N.Z. PEOPLE PAY FOR GOVT. ADS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17882, 25 June 1926, Page 12

N.Z. PEOPLE PAY FOR GOVT. ADS.

PUBLICITY TACTICS DISCUSSED IN HOUSE. (Special to the “ Star. ”) WELLINGTON, June 24. “Now to be candid I would have liked these big advertisements for the Labour Part}-,” said Mr Savage, referring to Reform’s publicity tactics during the Eden election campaign, but we simply didn’t have the money to pay for them. If the Minister of Customs hadn’t referred to the unpronounceable names among Labour Party supporters I wouldn’t have produced my picture gallery of advertisements, but what I want to know is who pays for all these big .advertisements?” The Prime Minister: They are voluntary contributors. Mr Savage: X’o doubt they are. I don’t suppose they would be conscripted. But who pays? The Prime Minister: The people of New Zealand. (Laughter among Labour members.) Mr Savage: Yes. all the people of New Zealand contributed towards payment of those advertisements, but they did not know they were doing it. (Laughter.) The Minister of Finance accuses us of keeping very quiet because we didn’t sweep the Treasury benches, but we haven’t heard Reformers beating any big drums since the Eden by-election, when Labour won all the way. MEAT WORKS TRANSACTIONS. The refusal of the Hon O. J. Hawken, Minister of Agriculture, to authorise the sale of the Wellington Meat Export Company’s works to Borthwick’s prompted Mr Lvsnar (Gisborne) to utter congratulations and regret that his predecessor did not do the same with the Poverty Bay meat works. “We had paid our way,” said Mr Lvsnar. referring to the company. “We could pay our interest and reduce our capital £50,000 that year if he had refused permission for sale. There would have been no commission and everybody would have been happy. I would never have put £20,000 into that works if I thought the Minister of Agriculture had not sufficient backbone to administer the Act. The Hon W. Nosworthy: You did a Worse thing than that, put your money into a ship. (Laughter.) “The wisest thing I ever did,” retorted Mr Lvsnar, who expressed indignation at a Minister showing such lack of dignity by scoffing remarks. Mr Nosworthy: You have never been Mr Lvsnar assured the House that his company’s steamer could make £20,000 on one trip with no outward cargo at all. This was sufficient to pay interest and sinking fund oil £400,000, its cost. He hotly condemned the Meat Board for refusing meat cargoes for the steamer Admiral Codrington from New Zealand, and declared he had asked the Prime Minister in the interests of the producers to remove from office its chairman, Mr David Jones. The speaker revived questions regarding the commission which investigated the sale of the Poverty Bay meat works to Vestys, describing the commission as “a total dead failure and unfair.” KAIAPOFS ANCIENT SCHOOL. The Ivaiapoi School Committee, represented by the Rev G. K. Aitken, chairman, and Mr Stark, secretary, were introduced by the Hon D. Buddo to the Minister of Education to-day with the object of requesting the erection of a new primary school at Kaiapoi. There was a site available in place ef the present low, unhealthy building which had done duty for fifty-two-years. The Minister pointed out that this school had not been placed on the urgent list by the Canterbury Education Board. He admitted the buildings had done good service, and he would get a report from the Health Officer regarding its condition. PARTY FUNDS AND USEFUL PEOPLE. Criticism from the Leader of the Opposition that his party had not the advantage of unlimited funds to fight the last election, caused the Hon W. Downie Stewart to make an amusing retort. He had noticed, he said, that Mr Holland pretended that he represented all the Liseful people of the Dominion. If that was so, judging by election results, only one-quarter of the electors were useful people, because that was the proportion which voted Labour. It had been complained that the Government Party had a huge campaign fund, but he noticed that the Labour Party appealed for a campaign fund of five figures. Mr Holland: We published all the names of our donors. Mr Stewart retorted that he had seen them. There were long lists of Assyrians, C-zecho-Slovaks and others, and he was sure the House would be very interested if Mr Holland would read out his subscribers, because most of their names were unpronounceable. (Laughter). Mr Parry: -Xo -wool kings.