FROM THE PLATFORM

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 100, 24 October 1925, Page 9

FROM THE PLATFORM

CAMPAIGN NOTES

Any Other Name Will Do,

"Why did the Liberals change their name';" was a qucstiou put to Mr. M'Grath at his Northland meeting last night.

"I don't know, I wasn't in Parliament," replied the candidate. "But, they're like a rose—any other name would smell as sweet." (Laughter.)

Debit and Credit. The 1 Railway Department was supposed to be a paying proposition, but how could this bo so when the Department was only paying 3.51 per cent, on capital and was borrowing money at 5 -per cent, in order to extend Its business, said 'Mr. E.'Masters- (National) at Stratford, in pursuance of- his campaign in that elec-. torate. The revenue of tho railways increased by £150,000 last year, but the increase in expenditure was £483,000, and that was the kind of paying proposition the concern was.

The increase in tho revenue of the Postal Department under the administration of Mr. Coates amounted to t£ 250,420, but it had cost the counb'y &29n,84'2 to get this revenue. Mr. Masters said in all seriousness, as one who had gone deeply into the finances of the country, that it>was time a halt was called in the excessive costs of administration, and that the affairs of the Dominion were placed on a sound business footing. Worth Paying Tor. Part of his address at Northland last night was devoted by Mr. J. J. M'Grath to advocating that Customs duties should be taken off various articles so as to reduce the cost of ing."Would you take the duty off liquor?" inquired a member of the audience, when the candidate was urging- an alteration in tho licensing laws. ■■■■■-„ "No, I don't think I would," replied Mr. M'Grath. "Liquor is like anything else that is good —it is worth paying for." (Laughter.) "Remedy in Their Own Hands." "The bulk of our indirect taxation falls on luxuries, and the poor man— the level-headed worker, at, any rate — does not indulge in luxuries. He pays, therefore, very little in Customs duties," said Mr. Forsyth at Newtown last night. "The Labour Party tells you (hat Customs luxation has gone up by two millions, but the bulk of the increase has been got from luxuries, such as motor-cars, wines, spirits, expensive clothing, and so forth. If the Labour men don't want to pay Customs taxes lot them buy local, manufactures. The remedy is'in their own'- 1 hands';" The Licensing Laws. ' "I have defended a good many hotelkeepers who were innocent, and b. good many who were riot," remark-',-■ed Mr 1. J. J. M'Grath, amidst laughter, when stating at Northland lust night that the licensing laws required radical' alteration. "Mr. Seddon Would Turn in His Grave." "Bless my soul, Mr. Seddon would turn in his grave to hear these men claim to be liis political successors," declared Mr. T. Forsyth (Reform candidate) at Newtown Public Library last night, referring to tho attitude of the Labour Party and Empire and defence questions. "What did Mr. Seddon do at the.,outbreak, of. the South African War? He sent out a contingent of New Zealanders eight away. What Labour Party would have done that?" A voice: "That's history." Mr. Forsyth: "Yes; and it is history that the Labour Party doesn't like to hear." The voice: "Give us facts."" , Mr. Forsyth.: "It is historic fact." Mr. Seddon, ho added, . had been a strong believer in the Empire and in being prepared to defend our country and onr Empire; and if it had not been for the strong st.and taken by our Government during tile Great War, many of those who did not believe in defenco would have been working under Germany to-day. (Applause and laughter.) The Shock of liis Life. Some of Miss Melville's audience in Auckland on Thursday evening tired of asking questions which the candidate easily answered. A man who ■probably thought he. was making a killing shot by asking the candidate if she was in favour of the Singapore Base, got the shock of his life. "Yes, I am in favour of the Singapore Base," promptly said Miss. Melville. "As a matter of fact, I visited Singapore last year, and made some personal observations." A National Insurance. "Education is a form of national insurance, the only possible insurance for national progress and national security, and the premium paid is very small compared with the losses that would certainly follow if the payment of tho' premium was neglected."— Mr. A. L. Monteith, Labour candidate for Wellington East, at Kilbirnic last evening. Women in Parliament. „ '"' "My opinion as a man of considerable'--, experience is that you had better let the ladies have what they want," said Mr. David Jones, Government candidate for EUesmerc, when replying to a. question as to whether lie was in favour of women entering Parliament. "You can quite understand that while half the electors in Ellesmere are. ladies, 1 cannot afford to take any other view," lie added, amidst laughter. "Greater Wizard of Finance." "The housewife who provides for ,'i, husband and family and makes cuds meet on .t-l per week is a greater wizard of finance than any -politician 'vi I,'io Now Zealand Parliament." —'Mr. Lament, Labour candidate, at Takajmnn. A Singing Candidate. "I am not ,a Bolshevik nor a Socialist, but, a. Thinker," said Mr. X .T. Howard, an* Independent Liberal candidate, to his audience the other evening at Mataura. There was no chairman. There Here no questions, and Mr. Howard lemiirked I hat a [inper vi. Vv'ymlliam had declared Uutl ho had

