THE ELECTION CAMPAIGN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 19143, 8 October 1925, Page 13

THE ELECTION CAMPAIGN.

SPEECH BY SIR. J. PARR. CRITICISM OF LABOUR. UNWORKABLE LAND POLICY. THE NEED FOR SOUND PROGRESS. The campaign of the Government candidate for Edan was continued hist evening, when Sir James Parr addressed n meeting of about 200 people at Henderson. Mr. B. Hart presided. The meeting was s very attentive one and the candidate 6poke without a single interruption. "I have come to give you an account af how I have dealt with Eden in the last three years," said Sir James. "I will leave it to you to say whether my record is worthy of your confidence, or whether I should be 'sacked' and another man put in my place." If the electors wanted a strong, stable and sane Government and a vigorous policy, they would have to see that some party came back with a working majority. ""What is the question before you at this election ?" he asked. "It is quite a simple one and j r ou have to decide either for Mr. Coates or Mr. Holland. Mr. Coates has had tremendous responsibility of important departments of the State, and never in the history of New Zealand have these great departments been administered so ably and with such success as by Gordon Coates." (Applause.) He had been described as a man with nothing in him. Never was a greater mistake made. In times of crisis, when a strong man was needed. M:\ Coates could show a backbone of steel and & granite-like quality in the cause of fair-play. He stood for justice to all classes of the community. Criticism of Mr. Holland. Against Mr. Holland, Sir James said he had nothing personally, * but it was his duty to give his opinion of the two men as leaders. Mr. Holland was a Socialist and friend of the Russian revolution and "Bolshevik Russia. He had said that Russia had made thff greatest advance in history, cmd &.S still thought that the revolution was justified. He also considered that Trotsky should be admitted to the Dominion as a desirable citizen. But at present, the Russians were greater serfs than in the times of the Tsar. It was a negation of democracy, yet Mr. Holland would justify the revolution as the greatest advance the world had ever known. Mr. Holland favoured class war and the usehold land tenure—which was a bare-faced theft of property. Sir James said that he himself stood for sane solid progress, giving every man a fair chance, and every facility for the education and good health of the children. Was he to stand aside and let Mr, Holland's man take his place? Two-Party System Favoured, The candidate devoted a considerable portion of the following remarks to a strong criticism of the Labour platform. It- had to be remembered that every Labour member had signed a pledge to carry out the provisions of the platform, and there was no discipline so strict as that of the Labour Party. Labour proposes an altered method of voting, called proportional representation. Eden, for example, would be wiped out and you would have a combination of three., four or five seats represented bv three, four or five men. It would be impossible for a poor man or a man of moderate means to stand and canvass such a huge electorate, and it was therefore undemocratic. Moreover, the present friendship between member and constituent would be gone, and he looked on that.as a very important thing. "My idea for majority representation is to have no third party at all. Let; us get down to the two parties, the old British traditional policy, w-ith one party, the Government and the other a strong Opposition. Let us have a strong and sane Government on one side and the Socialists on the other." The usehold land policy came in for some particularly hard hits from the candidate. The Socialist hated freehold because the man with a freehold was the enemy of Socialism, which stood for the State owning everything. The Labour Party hoped to get land nationalised by the usehold tenure, where the occupiers were merely the users. The idea came from Russia, but it was obvious to any farmer that it was a scheme devised by city men. The policy was quite impossible to apply. Progress of the District. Giving an account of the work done in the electorate, "Sir James said he had always endeavoured to keep down the cost "of workers' weekly railway tickets. In housing he had worked on the principle of every worker owning his cwn home. He had been justified in advocating the borrowing of money up to 95 per cent, of the total cost of the house, for tiie scheme had not resulted in any losses to the Government. Grants had been made for the building of 14 houses in Henderson at a cost of £II,OOO, wliile he had facilitated the local body obtaining £SOOO for another seven houses A most important thing for Henderson was the new concrete road now in course of construction, and -this would bring Henderson within 25 minutes of Queen Street. Henderson residents would then be better off than many people in the outer suburbs, for people always took full advantage of <\ first-class road, lhe j new railway route from Auckland _to Morningside would also be of great importance to the district. Over £6OOO had been spent on schools in the district. Henderson had a new post office, and the telephone exchange had 250 subscribers. "I look forward to great things for Henderson,*' concluded tair James. But if you want to reap this prosperity, don't touch usehold land tenure. It will settle you in one act. A vote of thanks and confidence in the member was passed unanimously. Sir James was also thanked for his past services. PRIME MINISTER'S TOUR. MEETING ARRANGEMENTS. [BY TELEGRAPH. PRESS ASSOCIATION.] "WELLINGTON. "Wednesday. Zn addition to delivering an address at Oaraaru on Thursday the Prime Minister has arr&nged to speak at lemuka on Friday, at Riverton on Saturday and at Invercargill on Monday evening. Labour at Wellington. HOUSING AND RENT. [BY TELEGRAPH. —PRESS ASSOCIATION.] WELLINGTON, Wednesday. Mr. C. H. Chapman. Labour candidate for Wellington Suburbs, said that the land and housing questions were vital, as working people often had to pay halt their wages for rent. His party had proposals which would result in the erection of a large number of houses. He contended that the useholc. land policy would benefit farmers. The candidate recoived a vote of thanks and confidence. ' Mr. W. Nash, Labour candidate for Hutt* in his opening speech in the election campaign, said he regretted that the condition of Mr. VWdford s health ■prevented him from coming into the f.cht. but said the Labour Party was not fighting Mi-. Wilford, but contesting the seat on general principles. He claimed that there was no difference between the Government and tne National Parties, and . that larmers owed.a lot to the Labour Party. The candidate received a vote of thanks and confidence. ,