MR FORBES' TOUR

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 74, Issue 280, 26 November 1931, Page 8

MR FORBES' TOUR

SUPPORT FOR COALITION A FAVOURABLE OUTLOOK. [ Per Press Association. ] WELLINGTON, Nov. 25. Mr. Forbes arrived from the South Island this morning. He said he had been- extremely pleased with the evidence he had seen on all sides of solid support for the Coalition Government. There was a wide-spread determination to stand by the Government. Rowdiness at public meetings caused by the associates of the Laboui Party in attempts to prevent Coalition candidates speaking was only tending to strengthen the determination of many electors to rally round the Government on polling day. He regarded the outlook as very favourable for the return of the Government to office, but supporters of the Government should not take it for granted that victory was secure, and should roll up to the polling booths on election day, because the Labour Party was out to get as big an aggregate vote as possible so that they could claim, in analysing the voting. that the support for the Labour Party had increased and that the Government’s policy was unpopular. With that object in view the Labour Party was putting up candidates where they had not a ghost of a show. He urged Coalition supporters to make tho poll a large one and expressed the hope that the Labour Party would not be able to make such a claim because of neglect of the people who did not think it necessary to vote. MR. HOLLAND’S CAMPAIGN SPEECH AT NEW PLYMOUTH REPLY TO DOWNIE STEWART [ Per Press Association. ] NEW PLYMOUTH, Nov. 24. Mr. H. E. Holland, the Labour leader, addressed a packed house, the crowd listening to loud-speakers in the street. He made reference to the speech made by Mr. Downie Stewart at Dunedin and said that, in common with the utterances of Mr. Forbes and Mr. Coates, it betrayed complete bankruptcy in the matter of policy. The electors were entitled to know from every party what its proposals for reconstruction amounted to, but the Coalition had no policy whatever to offer. All that its three most prominent leaders- could say was that they demanded a blank cheque to bo used at their own sweet will after the elections were over. It was probably the flrst time in the history of New Zealand that the party occupying the Treasury benches had gone to the country without a policy of some sort on which to base their claims for support. People could be sure of further wage reduction and additional wholesale dismissals from the Public Service, accompanied by pensions reductions and attacks on education and other social services, but they could be sure of nothing else. Recent statements made by Mr. Coates showed that Mr. Forbes and the United Party could not be entrusted with the powers that were now being asked for. Mr. Forbes himself had demonstrated that it would be both foolish and dangerous to give Mr. Coates and the Reform Party these powers. The Labour Party in the present contest stood alone in having a definite programme to place before the electors. A vote of thanks and confidence was carried almost unanimously. COALITION CRITICISED MR HOLLAND AT AUCKLAND [ Per Press Association. ] AUCKLAND, Nov. 25. Keen public interest was taken in the address of Mr H. E. Holland here tonigh + The Town Hall and Concert Chamber were packed and a large crowd listened outside. Mr Hutchison, the Mayor, presided. Mr Holland spoke for over two hours and was accorded an enthusiastic vote of confidence and support. A perfectly orderly and sympathetic hearing was accorded the Labour Party’s leader, who claimed that had it not been for Labour the people would have had no election. His statement that the union of United and Reform was not a legal but a companionate marriage was greeted with much laughter and applause. He criticised the appointments of Mr Masters and Sir James Parr, and claimed that Mr Forbes had surrendered the United Party and accepted the domination of Reform. Ho claimed that every time a new economy was made by the Government the unemployment situation was accentuated, and asserted that within four months of the Government having stated that no more New Zealand railway sleepers were vanted thousands of sleepers were brought from Australia. He criticised tho smallness of tho pay being allowed to men on relief works, and said that they must be got back to a rate of pay that would give a reasonable standard of living. There was an abundance of productive work needing to be done and the Labour Party would carefully select men suitable for brerking in Crown lands. There were many large estates that would be broken up if Labour came to power. Mr Holland charged the Government wit a breach of faith in retiring many Civil Servants before their time, but said striking exception had been made in favour of Mr Sterling and others. He declared the Government had refused all benefits to women under unemployment legislation, had reduced maternity allowances, reduced Provident Fund benefits, reduced grants to hospital boards and nurses’ salaries, and stopped the free dental service of children. Mr For, *s was not going to abolish the Arbitration Court but was going to abolish agreements and awards under it and leave it hopeless and helpless as far as the workers were concerned. Mr M. J. Savage, at the close, appealed for the same quiet hearing for Mr. Forbes on Monday night.