IN TOWN AND OUT

Southland Times, Issue 22732, 7 November 1935, Page 4

IN TOWN AND OUT

NEWS OF THE DAY Gift From Axemen. A donation of £2O from the Tuatapere Axemen’s Carnival Committee to the crippled children’s fund is acknowledged by the Mayor of Invercargill. « ♦ ♦ * A Prediction. “Make no error about it—the Government is going back into office,” said Mr John Miller, the National Government candidate, at Sylvan Bank last evening. ♦ * * * A Bachelor Tax? “Do you favour a heavy bachelor tax?” was the final question asked of Mr Gordon Reed, the Democrat Party’s candidate for Invercargill, at his meeting last evening by Mr W. Aitchison. The allusion contained in the question provoked roars of laughter from the audience. “I think this is one of my friend’s jokes—a bit old,” replied the candidate laughingly. * * Governor-General's Visit. His Worship the Mayor (Mr John Miller) reports that arrangements have been finalized for the civic reception to be tendered their Excellencies Viscount and Viscountess Galway during their first visit to Invercargill next week. The reception will take place at the Rose Gardens at 2.30 p.m. on Tuesday, and in order that citizens may be given the opportunity of meeting their Excellencies, the Mayor has requested that all business premises be closed from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. An address of welcome will be presented by the Mayor. * » ♦ * Red Tape.

Laughter was raised by Mr Gordon Reed, the Democrat candidate for Invercargill at his meeting in Smith’s Hall last evening when he exclaimed: “For some reason or other we are covered in red tape in this little country of ours. If you leave the country there is red tape and if you come to the country there is red tape,” he went on. “There is red tape when you are born and red tape when you die. You have to be registered to be an optician or a secondhand dealer, and if you keep a few pigs you come under the Pig Export Act or something of that sort.”

Shortage of Farm Labour. A suggestion made by Mr W. H. Allen, secretary of the Waikato Executive of the Farmers’ Union, that a fair amount of labour for farms could be made available during December, January and February by the employment of university students who were on vacation, was supported at the meeting of the executive. It was stated that the suggestion had been circulated among branches and had been generally welcomed as a means of relieving the present acute shortage of labour on farms. Steps are to be taken to get into touch with students willing to take up farm work.

Mr Baldwin’s Photograph. “The date for the election has been fixed for just after the British election,” declared Mr Gordon Reed, the Democrat Party’s candidate for Invercargill, last evening. “They are not all fools in the National Party. They hope the result in Britain will affect the result here, but you know the British National Government has no relation to their party. They have an advertisement in . the papers containing a photograph of Mr Stanley Baldwin. I don’t suppose Mr Baldwin knows his photograph is being used, but it is significant that they are not using photographs of either Mr Forbes or Mr Coates.” (Laughter.)

The Government Leaders. At his meeting last evening Mr Gordon Reed, the Democrat candidate for Invercargill, read a statement attributed to the Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. G. W. Forbes, when Mr Forbes was leader of the Liberal Party. In the statement Mr Forbes declared that his party would never join the Reform Party. “You see now why they have reached a stalemate,” said Mr Reed. “That is, the financial genius, the Minister of Finance, the Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates, and his second-in-command, the Prime Minister. No wonder they make no progress. Each thinks the other has his tongue in his cheek.” (Laughter.) * * ♦ ♦

The New Post Office. “It is wonderful what the Government can do in the last minute,” said Mr Gordon Reed last evening. “The men working on the new aerodrome for Invercargill are to get standard rates. They tell us they are giving us public buildings, a new courthouse and a new post office.” The candidate then produced a drawing of the new post office. “This appeared in one of the newspapers,” he said, showing it to the audience. “An architect friend of mine told me he did not think much of it, and if you want to frame it in your home (turning to the Times reporter present) you can get it afterwards.”

A Fall in Currency. Actions suited words when Mr Gordon Reed, the Democrat candidate for Invercargill, was referring to the depreciation of the New Zealand currency in his address last evening. He had remarked that after the raising of the exchange rate and the introduction _ of the new coinage Indian and Fijian traders in Suva had refused to take New Zealand silver from him. “I see here a Maori warrior in a fighting attitude,” exclaimed Mr Reed taking a handful of silver from his pocket. “He must have been a member of either the Labour' or the Democrat parties.” Just then a threepence escaped from the candidate’s hand, and after rolling round the stage fell to the floor with a tinkle near a table occupied by a Times reporter. The latter, who was not a Scotsman, did not go down on his knees for the chase and the fallen piece of currency remained on the floor for the rest of the evening.