THE SPEAKER'S SEAT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 20098, 8 November 1928, Page 13

THE SPEAKER'S SEAT.

ANSWER TO CRITICISM. ELECTION TO OFFICE RECALLED. SIR C. STATHAM'S PROMISE. IBY TEMX'KAI'H. OWN' COI! It K.-I'ON DI'.N 1. ] DUNK DIN, Wednesday. An effective reply has been made by Sir Charles Statham to the criticism by his Labour opponent, Mr. J. Robinson, respecting his acceptance of Speakership. "Jt lias been alleged that I have done a dishonest thing and that in taking the Speakership I did not honour my pledges," said Sir Charles Statham. "At the election in 1922 1 claimed absolute freedom to vote as I thought tit in the event of a no-confidenco motion, and when Parliament opened in 1923 I was really free to join any party. Sir Frederic I.anp, Speaker, and Mr. A. S. Malcolm, Chairman of Committees, had both been defeated. Tho Reform Party had a majority of three. No other party could have carried on and no one wanted another election

"The first man who approached me in regard to the Speakership was «i pioinincnt member of the Labour Parly. I do not want to mention his name, but what I sav is perfectly true. Mr. Holland has been kind enough to refer to me as tho ablest Speaker New Zealand has ever had. 1 ani sure that it was not the desire of the official Labour Party that I should have to contest this election." Sir Charles then repeated the promise ho had made from tho platform at his meeting on tho previous evening. He said : "1 am fighting this election on tho assumption that I will bo re-elected to the Speakership. If, through any unforeseen contingency, I should not bo reelected to that office, or, being re-elected, should relinquish it, 1 will resign my seat and submit myself again to the electors. The electors would then liavo tho opportunity of hearing me speak untrammelled bv tho restrictions imposed on me at present by my inability to express my vic.vs on party politics."

(.JETTING CHEAT MONEY. ISSUE OF STATE NOTES. THE ROAD TO HAPPINESS. "Cheap money is the only thing which u ill solve the "unemployment problem," said Mr. F. Lysnar, Reform candidate for Auckland Central to a crowded audience in the Epiphany Hall, Karangahapo Road, last evening. Mr. J. - A. C. Allum presided. About 50 people who could not find standing room in the hall caught snatches of the candidate's address from the windows and occasionally a voice expressing strong Labour preferences hurled interjections from without. "No doubt you will have your bloated money men who will be up against you, said .Sir. Lysnar, in explaining his scheme for issuing' Slate notes for the financing of industry and farming. "Instead of the ill fed and' ill-clothed people you will have happiness. ft is no use looking on an election as a Punch and Judy show. Manv of tlie holders of large farms would sell 'willingly at the Government valuation. Let people send their money away if they will. We will have our own notes and can swim as we, are swimming now. You do not inflate currency bv using Slate notes." A Voice: You are wonderful. Mr. Lysnar said lie believed in concentrating on air and submarine armament. Land forces were obsolete. '•You talk about the squatters, but it is the men in the city who make the money," he said. "It is only by gambling that you can become a millionaire. Why worry about 'bloated squatters' when we have" 2,000.000 acres undeveloped in our own province ? We should put our own house in order first. The Rotorua-1 aupo railway will open a great area." The speaker referred to the freedom with which liquor was distributed in the King Country and his remarks drew appeals of "tell us where."

REFORM IN WATTEMATA. ADDRESS BY MR. HARRIS. About 'lO persons were present in the Narrow Neck Hall hist, evening when an address was given by Mr. A. Harris, Reform candidate for Waiteniata. The candidal'* spent considerable time in criticising tiio policies of the United and Labour parties. in regard to the manifesto issued by tho latter prior to the present election campaign, Mr. Harris said that although tho party had 28 recognised planks in its official platform, only 14 had been published for the purposes of the election. Ho assured his hearers that the parly had not forsaken its socialistic doctrines, this in fact having been stated definitely by Mr. J. A. Lee, in an address at Dargaville last May. The candidate was accorded a vote of thanks and confidence.