GISBORNE SEAT.

Gisborne Times, Volume LXVIII, Issue 10742, 13 November 1928, Page 5

GISBORNE SEAT.

■LABOR’S FINAL APPEAL TO LOCAL ELECTORS. MR COLEMAN AT OPERA HOUSE

With .the elections two aavs off tor the Gisborne- seat, made his final plea to the electors , of ; Gisborne for Fariiomentary , honors as representative of this, electorate in- the Opera House last -night, The ; unpropitnras weather conditions adversely affected the attendance, the gathering only numbering, about 140, but those present-displayed the keenest interest m the candidate’s address, which was entirely: uninterrupted. The candidate.. comprehensively surveyed the political situation; addressing his speech mainly on policy lines on the basis of his opening address. Mr G H. B. Lockett presided. .. Last election, the Reform Government swept the polls on vague promises and. large, advertisements, said Mr Coleman. Reform had mad" vague promises in regard to its 'land policy, having given an undertaking to make a survey of all unoccupied lands, to take in hand certain pumice lands and to make advances to owners, for subdivision purposes. None of these promises had been honored, he maintained, with the result that the Government’s policy had resulted in a decline in the acreage under production, a huge-in-crease in the land that had gone hack to fern and scrub and . a decrease of thousands in the number or workers . engaged in rural occupations. He' directed strong criticism at the Government in regard to the purchase at inflated valuations of lands for soldier settlements. He hadnoticed that his opponent, Mr Lysnar,. had taken exception to his charging the Reform Government with -the responsibility for the purchases of these Lands’ and. that , t.lie latter claimed that the Nationalist Government, which had composed all the parties in the House, was to blame. The speaker d'enied the truth of Mr Lysnar’s claim, slating that, although the. Nationalist Government was in office during the war, it had dissolved in 1919, .and Reform then took over the reins of Government, and it was during the latter’s term that the soldier settlement lands were acquired. Even so, he was quite satisfied if the National Government was,' to blame, as he claimed there was no difference between the parties, United and Reform. He alleged further that many working farmers had been compelled to quit their properties, whilst 14,000 less workers were now employed on farms compared with six to eight years ago. Reform claimed that their policy was freehold, but it was, in fact, mortgage-hold, ' and more aptly described as stranglehold. Labor aimed at promoting land settlement by acquiring large and suitable blocks, by purchase- by negotiations and not by confiscation as had been suggested.’ Of ..course, the right was reserved r to enforce the compuisory clauses in the Act to purchase the land bv arbitration where negotiations failed. .

Mr Coleman, supported the Labor plank for State provision for the transfer, of land, . When the .Governir.ent liad get in it said, it was against heavy' borrowing, but it had ,in creased the public debt by £86,000,. OGO. The Public, Trust and'; -other State institutions were in grave danger of being abolislied. Labor would extend their scope. He again criticised the Government’s - taxation proposals, claiming that- the -, wealthy had benefitted. He- admitted the Government had improved the - Workers’ Compensation Act, but its hand had been forced by Labor. The Canadian system should bo. folloxved. Again he traversed . Labor’s complaints" regarding the Government's Immigration policy- on the lines of his earlier addresses. ■ Immigration should be limited to the demand for

labor. Air Coleman claimed that the United Party would not come into the reckoning at the elections, Sir J. Ward had previously proved a failure as a leader. The Labor leaders were not disloyal. No doubt All Lysnar would like to see awards abolished. . , The question was often “was Labor fit to govern,” and this he answered by quoting the lences of Queensland, where Labor had been in power for many. years. In an v . case Labor could not do worse than. Reform. (Applause.) Air. Coleman was asked whether, in the event of Labor being returned to power, would they consider : the question of allowing war pensions to the wives of soldiers who_were mairied overseas. He replied that the Labor Party would certainly inquire into the matter, as it stood to give soldiers’ wives married overseas equal pensions with those married in Ze He an asserted that the LaPor Party would not take the licensingiss out of the hands of the electors, was for them to decide. If came the Government it wo attempt to settle the floor of the House. _ The p sideired the issue should be settled on a bare majority basis ’ • 01l there was more than two the ballot paper, it should be settled ana c f „Me S Lronosed 1 Iv* Mr. J. H. H&n and ended by Mr J. Devery, was-.accord-ed the candidate by acclamation.

AIR LYSNAEI AT WAIROA

KEEN AND ATTENTIVE HEAR-

FURTHER EXPOSURE OF LABOR LEADER* UNANIMOUS VOTE OF CONFIDENCE (Special to the Times.) K WAIROA, Nov. 12. This evening Mr Lysnar the eminent candidate for _tthe seat had a good meeting cc Lprised inclement weather. Ladi The a large portion of his aud • Mayor (Mr Corkill) J continued chair. The meeting t* a stages till 11.20 p.m. In ‘Sjectio^. When the (landidate, later, oajoe t“ “ b & condemning the Igbor egremists, Mr Lysnar • re f u sdiig,! tion of Peter as a member of the - T address Council, to sign the pffici 4. WaleS of welcome! to the Rr ™ w hich Mr Lysnar also cam . had been sent on behalf ot * British M.prr-Tin. animousily mipports^the^magm stand. of British capitalists’ the ‘the ca^. c attack , on The ,mssi^ s P d congratulates the org on jts movement of Great B '• ternationglorious achievement tor intern C attitude the: /greatest v/q J fare history whole-hearedly .with s y . guismg the reah attit de the tremists to the Empire auu. Dominion. ; ryipkie <»cc■Oh the motion of Mr .. • caxinnded- by er f d {J&mZ didato was accorded j g vote ot thanks and confidence.

