THE ELECTION CAMPAIGN OPENS

Franklin Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 110, 19 September 1938, Page 5

THE ELECTION CAMPAIGN OPENS

First Shot Fired

3IR PIGGOTT AT BUCKLAND

AN ENTHUSIASTIC MEETING

‘CONFIDENCE IN THE CANDIDATE

The 1938 general election campaign, as far as the Franklin seat is concerned, was opened on Saturday night when the official Labour candidate, Mr E. Piggott, addressed a very large gathering of electors in the Buckland hall. Mr S. C. Schofield was voted to the chair. The candidate’s address occupied a little over an hour and there were few interjections, while about an hour was spent in „ answering questions which were fired mostly from the front and middle sections of the hall. At the conclusion the candidate was accorded a vote of thanks and confidence while confidence in th§ Labour Government was expressed. ,

“I am pleased to see such a large leathering despite the fact that it is so early in the campaign, and also to see so many happy faces —a marked contrast to what they were three years • ago,” Mr Piggott commenced. “You have every reason to be happy because you have greater security, more earning, more purchasing and more spending power. Why is all this? Because you have a Government which is looking after all sections of the • community,” he declared amid ap- , plause.

A Clean Contest

“Let me make my position clear,” he proceeded. “I am out to fight a clean contest. lam not here to discuss personalities, but principles. Mr Massey, the National candidate, and I are genuine personal friends but we disagree on political principles. Mr Sexton I do not know so well, but I do know that like Mr Massey, he is ,a gentleman and I expect the campaign in Franklin to be as/ clean as any I have never hit below the belt and if I cannot hit above the belt 1 will not hit at all,” he* said amid loud applause.

j Mr Piggott traced the political his- ■ tory of New Zealand from the days of the Atkinson Government to the present time. He referred to the legislative enactments of the Seddon Government, adding that Labour was carrying on where Seddon knocked off. “1, as one of the founders of the Labour movement in New Zealand, am proud of what it lias accomplished •during the past three years. It has legislated for all sections of the com:munity. It has given the farmers a little more than they had been receiving for a long time. It had brought prosperity to the Dominion and made all sections of the community happy. •On the results achieved you cannot put the present Government out, said Mi Piggott. Continuing, he pointed out that past Governments since the days ol Sedc’on had killed the principles of that great statesman’s legislative measures ‘•Unionism,” he asserted, “was the best thing in the world, and unity was required to carry on the affairs of the country. More unity and toleration were required the world over to .settle . disputes, without which there would lie unrest and recourse to war. Previous Government Condemned Mr Piggott condemned the action of the previous Government in reducing wages and pensions of the aged. “1 don’t say such steps were taken wilfully, but it was left to the Labour Party to rectify things and to put the old age pensioners back on a happy plane. It required a good deal of courage to do what Labour has done. During the slump people were starving and suffering untold hardships. There was starvation midst plenty. The farmers were producing more than ever yet there were thousands of cases of distress and want. There is something wrong with a system which permits such a state to exist. There were plenty' of foodstuffs which could not be consumed because of the inability of the people to purchase it. The purchasing power was not sufficient to enable people to obtain Ihe necessities of life. r rtie system of distibiution was entirely wrong, and i! lake the Labour Governrneii!'gjtmg io solve the problem. Today people had plenty to eat and reasonable comforts of living.” “The guaranteed price for dairy produce is the finest thing that the farmers of this country have ever had,” Mr Piggott said. “During the past three years I have reached a stage for Hie first time in my life, when 1 have had to pay income tax. I was pleased to pay it. In the past I did not have enough with which to pay income tax. There are others in a similar position. A voice: Yes, because overseas prices went up. Mr Piggott: I have been on my farm in Buckland for 30 years and I am going to be on it as long as the Labour Party is in power. I am there be.cause the Labour Government gave me *a guaranteed price for my produce. The Government took over the marketing of our dairy produce, and took

“ A Sound Scheme”

the marketing of it away from the Tooley Street merchants. The Government's marketing sy'stem in Britain stands unique throughout the world. In the past we were feeding the speculators who were farming the farmers of New Zealand. Thanks to the- Labour Government that, has ceased. His a sound scheme and farmers in other parts of the world are envious. In additioh the farmers were relieved of a good deal of their interest burdens. In oilier countries rates ox interest had soared but in New Zealand the Government was keeping the rate down. lam glad to see that the farmers have benefited because they, as a section, required practical assistance. The Government had reduced the price of fertilisers, and there is no farmer in this building tonight who will not say' that a reduction in the price was warranted. After all Labour has done for the farmer it is only fair to give the Government a chance to administer the sound legislation it lias placed on the Statute Book. Labour must go back with a majority, and with Franklin added to that majority,” Mr Piggott said amid loud applause. Mr Piggott went on to say that the guaranteed price last year was a fair price, and ventured the opinion that had dairy produce been placed on the open market under the old rafferty rules, butter returns would have been considerably less than actually received. The farmers would not have received much more than 9:]d. Christian Legislation

“Labour has written Christianity into its legislation,” said Mr Piggott, when referring to the Superannuation and Social Security Act, which he described as the greatest piece of humane legislation ever written into a Statute hook. He detailed the numerous benefits to he obtained, and remarked that there was not an Insurance company' or a benefit lodge which could give such comprehensive benefits — an d a n 0 f them for an additional payment of 4d in the £ on wages, salaries and income.

