GENERAL ELECTIONS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LI, Issue 16870, 27 October 1925, Page 3

GENERAL ELECTIONS.

EXTREME LABOR DENOUNCED. 1 MR. LYSNAR AT TE lIAPARA. CONTINUAL INTERJECTIONS. ■ Tlic election campaign was ail van ceil I a stage further last evening when Mr. I W. D. Lysnar, the sitting member, ad- g dressed electors at the To Ha para 1 school. His speech was punctuated g throughout with interjections, but at | times .Mr. Lysnar scored vigorously off g his opponents. The greater part of the ■ interjections came from three Labor 8 supporters present, and wore in the g main, of a friendly nature. Mr. Ji Scholium presided over an at- | tendance of about (10 people. I Mr. Lysnar, who was received with I applause, outlined his political posi- | tion as an Independent, on the-lines of | Ins previous, addresses. He put the g district and the country before party, g (Hear, hear.) He was a supporter, of I fusion but not on a haphazard basis,. I Dealing with the question of the ship- g ping strike Mr. Lysnar said that it g was clear that it had been engineered g by Soviet Russia and the Labor loaders g were in favor of the strike. He did g not think, however, that that could be g said of the rank and tile; of labor. The g object of the strike was to injure the g British Empire. Through the efforts g of Mr. Coates New Zealand had been g able to get her produce away. Mr. 1 Holland at his meeting on Saturday g stated that he was in sympathy with 1 the men and had he been in power the conditions at the present time would be very different,, and the country would bo faced with bankruptcy. Mr. Lysnar then outlined many of the reforms which had been carried out and detailed what had been done in connection with education and pensions. He had taken great interest in tho question of mental hospitals and found that the Government now agreed with his views and were prepared to carry out certain reforms. Under the Child Welfare Act provision had now been made whereby children under 1(5 years of age would be dealt with in a Court entirely separate from the ordinary Court. The Labor party had a good deal to say about the usehold land policy but he was certain that the usehold would never stand as the freehold had done. The housing I question had been very troublesome and the Government had fairly tried to meet the position, but it was impossible to catch up with the demand. He thought the best policy was for the Government to find the money and for the people to build their own homes. He was sure that if he had not been an Independent he could not have achieved so much for the district. He ] felt that there should be some system of contributory pensions so that both employer and employee should contribute a small amount per week. There were plenty of men who earned good money who could well afford to put some of it aside. The Minister had promised to bring down legislation in connection with contributory pensions next session. He was determined to deal with trusts which were detrimentally affecting tho people in the Dominion. The trust menace had been grappled with' in America and the “big live” were now a negligible factor. The Labor party had alleged that he had levelled charges against the Minister of Agriculture and that therefore he had made charges against the Government. He had never made charges against the Government, and the Labor party forgot that they had a new Prime Minister, to whom he looked to deal with trusts. Had there, not been a change ho might have had something to sav to them about trusts. He was not satisfied that tho Meat Board and the Dairy Control Board were functioning in.a’ proper manner and for that ho blamed the Minister of Agriculture. Only that day he had seen by the , paper that second grade moat was bringing more than first grade, and that satisfied him that the grading u'hs wrong. The Meat Board were sending moil round who graded up to a standard which favored thb big firms. A voice: The second grade is lighter. Air. Lysnar: It doesn’t matter. Tho voice: Yes it does. Continuing, Mr. Lysnar said that the excessively fat stock were being graded ns first quality. More than tit) per cent, of the meat which went out of Poverty Bay last year was second grade.

THE speaker heckled. Dealing with taxation and wage reductions, Mr. Lysnar said that he had ijeceived a copy of a leaflet issued at the Labor meeting on Saturday which said that the Reform party would further reduce the wages. There was not a scintilla of evidence to that effect. A voice: What about what Mr. Anderson said? The Labor party is right. Mr. Lysnar said ' there was not a shadow of justification for the statement. The Civil, servants wages were fixed by. a Board and not by Parliament. Tho wages of the Civil servants had only been reduced because there was a reduction iii the cost of living. Ordinary wages were emit rolled by tho Arbitration Court. A vtiiee: What is a fair wage? Mr. LVsnav: The Arbitral ion Court fixed £" 17s Kid as the basic wage.- I find though that iliero are very few men who receive wages as low as that. Its the go-slow policy that’s the trouble and that’s what causes the minimum wage. A voice: Oh, no. (Hear, hear.) Mr Lysnar: The minimum wage is the lowest that they can give. A voice: Yes, and-that's all.the employers pay. That’s all I get. Mr Lysnar: Then you must go slow. The voice :-01i, no I don’t, ■ -• • A lady: Yes, and tho. fanners don’t pay much. (Laughter). Mr Lysnar: I know that on road contracts the wages are .much above the minimum wage. ■ Another present : I have worked at several occupations and have always received only the minimum. Mr Lysnar: If anyone in this room can show 1 hat the Arbitration Court is

