ELECTION POINTS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22717, 1 November 1935, Page 6

ELECTION POINTS

At the election of 1931, when the Coalition, which was formed out of the fusion of the Reform and United parties, \vas seeking a mandate, there were 203 candidates, of whom 74 were approved by the Coalition, 11 were Independent Reform, and 7 Independent United, making n total of 92 candidates in general accord with the Government Party. For this election the National Government candidates so far announced number 70. anl the total number of candidates is nearly 250. Referring in a speech at Auckland to the statement that a judge should not enter politics. Sir Alexander Herdman said that he held that when he resigned his seat on the Supreme Court Bench he became a private citizen, and he could not see why he should not endeavour to do something to assist his country. He did not think that his entry into the contest would allow the, Labour candidate to win the Parnell seat, as out of the 10,714 votes cast at the last election Labour had secured only 2401. " It has been rumoured in certain quarters that 1 am disgruntled," said Mr Will Appleton, Independent candidate for Otaki. speaking at. Porirua on Tuesday night. "The facts are that. I was approached by the National Political Federation to stand under its banner, but I refused because I could not support some of the legislation of the past four years.' " llr Coa'tes has accused the Democrat Party of touting for votes," said Mr W. Duncan, Democrat candidate for Wellington East, " but what about the restoration of the cuts to civil servants and the restoration of the reductiong in old age pensions? The civil servants would never have had their wages _ cuts restored if this had not been election year. It was * shameful thing that the old age pensions were reduced. If Mr Coates and Mr Forbes had not gone for a joy ride to England the old people need never have had their pensions reduced." "There has sprung up in the political life of this country a weed which savours of American Tammanyism," said Mr But ler. Labour candidate for Wellington Suburbs, on Tuesday night. " We have seen the creation of new parties every election. These parties have no roots in the social life of the people and are the creation of cunning men who make catspaws of ambitious pawns and gamble with the destinies of the nation ini an unscrupulous and sordid manner, .tips must cease. The Labour Party on assuming office will enact legislation making it compulsory for the names and amounts of all contributors and contributions to political party funds to bo made public. Speaking at Thornbury on Wednesday night, the Postmaster-general (Mr Adam Hamilton) said that the Government has been criticised for extending the lire ot Parliament from three to four years, especially during its own lifetime. It should be evident to all responsible citizens that it was unwise to have an election during abnormal times, while on the other hand it was advisable to hold an election at times as near normal as possible. When there were no particular burning questions,'the electors were able to take an impartial view of the political situation generally instead of being affected by any particular issue. To-day it could be claimed that they were holding the election under the most normal conditions that had been experienced during the last five years. This should tend to have members elected on broad, and national issues rather than on particular though burning questions. The Democrat leader repeated at Waimate his former statement that the newsnapers were being corrupted by increased Government advertising, and that the people's money was being used to pay lor this advertising. This sort of allegation, taken in conjunction with his complaint that his tour was provoking adverse party advertising, is liable (says the Christ(hurch Star-Sun) to give the public a veryfalse impression and one which Mr Hislop, for his own sake, should correct without delay. Mr Hislop might ask himself why

it is that the New Zealand press, which he alleges to have been bought by the Government, has so far given his party greater publicity than that accorded to eitEer of the other parties. There was a shortage of 1800 houses in Wellington, declared Mr P. M. Butler, Labour candidate for Wellington Suburbs; at a meeting on Tuesday. The Dominion shortage, he continued, would be from 9000 to 10.00 A On the eve of the election the Government said it proposed making a national survey of the situation. One of the first things a Labour Government would do would be to tackle the housing problem. In most of his election speeches the leader of the Democrats (Mr Hislop) has launched bitter attacks against three men who have acted as advisers to the Minister of Finance. Since Mr Hislop has been prolific in his complaints of "unfair criticism," it should not be too much to expect him (says the Christchurch Press) to realise that criticism of men who hav,e no right of reply is peculiarly unfair. The members of the Government cannot evade, and have not attempted to evade, full responsibility for the Government's policy and actions. . . . But the problems of government have become far too complex for the unaided amateur, and Mr Coates can claim some credit for realising as much. Mr Hislop is not entitled to go behind the collective responsibility of Cabinet, to suggest that employees of the Government are responsible for certain acts of policy, and to attack those employees personally and by name. Rosy promises: " The Democrat Party will improve the financial conditions by the reduction of the exchange rate to its natural level based on the international balance of payments, regain our lost trade with Britain and avoid Mr Coates's pet scheme—the tpmta. The Democrat Party will remove forthwith the obnoxious sales tax. It will regain the confidence of the investing public by a restoration of the sanctity of contracts. It will reduce the 144 boards that are operating in this countrv doing Cabinet's work. The Democrat Party will materially reduce the number of members of both Houses of Parliament. It will restore the Arbitration Court to its legitimate functions and restore awards. It will pay standard rates of pay to ite workers and get rid of the unemployed and relief workers." —Mr T. W. M'Donald, Democrat candidate for Wairarapa. Credit issues have been tried by France, Germany, Russia, and the United States, and have not only failed in every instance, but have practically rendered these countries bankrupt, with the exception of the United States, where its life was cut very short. In France the death penalty was even introduced to enforce rigid conditions that were found necessary.—Dr Adams (Democrat candidate for Patea). " The Labour Party would not interfere with the tenure of land, and landowners under a Labour Government would still enjoy the privileges of freehold." —Mr P. Skoglund, the Labour candidate for Stratford, in these words rejects the party's objective of nationalisation of the land. There was a double problem—idle men and idle money—and the keys to it were courage and confidence, said Mr O. 0. Muzengarb, National candidate for Wellington Fast, at a recent meeting. It could not be solved by inflation of the currency or by excessive borrowing, because any extra money issued would find its way back into the banks immediately and increase the amount of frozen assets. Reference to Mr J. G. Coates's criticism of the Democrat Party's export subsidy scheme was made by Mrs R. S. Black, the party's candidate for Dunedin North, at her meeting at North-East Valley last night. She had been attacking the prceent exchange rate on the ground that the general community was taxed to pay for the exchange which benefited the wealthy and poor farmers alike. Guaranteed prices suffered from the same defect. The Democrat Party, she said, was the only one going to the poll with a policy which

provided for a subsidised price only to the farmers who really needed it. Mr Coates had criticised that because it would mean the employment of an army o.f inspectors to decide which farmers needed assistance. It would, -however, she contended, mean nothing of the kind. "Wo only need to go to the stock and station agents who know the condition of all farmers," she said. "The thing is perfectly simple." "If you are returned to Parliament and it comes to a vote between the Government and the Labour Party, would ypu vote with the Labour Party to put the Government out of office? " was a question asked of Mrs Black, the Democrat Party b candidate for Dunedin North, at NorthEast Valley last night. Her reply was: "Most decidedly." Later Mrs Black-was asked how she reconciled that answer with Mr Hislop's statement at Masterton. that he would not vote with the Labour Party, but would move a further amendment. Mrs Black said she did- not know what Mr Hislop had said at Masterton, but it was the Democrat Party's policy that it would vote with Labour to put out the Government.