A HAN OF DEEDS

Ellesmere Guardian, Volume XLVI, Issue 3271, 13 November 1928, Page 5

A HAN OF DEEDS

THE CASE FOR INDEPENDENCE

MX. WIGHTMAN'B POLICY

FINAL MESSAGE TO LEESTON,

''as an Independent, I represent the employer and the employee directly and indirectly, as the employee of to-day will be the employer of to-morrow," said Mr B. W. Wightman, Independent candidate, in his thirtieth meeting of the election campaign and the second and final delivered at Leeston. It was held early on Saturday evening, and about f^orty electors were present, Mr R. J. MeConnell presiding. Speaking for an hour, Mr Wightman traversed his policy on the same lines as at earlier meetings. As time would not permit of his answering questions, he covered some of the points upon which he had been most frequently interrogated previously. The tenor of his address is indicated by the few salient sentences which follow. * # • Party politics do not work in the best interests of any country. They are falling out among themselves about the Licensing Bill and the Bible in Schools question* If they are not unanimous among themselves, how will they .work together when they get into Parliament? They are going to become disorganised, and I hope to be the organiser of the disorganised. * * * The banks are the Eeform Party today. They are spending thousands throughout the country in advertising, and as soon as they get all their men seated, they will raise the rate of interest a half per cent., and the producer will have, to pay for that huge advertising in the end. The United Party represent the Chamber of Commerce, which represents the middlemen. Don't think that I came here j to-night and dreamt that I "was going , to be a politician. I had it on mind j ever since I left school that I was go- i ing to be a politician, and a politician I am going to be. The Labour Party are good for caring for the worker, but when they come to take charge of any country, capital has no confidence in them, and they collapse and the country is worse off than if they had never had charge. * * * When a man comes into- the country and tries to upset the organised worker, he is deported, a^ad quite right too. Why should not the extremist in capital be deported also? But no, there is a law for the rich and a law for the poor. *' * * The Reform Party during this elec- j tion is sending out S.O.S. signals to the United Party to join with them to oppose us. They are afraid that you and I will join together and oppose capital, and that is what we are going to do. They *are afraid of our scheme because they will have to go out and work. These' men are receiving their I income of 6A per cent, interest, and if we reduced it to 51 per cent they would have to go out and work, and the majority would die before they would . work. * * * There is no sentiment in the present Government, whatever. I am full of sentiment. I have lost thousands of pounds in helping people in business and on the land, and in other ways. I believe in lifting men up in the world and not driving them down. Therefore I have sentiment. The Government have no sentiment because they are the banks. They don't care whose child cries so long as theirs laughs. Where a man's treasure is hidden, his heart is hidden also. * * * Commercial firms are the finest thing we have in New Zealand. We are going to keep them as they are, but only as selling agents and not as financial agents. They should not be financial agents, and they never wanted to be. It is only because the banks would not take the responsibility, and they were driven to take it on. They would be only too pleased to drop the financial part, because they have to do the dirty work for the banks. a * * j I believe that to carry Prohibition would be to increase a crime which is worse than the one we have to-day. One of the failings of men is that they want to drink. If Prohibition is carried, they will drink methylated spirits, painkiller, or whatever they can get.

I have been asked whether I believe in the honorariums of members of Parliament being1 raised. If it came to paying by results, there would be ! nothing loft after I got mine, because I would be doing the lot. # * * i The audience applauded the candidate when he resumed his seat. A vote of thanks was passed to him on the proposal of Mr J. C Free, seconded by Mr A. Guest,