ELECTION POINTS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22721, 6 November 1935, Page 14

ELECTION POINTS

" The Government has placed the ship of State on the high sea to prosperity." —Mr W. A. Bodkin, M.P., at Lawrence.

Mr James A. Roy, National Government candidate for Clutha, opening his campaign at Milburn, stressed the fact that he was not opposed to Labour; he had been, a working man practically all his life, and was now a working farmer. Although not opposed to Labour, he was Btrongly opposed to the Labour Party'sN policy, which he considered was inimical to the general welfare of the Dominion.

Mr W. M. C. Denham (Labour, Invercargill) : Give back to the people the power which has been stripped, from them by the city financiers. That was the sum total of Labour's monetary policy in New • Zealand, and as Professor Soddy had stated, "the people must decide who is to rule—Parliament or the banks." There could not be two heads of the State.

"Would you be in favour of putting New Zealand through the Bankruptcy Court, paying 3d in the £l, and starting again?" This question was asked at Lawrence of Mr W. A. Bodkin, M.P., who replied in the negative. "We pay in goods and services," he said, " and, although we owe a good deal of money overseas, I don't think there would be anything to be gained by following that course. Germany tried it, but, while she admittedly wiped out her internal debt, she destroyed the savings of her people."

The building subsidy was the most effective method yet discovered of providing work, and it had been responsible for the employment of practically every carpenter, bricklayer and member of the allied trades in Southland, declared Mr James Hargest (National Government, Awarua) at Waikiwi. Where a couple of years ago there was a large number of builders out of work, there were few or none to-day.

" I believe that the day of the Labour agitator is going," said Mr C. A. L. Treadwell (National Government, Wellington North) at a recent meeting. Mr Treadwell said that the Labour agitator was now suspect, and by those persons who a few years ago hung upon his very words, because the agitator was not working for the good of the workers but for himself.

"Wo have been charged with breaking contracts," said Mr Forbes at Ambei - ley, in discussing the internal loan conversion. "Undoubtedly that is true. Government securities were issued for a stipulated term at, say, 5 per cent., and by legislation we brought that term to an end and reduced the interest to 4 per cent. I maintain that when the country is in a desperate position we have a right to call on the people to make sacrifices for it. The results justified what was done, for where the seller of a £IOO bond bearing 5 per cent, interest could get £9B 10s for it, after the conversion whoever wanted to sell a £IOO bond at 4 per cent, could get £lO3 for it. That shows the effect of confidence."

There were at present 39 country seats in Parliament and 37 city and urban scats, said Mr J. A. Roy (National Government, Clutha) at Milburn. If the Labour Party was by any chance returned to power it was possible that it would reduce the number of country representatives and increase the number of city representatives, which under au equal distribution of votes would give 33 seats for the country and 43 seats for the cities and urban areas. This would give Labour a preponderating city representation in Parliament, which would prove inimical to the interests of the primary producer.

" The * Native Affairs scandal' cost this country nothing," said Mr W. A. Bidkin, M.P., in reply to a question at his meeting at • Lawrence on Monday night. "This is the position, and it shows to what depths the Labour Party will stoop when it attacks one of the finest of New Zealanders. Sir Apirana Ngata did his job magnificently, but he forgot to take into consideration the fact that he was spending Government money and would have to comply with the conditions of audit. He did not pick men to do the work who were good at keeping records, but he enlisted the services of farmers who understood, the practical problems he wished to overcome. He neglected the office work, but the same kind of work has cost the white race more than double the amount the Maori needed. Sir Apirana was betrayed by others in his organisation and there was undoubtedly pilfering, but he did his job well."

The change in the state of the country since 1931 could be shown by the balancing of the Budget, which from a deficit of £8,000,000 had moved to a surplus last year of £1,500,000, said the Prime Minister at Amberley. The total production of the country from all sources had increased from £83,500,000 in 1931 to £98,750,000 in 1934, while farm production had increased frcm £49,000,000 to £62,000,000, and was still rising. The general improved trade of the couutry, and such things as the amount of new building that was going on, were based on this increased farm production. At the same time wages and salaries had increased from £59,000,000 to £65,000,000.

