MR. HARKNESS AT PLIMMERTON

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 104, 29 October 1925, Page 11

MR. HARKNESS AT PLIMMERTON

Mr. C. I. Harkness • addressed a wellattended meeting of electors at Pliramerton on Tuesday night, Mr. Olsen presiding. The candidate again made it very clear that he was asked to contest the seat by the executive of the Liberal Party more than eight mpnths before the date fixed for the election, and was announced by Mr. Wilford as the Opposition candidate for the seat on 24th March, long before either of the other two candidates had come to any decision to contest the seat.

"In a straight-out contest," said Mr. Harkness, "I could win this seat with comfort either against the Reform candidate or against the Labour man, and they each in turn know it." Then why this dishonest cry Of "Harkness is splitting the vote?" he asked. "It is just the same old miserable wailing cry we always get from Reform when they have no faith in their own candidate, and when they know. that . their case is bad."

The candidate supported a State bank free from political control, reorganisation of the railways, drastic legislation against aggregation of land, the subdivision of large estates under the compulsory clause of the Land for Settlements Act, and a revision, of the incidence of taxation. "At the present time,", said Mr., Harkness, "the Government is giving remission of taxation do its wealthy supporters to the tune of £16,000,000 since 1914; at the same lime the Customs taxation on food and clothing alone has gone up from £866,----910 in 1912 to £2,061,141 in 1924 on food and clothing alone." No wonder ws are feeling the pinch, and' no wonder there is unrest and discontentment stalking throughout this Dominion," declared the candidate.

■ A number of questions were promptly answered by . the candidate.

At the conclusion of the meeting a 1 hearty rote of thanks to the candidate was, carried unanimously.