were denied the rights of other sections of the Civil service in having their just grievances placed before the publlic. Th National Party, said Mr. Appleton. stood for a free Press and the rights of criticism.

WELLINGTON SUBURBS

In an address at Taita on Tuesday night, Mr. IV. A. Veitch (National) said four land owners in the Hutt Valley had been given by the Government 40 days in which to vacate their property. Two of these were discharged soldiers of the

last war, who had been placed on the land under the Discharged Soldiers’ Settlement Scheme —one a market gardener and the other a poultry-farmer. The notices had been issued, said Mr. Veitch, despite the fact that as the result of a deputation four years previously, the Government had promised that the land would not be taken. Nothing gave a greater urge Io independence and reliance than private ownership. Ihe aim of the National Party was that everyone should be able to own something—a home, a shop, household furniture, etc., the most important being the home. Evcty person should strive, by saving, to buy his own* home. and when the National Party became the Government every assistance and opportunity would be gnen for the people io achieve that.

COMING MEETINGS

JTon W Nash, Labour, Hutt, Moera Community Hall (1.30) and Labour Hall, Beach Street. Petone (3), ladies meetings, todav, and King George Theatre, Lower Hutt, tonight. T , _ Aircraftman C. G. Sernngeour Independent. Wellington Central, Roseneatli Presbyterian Church Hall (7.30) and Oddfellows’ Hall, Kent Terrace (8) tom»lit, Technical College Hall, tomorrow nl„_nt. p.t Hon P. Fraser, Labour, welin = - ton Central, Town Hall, tonight; Realm Hall, Hatnitai, tomorrow night. Hon. R. Semple, Labour, Wellington East, Kiosk, Seatoun (7.30) and Infants School, Lyall Bay (S) tomorrow night, Academy Hall, Miramar, and Tata Hall, K jlr. T. C. A. Hislop, National, Wellington North. Methodist Hall, Webb Street, tonight: Town Hall, tomorrow night. Air li R Toop, National, Wellington South, St. .Tames Hall, Adelaide Road, tonight; Tutenakai Hall, Berhamporc, to morrow night. Mr L. T. Jacobsen. National. Wellington East. - Capitol Theatre. Miramar tonight; Kilbirnic Kinoma. tomorrow night ■ Air. W. A. Veitch. National, Wellington Suburbs. Town Hall, Ngaio, tonight: Parish Hall, AVadestown, tomorrow night. Mr C M. Bowden, National, Wellington West. St. Matthew's Church Hall, Brooklyn. tonight; Town Hall, tomorrow night. Air. 11. E. Childs, on behalf of the National Party, Cashmere School, KhandalaAir*°Will Appleton. National, Wellington Central, Realm Hall. Hataitai, tonight; Town Hall, tomorrow night. Mr N P Croft. National, Hutt, Union Clothin-" Co’v’s Hall. Petone, tonight; opp. Hutt Post Office (7) open air, and cnr. Jackson and Buick Sts., Petone (8) tom Mr os n. n E? t- Coniibs. Labour, Wellington Suburbs, Empress Theatre, Johnsonville, tonight; Theatre Royal, Eastbourne, tomorrow night. Air. C. H. Chapman, Labour, Wellington North, Garret Street, open air, Friday ’"Labour rally, tomorrow, Dixon Street reserve (12-2), Kt. Hon. P. Fraser, HonR Semple, and other speakers. Air R. AfcKeen, Labour, Wellington South, cnr. Howard and Wallace Sts, open air (8.30) tomorrow night. Airs C. S. Stewart. Labour, Wellin o ton West, Parish Hall, Karori, St. Annes, Northland, and Tod-man Street, Brooklyn, open air, tomorrow night. Mr. It. AV. Pomate, National, Western Maori'. Grosvenor Club, Featherston Street, H. Carman, Independent, Wellington North, Moleswortli Street Methodist. (Hall, tonight; Kimmo’s Hall. Willis Street (6) and (8) tomorrow night. Air. P. Connors, Democratic Labour, HutL Petone West School, tonight. Air S McDougall, Democratic Labour, Wellington West, St. Anne’s Hall, Northland, tOnight. , . Trr Air E C. Ruesell, Independent, Wellington East, Tain Hall, Kilbirnic, tonight. Air R Malcolm. Independent, Wellington North. Blue Triangle Hall tonight. Air J. Hogan, Independent, Hutt. General •Motors, noon, today, and Palace Theatre, Petone, tonight; Railway Workshops (noon). Jackson St., Petone (7) and High St., Lower Hutt, open air (8) tomorrow. Maior W. Bishop. Democratic Labour, Wellington East, R.S.A. Hall, Kilbirnie, ton’private C. Tcoce, Democratic Labour, Wellington South, St. Thomas’s Schoolroom, Newtown, tonight. Air. Les Frame, Democratic Labour, Wellington Suburbs. St. Alban’s Church Hall, Eastbourne (2.30) today, and Khandallah Town Hall, tonight: Y..M.C.A-. Lower Hutt (2.30), Waterloo School (7.30) and Epuni School (8) tomorrow. ■Air H. Herring, Democratic Labour, Wellington North. Congregational Hall, Bowen St., Tonight.