OPPOSITION ATTACKED.

Taranaki Daily News, 4 November 1925, Page 9

OPPOSITION ATTACKED.

NATIONALISTS AND LABOUR. THE DANGER OF COMMUNISM. AIR. BELLRINGER’S FINAL SPEECH. Before a fair attendance at the Empire Theatre, New Plymouth, last night, the Reform candidate for the Taranaki seat (Mr. C. E. Bellringer) delivered his final electioneering address, in which he dealt with what he termed several weaknesses and. dangers of the National and Labour policies. At the end of a quiet meeting the speaker was accorded a vote of confidence without a discordant note. After referring briefly to his own party 8 policy. Mr. Bellringer .remarked that the National Party had a policy oi a sort. Pho National candidate for the Taranaki seat had admitted himself, however, that he was not following a leader but a principle. The speaker was following a leader and a principle, it everyone followed his own sweet will, the House; would be split up into a number of sections, and no cohesion or definite line of policy would be possible. It had not been suggested that Air. Uorbes, good fellow as he was, was a leader. The members of the National larty were looking for certain seats in Cabinet; they wanted to see whether they could go back to Parliament strong enough to be able to make terms with the Government and hold the balance of power—they recognised that they could not go back as the Government. TWO VACANT PORTFOLIOS. The people did not want, however, to put into Parliament men with .such’ an end in view. The National Party were at the present time laying stress on the weakness of the present Ministry. It was well-known that at least two seats in the Cabinet were vacant. Mr. Smith had criticised what he termed the weakness of the Minister for Ki- ■ nance. Everybody knew, said Mr. Bellringer, that Mr. Nosworthy was only temporarily filling the position, and it was almost certain that Mr. Downie Stewart would fill the vacancy (applause). M ith regard to the Labour Party, Mr. Bellringer admitted that there were some things about their policy that he could not understand. The Labour candidate was quite right when he said that imagination was naeded to understand it. The country did not want a policy of this nature but a government that would get down to solid business and deal with facts as they were. Mr. Sheat had advertised that he would speak last night on the “Communistic bogey.” It was no bogey at all, said Air. Bellringer, but a very real menace. He went on to show how sweeping and revolutionary were the instructions issued to their supporters by the Communistic Party in Australia, where the most violent doctrines were advocated. The Communist Party, indeed, controlled 400.000 of the members of the Labour Party, because it had eleven of its members on the executive of twelve which governed the Labour unions. The increase of this Communistic force was threatening New Zealand, and to fight it, it was the duty of the people to return a strong and stable Government. LED BY COMMUNISTS. He knew that the majority of the members of the labour unions in New Zealand were not Communists, said Mr. Bellringer, but like the majority of the labourers in Australia they were anxious to avoid the trouble of administration of their unions, -=>nd left this to the Communists. This was where the great danger lay, and why the Communists were obtaining such a strong hold. Dealing next with the statement recently issued in an advertisement published in the press that a vote for Coates was a vote against the port of New Plymouth, he said the statement was, of course, quite absurd, and he went on to explain that a new contract had recently been entered snto between the Dairy Control Board and the shipping companies which would not expire until the middle of 1&27. It was not practicable to have a fast and regular service from New Plymouth until the port facilities were sufficient. Steps were being taken by the harbour board to provide these facilities in time for the signing of the new contract, and the speaker felt sure that New Plymouth was to be in a short time a main port. Mr. Bellringer then went on to deal with salient points in the policy of his party.

In reply to a question he . stated that if he were returned as member and Prohibition were carried, he would either -support a Bill or introduce one himself giving the electors an opportunity to vote again on the liquor question after Prohibition had been given a fair trial. On the motion of Mr. E. Bean, seconded by Mr. H. C< Sampson, the candidate was accorded a hearty vote of thanks and confidence, there being no dissentient voice.