THE HUTT ELECTION

Taranaki Daily News, 7 December 1929, Page 3

THE HUTT ELECTION

CANDIDATES’ ACTIVITIES

MINISTER ON THE PLATFORM REFORM AND LABOUR RIVALRY Wellington, Dec. 4. Speaking at Day’s Bay iu support of Mr. J. Kerr's candidature for the vacant Hutt scat in the House, of Representatives, the Hon. W. A. Veitch, the Minis’ ter of Labour, Mines and Transport, stated incidentally that at last he was able to say the Prime Minister was making definite progress towards convalescence. .He had passed through a very trying time, made all the more trying by his insistence upon keeping abreast of everything that was going on in the political and administrative spheres, but he was.now gaining strength and there was every reason to hope he would ba getting about again shortly. Probably his recovery would have been more speedy had he eschewed politics and business altogether; “but that,” said the Minister, “is not the way with men of his temperament, who keep on working the whole, year round, and seem to enjoy their jobs no matter how arduous they may appear to be.” Mr. Veitch’s reassuring remarks were greeted with warm applause from a gratified audience'.

■ MEMBERS’ BONUS. Referring to other matters in the course of his supplement to Mr. Kerr's address, Mr. Veitch said he was quit* ready to bear his share of the blame, if . blame there wore, for the addition of £l6O to the honorarium of members of the House of Representatives'this year. Personally ■ho was not concerned about the payment;, as Ministers of the Crown \ did not participate in the additional hon- ’i orarium; but he knew enough about the financial difficulties of many members of the House to realise that the payment was justified. It had to be remembered that the increase- applied only to the current year, and that few of the members, if any, had spent as little as,£lso upon the recent election. This would have left .even, the most frugal member with. only. £3OO, and from this suni he would, have, to .meet subscriptions ; and other incidental demands, as well as the maintenance of two homes, if ho happened to live out of Wellington, as nine members out of ten did.

THREE-CORNERED CONTEST. Tho three-cornered contest for the Hutt seat is producing some lively personal exchanges between the three aspirants for the occupancy of tuo Hon. T. M. Wilford’s shoes.' Mr. H. G. Johnston, the Reform candidate, is concentrating his attack - upon - Labour ’and dealing com-paratively-lightly with the United can- , didate, all of which is good, tactics from tho Opposition’s point of view; Speaking at Eastbourne on Monday . night, however, Mr. Johnston seems' to have somewhat over-stepped the confines of his brief. He told his audience that if Labour came into power it would seize the savings of tho poor and needy deposited in.the.Post Office Savings Bans, and then would go on to the Public Trust Office to. secure .the money of the widows and orphans, deposited there. That, ho declared, was the policy to which every , man swore allegiance when he became i member of tho Labour party.

I . LABOUR RETORTS. i • Naturally when Mr. Nash, the Labour , candidate, came to address a. large audiehed from the same platform last night he had something “to say concerning Mr. Johnston’s astounding assertions. He declared that the Reform candidate, who was not lacking in ordinary intelligence, had made vicious, libellous and absurd attacks upon the Labour party, which he' must have known to be as false as they were ludicrous. Mr. Nash paid a very high tribute to the service-and the management of the Post Office Sayings Bank and the Public Trust Office, and expressed a. hope they never would come under the-influence of -the capitalists or the proprietory banks. ■ Labour’s effort, -it any rate, would-be to extend the beneficent uses of these institutions and to extend in every way possible their value to tho community at large. Mr. John- ' ston, who had. been apprised of Mr. Nash’s intention .to contradict his statements, speaking last night in another part of the constituency, declared that whatever the Labour party might say its policy was one of confiscation.