Over 300 Blackball Electors Hear Mr Lockington

Greymouth Evening Star, 19 November 1947, Page 8

Over 300 Blackball Electors Hear Mr Lockington

, Over 300 electors at Blackball last evening heard the National candidate for tile Westland by-election, Mr Lockington,’ expound his policy. It was the largest political meeting held' in Blackball for some time and although there were a number of interjections, the candidate was given a good hearing and answered a number of questions. Mr B. F. Connors presided. “Miss Howard seems to be very upset because I am a young man,” said Mr Lockington. “Although I am not very old, my memory can go back to the time when the Labour Party did refer to the then Government of the day. as the ‘Old Gang.’ Who is the ‘Old Gang’ today? I think it can fairly be said that it aptly applies to the present Government and what is the Labour Party doing to try and correct it?”

SOCIAL SECURITY: WHAT MR NASH SAID IN 1935

At his meeting at Blackball last night Mr Lockington again dealt, at length with abuses of social security. “Whenever I- read of Labour spokesmen boasting about social security,” Mr Lockington said, “I look back on what the present Minister of Finance, Mr Nash, said when the Forbes-Coates Government increased pensions in 1935. You will find Mr Nash’s comments in Hansard, dated September 19, 1935, at page 51. This is what he said on that occasion: ‘There is one other’ point I wish to mention.. It is in connection with pensions. They have all gone up, but that only proves that the people are living in poverty, and not that the people have been treated generously by the Government in the matter of pensions. There is nothing to be proud of in increased pensions, but rather something to be sorry for!’ “On Mr Nash’s reasoning, seeing that everybody is getting something out of social security today—and paying dearly for it —we must all be living in extreme poverty, concluded Mr Lockington.

MINISTER OF HEALTH CONCLUDES WEST COAST VISIT

The Minister of Health, Miss M. B. Howard today concluded her visit to the West Coast with a meeting at Blackball this morning and left later for Christchurch. On the grounds that she was tired, the Minister declined to receive deputations during her visit to Hokitika. There was a large audience at Miss Howard’s final meeting in the Regent Theatre, Hokitika, last night, when the Mayor, Mr A. R. Elcock, presided. Also on the platform was Miss M. Anderson, M.L.C., of Greymouth. Miss Howard’s address was on the lines of that given by her at Greymouth the previous evening and she gave details of her work in connection with the departments she is controlling. She was accorded a vote of thanks and confidence, on the motion of Messrs E. W. Heenan and S. Roberts. MR KENT AT NGAHERE The Labour candidate for the Westland by-election, Mr J. B. Kent, addressed 37 electors at Ngahere. last evening. He criticised the National Party at length and also referred to the delays which have occurred in respect to the scheme, financed by a levy on timber, to improve the standard of housing for sawmill workers. He claimed that West Coast con--tractors were unwilling to contract for the houses and that their prices were £4OO in excess of the price which was finally accepted . from Canterbury firms. Mr T. Furlong presided at the meeting and a vote of thanks was accorded the candidate on the motion of Messrs J. Cooper and F. Myers.