ELECTION CAMPAIGN NOTES

Evening Post, Volume CXXXVI, Issue 63, 11 September 1943, Page 8

ELECTION CAMPAIGN NOTES

Tax to Come Off,

"The national security tax will be lifted as soon as the war is over." —The Rev. Clyde Carr in an election speech.

"A Lie Factory."

"You evidently read the 'Standard'— the lie factory of the Labour Party." —Mr. F. W. Doidge, National candidate for Tauranga, to an interjector.

The Three Parties,

"The Labour Party cannot attack us on our policy," said Private C. S. Teece, Democratic Labour candidate for Wellington South, at Newtown last night "They say that we are connected with the National Party, and that we are going to split the vote and let the National Party in. There are no parties further apart from the National Party than the Democratic Party. The Labour Party has the National Party in .it now." '.-'.. R.I.P. "R.I.P. does not mean 'Rest In Peace' when applied to the Labour Party intention to permit State tenants of State houses to nominate the member of the family to continue to live in the house after the death of the original tenant," said Mr. F. W. Doidge in an election speech. "What it. really means is 'Rent in Perpetuity."

I.M.D. Graveyard.

"I was in Wellington the other day, and I saw the letters '1.M.D.,' and I did not realise they stood for internal Marketing Division," said Mr. J. Manor at Greytown last night. "I thought they stood for 'In Memory of Dan, but then I realised that they couldn't be. It is not his department. I was doubly wrong, for the Internal Marketing Division is not a monument,--it is a graveyard—the graveyard of the people's hope of getting, plentiful and cheap food."

Aiding Home Builders.

"Tell' us about the sales tax,"' a member of the audience interjected at a Kelburn meeting addressed by Mr. C. M. Bowden. (National). "You can be sure that the National Party will remove the sales tax from pots and pans, scrubbing brushes, and brooms, sheets, pillows, table cloths, and children's clothes," replied Mr. Bowden. "The National Party is. very concerned to afford every assistance to young people with families who are finding it difficult to carry.on at the present time. We regard young mothers as the most important unit in the .community."

Control of Land,

Referring to- the. Land Settlement Bill at Breaker Bay last night Mr. T. L Jacobsen, National candidate, said that- it was just another step in Labour's stride to bring all land under State control. Mr. Fraser. had .admitted that certain clauses in the Bill "might be fraught with injustices," and that factors overlooked "might result in great loss to the vendors of land. When members of the Opposition attacked the unfairness of the Bill they were accused of injuring the returned men. It was just another demonstration of the unfairness of the Labour members, who most certainly 'had not the real interests of the .people at heart. They much preferred to push on with theirs national socialism, headed up by dictatorship, which New Zealand would nqjt accept.

Would You?

"What!" exclaimed several of an audience of Public Works employees when the National candidate for Wellington West (Mr. C, M. Bowden) made a declaration that the National Party did not stand for any low wage programme. He repeated his point emphatically, at which an interjector called, "Well, thef did do so." "No/ replied the candidate, "you are talking about some other party." It was apparent that some members of the audience had their doubts. ."Holland was one of them," a. voice called. "Well," asked the candidate, "would you accuse William the Fourth of bigamy because Henry the Eighth had eight wives?" When the laughter had subsided, Mr. Bowden repeated that there was now a new party.

"The Dizzy Limit."

State miners in the Runanga district were taken to task by the Minister of Mines (Mr. Webb) in an election address at Runanga for what he described as the nonsensical stoppages at mines, which, he said, were letting the Labour Government down in an unwarranted manner in its magnificent war effort. "We have trusted all sorts of employers, and have.been let down," the Minister said. "We have never let you down, but you have let us down, some of you miners, over some silly tobacco business. I thought that was the dizzy limit. It was screamed throughout the papers that the LiverSool mine was out on strike because lere was no tobacco, while our girls working magnificently in the factories could work on without heat and coal. I,know what it is to be without cigarettes and tobacco, at any rate for two months, and I have not expired yet. I know it is very aggravating, but that sort of thing—a silly strike —was just what the Opposition wanted —something to hammer us with."