POINTS' FROM CANDIDATES SPEECHES

concluded his address in that township with a comic song.

"There was nothing comical about 'Memories,' " quoth he, lifting his voice in song. The singing candidate sang the first verse, of the touching ballad with, ease, but, in tho second pitched his key too high and broke down.

".Although I don't "think I'll win," said Mr. Howard at the conclusion of his effort/. "I. think it will be a good advertisement for me."

Tho Ways of Farmers. In a recent speech at To Kowhai, the Hon. E. F. Bollard referred in lighter vein to the ways of farmers, to whose clan he was proud to belong. ."Some fanners," he said,' "would sooner do a half-day's work on the farm-than write a letter. When the farmer. I have in mind did write, he insisted on posting his letters himself; he would then go to the back of the post office and expect an answer. (Laughter and applause.) But I will say this, that when the average farmer wrote he had a knack of setting out facts in his letter, and it' anyono present has a matter which requires looking into, write and,the business will have my personal attention." "An Undignified Government." • At Marton, Mr. A. Lyon said the Befonri",Government was a defeated and undignified Government. , At the last elections it had a minority of three, but continued to hold office through the hiring of. several politicians to whose help they clung. If they had been' a digniii-jd Government they would have pocked up their belltoppers and tucked away their coattails and shuffled out. Taxation and the Family. Customs taxation strikes at the very root of our economic life, and when we study the Customs revenue we discover some startling facts, said Mr. B. Cobbo (Nationalist), at Fcilding. In 1912 food' and clothing were taxed to the extent of £8615,910, but in." 1924 these articles were taxed £2,061,141, although our population increased by only a quarter of a million. We taxed luxuries to the extent of £75 per hundred of Customs taxation in 1912, and to-day we tax only £61 in the £100. In 1912 Customs taxation was 3J millions; to-day it is 7i millions, and our social reformers want to know why our homes are not full of laughing boys and girls. But' you cannot bring children up as in the days of Adam and Eve, and food and clothing wnd boots and shoes are necessary in every family. i The Labour Policy. '"I respect,opinion honestly held, even if that. opinion, in my judgment, is wrong; but. it it is wrong, though honestly held, I must oppose it; and none will, question my being a fair though persistent and detei-mined opponent of the Karl Marxian policy ,of. .the Labour Party."—Mr. Sievwright- at Berhampore. '■ , How Labour Becomes Capital. "I am a believer in thrift. Thrift is the bridge over which labour passes to become capital. Every man and woman who b.is a bank account in the Post Office has by thrift saved labour, and all saved labour is. capital. That is |-the way all people lay the foundation of independence."—Mr. A. B. Sievwright' at Berhampore: Tribute to Independence. A tribute to the independence of ' the "Evening Post" in political matters was paid by Mr. J. J. M'Grath, Independent Nationalist candidate for Wellington North, in th"c course of his" address at Northland' last night. There was a large attendance at the meeting, which warmly applauded Mr. M'Grath's declaration that they.all knew "The Post" was tlic only independent newspaper in Wellington. A Complex Social System. "To the coming generation we arc leaving a very complex social system, and we at least should give the citizen of to-morrow the best education possible, so that in his day and generation he shall be well equipped in. order to solve the great questions that will arise."—Mr. A. L. Monteith at Kilbirnic last evening. Bible Beading in Schools. Bible-reading in schools was a matter that was brought before the Hon. R. I<\ Bollard at his meeting iii Glen Massey .the other day. A questioner, whilst admitting that a certain amount of Bible reading in schools was good, asked why the Prime Minister (the Hon. Mr. Coates) voted for free, secular, and compulsory education and Mr. Bollard voted in another way. In reply, Mr. Bollard said he entirely agreed with the questioner that a little Bible reading was good in the schools of the Dominion. "If," he continued, "it is good for the secondary schools, for all opened with the Lord's Prayer, it was good for the primary schools." He had voted for the Bill recently before the House because he believed tho young people should have iit least some learning of the Bible. That was the way to make good citizens. (Applause.) An Unfounded Rumour. 'Mr. If. E. Swindell has written to "The Post" drawing attention to a paragraph reporting a statement, made by Mr. A. B. Sievwright in his address at the Masonic Hall, Berhamporc, on Thursday evening, denying "an. untrue statement that had been circulating in the electorate that lie was Ihe nominee nf the liquor interests." After staling what occurred so far as the incident referred to by Mr. Sievwright is concerned, Mr. Swindell concludes his letter na follows:— ".If the statement is going round the district-, I am not responsible .for it, as only Mr. Campbell and myself were present, and-the conversations on campaigning have been a source of argument hefcwocii him iinrf ntysMl' for years. The question of liquor is a factor in every campaign, ;,nd j; asked in all good faith as to liow the Prohibition vote would be cast, or were I hey- going to vote for any candidate whu opposed Labour. " Tho biter part of Mr. J-jievwright's address slates: 'My oppunenis are not able to find a. hole in my armour,' t:lr. This is very unfair to Mr. M'Jieea and Uic parly, as nut a single

