POLITICAL POINTS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16903, 30 November 1922, Page 6

POLITICAL POINTS.

WHAT THE CANDIDATES ARE SAYING. receiving pensions f” • asked a questioner of Mr J. Steer at Greymoutb. “Don’t thev all receive them?” 2 1 “ No !” “ Well—which widows do nob receive * pensions?” «. Grass widows!” (Uproar.) “ The Government has shown no such fidelity to their promises and no such legislative or administrative capacity as entities them to a further * extension of office. It i* time the affairs of the country were administered by a new set of men.—Mr T. K. Sidey at Dunedin. “ Do you believe in half-way houses to the mental asylums?” aseked a persistent intorjector of Dr Thacker at his meeting last evening. “I do!” was the hearty response of the candidate. “I do They would be very useful for a great number of quesi tioners at political meetings!” The crowd chirruped. “ The great Reform cry in 1911 was Sweep a wav the rotten system of ! Ministerial influence in the Civil Ser- , | vice.’ There were to-day over 50,000 j employees in the various Departments . of the State, but only a mere fraction Commissioner. That pledge was j therefore more unfulfilled than fulfilled.”—Mr T. K. Sidey at South Dunedin. “ Are you in favour of the introduction of the bimetallic standard of money being introduced into New Zealand ?” was a poser placed before -Mr W. H. Bennett (Wellington Central) by a questioner. Mr Bennett said there were faddists in every walk of life, and evidently it was a faddist who asked the question. Mr Bennett ! left the audienco in the dark as to his attitude towards the introduction of the bimetallic standard. “ Sob-stuff.” at Palmerston North ! Mr J. A. Nash, sitting Reform candidate, was working up to a peroration. 44 One of the reasons that we think so much of Mr Massey: love him so much ” The rest of the speaker’s words were drowned in the uproar which ensued. 44 Before concluding.” said Mr Nash. 44 I would like to read a poem of Lowell.” A voice: “Get your handkerchiefs ready !” I He deserves to be elected! According to his advertisement in the Auckland papers. Edmund H. Buckingham Independent Reformer, will speak on 44 New triple alliance. composed of j leaders, social, mental physical work j ers, in one harmonious combination, j for the purpose of reforming the nation. Founded on sound democratic principles. Equal opportunity for all lution. Essential in upholding a groat, i nation. Hence the necessity for strong i broad-minded statesmen.” If he can i eav all ‘that in one breath he shouLJ | make a. first-class politician ! Mr Massey, in the course of an address, refuted the aspersions that had been thrown on one of his supporters, Mr Vivian Potter, during Mr Potter's first term in Parliament. Mr Massey said that he knew Mr Potter had been slandered. It had been said that he was drunk in Parliament. The speaker mentioned that h » personally kept longer hours in the building than other j members, and he had a prettv good i idea of what went on. The present : Parliament was a sober one. A high-pitched female voice: Hear. - hear. (Laughter;. From 1912 to 1917 under Reforrr ! there were 109 strikes, involving 27.163 : men; from 1906 to 1913 under LiU-rai ! there were 36 strikes involving 2251 men. In giving these figures at Wnl ! lace Mr J. C. Thomson went on to ; say that the position of the average ! man was shown by the P.O. Savings j Bank, from which last year withdrawals i . exceeded deposits hv over a million. ! ■ From £2OOO to £3OOO a day were being j i lost on the railways, while fares were • ! 25 per cent and freights .50 per cent i ! higher heavy increases in charges had . reduced the post and telegraph re ■ venue, the tourist department, which I should he revenue oroduoing, was the j i reverse, and £200.000 per annum was ■ j being; spent for the upkeep of a per- ! feetly useless cruiser in the Chatham. ; ; In n vision splendid near Mount- ! j Eden the other night, Air F. N. Bar I tram, the Labour candidate for Grey ; Lynn, saw the golden age of learning; ! | when “ New Zealanders would be ; I | truly cultured people, when the cul- ■; tured navvy, the erudite wharfie. and • | the refined stoker would be the rule i j and not the exception.” The pro- ! j epect is not to be sneered at, sa-s an | exchange. It holds immense advan j tages. Apart from the enrichment of [ industry, with the majestic compounds | and copiousness of the Greek language, i there would be an end to strikes and ! studied interruptions. The professor at the winch and the pedant in thu stokehold would remember that such stupidities are against the teachings of all the great masters. It is clear without industrial culture that a don-.. gjfment of industry merely deprives the worker and his family of many necessaries and simple pleasures.

