THE MANUKAU SEAT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18247, 14 November 1922, Page 9

THE MANUKAU SEAT.

LABOUR'S POINT OF VIEW.

SPEECH BY MR. JORDAN.

EDUCATION IN FOREFRONT.

The official Labour candidate for the Manukau seat, Mr. J. W. Jordan, addressed the electors last evening at the Lyceum. Theatre, Onehunga. The Mayor of Onehunga, Mr. J. Park, presided, and there was an attendance of about 200, including a fair percentage of ladies. The chairman, introducing the candidate, said that Mr. Jordan was a returned soldier, and at last general election had contested the Eaglan seat in the Labour interest.

The candidate,, who received an excellent hearing, dealt' with the chief political questions of the day and presented the Labour platform in rather an original manner. He said it had been stated that a man who associated himself with Labour was disloyal and extreme. That sort of talk was political humbug. The extremist usually was the man in the van of .political thought, whose ideas eventually were accepted by the people of the country., If every man did as his father before him we should still be chasing each other in the bush with stone' axes. Alluding to the various political parties, the candidate' said that the person who voted for any party simply because he had always voted for it was not doing his duty. The electors should divest themselves of party prejudice, examine the policies placed before them and vote according to their • convictions. » Not Bound to Any Party." Continuing, the candidate said that Mr. Massey had been described as a worthy successor to the Rolleston-Atkins.on regime, and the Labour Party said emphatically that he was a worthy successor of that party. They had been told continually that a Conservative government should be put into power. But with the Reform Government the country had been in trouble. Mr. Jordan said he would go into Parliament not to follow any man. He would go in to represent the people of Manukau. "If I were going to follow £. man I'might as well give him power to vote for this electorate by proxy and stay at home," he said. Mr. .Jordan promised thot. if returned he would not be a stranger to the electorate. He would endeavour to form a committee, &o that he could come before them sach year and get a lead from the people i.'s to how he .-nould vote on questions before the House.

Ihe candidate, criticised Mr. Massey for not keeping his promise to introduce proportional representation, and suggested that it- was a peculiar thing that while Mr. Massey and his supporters had at one time been in favour of proportiona.l representation, but when the Prime Minister found that it did not suit him his supporters agreed that it wea no good. He quoted the Reform candidate far Ohinemuri, who snid that the men who had been returned to Parliament in the past wore a poor class, self.-seeking, and pressing the claims of their particular district beiore the interests of the country.

Educational Requirements. Mr. Jordan said he pledged himself to represent and express the views of Manukau irrespective of what any leader of any party might dictate. His one .point which ho would emphasise in Parliament wa? the education system. Next to health, education was the most important matter for consideration. It was, claimed that New Zealand led the world in educa tion. . but those who bad been abroad had seen that in England things werci much better. In England the limit in h class was 40, and in some schools in America the limit was 20. In Auckland there were classes of 80, and parents were going round fEom school to school trying to get their children in. Mental breakdown among the teachers was a common thing in Ntnv Zealand,, and it was not to be wondered at. The Government had said that we could not afford to make tho profession better and more attractive, yet money was spent on such things as increasing members' salaries, relief to foreign people, and distributing copies of the IVace Treaty. All these things could be done, and yet when economy was required it was carried out, at the expense of the children. He had in mind a system of economy which would make it possible to get the best brains available for the edu- J cation of the children.

Industrial Problems. Nothing was being done to discover what was at the bottom of the industrial strife which so often disturbed the -country. Originally the Arbitration Court put New Zealand ahead in industrial matters, but for the last few years the Court had been marking time, and other countries had now left us behind. When Mr. Massey came into power he said the farmers wanted the freehold, so that they should have security of tenure. Was tit only the farmers who wanted security of tenure? asked the speaker. He was not going to endorse any go-slow policy, which he regarded as a national calamity, but as far as the working man was concerned it should not be possible for a man to give thft best years of his life and then go out wondering what was going to become of him. There was no attempt being made to bring employers and workers together to consider the condition of their industry before a dispute became acute, for it was then that the "Arbitration Court came in. This would have to be remedied. The candidate advocated the adoption of industrial councils such as had been established in Britain in 1917. Such councils should bo comprised of representatives of the most important .industries of the country. They would investigate industrial problems with the' object of solving them, and also of 'preventing industrial "strife. The. adoption of such a system would stop the continual bickering that went on. It would also mako'for increased efficiency, and wduld prevent the "vicious circle" from operating. Pensions, and Other Matters. The present system of old age pensions should be reviewed. The working of the system should be extended so that a person who had been thrifty and energetic enough to acquire a home of his own should be entitled to have a pension if required. It would be a profitable thing for the Dominion to engage in the shipping business, and ensure tho cheaper carriage of our' produce to the markets. On the question of land settlement, he said that instead'of buying up .large estates from the friends of the Government, we should push on and' settle the land, and thus" be in a position' to absorb the larpe numbers of immigririts desirous of coming, "to the Dominion. Roading should precede land' settlement. " • ' > * 'On the question of defence, Mr. Jor- ; dan said he was opposed to sending boys into camp, for long periods, owing to thd pitfalls which awaited them outside the camp, . Physical. training was necessary, and the bovs could learn to form fours and die themselves in while their khaki clothes were being mnde' should a war suddenly break out. . He.dealt with the advantages of national medical and maternity ser vices, and repeated tha* his aim would he to care for the educational needs of the people and abolish industrial strife with the object of making the road a little smoother for the feet of the children. In replv to a onestiori, lip said he was in favour of subs : dising famines. It was as m»fh a national responsibility to fepd the children as to educate them, and the lot shoild not fall to one man. Avoie of thanks "»'d confidence was proposed, bv.t the candidate requested that tV>e elector* should withhold any expression of confidence vntil t>iey had heard his opponents.- A vote of thnnks was then carried with considerable enthusiasm.