FILLED TO CAPACITY

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 80, Issue 240, 11 October 1938, Page 9

FILLED TO CAPACITY

DUNEDIN TOWN HALL MR. HAMILTON’S MEETING! [Per Press Association.] DUNEDIN, Oct. 10. The Town Hall was filled to capacity to-night and many hundreds were unable to gain admission when the Leader of the National Party, Hon. Adam Hamilton, addressed a meeting. Taken all round, Mr. Hamilton was given an attentive hearing by a sympathetic audience as he criticised aspects of Labour's policy and expounded the programme of the National Party. “There is no doubt,” Mr. Hamilton emphasised, “that the issue of this election is whether the people are to accept socialism or not —whether the State is to own all property and control all activity or whether the right of private ownership and private enterprise, which is one of the foremost British heritages, Is to remain. The Labour Party may try to cloud the issue, but that is the decision electors will have to make on Saturday.” Mr. Hamilton was accorded a vote of thanks and confidence on a motion by Mr. W. Downie Stewart.

PERMISSION REFUSED ISSUE OF WRIT BY MR. APPLETON [ Per Press Association.) WELLINGTON, Oct. 10. A telegram from the AttorneyGeneral, Hon. H. G. R. Mason, refusing I;im permission to issue a writ of injunction restraining the Prime Minister from using the broadcasting facilities for election purposes was received to-day by Mr. W. Appleton, National candidate for Wellington Central. The announcement was made by Mr. Appleton at a meeting tonight. The attitude of the AttorneyGeneral, he said, was in keeping with the Socialists’ policy of not allowing | citizens their proper rights. There was no doubt that the present broadcist arrangements constituted a breach of Section 14 of the Act and that the allocation of speeches was a breach oi Ministerial powers. “If the Prime Minister believes he is in the right, why doesn’t he allow me to proceed with my case,” added Mr. Appleton. “The Government 'members know I have a case. They are frightened to allow me to go to the Supreme Court. This is the reply I received this afternoon from the Attorney-General: ‘Referring to your telegram of the 3rd. instant, I have duly considered the matter and see no sufficient justification for initiating litigation.’ That telegram will help to put Mr. Mason and his party out,” said Mr. Appleton, amid applause.

“FICTITIOUS ISSUE” SOCIALISM v. PRIVATE ENTERPRISE. HON. D. G. SULLIVAN AT TAUMARUNUI. (Per Press Association.] TAUMARUNUI, Oct. 10. Hon. D. G. Sullivan, Minister of Railways, addressed a large audience on behalf of Hon. F. Langstone. He said the Hamilton-Forbes-Coates combination had sought to have the election fought on the fictitious issue of socialism versus private enterprise. He held that the Nationalists stood for an impossible and outworn philosophy opposed to the policy of the Government, which was in line with humanitarian and Christian thought expressed in adequate wages, salaries, pensions, guaranteed prices, concern for the poor, sick, aged, widow, orphan and those who most needed help. He was sure that the just and humanitarian character of the people of New Zealand would express itself next Saturday in a great victory for the policy of Mr. Savage and his Government and its ideals against the so-called rugged individualism of the National Party. Mr. Sullivan denied that there was any intention on the part of the Government to nationalise farms, factories and shops, which was an issue trumped up because the Nationalists dare not fight the election on the actual legislation of the Labour Government. He traversed the times of the depression when wages, salaries and pensions were reduced.

Socialistic legislation was the term always applied to legislation tending to bring about a more equitable distribution of goods and services. Was there one piece of legislation enacted by the Government that the National Party . would go to the country to fight them on? He mentioned the restoration of wages, the Reserve Bank, Mortgage Act, guaranteed prices and s cial security as legislation the NcJonalists were afraid to fight. He said that Mr. Seddon and his colleagues had been described by the Auckland Herald and Christchurch Press as the “seven devils of socialism.” Messrs. Forbes and Coates were once called socialists and Mr. Doidge had once said that Mr. Coates was the head of the Soviet of New Zealand.

Mr. Sullivan ridiculed the Nationalist's baby bonus and said that Ted Howard, of Christchurch, had told him that the wording of this in Mr. Hamilton’s manifesto was word for word in a book written by Herr Hitler, who also advocated a similar bonus.

The Minister dealt at some length with the railway revenue and rolling stock and the Government’s Social Security Bill. He received a good hearing and a hearty vote of thanks to him and confidence in Mr. Langstone and the Government was passed. Only a few weak interjections were heard during the two hours’ address.

SHORT CAMPAIGN OPENED WESTLAND’S LABOUR CANDIDATE. ENTHUSIASTIC MEETINGS. [ Per Press Association.) GREYMOUTH, Oct. 10. Mr. J. O'Brien opened his campaign to-night with an enthusiastic meeting at Blaketown and Cobden. A confidence vote was carried unanimously at both places. He declared that it was a deliberate lie to say that the social security tax had to be paid by widows, ex-soldiers or invalids. The only ones to pay besides wage-earners would be those who, in 1940, at the age of 65 were receiving large incomes in addition to the national superannuation. He suggested that the electors realise carefully the magnitude of the election issue—whether they should retain the Government which had brought recovery more quickly than any other Government in the world or should go back to the Government which had brought unemployment camps, stagnation of business and had lowered the prices of farm and factory products.

THE MAORI WAY RIVAL CANDIDATES BOTH ADDRESS MEETING THEN LOSER WITHDRAWS NEW PLYMOUTH, Oct. 7. Very different from the way of the pakeha in politics is the way of the Maoris, as disclosed at an election meeting at Bellblock, near New Plymouth. Two rival candidates addressed the meeting in turn and then the candidate who received the less enthusiastic reception congratulated his opponent and withdrew from the meeting, which continued until the early hours of the morning. The two candidates were Mr. Taite Te Tomo, official National candidate for Western Maori, and Mr. Toko Ratana, official Labour candidate, and present member for the electorate. Down one side of the hall men sat smoking, while on the other side women sat on Maori mats on the floor. Mr. Ratana was at one end of the hall and Mr. Te Tomo at the other, and in the middle was an open space, where the speakers might pace to and fro. Mr. Ratana was the first speaker and Mr. Te Tomo followed. Then the meeting adjourned to consider the speeches it had heard. When the gathering resumed many

expressed their views, and when it became clear that the majority supported Mr. Ratana Mr. Te Tomo extended his congratulations and withdrew, leaving the meeting to Mr. Ratana. The meeting continued until 3 a.m., during which time the more popular candidate answered the questions of the people and listened to their expressions of what they considered should be done for them. CONTINUOUS HECKLING SPEAKER GIVES UP ATTEMPT NOISY MEETING IN DUNEDIN [ Per Press Association.] DUNEDIN, Oct. 10. Mr. E. P. Aderman, National candidate for Dunedin South, whose opponent is the Minister of Defence, Hon. F. Jones, attempted to deliver an address at mid-day to-day to employees of the Hillside workshops but was subjected to continuous heckling, and subsequently had to give up the attempt. A request by Mr. J. Huiton, who introduced the speaker, for a fair hearing, was entirely ignored.