MOCK ELECTION.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 10 November 1925, Page 8

MOCK ELECTION.

HAWHR A TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL. GA NDiDATES OUTLINE THEIR POLICIES. An “election” was held last week iu the Haweia Technical High belioo't. Three candidates contested the “scat and the lady candidate, Muss Joan Tonks, who stood lor the ‘'Advance 1 Party, secured an overwhelming victory when the poll was taken. the campaign was vigorously carried out and the respective candidates ior some days previously urged the electors to Support their policies, 'lhe position ui returning officer was carried out by J. Standish and an efficient staff. The result of the election was: —Miss - J oan Ton las (“Advance’J 82, V'. VValshe (“Welfare”) 33, J. Sargent (“Formidable”) 23. Five voters were informal. The campaign speeches of the three candidates are "summarised below: THE LADY’S PLATFORM.

Miss Joan Tonks, at the outset, stated that her party, as its name suggested, stood for adavnce anH. progress in every department of the State. She saicl: “Our aim is not to pull down all existing schemes of government, but to improve upon them. Our policy is, ‘what is good, leave as -iff"isY what is deficient, supply the want.’ One of the most important questions facing New Zealand was that of land, and in this connection the Advance Party favoured freehold. The Welfare Party had the idea that the Government should buy up ail the land and then let it. This was absurd, and it was debatable whether the Government would be able to carry out the scheme. The Advance Party favoured small holdings in a general sense, but it was realised that on poor land it was not possible lor a farmer to make a living without a considerable area to work on. The size of the holding would depend on the fertility of the land. . Concerning land settlement, the candidate said the party was m favour of a scheme whereby the unemployed and immigrants would be supplied with a piece of backblock land and a . house. The men would then work for a, certain Time on some Government project and receive half their earnings. The other half would be later used by the Government to supply them with live-stock and farm implements when the men commenced to work on their. farms After about five years, when it could be reasonably expected that the farms would be beginning to show a profit, the Government would commence to collect payments for the land and house. These would be spread over a period of twenty-five years. . The present immigration policy was criticised by the candidate, who said | she did not favour assisting adult immigrants to come to the country. It would be proof of their sincerity if they paid their passage to New Zealand, for then only those prepared to work would leave their homes. The Government would be prepared to assist- them to settle in every possible manner. Any system of selection of immigrants was not satisfactory, for at present it was found that many assisted immigrants did not seeni able to settle down, but set themselves to stir up a spirit c-f communism and revolt. “Under the Advance system these people would lie too busy to think about making trouble,” continued the candidate. She supported the Government’s policy _ of assisting school boys to come to New Zealand, but it was suggested as an improvement on the system that the boys should be apprenticed to the farmers on their arrival.

The Advance Party’s education policy provided for a much longer recess during the school hours for sport and lunch. The schools would open earlier in order to provide for this. The candidate supported the Bible in schools, as “religion had not such a high place in the home as it once.had.” It- was the duty of the State to supply this want by instilling good thoughts into the children and providing for Bible training in the schools. The Party was not in favour of curtailing the number of teachers’ appointments, as many had all the work they could do at present. “It is not fair to expect one to do what two do now,’’ she said. The party proposed, by means of good investments (such as the settlement policy), to wipe the country's debt off in a. very short time. Borrowing within the Dominion should be encouraged rather than the floating of loans in other countries. The Plunket Society was- doing good work and should be supported a,s much as possible. “We all know-that those born iri New Zealand are more valuable to the country than any immigrant-, however good,” added Miss Tori Its. “We would help the people with large families. What is a decent living wage to a. family of three is not nearly enough to provide for five, ’ .she declared. The people with large families were doing a great deal for the country, and it behoved the country to do something in return. She favoured a scheme of “motherhood endowment. ’ whereby everyone with a family of more than three would receive Government assistance.

The candidate supported Free Trade. She said that she considered the New Zealand secondary industries to compare favourably with any lii the world. Protection was a hardship on the working' people, and these were the people that made up New. Zealand. “New Zealand at the present time occupies a very important place in the world, and in the future she will be even more important. An eminent Englishman has said that the Pacific is the Mediterranean of the future. When we remember what importance the countries round the Mediterranean had, and how the sea was the commercial highway of the world, we realise what New Zealand has before her. New Zealand can’t stand still —she must not go back—she must advance.” New Zealand needed a better defence system, both on the water and in the air, in view of possible trouble with the races of the Northern Pacific. “Altogether, the Advance Party is out for the good of New Zealand and everyone in it- What we ishjill work for is to make everyone in New Zealand, like the little boy who went to bed early, healthy, happy, wealthy and wise. We destroy nothing good, but we shall improve everything which needs' improvement,” concluded the candidate. ‘‘FORMIDABLE’ ’ POLITICS. Progress, under a sound and stable Government, was the Formidable Party’s policy, said J. Sargent. He believed in the curtailment of borrowing to a minimum, in keeping with the revenue of the country. He favoured, protection to encourage the development of secondary industries, and would' support an 'alteration in the Customs tariff to lighten the duty on necessities and to increase that on luxuries. ■ln connection with liis party’s land policy, the candidate said that he stood for the absolute freehold, because itencouraged a man to improve his land, and gave him at least a feeling of independence and ownership. However, he was apposed to large landowners, who

did not really want the land themselves, but who would not sell at a reasonable price to the poorer man who needed it. Afforestation would be carried out wherever the land could not be put to a more profitable .use. Tlie candidate favoured free, secular education, with the development of suitable agricultural schools to increase the productivity of the country. He agreed that there was a. need for some method of relief from the distress caused by the housing problem. As a remedy lie suggested providing large families with houses at a low rout. Concerning' the strike, the Formidable candidate said that it was a dispute between the shipowners and the British seamen, but New Zealand had to interfere to prevent the blockage of the transport of her produce to England, , . Regarding immigration, he said that he would favour the bringing out of immigrants, provided that they were sensible and not afraid of work. “Before I finish,” said the candidate, “I would stress this point: you must think what it means to have a strong Government at the head of affairs. Think before you vote, and give the Formidable Party an overwhelming majority.” WELFARE PLATFORM. The Welfare Party's candidate, V. Walshe, said that tlie three most important points in his policy were the referendum, the initiative and the recall. The first, he explained, meant that all vital questions would be placed before the people to be decided by a majority vote. At present the liquor qustiou only was treated in this manner. He proposed that the land questions of leasehold and freehold should be decided by the people. “This is not done at present,” he said, “for the simple reason that most of the party at present in power are large landowners, and this proposition would not suit them at all.” - Dealing with land and production questions, he considered that the land should all be owned by the State and leased in small holdings. The Government- would purchase all the produce from the land. The Government would own all the means for transportation of the produce, and would thus he able to put the goods on tlie market at a cheap price., This would help to bring down the high cost of living. The land scheme would assist the unemployed to a large extent, as there would he no Targe holdings. The Welfare Party’s solution of the housing problem was the erection of large numbers of houses close to the towns.