wrong, it- is bis duty to go and have tho wages altered. A voice: Doesn’t the judge get £2CCO a year? He should be put down to £3 1.7 s a week. (Laughter). t Continuing, Mr. Lysnar said that he had had many a . tilt with the Labor people over tlifc matter. The Court was composed of a judge and an assessor,, but bo maintained that, there should be ‘ti, special assessor for each trade. A voice: Why didn’t Parliament set up the commission to go into the cost of living? You had a commission. (Laughter). Mr Lysnar: Because that would lie a reflection on the Arbitration Court. Parliament would not do that.

A voice: No, of course they would not, because its for the worker. Mr Lysnar: Don’t get that into your head.

Another voice: Wc can’t get it out. (Laughter). Another voice: What’s a fair wage then ?

Mr Lysnar: I have already said that I don’t think £3 17s lOd is enough. What about the English seamen then ? Mr Lysnar: You can’t compare that. I have heard where sailors on the New Zealand coast have, through overtime, made more than the captain. Continuing, Mr Lysnkr said that if Labor got into power there would be such a shortening of finance-that public works would have to stop. _ ... A" voice':'Would there be ti-tree gro'w-' ing in Gladstone road? Mr Lysnar: Oh, that would have nothing to do with the Government. (Laughter). Another voice: Tie's got no sense of humor,' yon know. Another voice: There'll he daisies growing on you on November 4. Mr Lysnar: I don’t think so. (Applause). Herewith 'the police look a hand in the proceedings and threatened to put the interjector out. Continuing, Mr Lysnar said that the extreme Labor party was disloyal, hut that it did not represent the rank and file, which was being led by extremists. He had made many statements about tlio Labor party at his meetings, bqt Mr Holland had not corrected them. If they were not true-Mr Holland should have said. so. At his meeting Mr Holland had said that in Parliament they took no notice of W. D. Lysnar, but that was incorrect, because if there was one man they wanted out of the House it was W. 1). Lysnar. Mr Holland had once said that the first thing he would do if he got into power would be to put him (the speaker) out. (Laughter). That-.was the way they did things in Russia. A. voice: Hut wd aren’t in Russia. Dealing with Russia, Mr Lysnar said that the New' Zealand Labor party had sent a telegram of sympathy with Russia on Lenin’s death. Lenin had been responsible fur more deaths than any other man in history. A voice: That’s an absolute lie. Continuing, Mr Lysnar said that the Labor Tarty aimed at doing away with the oath and with Parliament. A voice: Only with Parliament as it is constituted to-day. Mr Lysnar said that in Russia thousands had been shot for nothing. A voice: We’ll try to believe you, but there’s thousands wouldn’t. (Loud laughter). ,

Mr Lysnar said that there were many who would not believe him, hut Mr Holland had come and gone without denying what he (the speaker) had said. In the Socialist Sunday schools they wyre teaching little children to become traitors. <

Mr Lysnar quoted from a Socialist document which denied tho existence of a Deity. A voice: Where was that printed ? Mr Lysnar: It was used in Australia and New Zealand. A voice: It was used last election and not since then. (Laughter)-. Another speaker: I w r as in the Labor movement, and it, was never used there. Mr Lysnar: Mr Holland says that Russia is the vanguard of the World, but it’s the vilest, blackest, dirtiest spot in the world.

A voice: It hqs always been. Mr Lysnar-: Oh, I would not go -as far as that. (Laughter). Continuing, the speaker said that if Mr Coleman was elected he would be absolutely under the control of the Labor unions. Mr Coleman had denied that the Labor party was connected with Rblshevisiti; hilt his platform denied that, and Mr Coleman either made that statement knowing it to be wrong or else, he did not know. I’ll try and believe that he did not know. A lady: Thousands wouldn’t. (Laughter).

Continuing, Mr Lysnar said that the platform*of the party was against British Imperialism and embraced all other nations. Would the gentleman who has been interjecting suggest that the Defence Act should be• repealed as. suggested by the Labor- party. The interjector: Yes, if its going to cost £500,000 a year. ' Mr Lysnar: Then I say that its worth £s(lo,fiOO a year to protect our homes. (Loud applause). A returned soldier: I was away Tout years, and you bet it is. (Renewed applause). T. . Continuing, Mr Lysnar said he.hoped that he had shown that there wash, disloyal party which had no respect for the King or for the Empire. (Applause).

