THE LEADERS' MOVEMENTS

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 127, 25 November 1931, Page 10

THE LEADERS' MOVEMENTS

POLLING DAY WARNINGS

Warnings to supporters of the Coalition policy against regarding a Government victory at the forthcoming elections as a foregone conclusion were voiced by the two party leaders on their arrival in Wellington after campaigning in other parts of the country. The Prime Minister (the Right Hon. G. W. Forbes) arrived from the South Island this morning, and the Right Hon. J. G. Coates arrived yesterday afternoon from the North and left last evening for Christchurch. Each has covered half the Dominion in the course of his election campaign; they are now changing ends.

The Prime Minister said that he had been, extremely pleased, during his trip through the South Island, with the evidences he had seen on all sides of solid support for tho Coalition Government. There was a widespread determination to stand by the Government. Eowdiness at public meetings caused by associates of the Labour Party in attempts to prevent Coalition candidates speaking was only tending to strengthen the determination of many electors to rally round the Government on polling day. Mr. Forbes said he regarded the outlook as very favourable for the return of the Government to office, but supporters of the Government should not take it for granted that victory was assured, and should roll up to the polling booths on election day, because the Labour Party was out to got as big an aggregate vote as possible so that they could claim, in analysing tho voting, that the support for the Labour Party had increased and that the Government's policy was unpopular. With that object in view, he said, the Labour Party was putting up candidates where they had "not a ghost of a show." Mr. Forbes urged Coalition supporters to make the poll a large one, and he oxpressed the hope that the Labour Party would not be able to make such a claim because of the neglect of people who did not think it necessary to vote. "There is no question in my mind," said Mr. Forbes, "about the overwhelming support there will be for the Government at the coming elections. The people realiso that what the country wants is sound, stable finance, for which the Government stands."