PROOF OF COMPACT.

Wairarapa Age, 6 August 1930, Page 5

PROOF OF COMPACT.

NO LABOUR CANDIDATE IN INVERCARGILL. QUESTIONS IN THE HOUSE. TAXATION & WAGES. (By Telegraph—The “Age” Special.) WELLINGTON, August a. Asserting that the Labour Party were tools of the Government, Mr. D. Jones (Mid-Canter-bury) asked the House to-night to find further proof of this in their success in restraining a Labour candidate from standing for Invercargill. In face of this arrangement, the Beform Party was powerless in Parliament. Mr. G. C. Munns (Chief Government Whip): “Why did you not restrain them in Parnell?” Mr. Jones predicted that the result of increased taxation would be lower wages, for no farmer could pay tihe additional imposts and keep his men in employment. Mr. H. E. Holland (Leader of the Labour Party): “Do you think we would save them by cutting wages down?” Mr. Jones retorted that if the Reform Party had been in power, these things' would not have occurred, and its 16 years’ history proved this. The Budget required complete recasting; otherwise it was going to have very evil effects on New Zealand. The Government brought down the price of land last session and now it would bring it further down, with the result that farmers with mortgages woulD not be able to get them renewed. The Government would have its hands full when more men were pushed oft the farms than they could settle. Mr. C. H. Chapman, member for Wellington North, replied that in 1921 when taxes were high, wages were at their highest. Now that taxation was less, they were confronted with reduced wages, so, there was something wrong in the previous speaker’s facts or logic. Mr. Jones had remarked That there was no Labour candidate for Invercargill. What wais he expecting? The Reform candidate favoured a large amount of the policy approved by the Labour Party. He had even suggested a Government monopoly of petrol. He only needed to go along those lines a little further to find that the Reform Party was advocating quite a number of Labour principles and the time .might even come when Labour men would find it really not a good policy to run Labour candidates against Reformers. Reform member: “Be careful!” (Laughter.) Mr. Chapman: "But we would have to be assured of their sincerity.” Mr Holland: “That’s the hard part.” (Renewed laughter.)