“Can you name one member Of the Labor party who teaches in a Socialist Sunday school, or can you point to one of their plonks which teaches that?” was the first question. The speaker said that he had heard that the Rev. Mr, Archer did that, and lie had heard that Mr Archer had said he would sooner pray for a weasel than for the King. As regards that second part of the question, they knew that 'Soviet Russian banned religion. A Salvation Army officer who was at present in New Zealand had instanced the ease of 37 Salvation Army women who were imprisoned in Russia under deplorable conditions. They had only been released after the Prime Minister of England had intervened. He then read a message in which the Pope, writing to the American people, expressed his fear of Bolshevism.

An interjector: It’s ridiculous for you or anyone else to make that statement about the Roman Catholics, because they know it is not true. A lady: Hear, hear. It isn’t true. The interjector: I’m not a Roman Catholic, hut I’m here to defend any religion, and I’m going to do it. The next question was as to whether the candidate was in favor of all schoolchildren receiving free dental treatment.

• Mr Lysnar said that his opinion was that all the children’s teeth should be attended to. He would favor the children of Convent and private schools receiving free treatment. Mr McKinley moved a hearty vote of, thanks to Mr Lysnar. This was seconded by. Mrs Newton, and carried with acclamation.

MR SMITH AT MANGAPAPA. ' The Nationalist candidate, Mr George Smith, addressed! a, good attendance of. electors at the Mangapapa hall last evening. Mr T. Turnbull presided. -- : The candidate dealt primarily with the financial question, ai)d explained the policy of his party' In.Tliis department.,’ He pointed out that during the past few years the expenditure on the various Government departments had- increased by a very high percentage, whereas tlio revenue had not correspondingly increased. When the Reform party came into power they claimed that they would reform tlie cost of administration,, and 1 this was how they had) done it. Another thing that he had against- the Government wae that it had. made a grant of £122,440 to 33 land owners on the East Coast of the North Island, this being incoriib tax refunded.

- The. speaker dealt exhaustively with maters in cohnectin with education,, and free dental treatment for the children, thfe railway department,..agricultural hanks, arid the closet settlement question., Alluding to closer settleemnt, Mr Smith said that his party was dut to get this at the earliest possible moment. In his opinion in a country like New Zealand there should lie at least a quarteh of the people on the land, and it was the policy of the Nationalist party to get them there. In coiuie.ctiori:: witfrsfchcr. ..agricultural banking question, the eaiididate .said-ho wished to qualify some statements, he had made at previous meetings. By saying that the agricultural banks would help Tlih farrner he meant the workine farmer, and riot the big man who had large holdings and .jcould afford to live in town. The Nationalist-' party wanted to help the working farmer, arid the pstablisfiment of agricultural banks would he of great- assistance, to him. He would get iiis money at a. cheaper rate of inter, est, arid for a longer term. . Mr Smith also dealt at length /with economics. If indirect taxation were abolished down would come tho cost of living. Tho matter of capital and labor was also gone into by the candidate, who said that what he wished! to see was these two working closer together. A hearty vote of thanks and confidence was accorded the speaker.

MR COLEMAN’S CAMPAIGN. ’. MEETING' AT KAITI: A further address in support of Iris candidature was given by Mr D-W. Coleman, the Labor nominee, iri the Kaitv schoolroom last evening, Mr 0. E. Bickfovd presiding over an attendance of between 40 and SO. Replying to criticism that a Labor member would not be able to attend to tho needs of his district because lie was bound by a platform drawn up-for-delegates at an annual conference,/ Mr Coleman said that a Labor member was jtlst as free as any other to study tho interests of the district lie represented. His party, in fact, expected him to do so. Mr Coleman outlined the policy of tho Labor party on the lines adopted at previous meetings. He devoted some time to the land policy, which, he maintained, encouraged the farmers to wprk the land, and, unlike the Government’s policy, did not encourage laud! gambling. He advocated the establishment of a State bank in the interests of all classes, arid deprecated the huge profits made by the Bank of New Zealand. Tn dealing with taxation, ho complained that huge gifts had been made (0 the Wealthy.'classes.. The candidate dealt with immigration and pensions, and concluded by Stating that a vote for either Mr Lysnar or Mr Smith was a vote against Lnbo>. • Mr Coleman was accorded a most at-

tentive and after lie had answer- ; ; j ed several questions, was accorded a vote’ T of thanks, -