National Credit Authority,

"Financial policy should not be subject to interference or manipulation either by private interests or politicians," said 'Mr. J. Hogan, Independent, Hutt. "It is nonsense for Labour to claim that it has established full and proper control of credit until the Government has established a national credit authority, free from political interference, which will be responsible to the community as a whole," he said. "Such an authority should consist primarily of the Chief Justice, the Government Statistician, and the Governor of the-Reserve Bank, and should control a staff which would co-ordinate all the necessary information regarding national production, unused productive capacity, and purchasing power. This body would decide how much ■ additional purchasing, power required to be made available through the Reserve Bank to. maintain a proper balance, and would advise the Government accordingly. Only the method of distribution would be a subject of political opinion or social policy. The object must be to ensure that whatever is physically possible arid desirable is made financially possible."

Social Security—ln and Out.

Speaking at the Palmerston North Opera House, the Minister of Health (Mr. Nordmeyer) stated that £43,530,000 had been collected from social security taxation, which was Is in the £, and that £52,945,000 had been paid' out in the same period.

J. A. Lee on Vote-splitting,

Mr. J. A. Lee had something to sayabout vote-splitting when speaking in Palmerston North. He said he knew his candidates would split votes and take tens of thousands away from the National Party as well as from Labour, but wasn't it better to vote for something and not get it than vote for something not wanted and- get it?

"Population Disaster."

"The present Government's housing scheme can be correctly called a 'birth restriction scheme,'" said Mr. R. Malcolm, Independent Group candidate, Wellington North. "Only .10 per cent, of the ■ houses built have more than two bedrooms, and the tenant restrictions on State flats spell • population disaster for New Zealand."

Progress in Education. ;

"To compare the education system of this country with that of the Old Country would be very much to the disadvantage of the Old Country," the Rev. Clyde Carr told a questioner in an election address. "If you know anything of educational progress you will know we have led the world in that respect." Mr. Carr claimed that while the Government did'not pay for children's school books and requisites at present, it was only a matter of time before such possibilities would be provided.

Immigration...;.

"I cannot see any immediate success for any immigration scheme,, or for a great number of years after the war. People of England have been promised a new "living condition, better, wages, and construction work in abundance," said Mr. R. Malcolm, Independent Group candidate, Wellington North. "What we will have to see is that there is no migration from this country after the war, for there will be a worldwide call for skilled workers."

National Debt.

Every child born in New Zealand came into the world owing £250, its share of the national debt, said Mr. R. O. C. Marks, Real Democracy Move-, ment candidate for Wanganui. He added that in 1890 New Zealand's national debt was £37,000,000. During the early part of the present century the ri:»3 in debt was gradual, but the same method of finance was used in the last war. Money was created by the banks and lent to the Government at high interest rates, but never paid back. As ,a result of this system of financing the country's national, debt had reached £342,000,000 m 1940. In other words it had multiplied itselt nine times, but the population was only 2£ times larger. "Today the national debt is £463,000,000, and it is continually shooting up," Mr. Marks added.

Plunket Society Subsidy.

Answering a question about an increased Government subsidy to the branches of the Plunket Society, Mrs. C S. Stewart said at Brooklyn that she favoured a higher subsidy to the branches whose work had increased over recent years. The women on the branch committees, she added, did a great deal of work in the' interests of mothers and their babies often to the detriment of their own health, and it was far from reasonable to expect these self-sacrificing women to carry on year after year with the responsibility of raising ever-increasing sums for the upkeep of the Plunket services. Mrs. Stewart promised to ask the Government to investigate the possibility of increasing the subsidy. ' '

Interest in the Election,

Before leaving .Wellington to speak at Blenheim last night the Leader of the Opposition (Mr. Holland) said that everywhere he had been on his North Island tour the policy of the National Party had been splendidly -received. After speaking in the South Island Mr. Holland is to resume his North Island itinerary on September 19. "Many believed some-months ago that no interest would be taken in the election* campaign," said Mr. Holland, "but my experience has convinced me that the people are as deeply interested in political questions as in the days of peace. They have had eight years in which to form their judgment of Labour administration and more than three years of the Fraser Government, and the thousands of electors I have addressed,so far have welcomed the National Party's policy as a constructive plan of a party which has the will and the capacity to put its plan for a better Government and a happier country into operation.". •