LABOUR PARTY’S PLATFORM.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIII, Issue 401, 19 May 1922, Page 4

LABOUR PARTY’S PLATFORM.

Labour’s platform for the coming election, as outlined by the leader of the Parliamentary Labour .Party. Air H. E. Holland, in his address to the electors of Palmerston North, last night, was framed on familiar lines, it was entirely devoid of constructive statesmanship, and consisted in the main of a-violent denunciation of the Government, and a monotonous recital of the legislation enacted during the past session. Incidentally, it lent colour to the suggestion that tire New Zealand Parliamentary Labour Party has, in point of fact, no policy to put before the electors of the country, save its avowed intention to oust the Government from the Treasury benches. Traversing Air Holland’s remarks we note that the Labour Loader lias been singularly unfortunate in his choice of subjects. For instance, much of bis effort was spent in condemning the Government’s late policy of coal importations, whereas it lias long since been a matter of common knowledge that the miners themselves were to blame in the matter. No amount of plausible utterances on Air Holland’s part will explain away the fact that through strikes and “go-slow” action on the part of the Now Zealand miners, there was for many months a prolonged and acute coal shortage in the Dominion ; furthermore that it was only the prompt action of the Government in importing coal from foreign shores that saved the country from falling into the hands of the extremists. The latter aimed at disrupting the whole industrial life of the Dominion, using their dominaucy in the mines as a lever to bend the Government and the community as a whole to their will. Air Holland is merely stultifying the cause of labour when lie attempts to saddle the Government with the responsibility for the expense incurred in keeping up the Dominion’s coal supplies—his own friends the coal miners are the guilty parties. Then again Air Holland omitted to mention that the Government has since stopped all importation of coal and is aiming at making New Zealand self-supporting from the point of view of fuel supply. In the circumstances, it would have been better for the purpose of his party if lie had chosen some happier illustration of alleged Government inefficiency. With the Labour Party’s views on the “cut” in the civil servants’ salaries we are already familiar, and naturally Air Holland, who is out to capture the votes of members of the service, made capital out of it. The “Standard” hazards a guess, however, that it will lake more specious arguments than those advanced by Labour’s Leader to win their suffrages. As to his prediction about Air Massey’s intentions after the election, it is merely Air Holland’s own opinion, with nothing more than his; own fertile imagination to back it up. After taking up three-fourths of his time last night in destructive criticism, including a familiar tirade against international capitalism, the Labour Leader made brief and fragmentary reference to his party’s “ policy.” From this his audience was left to assume that all that Labour’s platform comprised was the socialisation of land values, liberal increases in all pensions—as to where the money was coming from was not explained—the establishment of a State Bank with an unlimited capacity for producing paper money—-one can buy cartloads of paper money in Russia for an English pound sterling—and the institution of a State mercantile marine. On second thoughts we realise that it would be doing Air Holland an injustice not to record the fact that he also advocated the reform of the educational system, by the issue of free school books, the provision of “ more pictures on school walls,” the erection of school buildings with “some pretensions to the artistic eye,” moving picture entertainments for the scholars, and the special training of teachers to “ made them feel ” that they were the “comrades” of the children, not their “drivers.” He also advocated making the system free—as if it were not already so. That was all; as our American friends are prone to remark, it would bo “some” education system if left to the lender and altruistic devices of Air Holland and his party,

Community singing is to be inaugut at Dunedin to-morrow.

The tin plate industry in Britain is to be improving, The King has congratulated the War Graves Commission upon its work , . France,

A cablegram received in Christchurch from London states that famine condition are spreading in Russia. “The average herd in Denmark,” said a speaker at a dairy farmers’ meeting ,n Hototima, “numbers from 10 to 12 cows.” By six votes to five the Wanganui Hospital Board has decided to increase die scaly of hospital fees from 5s a day to 9s u day.

The conference of Ambassadors has decided to permit the ox-Ktnpress of Austria to reside in Spain. The French Minister of Finance, in pre-f-enl ing the Budget, emphatically declared that it could not be balanced without full reparation payments from Germany. The Wellington Board of Education has decided to make representations to the Education Department with a view to the, restoration of the swimming capitation. The British War Office is arranging a contract for photographs of war graves, copies of which will be sent to relatives of the fallen.

The North Canterbury Coal Merchants’ Association has decided to make reductions in tho price of coal commensurate with tho reduction in wages recommended by the Arbitration Court.

