ELECTION NOTES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 19158, 26 October 1925, Page 11

ELECTION NOTES.

MAN WHO THINKS OF MIS MEM

Speaking at Masterton last week Mr. G. R. Sykes, Government candidate for that seat, related having recently visited the Mangahao construction works, where, he said, there was a splendid class of men, engaged. The men swore by the engineers and the engineers swore by the men. They were doing wonderful work, they were a happy family, and there was not a "grouser" in the camp. Th:_s,_ lie claimed, was due largely to the conditions provided for the men by the Minister lor Public Works, Mr. Coates, who was a leader of men and respected men. (Applause. ) LABOUR'S TAXATION POLICY. " What man would not willingly pay £2OOO tax if he were earning £SOOO a year," said Mr. J. W. Yarnali, Labour candidate for Roskill at a meeting of electors on Saturday evening. The Labour Party, he added, intended to tax the wealthy heavily and protect the middle and loAver classes. WOMEN IN PARLIAMENT. At the conclusion-of an address by Mr. jg. N. Bartram, Labour candidate for Grey Lynn, on Saturday evening, a questioner almost convulsed the meeting by asking gravely, "Do you believe in sending an unmarried woman all the way down to Parliament, especially with those allnight sittings? Is that a fair thing? Mr. Bartram replied that he had no say in the matter, as the lady concerned was old enough to decide for herself. GUARDIANSHIP OF GIRLS. "Although half of the children who-will be affected by the State ' guardianship provisions of the Child Welfare Act will be girls, I notice there is no provision for the appointment of a woman guardian for them," said Miss Melville in her address at Kingsland on Friday. " They will have as guardians the same officers who look after the boys. I regard this as a serious flaw in the Act, and it also shows the need for women's representation where the laws are made." BOTH ON SAME SIDE. "Is it not a fact that Reform voted with Labour," asked Mr. A. Best of Mr. T. W. Rhodes, at Bombay on Saturday evening, referring to a particular occasion. "We voted as we thought best, and if the Labour members followed us into the same lobby wc could not help it," was the burden of the candidate's reply. PAYMENT FOR LAND. Referring to the Herald's criticism of Mr. Holland's speech on the land policy Mr. F. N. Bartram stated on Saturday evening that the Herald had told only half the story. Under the " usehold " plan the buyer of land would save £IOOO deposit which lie was now called upon to pay, and would use it for the purchase of stock. The Herald had said the £28,000,000 which would be paid as rent under " usehold " would be a greater burden than £17,500,000 now paid as interest on mortgages. The was now divided among private financial institutions as profits, but the £28.000.000 would go into the coffers of the btate. As the Herald previously remarked, this is a curious form of relief. It may be a source of great satisfaction to soma people that £28,000,000 would go into the coffers of the State, but it would bo cold comfort to those who have to find the money. Then what of the interest on the bonds with which the Socialist State is to buy the land? Mr. Bartram seems to treat the £28,000,000 as net revenue. Does he agree with Mr. Fraser that no interest should be paid on the bonds ? EVADING THE QUESTION. Asked whether he was in favour of the Government paying rates on Government land to local bodies, Mr. D. McClymont, Labour candidate for Franklin, said he was not prepared to commit himself and his party. Asked why the Labour Party did not use its influence to end the shipping strike and thereby safeguard the primary producers' interests in getting their produce to market, he said such action was the duty of the Government, not of a minority party, and the Labour Party did not intend to allow the matter of the strike, with which it had nothing whatever to do, to be dragged into the poli- | tical campaign. " THE GLAD EYE." In addition to his interest, in the commercial market, Mr. Parry told his audience on Saturday night that he was possessed of a real concern for the welfare of competitors in the matrimonial market. In discussing the Workers' Compensation Act he said the Labour Party contended that men and women should be treated alike. The present system whereby compensation was given according to wages earned was unfair. The loss of an eye was just as serious to a woman as to a man. The man could still work for his living, but the woman would be seriously handicapped in the matrimonial market A Voice: She could still gi^® "clad eye." Mr. Parry: Yes, but she could give it much more effectively with two eyes! FARMERS AND THEIR HOURS. A poser was put to Mr. W. A. Sheat, Labour candidate for Taranaki, at a meeting the other evening. He was asked: "Has the Labour Party got any scheme whereby the farmer shouldn't have to work more than the number of hours the labourer works in town?" The reply not suggest a solution to the problem but Mr. Sheat expressed the opinion that there was no reason why in time the farmers should not reduce their hours of work under the Labour Party s land policy.

MR. McLEOD'S LARGE FAMILY

"Thirty-five thousand Crown tenants —or one-third of the total occupiers of land in the Dominion—that is the family I have to look after." In these words the Minister for Lands, Hon. A. D. McLeod, referred to his responsibilities m a speech last week. DANIEL'S HARD TASK RECALLED. "We read in the Bible that Nebuchadnezzar called on Daniel not merely to interpret liis dream, but first of all to tell him what his dream was, which was about as hard a task as could well be given to any man. But the candidate who' has to interpret the Labour land policy has an equally difficult task He has to reconcile irreconcilable provisions and contradictory policies." —So said the Hon. W. Downie Stewart in his address in Dunedin last week. ; LONG LADDER NEEDED. When speaking at the corner of Dominion Road and Valley Road, Mr. J. W. Yarnall, Labour candidate for Roskill, was invited by a supporter to step on to the footboard of a motor-car so that lie might be heard more easily. Stepping up from the box on which he had been speaking on to the car, Mr. Yarnall remarked: "Ah. that is better. I feel now a bit nearer heaven." Instantly a political opponent said: "You will need a pretty long ladder to get there." The candidate enjoyed the joke at his expense as much as the audience did. SCORING OFF HECKLERS. Mr. J. A. Nash scored heavily off some of his persistent hecklers at Palmerston North the other evening, lia was discussing advances to workers and settlers and pensions when, following some continued uiane interruptions, ho commented "that this class of tiling did not interest those who had only a hat to assume when they left the meeting:" Ha was, he said,.speaking to the taxpayer - the man who had to pay for the Stategiven benefits which were thoughtlessly derided by some of those present. Applause greeted the speaker's remark.