THE MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22563, 6 May 1935, Page 28

THE MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS

• '' TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —I was greatly amused the other day to read a statement by Mr Silverstone that none of the present councillors or past Mayor's or any past councillors had any training in economics. Where does this great learning he talks about carry you? Not very far as far as Lean see. I heard Mr Silverstone at a meeting years ago speak most disparagingly of the intellect of Mr W. F. Massey. Now the majority of the present councillors and past Mayors of whom he speaks may not have had this great training in economics, but nearly every one of them is, or has been, a very successful business man. Look, on the other hand, at the Labour candidates. We do not find that many of them are successful business men. Several of them are secretaries of tin-pot unions with very little work to do, their main qualification being that they have the " gift of the gab." I have been a worker all my life and still am one, and I find in nearly every case that where a worker is a staunch Labourite he is a very poor' worker. Where I work the most lazy and useless workers are those who profess to be great followers of Labour. I notice, also, that at nearly all meetings held by Labourites they usually abuse their opponents instead of trying to find a way out of any difficulty. I remember quite well that just after I started work our union held a meeting on Sunday afternoon which four Labour candidates for parliamentary honours wanted to address. After a lot of discussion they were allowed to come in. and, after being iptroduced, they said they would give us a brief outline of the Labour platform, and—would you believe it?—they did nothing but abuse the other party. When taken to task by one of the older members of our society, they did not like it a little bit, finding they were not, very successful with all their bluff. I hope, therefore, that in the coming elections the workers will rally round and put into the council men who are successful in business and know how to run the council, and not some of those Labourites who are seeking election. '— I am, etc., Worker. Musselburgh.