WESTLAND CANDIDATES

Greymouth Evening Star, 24 September 1943, Page 4

WESTLAND CANDIDATES

ADDRESS BY MR. CHIVERS. LABOUR RULE ATTACKED. Between three and four hundred persons attended at the Greymouth Town Hall, last evening, when the National candidate for Westland, Mr. E. F. Chivers, delivered another vigorous address, in which he took the Labour Administration to task. The Deputy-Mayor (Mr. H. Herring) was in the chair. Mr. Chivers., alluded to the strikes at Huntly and Westfield and tne manner in which the Government had handled the situation, claiming that, in effect, the law had not been upheld in spite of statements by Ministers that the strike action was a violation of the law. Answering the contention that every Labour Budget had shown a surplus, he pointed out that the taxpayer had to pay for the surpluses. During the period of Labour rule the public debt had spiralled by £6l,ooo,ooo—without taking the war debt into consideration. '

A great deal had been said about the State and private ownership, continued Mr. Chivers. Mr. Nash, in 1937, had said the Soviet system of economic planning was better than under any Government of which he knew. Ownership of all land had been taken and the owners had been killed off in the revolution. He declared that Labour was guilty of thegreatest travesty and hypocrisy by trying to retain seats by making use of the achievements of the boys overseas. The National Party, learning from the past, had endeavoured to fight, the election by looking to the future. A Cabinet Minister had defended what he had done in 1914-18 and had said he would do it again. One who had gloried in what he had done was working to be elected on the shoulders of the boys now overseas.

In conclusion, Mr. Chivers referred to criticism which had been levelled at himself —at his youth and inexperience. But, he declared, he was standing on his own feet and was not leaning on anyone. He was asking the right to serve the country he had defended.

In reply to a number of questions, Mr. Chivers denied he had said the Westfield strikers should be gaoled. Regarding the lluntly strikers, he said that if. as a citizen, he had himself been charged before a Court of law, found guilty, and sentenced to gaol, he would have gone. He did not think chaos would have broken out if the men had been gaoled. In reply to a question whether he favoured applying the £ for £ subsidy on learners’ swimming pools to private schools, Mr. Chivers said that under the party’s unification system all schools would be brought under one body and if a private school asked for a subsidy in the same circumstances as a State school it would receive it. He favoured a private secondary school pupil receiving the same grant given to a State school secondary pupil who had to travel from his home to school.-

Mr. Chivers, in reply to a question whether be favoured young men with three children being sent overseas twice, said he thought no man should have to go overseas twice till everyone had been once. He believed that import restrictions should not be placed if goods could be produced economically and without subsidy in the Dominion. He favoured making butter boxes here. He did not believe in bureaucracy and would return to private enterprise to see to it that Trade Union officials’ jobs were cut. He knew of only one such official holding down a four-figure job. He was definitely in favour of a man receiving what he was worth. He was asked if he was in favour of the Social Security Department accepting a doctor’s evidence on a man being compulsorily admitted to hospital for treatment. Should a person with tubercular signs have to accept hospital treatment or be cut out of benefit? Mr. Chivers said there did not seem much justice in that. A man for his own reasons might want to linger on out of hospital and that should not debar him from receiving a benefit.

After answering several other questions the speaker was accorded a hearty vote of thanks on the motion of Mr. T. P. Ryan and Mr. G. Gillespie. MR. O’BRIEN AT HOKITIKA. About 200 were present at the Princess Theatre, last evening, when Mr. J. O’Brien addressed the electors. The Mayor, Mr. A. R. Elcock, presided and introduced the speaker.

Mr. O’Brien outlined the history of the Labour Government. He claimed a world’s record war effort and gave figures of the production of arms and war material. The cost of living had risen only 8 to 13 per cent, in this war under Labour Administration as against 90 per cent in the last war. The result of the Liberty Loan was a great credit to the Labour Government. Mr. O’Brien quoted praise of New Zealand from well known world figures and papers, and inferred the credit was due to the administration he represented. In answer to questions, Mr. O’Brien said he was in favour of extending the railway into South!

Westland to tap the timber resources. In reference to Mrs. Dreaver’s statement about Civil Servants, he stated he would rather take Mrs. Dreaver’s lightest word than Mr. Bodkin’s dying oath. He would not agree to religious teaching in schools during school hours. He did not feel free to answer several questions on the liquor trade. He was in favour of larger pensions and said any pensioner receiving lodge benefits but had no other income was not penalised. He favoured the sending of food to India now if boats were available, and he criticised the conditions in India to-day. He thought help should be provided for housewives but only in cases of sickness. The only way to prevent another war was the making of the world’s materials available to all and the maintenance of an international armed police force. The Atlantic Charter went part of the way towards this. A vote of thanks and confidence in Mr. O’Brien was carried by acclamation on the motion of Mr. M. Houston, seconded by Mr. E. W. Heenan.