A Dunedin paper records that one day recently a lady left in a. trumenr a handbag containing £2OO and a bankbook showing a credit balance of £75, A motorman returned tile property’to its owner. The Chicago labour war lias keen renewed by an outburst of incendiarism. There have been three fires, while one building has been bombed. The loss is estimated at half a million dollars.

A man suddenly plunged into the harbour from die wharf at Dunedin. He was quickly rescued, and, on being hauled out, be said he had taken a bad turn and did not know what had happened until he found himself in tho water.

Owing to the depletion of the New South Wales police force, caused by war service and resignations, the force is now greatly below normal strength, and Mr Oakes (Chief .Secretary) stales it may be necessary to lower (he standard for recruits.

At the Police Court at Wellington on Wednesday a man who was sentenced to 12 mouths’ reformative ’treatment at Kotoroa, had 25 convictions last year and six this year, although he hud already served three months’ imprisonment this year. At the Murchison Police Court yesterday Thomas Henry Badust was charged with being in possession at Gowan Valley of an illicit still, suited for the purpose of manufacturing whisky, and was remanded until next week.

At the secondary schools’ assistant’s conference in Wellington this week, a speaker described the round of work at a certain boys’ school, stating that “happily the boy has a good deal of natural resistance or the programme would soon drive him silly.” The British National Farmers’ Union is seeking a Government loan of £10,000,000. and hag appointed a deputation to see ( olonol Amery regarding the Dominions’ demand for men with experience in agriculture.

The bodies of Allan Fenton, aged 23, and his wife, aged 19, were found on a bank of the Yarra river, both with bullet wounds in the head (slates a message from Melbourne). Later the man was found to have been poisoned. It is believed to be a case of murder and suicide. Mrs Fenton was an actress, professionally known a? Alisa Audrey Anderson.

It was mentioned at a meeting of dairy farmers at Rototuna that when a Waikato dairy company advertised in England for a London manager, it received iSO replies, ranging from a clerk who would do the job for £4 n._ week to a major-general who considered bis services worth £3OOO per annum. On investigation, however, not one of the 160 applicants proved to be the man required for rite position.

tu criticising the matriculation examination. a speaker at the secondary school assistants’ conference in Wellington on Wednesday asked: “What precautions have the authorities taken against ‘personation’? 1 heard only recently.” he added, “that a secondary school teacher was offered the sum of £2O if he would go down to Christchurch and sit for an examination there under the name of a candidate who had been unsuccessful in previous ye^rs.”

The Sydney Sun states that “a bitter light, unseemly and altogether obnoxious to decent people, is proceeding in New Zealand over* the proposed visit of a team of Maoris lo Sydney to play a series of Rugby League matches.” The article in the Sun concludes by stating that the “unseemly quarrel between the two codes in New Zealand is having a bad effect on the game,” but that the same bitterness has not been displayed in Sydney.

The Hon. C. J. Parr announces that Te Waikato sanatorium is being finally closed. The patients have been removed to a more up-to-date sanatorium at Pukeoru and the advanced cases returned to hospitals in the districts from which they came. The small shelters have been allocated to hospital hoards and the main building iuu been handed to the Waikato Board for reerecticn in Hamilton io provide additional accommodation for chronic consumptives.

“There is no doubt,” said a speaker at an educational conference at Wellington, “that here in_New Zealand a very definite dialect is springing up which will in time be as characteristic of the country as Ilia Yankee drawl is of America. I am a ware that this statement wit loffeud the susceptibilities of quite a number of people who pride themselves on telling visitors to New Zealand that we have no dialect. .Nevertheless, we have a dialect of our own —and its characteristics are so distinctive and so widespread that it will soon be very difficult to eradicate them.

Nurse Bamfortb, of Flo stings, who ha s a daughter resident m Johannesburg, received from her by the last mail a booklet entitled 1 hrough the Red Revolt on the R.-.ncl, _ containing eloquent pictures of the desolation, ruin, brutaliiv and death which accompanied the course of the recent strike. r i he scenes, showing the trenches dug in the streets, the shattered public buildings, the stark bodies lying in the- public ways, ihe pillaged homes, the fleeing of the populace before the cavalry charges, the herding of prisoners, iho carting of dead men, and all the passion, outrage, and turbulence of voir, are. (says an exchange) reminiscent of ravaged France, and show the state of terrorism under which iho country suffered hi itr ruthless exeprionce. It was rampant, naked war and civil war at that, the most hideous of all kinds of strife.