individual of t'io party heard the remarks; neither is anyone responsible for the statement made, bar myself, and which I withdrew, and Mr. Sievwright's opponents cannot be blamed for an incident which- had nothing to do with them in any shape or form. I trust, Sir, that you will give this publicity to remove any injustice to either side which will cause the electors of Wellington South to be unduly influenced in any way whatever."

"Would Relievo Taxation." Such sin institution as a State bank, declares Mr. U. .1. Harkness (Nationalist candidate for Otaki), would relieve taxation in New Zealand, ease the present financial stringency, lower the rate of interest, and reserve to the people of the Dominion those profits which should be theirs,' but which, at present, go to swell the reserves of foreign banking institutions. For the privilege of issuing their own notes the banks paid 21 per cent, to the Government, but received 7 or 8 per cent, interest on the money they loaned — interest which the Government should have. No Doubt About It. "If you are returned " commenced a questioner ;it tho Hon. 11. V. Bollard's meeting at Glen Masse.v. "No, no," s;iid Mr. Bollard, interrupting, "don't put. it that way; say 'When yu are returned.' " The candidate's sally created a good deal of applause. On Writing to the Papers." Mr. Lyons, the Ket'orm candidate for Lyttelton, giving'some advice to his opponent:—lt' you write a letter to the newspapers, keep it, for a night and think it over. Then keep it for another night. After that put it in the lire and burn it. "To Save Up and Marry." "We're giving the bachelor on £600 a year a golden opportunity to save up and marry a spinster."— Mr. V. 11. Potter, M.P., Reform candidate for Eoskill, speaking on income tax at Auckland. Some Pointed Questions. "If the Labour Party believes that 'interest is something for nothing,' will its leaders repudiate the National Debt and destroy the honour and character of New Zealand and its people in the eyes -of 'the world? Tho Labour Party has many schemes,, all involving millions of money, but when 'interest is something for nothing' with them, all these schemes are as hot, air and the baseless fabric of their Socialistic dreams."—Mr. Bievwright at Berhampore. Middle of the Road. If they went inlo a. large drapery shop they would see remnants. The best of the goods had been sold, and I they were selling off the odds and ends cheaply. That was the position with regard to the Liberal Party to-day. The Liberal Party dropped Labour, which was only a. tag as far as that party was concerned. When the fusion negotiations failed, the Liberal Party became Nationalists. What they wiil be this week he Mas not prepared to say. (Laughter.) The remnant of the Liberal Party was the '"middle of the road" party, and (here was no room for it in Parliament to-day. In Hip last Parliament the Liberals had either voted with (he Reformers of (hey had run away.—Mr. A. Ashworth (Labour candidate for Wakatipu). Capital is Saved Labour Mr. A. B. Sievwright, the candidate for Wellington South, in reply to a question, said: "I do not consider 'interest something for nothing.' All capital is saved labour, and capital is just as entitled to fair remuneration as all labhour. I have no time for unfair dealing,, whether you call it Labour politics, Socialism, or Communism."