.. . ~ . ; -• • . .y----jpt , CLAYTON AT .MAKARAKA'. RESTRICTS ATTACKS. TO GOVERNMENT AND MR LYSNAR. INLAND ROUTE SURVEYED 20 YEARS AGO! HOW HE WOULD VOTE ON NQ- ; CONFIDENCE MOTION. DIFFERS FROM - HIS NEW • LEADER! _ VVhen Mr W. Lissant Clayton, United; -candidate „• for the Gisborne seat opened his electoral campaign at. the Makaraka-Matawhero Hall, he was invited to return at a later date and further elucidate the United Party policy. Last evening, he redeemed that promise and addressed a gathering of. between. 50 and 60 .at the country centre, a good attendance in view of the atrocious weather weather conditions, Mr F. Murphy was in the chair.

After outlining-Mr Lysnar’s position as an Independent Reformer, describing the sitting member,', as regarded party, as neither “flesh, fowl nor good red herring,” and explaining his attitude towards the Labor Party, Mr Clayton went on to state, his own position on a vote of no-confidence. *‘My attitude has already been clearly stated,” he said, “but I say again that I would never vote-to put Harry Holland on the Treasury benches. Labor might vote with the ' United Party, to - put. Reform out, but, as far as I am concerned in such circumstances, i would vote only if .it meant a general election to follow, so that the people could have an opportunity to voice their opinion.”—(Applause.) Dealing with Government interference with private enterprise, the speaker stated that, though this had not yet come out, Mr Young, Minister for Health, some time ago had said he believed that major operations on people should be prohibited in private hospitals and permitted only v at the public institutions. “What is the position!”’ asked Mr OJayton. “if your wife or child needs a major operation, and this socialisation trend continues, then you may be forced to send her to a public hospital in which, perhaps, you have no faith at all. You will not be permitted to have this done by your family doctor, whom you know and who has beeil treating the case all along, but you will have to leave this most important matter m the hands of a man of whom you know nothing.” After referring to the GisborneNapier railway and the of the inland route, Mr Clayton said: “I- believe that, when Mr Lysnar came here* he told you that all I said was lies. I am ready to give proof of all I state, but if I am mistaken in any point, as a man snouldj I am ready to’ confess my error. Mr Lysnar has said that I am wrong in stating that the inland route was surveyed .20 years ago. Had *■ known this before, I would have brought one of the actual pegs, inserted during that, survey, . with me to show to you all. ‘More than that, there is a gentleman in this room, whom I met before the meeting, who says he will support all I say regarding that early survey, and if it is made worth while, he is ready to go up .to Tiniroto and point out the old survey pegs. “Regarding the rate of interest at which Sir Joseph Ward will borrow his - £70,609,000,” continued the speaker, “there is-a statement by Mr Lysnar which I challenge him to prove. He has said that Sir Joseph admitted that he couldn’t get the money for less than .5$ per. cent. This statement has been published in the local papers. I challenge M*' Lysnar to prove this or. eat his own words. Let him come forward and tell me the chapter and verse where Hir. Joseph said this—but he can t. “1 must make some further con '■radictions of statements by Mr Uwnar,” Mr Clayton went on. “I never spoke about the Gentle Annie tramway at all. If Mr Lysnar says I did. he is telling a deliberate Is that plain enough? He is a gentleman vou must speak to plainly or-’you don’t get through his hide.” Continuing, the speaker /lealt with Mr Lysnar’s activities in Porough matters as in his Abercqrn Hall address. Even after making the trip Home to raise the borough loan, Mr Lysnar did not mmiage it. but it was effected by the Bank of Australasia. After urging the. electors . to approach the election with a little (ess spirit of levity, and with _ greater consideration for the patriotic side of the issue, Air Clayton said: Mr Lysnai . states he never held up hi« wool during the war. Of course, I t didn’t- he would have been courtinitialled had he kept it. But the commandeer, was continued after the war, and Mr Lysnar held up his wool then. No prosecution was made, for it tv as thought hardly worth while to da so Mr Lysnar was the one exception among New Zealand sheepfarmers who withheld wool during the commandeer and then had the brazen effrontery to boast he Jiad made £IO,OOO out of it. That s a sample of Air Lysnar’s patriotism. No questions were asked the candidate and a vote of thanks and confidence to Mr Clayton, proposed bv Mrfl Hogan and seconded bv Air J. M Kay, was carried by acclamation.

BAY OF PLENTY SEAT

MR HONOUR AT OPOTIKI

" IO f D IS 01” CON'Spe',i*lOMTlKL I Nor. 12. „A I>r» ihe n o“ ’PtatyS, at Eogent Theatre to-night, the Mayor (Mr Moody) w" and was well apsnlendid p de , a fervent appeal ? la to give the Labor to the elected w - three &ay ing that, if they proved to l r the people could refuse {J Srn them at the next election. Amongst the questions ;pnt forAT r o budget from the N.ZThe candidate flatly refusthese. He said that the f- U -5“ „,4 s tion was in the hands Khe on '• Wednesday ° i i decide the matter df Continue or of Prohibition fo k .themse 7LjV S Moncur was accorded a unaniJZs vote of thanks and confidence.

Tn connection with the statement ~ xt.p, Seamen’s Union regarding lt.TMaui Pomare, .say? a Wellington P.A. telegram, 1 s officially stated -that •, the rf, S average V ff of £4 S d mSth!ht 'was decided that the native crew prove eftdmi they should; hp paid . wages more on a par with the wages • ohfSn«l - Zealand seamen. The Maui Pomare is now entirely Staffed with a native crew, and they are - proving', i surprisingly., effluent. «or»raano» Mr C statement, os they ces the wage, i to __ a nd m one -df-the; ' rates to Europeans under the award- - -