A ' ®ry noticeable instance of readjustment to pre-war standards is brought to notice by Messrs W aokrtll and Stewart. Ltd., tiie district dealers in Ford cars and 11 ticks. Tney have to-day received notice ot a further reduction in the price of ail rout 'chicles, which is effective intmediately. this latest reduction brings the foul car to within. £lB of its pre-war price.—Ad vt.

rho J>iitish General Electric Company 1., have recently placed on the market a unique electric lighting plant, which tits in the pocket. Current is generated by merely pressing a lever, and a clear white beam li I £iV‘ *r With ordinary can; the liandilite ’ is everlasting, and at the pace, oos, is a splendid investment. Demonstrations will be gladlv given at the t entral Electric Co., the Strand, Palmerston Eorth—Aclvt. '

A mdow 10 at Collinson and Cunningname s displays the attvacive values of two lines ot cushion covers from the Aliuuhcsti ■ section. Crash cushion covers with fringed border and handsomely embroidered in colours, tor 2s lid, though worth As lid. , into, muslin cushion covers, with frill and charmingly embroidered, for 2s lid, also worlii 4s rid. Alusic in tea rooms each after* non.—Advl.

Bang! Bang !! And bang go all the eslab* hshed prices lor guns at Coliinson and bon s who show one- window filled with reliable j»uns for 1 his shooting season, i ram planiiy finished single barrel guns - r o7s od up to specially tie,signed d.b. (pigeon match) guns at £2.1 17s 6d. Full stocks <-f Curtis ami Harvey, Kiev's and Colonial Ammunition Coy’s cartridges. Inspection cordially invited.—Advu

Te Awamutu ratepayers have approved of a proposal to raise a loan of £25,000 to finance private electric installations in tho district. A Medical Board sat in Palmerston North this morning mid hoard seven appeals against decisions of the War Pensions Board. The following comprised tho board: —Dr J. McN. Christie (president), Dr. Paget and Dr. Peach. Mr H. Bond, of Rangiotu, speaking at tho Farmers’ Conference.at Wanganui, said that, to his mind, Mr W’. J. Poison was the premier of the farmers of New Zealand to-day, and that ho was a very capable man, who could give very clear-cut views on matters of vital importance to farmers. The Wanganui Education Board, at its meeting this week, decided to carry ull t repairs and alterations at Longburn, to subsidise pound for pound the cost of metalling at Palmerston North Central School, and to refer the question of asphalting paths, etc,, at the Central Infants’ School to the architect. The Mining Department states that a diamond drill which has been working on Dobson’s Flat, an endowment of the Grcymomli Harbour Board, struck a seam of coal ten feet thick at a depth of 822 feet. A correspondent of the W anganui Chronicle stales that a miraculous escape from a serious accident occurred to a mail coach on Tuesday about two_ miles on the Kai Iwi side of Paparang’i, when tho coach and horses toppled over the side of ihe straight cliff, landing on a fence some distance from the road. A solitary passenger and the driver escaped before the capsize occurred. The horses had to be tut clear from the coach, which was swinging in mid-air, and were precipitated to the bottom of the gully. At the Police Court this morning a middle-aged man pleaded guilty to a charge of being a rogue and a vagabond, in that be was found by night in a hay-loft adjourning- a dwelling in Park road. SeniorSergeant Fraser said that the Justices of the Peace on the bench (Messrs J. 11. Stevens and G. S. Rumble) would probably know more about the accused than the police did, since he was a man who was .veil known in Palmerston North, having aeon at one time in a fairly big way of business here. Mr Stevens said it distressed him greatly to see the accused in his present plight, but the Court would look upon his case in a sympathetic manner. Accused stated that his 1 downfall was due to drink. Mr Stevens said he would give him the opportunity of making an application to be admitted to the Inebriates’ Home at Rotoroa. Accused said ho would rather take out a prohibition order against himself. He could not immediately decide on the course suggested by the Bench. In the circumstances, said 'Mr Stevens, accused would be remanded till to-morrow, when the Stipendiary Magistrate would deal with the case. He would make an order that accused's name should not be published in respect of the present proceedings.