The " smash-and-grab Government's" record, according to Mr L. S. Edmond (Labour, Wallace) : It had smashed citizens' protection by indemnifying the Crown against any wrongful act on the part of a special constable; grabbed part of the old-age pensions; smashed the widow pension laws and grabbed a little of the children's allowance; grabbed portion of miners' pensions; smashed the War Pensions Act and grabbed 29 per cent, of an economic pension; smashed the law' allowing a person to receive the old-age pension plus a war pension; passed legislation permitting the grabbing of pensions where pensioners hi.d received benefits from lodges; smashed other soldiers' pension legislation on the eve of Anzac Day; grabbed the liberty of the civil service to agitate against the Government; smashed the Highways Act and grabbed £500,000, which would have employed 2500 men at £2OO each a year, and instituted single men's roading camps at the wage of 10s a week; smashed agreements and grabbed millions from the civil servants; smashed the education system and kicked the five-year-olds out of school; smashed the capitation allowance to school committees; smashed the system of free dental clinics; smashed the law that subsidised workers' education; extended Parliament by one year; smashed the Arbitration Court; smashed prosperity by wage cuts; sacked thousands from public works, reemploying them at slave rates; thrown unemployed married men into unemployed camps; grabbed the unemployment funds to subsidise wealthy companies; grabbed 9d in the £ on blind workers' incomes; and grabbed portion of women's wages but made no provision for them when unemployed. The one thing which Mr Edmond seems to have forgotten is that the depression smashed the Dominion's markets, shattered the Dominion's income, played havoc with the public revenues, upset the Budget, and forced on the Govern- j ment the economies that were necessary I to maintain financial stability.

" Every fit young man should be trained to take his part, if necessary, in defence of his country," declares Mr C. A. L. Treadwell, National Government candidate for Wellington North. " I would be sorry to think that any young man would not be glad to do a manly job for his country."

If the Labour Party could rehabilitate the people then it was not very much interested in the millions of pounds that rehabilitation cost.—The Rev. F. L. Frost, Labour candidate for New. Plymouth, is the authority for the statement.

Mr Ben Roberts, the Labour candidate for the Wairarapa seat, speaking at Greytown, maintained that the whole of the British Empire was in the clutches of a " financial octopus." They were at the parting of the ways and had to decide whether they would strike for British independence. They were on the threshold of one of the greatest industrial revolutions in the history of the world, and with it would come a mental revolution.

"What are your views on State lotteries? " was a question put to Mr S. G. Smith, Minister of Education, at Waitara.

Mr Smith said he thought it was foolish that people should be sending money to Australia. There should be some regulation and the money kept in New Zealand.

" The trend toward economic nationalism," said Mr Appleton, Independent candidate for Otaki, "will not be reversed overnight, and it is idle' for us to nurse the hope of any immediate renaissance of world trade. It is just as well, therefore, for us to appreciate the fact that we have to depend on our own resources, _and the best way in which to do that is to build up our local industries and to go in for more diversified production. The need for New Zealand is to increase the population so that we can absorb more of our own primary products within the Dominion."

After dealing with the shortcomings of the other parties contesting the election, Mr W. J. Poison, Government candidate for Stratford, said that if Labour moved a no-confidence motion he would be found voting against it, as it would be a major disaster if the Labour Party got into power. Their principles were Socialistic, and Socialism had failed everywhere it had been tried. A voice: Except Russia. Mr Poison: You are surely not serious. If you read your newspaper " I can read you a bit, too."

"Let us not hurl bricks at one another," said Mr Poison. The feature of the recent cables was that bureaucracy ihad been compelled to restore the freehold of property to the Russian peasants in order to maintain the State. This, in itself, was proof that any attempt to socialise the means of production was a failure, even in Russia.

"If you heard the talk that goes on there it would almost drive you silly," said Mr J. W. Munro, the Labour candidate for Dunedin North, when telling an audience in the North-East Valley Town Hall last night something about Parliament. He was not long in the House, he said, before he realised that it was voting which did the job and not talking. If he had his way the parliamentary session would be reduced to one-half its present length, for a lot of it was wasted time. The Economy Commission had stated that the numbers of members in the House could be reduced. He was not in favour of that but he would reduce the time allowed each member for speaking by one-half. He thought that if the Labour Party got into power it would do what he suggested. - ■' . ' -

After informing a questioner that he would strongly oppose any effort to force Prohibition upon the Dominion against the express wish of the people, Mr D. C. Cameron, National Government candidate for the Dunedin Central seat, stated during his address at Mornington last night that he wishes to refute the charge made against him that he was a " wowser." He had had a long connection with sport and had been a good " mixer." He took a broad view of every question and respected other people's opinions.

" Do you stand for socialisation of the means of production, distribution and exchange?" asked an elector of the Rev. E. T. Cox at the Labour candidate's meeting at LovelPs Flat. "That is not in the present policy," answered Mr Cox, upon which the questioner commented: " Oh, I thought it was."