A voice: But why tax children?

Mr Piggott: A child of 16 years is called on to register under the scheme and to pay ss. For the 5s the child receive numerous benefits such as free medical attention, free medicine, free hospital treatment and other benefits. When the child starts to earn, he or she will pay Is in the £ on every pound of income received. There is nothing wrong with the scheme, in fact there is no other scheme that can touch it.

The candidate said that the “lection was only a month off and the electors had to consider between Labour and National candidates. “There is no room for Independents; they do not come into the picture,” he declared. "If you judge the Labour Party on performance and carefully analyse its legislation you will come to the conclusion that it has not, been -found wanting and you must return it. You have nothing to fear: Labour is not going to take your farms from you and

it is not going to deprive you of your living. You have nothing to fear at all from Labour but beware of those whispering campaigns,” he said amid laughter. New Zealanders "I heard a whisper that my wife and I arc foreigners. Don’t believe it. Our parents were horn in England and we are both New Zealanders. Both of us were born in the Franklin electorate,” said Mr Piggott. The candidate concluded by extolling the virtues of the Prime Minister, the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Public Works, whom he described as the best men to hold these portfolios that New Zealand had ever seen.

Answering a question, Mr Piggott said he was in favour of retaining the eounti’y quota. “What would the Labour Party do if another depression came similar to that which ended in 1935?” was a question.

"There is no occasion for New Zealand to suffer another depression so long as we keep on producing. Only a calamity such as a flood ,intense heat or cold would affect us. The reason why the last slump occurred was because one man in England wanted to gel hack to the gold standard, with the resull that there was no money with which to purchase commodities. Anyhow, leave it, to Walter Nash and ho will see Ihat New Zealand is not affected bv another slump.

Leave it to Walter Nash The questioner said his question had not been answered, to which Mr Piggo|| reiterated: “Leave il to lliat clever I Minister of Finance, Walter Nash.” “After the election I will he in Weli ling!on and I will send you the answer j to your question as to why Hie guaranteed price Iribunal conducted its de- , liberations in camera,” said Ihe caurlial e to another questioner. Anolher question was why Ihe price fixed by the Government for dairy produce for the year 1938-39 was below that recommended by the tribunal. Mr Piggott. said he did not know why the Government had not adopted the tribunal’s recommendation, but added that it should not be forgotten that a price could he fixed above the ability of the consumer to purchase in which case English consumers would immediately go hack to margarine and thereby smash the guaranteed price scheme. He said he believed Mr Nash was expecting- to see a drop in the price of butter in England and for that reason he was wise in not fixing the

“No Question of Vote Catching” current season’s price at too high a level, and increasing the deficit in the dairy account. “Don’t you think it only fair that sharemilkers, when giving up dairying should he entitled to receive a share of the surplus in the dairy account for the season on which they were engaged in producing the butter that realised above the amount fixed as the guaranteed price?” Mr Piggott was asked. In reply he said he did not think the sliaremilker was entitled to it as lie would receive it in the following season’s pay out when he went to another shed.

“There is no question of vote catching in the latest guaranteed price,” Mr Piggott told another questioner. “Walter Nash could have gone out vote catching and could have ruined his scheme. No, he thinks more of his scheme than that.” “Spread over a number of years, is it not a fact that we will get out of the guaranteed price scheme only the amount which our butter has realised on the open market?” was another question. Mr Piggott: No, you will get what ycur butter realises and a little more. The questioner (a woman) : We do not' want any more than that to which we are entitled.

Questioned as to whether he would he in favour of tenants being permitted to purchase State houses, Mr Piggott replied in the negative and added: “If a tenant wanted to buy a house he could raise money under the State Lending Institution. The State houses were for those who did not want to own a home of their own. “Yes, if Labour goes back, you will he able to get transfers for your farms,” was the answer to another question. Mr A. Best, chairman of the Franklin Labour Representation Committee, addressed the meeting briefly emphasising the fact that, the election would he fought cleanly and there would he a total absence of personalities. The contest would be fought on principles and performances. The votes of thanks and confidence stated above, were moved by Mr A. Park Horne and seconded by Mr J. Darwen and carried by acclamation. A vote of thanks to the chairman concluded the meeting. BUSY TIME AHEAD

CANDIDATES’ MEETINGS The election campaign will he short and sweet and candidates will be kept busy during the next three weeks. On Wednesday evening Mr J. N. Massey (National) will address a meeting at Helvetia, and on the same evening, Mr A. G. A. Sexton (Independent) the sitting member, will kick off at Pukekohe East. Candidates’ meetings are advertised. Mr .T. A. Lee, M.P. for Grey Lynn, will speak on behalf of Mr Piggott’s candidature at the Strand Theatre, Pukekohe, on Wednesday next. MR SEXTON’S CAMPAIGN Mr Sexton arrived in Pukekohe on Saturday morning per the Limited express and spent some hours conferring with his executive committee. Mr F. D. Danks of Auckland, was appointed organiser. The following telegram was received from Capt. H. M. Rushworth : “Eyes of Dominion on Franklin: you have the best horse in the stable and we expect you to win with a thousand up.”