CAMPAIGN SHOTS

Stratford Evening Post, Issue 69, 1 November 1928, Page 5

CAMPAIGN SHOTS

/ ON THE HUSTINGS. if POiJSTS AND rULiLCiEIs, ALWAYS TURNING CORNERS “Mr Coatep is always turning corners. It should be “Coates and corners,” saiß' Mr E. Allen at Otahuhu. “Some time ago! it was ‘Coates and confidence, s but the people regret they gave him such a thumping majority. There ‘are too many corners with Coates. ‘ I want to show you the 'straight road of the United Party. A LOST VOTE. “Yon have lost my vote sir.” came a mournful voice from the body of •the hall, when Mr Kells Mason, United Party candidate for Manukau, expressed doubt that Prohibition would be a’ good] tiling economically for the country', in replying to £i q uestion at Onehnnga. “Well, I am glad to know I did have yomr vote, even if only for one moment,” was the candidate’s smiling reply. - LOOKING AHEAD. Optimism in conneeSnn with the success of the United! Party was radiated by Mr A. A. M'Lachlan when he opened his campaign for the Riccarton electorate at Fendialton (says the Christchurch “Sun”)'. “When the party came intoi power—”he said. “Not power, Mac!” said an intorjector. “When the party camei into existence, then,” corrected Mr M'Lachlan. ‘ ‘But in the hurly-burly of politics it i s easy enough to look a couple of months ahead!” The audience laughed. “BOIL IT DOWN.’ 9 “Locking through ‘Hansard’ the other night, I discovered that, in five weeks the Legislative Council sat for nine hours and sixteen minutes, ,s stated/ Mr E. R. Allen, United' Party candidate for Auckland Suburbs, speaking at Avondale. “In that time they had onei torriffio burst of energy and sat! for two hours and five minutes. That made the old gentlemen to; tired that they adjourned for a fortnight, and then they cpme hack with! that tired holiday feeling,” A voice: “The Liberals never put them out when they were in before P’ 4 “We live and learn,” replied the candidate! “We were pretty good in th© old days, and' we are better still now. We want a Legislative Council, but let us boil it down to about* twelve and intake it elective/’ WHAT COATES DID. While on the subject of party loaders, Mr Langford, United Party candidate for Temuka, drew a comparison between the Reform Party and the United Party. He recalled that Mr Coates had first been elected as a Liberal in 1912 but later walked into the Reform lobby, being a silent member of the party. When Mr Massey was at the Imperial Conference Mr Coates and several other s had set about forming a progressive party and their price tor silence had been a seat on the Reform Goveruyiefit. On Mr Massey’s death Mr Coates and gone in on a wave of enthusiasm, “.in pho last throe years,,” proceeded Mr Langford, (! “the man who was going to accomplish eoi much, has ad elect £25,UU0,0u0 to the national debt.” A FEELER. , In the course of his Dunedin address the Prune Minister let slip a couple of wordls which, may have been significant of a mere accident ofspeech. in the distraction of interjections with which he was contend- * mg they were probably unnoticed by .most of his hearers. He was stressing the sigus of improving tunes, and remarked that when he came to Dunedin next election, in three “or four” years’ time, things would he much; better Afifei tfifey were, to-day.., Hej may have meant nothing-by the alternative of periods, but the probability ,that ho was throwing put a “feeler”, to learn hew the suggestion of an extension of the term of Parliament, would be accepted, is supported by the attention which a number of Reform candidates have been giving to the question.—Dunedin “Star.” l DEPARTMENTAL CONTROL. The greatest menace to the country was possibly the control of our State institutions by the Departments and 1 its heads rather than by the Ministers of the Crown, said Mr H. tT. .leaking (United candidate) atRemuera on Thursday. Their num-‘, hers had increased since Reform took charge from 60,000, receiving salaries amounting to £8,000,000 to 82,000, and salaries to £18,500,000. That was a very big percentage. Mire especially' when we realised that the total breadwinners in our. country only amounted to 660,000. To give an indication of Departmental influence Mr Jenkins drew attention to the ) fact that out of a total of gross expenditure 1 of £57,000,000 by the State, £31,000,000 was not subject,' to annual appropriation and £11,000.000 of this was spent by heads of 'Dppartmcffitis without being submitted to Parliament in their Estimate’s. That £31.000,000 was increased from £15,000,000 when Sir J- Ward was Minister of finance in, ,1918.