WHERE IS LABOUR?

Hawera Star, Volume L, 6 August 1930, Page 5

WHERE IS LABOUR?

COMMENT ON INVERCARGILL

COMPACT SUGGESTED

“UNITED’S TOOLS

(By Telegraph—Special to “The Star. ’) WELLINGTON, Aik;, 0.

As-sorting that the Lahonr Party wore the tools of the Government, Mr. 1). Jones (Mid-Canterhnry) asked iliw House last night to hnd further prooi of this in their restraining a Labour candidate from standing for Invercargill. in the face of this arrangement the lie form Party was powerless in Parliament.

Mr. G. C. Munns (chief Government Whip): Why did yon not restrain them in Parnell?

Mr. Jones predicted that the result of the increased taxation would be to lower wages, for no farmer could pay the additional imposts and keep nis men in employment. Mr. H. E. Holland, leader of the Labour Party: Do you think we would save them by cutting wages down? Mr Jones .retorted that if the Deform Party had been in power these things' would" not have occurred, and its 16 years’ history proved this. The 15udget required complete recasting ; otherwise it was going to have very evil effects on New Zealand. The Government brought down the price of land last session and now it would bring it further down, with the result that farmers with mortgages would not lie able to get them renewed. The Government would have its hands full when more men were pushed off farms than they could settle. Mr. C. H. Chapman, Labour member for Wellington North, replied that in 1921 taxes were so high that wages were at their highest. Now taxation was less and they were confronted with reduced wages; so there was something wrong in the’ previous speaker’s facts or logic. Mr. Jones had remarked that there was no l abour candidate for Invercargill. What was he expecting? The .Reform candidate favoured a. large amount of the policy approved by the Labour party; he had even suggested a Government monopoly of petrol ibso.-iVution, and he only needed to go along those lines a little further to find tout the Reform Party was advocating quite a number of Labour principles, and the time might come when Labour men would find it really not good policy to run Labour candidates against Reformers. Reform members: Be careful. (Laughter,) Mr. Chapman: But we would have to be assured of their sincerity. Mr. Holland, leader of the Labour Party: That’s the hard part. (Renewed laughter.)

LABOUR’S DEFECTION

SUPPORTERS ASTOUNDED

INVERCARGILL, August 5. Circumstances, alleged to be tlhe cause for the Labour Party not being represented in the Invercargill by-elec-tion, were made by Mr Hargest. in an address on Moudav night Mr Hargest said that in Invercargill the Labour movement was divided into two sections ,one: of which had each year been led away by one of the local leaders or the party, with the result that the efforts of the party as a- whole had been made ineffective for the most part. The candidate, after reviewing circumstances of former elections, related the local Labour Party’s decision concerning the present campaign. Tho supporters of the party had decided to put up a candidate and had selected two men who they thought suitable to contest the seat. The first choice fell on Rev. J. K. Archer, Mayor of GhristehfMich, but. in the event of his not being available, to. Mr O. Denham, of Invercargill. who contested the Awarua seat in the last general election, was to go to the noil. This decision had been reached a month before the closing of nominations. A few days laler Mr D. G. Sullivan. M.P., of _ Chriistdhureh!, (•nine down to Invercargill, and a further meeting of the party w-ats held. The following da.v Mr Sullivan and Mr T CP Byrne, chairman of the .party i n Invercargill. left for Wellington with instruct iopsi to- convey the decision < of supporters to. the central executive That evening it was announced over the. wireless that Mr O’Bymo would rwrobahl v contest the seat in the Labour interests "Then the local supporters of the r»nrtv were astounded! to learn that Mr O’Pvme and Mr Sullivan had notified fi.„ central Labour executive that it i-.0,i w n decided not to nut up a oandiavi" ” continued Mr Hargest. ‘lt was then ton. late, and Labour hrfd no candidale.”