According to Napier’s Reform can didate a Socialist- is not a Labourite. There are some very good Labour men. but they are not of the Socialist class, lie said. A Socialist has no God, and does not. believe in religion. A voice ; Neither do you. The Socialist did not believe in the future life, nor in marriage. These remarks evoked considerable laughter. A voice : I am surprised that a man of your ability would stand up and tell such a damnable lie. There was an unholy alliance between the Reform Party and the extreme Socialist Party, declared the Hon J. A Ha nan at Invercargill- The audi ence had recently listened to someone who had compared political parties to ships. The Labour ship reminded the speaker of a painted ship upon a painted ocean. Its chief freight was futile and impractical imaginations. Even Lenin had admitted that measures that they thought 'would benefit the workers had proved utterly disastrous to the workers themselves. The people of New Zealand would never approve of the Red Feds becom in or his Majesty’s opposition, but the object of both parties was to fore'* the electors to vote for one of two extremes—Reform or Revolutinary Socialism. Mr .T. Vigor Brown was speaking a.tNapier when a voice asked: AVha.t about the Napier Harbour Board Bill i that you side-stepped ? I Mr Brown : I’ve never side-stepped, anything in my life. He started to explain about- the Bill when he was subjected to several interruptions. A voice : Don’t- tell any lies. Air Brown: I never tel! any lies. Continuing his explanation. Mr Brown said that when he was about to move the Bill in the House he was informed that a lady wished to see him outside. He- asked Sir James Carroll to move the Bill, and went out t<> see the lady, who was. a Salvation Army lass. (Laughter). A voice: Was she young? (Roars of la lighter)Air Brown : Yes, and she was pretty, t-00. Continuing, Air Brown said that when he got back the Bill had been passed. Next morning the “ Hawke’s Bay Herald ” published an article, which was beaded “ Napier Harbour Bill Saved.” ‘‘ Sir James Carroll to the Rescue,’’ “ Mr Brown Absent.” After further interruptions Air Brown exclaimed: Can't T see a lady in the House? (Laughter). The most remarkable political meet ing in this and manv another election was held in Auckland on Monday night, when Air Edmund H. Buckingham opened a belated campaign as “ the eleventh hour Independent candidate for Auckland East.” ft v. as not only a strange meeting: it was to the audience both a bewilderIn a dim light as for a theatrical tragedy the strange business began. The necessary introduction was made, and a fair hearing guaranteed by a responsive cheer. The subject of Afr Buckingham = speech was given ns True Patriot ism/’ so the candidate asserted that be was out to defend patriotism. Then he told a storv abour the silly wav .< gawkv Scot bad oroposed to a servant maid at a mangle. ATr Buckingham fervently aid that he was glad that he was not from that stock. His father was an Englishman who had settled in Canterbury in the early j days. The candidate incidentally '-•x- j plained the English manner of pro posing. Art elector walked out. “I am glad to be described as the eleventh hour candidate,” said Air Buckingham. tc Eleven is associated with many important events. I have eleven meetings ahead of me. and tber are eleven thousand electors in this electorate. The great war finished at the eleventh hour on the eleventh day of the eleventh month. And I was born on the eleventh day of the eleventh month. Perhaps number eleven will make history in this cam pnign.” Voices: O. rot! Give us polities! Two electors retired and the ranks thinned rapidly till the end.

MAIL NOTICES.

! (SnprHert by the Postal Department.) ! Mails '■-'one as fellow:—• TO-DAY, NOVEMBER SO. For Northern ports. 5.45 p.m., late fee ' letters 6.K> p.m.; guard’s ran 7.13 p.m. For Kaikoura, 3 p.m.. late fee letters ’ 3 15 p.m. ; guard's van 4 p.m. train. OUTGOING OVERSEA MAILS. Mails which left ’Wellington on October lf> via San Francisco, per E.M.S. Tahiti, arrived London November 19. Mails .for United Kingdom, Continent -f Europe, via- Montevideo 'epeoia-lly addT-ess-♦*.n corretpon*.ience only), per Tainui. close ip Christchurch on December 4. at 3.45 pm. for Australian States, South Africa aud the East, per Tahiti, from Wellingtorj. December 4 ml) close in Christchurch at 5.45 p.m. on Saturday. December 2. INCOMING OVERSEA MAILS. Tb© Tahiti left San Francieco on November 1C for Wellington. Mails due in Christchurch on December 2. The Waiotapu left San Francisco on November 4 fee- Auckland. Mails due in Christchurch on December 3. On© hundred and ninety-six bags news and 33 parcel reeeptaoie* ox Kent will arrive on Saturday. J- E. BROADFOOT. m _ Chief J'ostmaster.