NO SIGNED PLEDGE

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXII, Issue 11495, 24 November 1931, Page 2

NO SIGNED PLEDGE

ALLEGIANCE TO. LABOR PARTY MR COLEMAN’S DENIAL ANSWERS TO MR LYSNAR Speaking at Haiti on Saturday night, Mr D. W. Coleman', Labor 'candidate for the Gisborne seat, voiced a strong denial of the statement by Mr W. D. Lysnar that Labor members iof Parliament . were bound by a signed pledgo of nlleg-' ianeo to their party:, ;c' ;■' >■ Early tin his address, . Mr Coleman referred to a remark by Mr A. Wade, chairman at Mr Lysnar’a City HallT meeting, to the effect that the Goyernmonts of to-day did not know what was going to happen next. Tf that wore true, commented the Labor' candidate, then when Mr Lysnar called . the present. Cabinet diuls that must also lie true.; yet-M Lvnsar was prepared to support the. present .Cabinet; a Cabinet of duds. Mr .'Coleman , went on to snv that he bad read the reports of Mr Lysnar’s meeting verv carefully, and it annoarod as though it was n ease of “Glow he to me ; I did it.” Apparently when the Prime AEnister framed a. bill, lie submitted it to- Mr Evsiiar, in fact thev all con suited i.-6 freely” - , continued Mr Coleman, ■the momher for Gisborne“Mr Lysnar oiiotfd HansariT nrel“nnd Hansard is lairlv well filled with Air Lysnnr’s speeches. Air Lvsnar is a man who savs. something on everything, but nothing on nnvtliinc-. A man once showed a photograph of Air Lysnar to n. friend., The man said, “Don’t you think it is a sneaking likeness of Mr Lysnar?” The friend replied: “Tt would not he him if ho were not speaking.” Mr T,vsnar says he would not have tho Coalition tag. because he would not sign a blank cheque. Yet Air Lvsnar asks the electors to sign' a blank cheque:, lie wishes to do. just what lie thinks right. There is no need for him to come to you with any policy or any platform, but. he wants yon to allow him to do just what he likes. No one knows w;hat Air Lysnar is going to do next, just as All- Wade, said that no one knows what the Government is going to do next. I think, however,' that the Government knows what it intends to do, hut will not. tell the people. It has said it will call a short ses--sion. of ■ Parliament, and it will do exactly what it did before—the civil servants must again have a cut in wages and salaries.” - Air Coleman recalled that Mr Lysnar had stated half a million people in the Dominion were facing bankruptcy and that the position would bo worse if Coalition was not returned to power with a big . majority. The speaker considered, however, that if the Coalition is returned to power it will have a strong opposition. Despite all that Air Lysnar said in this connection he was still prepared to' support this double Government, the very people who had brought half a million to bankruptcy. Arr Lysnar had also stated that there should should have been no cut in wages until consideration had been given to the conditions of living, yet he had voted against the Labor party when it made efforts to prevent the cuts. “The Labor party”; added Air Coleman, “said that the cost of living must first be attacked, but others said: “Reduce wages, and tiie cost of living will immediately come down.’ I will defy anyone to say. that .the cost, of living has come down. As a business inan, I can say that of the goods I handle there is hardly an article that has not increased in price. The.increased Customs duties have increased the prices to tho business man, and he has to pass it on.” Tho speaker wont on to refer to Mr Lysnax’s statement that lie (Air Coleman) had to sign a .pledge to observe the policy of the Labor party and no other. “Thero is at least one Labor candidate”, said Mr Coleman emphatically, “who has not been asked to sign that declaration. I have not been asked to sign that declaration, but. I make this declaration to support the policy and platform of the New Zealand Labor party. I am in. the party because I believe in it, but I have not been asked to sign a declaration. Those are the sort of things they bring round to you to' try and frighten you. They tell you we are bound hand and foot. We have a platform, and we are bound to support that platform. \Ve would not be truo to the people if we did not support that platform, just ns the United party has betrayed its platform. Thero is no on© in Now Zealand who knows the Labor party better, than I do, and I can say that there is no dictation from outside sources. The Labor party, when elected, decides its own methods of emloavouring to place that platform on the statutes of the country- W«e come to you with a platform, and when elected wp-remain true to that platform.” .