ON THE HUSTINGS

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 31 October 1925, Page 7

ON THE HUSTINGS

POLITICAL CAMPAIGN. THE PARTY STRENGTH REPORTS FROM ELECTORATES. The official list of candidates nominated for the general election shows that there are 190 contestants for the / 6 European seats (says the Taranaki Herald). The analysis of the candidates standing in the various party interests is thus amended as follows: 1925. 1923. Reform 65 "3 Independent Reform ... 3 o Unofficial Reform 1 Nationalists 41 Independ. Nationalists 2 ' National Liberals 1 ~ Labour 36 43 Independent Labour ... - Liberals 3 4 Independent Liberal ... 1 9 Liberal-Labour 1 46 lud. Liberal-Labour ... Country Party /.... 5 Independent 3 10 Progressive Oppositionist 1 1

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There will be 43 straight-out contests, 19 between Reform and Labour, 16 between Reform and the National Party, 6 between National and Labour, l between Reform and an Independent, and 1 between Labour and an independent Liberal. ; There will be triangular contests in 26 electorates, while in five cases there will be four-cornered contests, and in the’ Bay of Islands there will be five candidates contesting the seat. Reform, National and Labour are opposed to one another in triangular fights in 21 constituencies. ■ ' The main and supplementary rolls for this election show that there are 757,423 persons on the >rolls as compared with 700,111 in 1922, an increase of 57,312, which is, no doubt, principall- due to the operation of the new system of compulsory registration. 1

- MR DICKIE’S CAMPAIGN. Mr 11. G. Dickie addressed record meetings at both Brunswick and Sandy Hook, after which hearty votes of thanks to the candidate and confidence in tlie Government were carried unanimouslv at both meetings:

THE EGMONT ELECTORATE. MR. GREEN’S CANDIDATURE. ADDRESS AT ELTHAM. The National candidate for the Egmaut Mr W. C. Green addressed a meeting in the Eltham Town Hal]; last evening. Mr Ira J. Bridget’ presided, and although once during the meeting he had to ask fo,r a fair hearing for the speaker, the audience was by no means unruly. Mr Green spoke for the most part on the lines followed by him recently at Normanby, where he was reported at length in the Star. He, however, broke new ground on several topics. Mr Green, at the outset, said lie wished to thank Mr Hawken for his kind remarks at his recent meeting in Eltham. Mr Hawken had asked for A patient hearing for his opponent. Mr Green also thanked the pres s for the way in which they had treated him in the present campaign. They had given! him very good .reports, and although lie knew he had rubbed them up a litt'e severely at times, the greater percentage of the owners belonging to a certain section, they had been very kind. “The Prime Minister has seen fit to come right through this electorate,” said Mr Green. “He said, he did not come here for political purposes. If not for political purposes, what did he come here for?”

“To have a whisky,” remarked an interjector. Proceeding, the speaker said the Prime Minister visited the school near his home, and gave the school, children a holiday. Fortunately none of the members of the school committee was there. The Prime Minister had said to the children: “If you happen to kick against a stone, give three cheers for Mr Coates. Good-bye.” “I may as well say that I am not here for political purposes,” said Mr , Green. Continuing, he said that Mr Coates had opened the Opunake railway, although the railway would not be finished for 12 months, there being no rolling stock and no stations. Then he had made a speech, and said he was not there for political purposes. He had just come to see the people. In every paper Mr Green picked up he saw the photograph of the Prime Minister. He wished he were as good looking a s the Prime Minister. Mr Coates said: ‘‘Vote for Mr Walters,; he who is not for us is against us.” This was a. BiKical saying and used in a way that was an insult to their intelligence. He said that certain gentlemen had been writing to, the paper and had said that Mr Green was “savagely bombarding the Government with blank ammunition.” He sat with this gentleman on a board of directors, and he could sav that the gentleman in question was the biggest “dud” they had there. Mr Haw ken had stated that the speaker’s statement that money could be borrowed from the State Advances Department at a cheaper rate on property that was unencumbered than on property that was encumbered was not correct.' “I can tell you quite candidly that Mr Hawken i R wrong, and lie ought to know better,” said Mir Green. “I won’t say anything more than that, but you can prove it by going along to the Government- lending department yourself.” He had seen in the Reform press the statement that Colonel Allan Bell was the most courageous man in the House. He fell into a river while he was going to a. political meeting the other day,” said Mr Green, “and he had, the courage to get out.” Referring to the Dairy Control Board, the speaker said he did not know that that body had done anything. It had certainly sent a delegation overseas to find out whether people ate butter, and the - delegation bad sent back saying that they -did. The board’s expenses had amounted to £15,870. In reply to a questioner, Mr* Green said that the gentleman who had helped the Reform Government to- raise their first lean was the late Minister for Finance, Sir Joseph Ward. After speaking of the Diction of the Government in selling the weed-infest-ed areas of the Parihaka block to returned soldiers, a member of the audience said that if Mr Green had bepn selling Ills farm in those days of boom prices, lie would also have wanted a price that would have been just dis prohibitive as far as successful farming forreturned soldiers was concerned. Mr Green : The gent,’email asks a question and answers it himself. In reply to an interjector, Mr Green said. ‘‘You ought to take some pills.” On the motion of Mr Lerheki, seconded by Mr P. O’Keef, Mr Green was ac-

corded a hearty vote of thanks and: confidence. Members of the audience gave three cheers for Mr Hawken, but louder cheers for Mr. Green followed. The meeting concluded with a vote of thanks to the chair. PATEA SEAT. ' MR, CORRIGAN’S MEETINGS. * i (Contributed.) Mr. Corrigan addressed a very large gathering of settlers at Opaku mi Thursday. Mr. Smith, who occupied the chair, spoke of the good work, the candidate had done for them in getting Government grants for metalling, the road,- and for the rural postal delivery. The audience was enthusiastic, and at the close passed a unanimous vote of thanks to the speaker for his spleiu did political address and the . good work he had done for the district. There were no questions. .- - Last night there was a splendid gathering at Waverley to hear Mr. Corrigan once more. - The speaker laid special stress on the need for economy. He did not repress himself when he expressed his regret at the present Government’s extravagance, and the hope that a Government would be putinto power which would advocate econ- ... omy and make it practicable. At the close of the. address many questions were asked and satisfactorily , answered. A unanimous and enthusiastic vote of thanks was carried, on the motion of Mr. J. Bourke, seconded, by Mr. F. McDonald. . A vote of thanks to the chair terminated the meeting. THE CAMPAIGN IN WAIPAYTA. (by TELEGRAPH PRESS ASSOCIATION.) WAIPUKURAU, Oct, 30. Sir Cc irge Hunter, M.P., addressed an audience of several hundred people at Waipukurau .last night, the Mayor presiding. His address was the. first in the present campaign ,in what is the largest centre of the electorate, and was well received, except for a few iuterjectious. He favoured extending the term of Parliamentary service to four years. The address was otherwise an endorsement of the Government policy. Quite a number of questions were answered, evidently satisfactorily. Asked bow he would vote if the Na~ tiona-Vsts gained power and Labour moved a no-confidence motion, he said he was not concerned with Labour 1 s actions, but would vote against the National Party.' On the motion of the Bov. R. Ferguson Fish, the candidate was accorded a warm note of thanks and confidence. Mr W. A. Chambers, the National candidate, will make his first speech in Waipukurau as late as Monday next.