"Do you believe in the principle of 'one man, one farm,' and 'one man, one job'?" asked an elector of LovelPs Flat of the Rev. E. T. Cox, Labour candidate for Clutha, who. is also Mayor of Dunedin. "You can have as many farms as you like—half a dozen if you can get them," was Mr Cox's reply.

"We may ruin some, but it won't be the working class."—Mr J. W.. Munro, Labour candidate for Dunedin North, speaking at North-East Valley last night.

Mr T. K. S. jSidey, National Government candidate for Dunedin South, told an audience in the Oddfellows' Hall, Forbury Corner, last evening that one of the first things he would do if elected to Parliament would be to endeavour to see that the money collected from motorists would be used as it was originally intended it-should be used—for the benefit of motorists.

"I differ from my opponent, Mr Munro, in his opinion that running a country is not a business," remarked Mr A. S. Falconer, National Government candidate for Dunedin North, during the course of his address at Opoho last evening. "To my mind, it is a very intricate business indeed, and I would say that a country not run on business lines is heading for disaster."

"A jolly good thing for the solicitors," was the term used by Mr T. K. S. Sidey, National Government candidate for Dunedin South, to describe the Arbitration Court, when addressing a meeting in the Oddfellows' Hall, Forbury Corner, last evening. He said that in his opinion there was no reason why the court should be abolished, and he did not think that any such thing was intended. The court would have to remain until something better was found.

Speaking at Opoho last evening, Mr A. S. FaTconer, the National Government' candidate for Dunedin North, expressed himself as unable to see how any party with such an extravagant poiicy as that put forward by the Democrat Party could hope to capture votes. " I would say that this party's policy," he added, " would require a good deal of thought before it could be swallowed as the bait which it obviously is."

" What is your attitude towards B class stations?" was one of the questions asked of Mr T. K. S. Sidey, National Government candidate for Dunedin South, at a meeting at Forbury Corner last evening. Mr Sidey said that, being a radio enthusiast himself, he realised the difficulties in which the B class stations were placed, and in his opinion the best solution-of the problem was for the Broadcasting Board to pay fees to cover all radio broadcasting in Now Zealand. ■'" The suggestion was greeted with applause.

In the course of his address at Opoho last evening Mr A. S. Falconer, Hm National Government candidate for the Dunedin North seat, paid a tribute to the mental calibre, of at least some members of the Labour Party. He was giving a resume of the events that led to the formation of the National • Government, and expressed the opinion that it was a pity the Labour Party had not come in. " Neither the Reform nor the United Party had the monopoly of the brains," he said. " There were brains in the Labour Party as well."

"I stand for good wages," declared Mr D. C. Cameron, National Government candidate for the Dunedin Central seat, in reply to a questioner at Mornington last night. "I have.always enjoyed good wages myself, and I have no objection to others having the same benefits."

"It has often been asked why the Labour candidates do not pay their own election expenses," said Mr J, W. Munro, the Labour candidate for Dunedin North, speakinp at North-East Valley last night, when a collection was being taken up. "' I have always held that if I paid my own expenses the seat would belong to me. But if my supporters in the electorate contribute towards the cost of the campaign, then the seat is theirs and they have the right to dictate to me and tell me if I am not doing my job. If they are not satisfied with me they have the right to say that I should get out and let someone else in."

There is no good bringing people co this country from England if there Is nothing for them to do, was the opinion expressed by Mr T. K. S. Sidey, National Government candidate for Dunedin South, at a meeting in the Oddfellows' Hall, Forbury Corner, last evening when referring to immigration. He said that he was in favour of immigration because more people would mean a greater consumption of New Zealand's goods, but there was a time and a place for everything. We had our unemployment problem to overcome before think* ing of bringing more people into the country.

" I am not going to attempt any eevcre criticism of the Labour Party or of its policy," said Mr D. C. Cameron, National Government candidate for the Dunedin Central seat, in his opening address at Mornington last night. "The Labour Party is entitled to a policy and is entitled to expound it. I will try to win not on the demerits of others but on the merits of the Government and upon my own personal record." .

One of the things? that the Labour Party was going to do when it secured power was to amend the Reserve Bank Act so as to turn the bank into a State institution, said Mr J. W. Munro, the Labour candidate for Dunedin North, when speaking at North-East Valley last night. Why did they want to' do that? Because they had to get control of the credit of the country. Labour intended to topple the god of Mammon out of its place and substitute for it the god of humanity.