THE REAL CHOICE

Waipukurau Press, Volume XXX, Issue 275, 26 November 1935, Page 3

THE REAL CHOICE

Minister of Finance DEMOCRATS and independents STABLE GOVERNMENT (Per Press Association) AUCKLAND, Last Night. The Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates, Minister of Finance, has issued the following statement: The issue before the electors has become increasingly clear as the campaign has proceeded. The real choice before the electors is between the National Government and the Labour Party. The intrusion of the Democrats and of a large number of Independents pledged to vote for Labour must not be permitted to cloud the issue or endanger the continuance of stable Government. “I ask the electors to vote solidly for National candidates, because the alternatives are either a Labour Gov-

ernment or a confusion of groups in Parliament, which can only lead to instability. The example of France, with its succession of dissolutions and reconstructions, should be sufficient to convince every elector of the urgent need for a strong majority Government, and there can be no doubt that this Government should be the National Government., “I would warn the electors that to vote for Democrat candidates or Independents creates a danger that a Labour Government may be elected against the wishes of the majority of the people. I warn the electors of the danger of vote-splitting. Democrat Policy. “Of the Democrats themselves I need say very little. Their , policy consists of vague and impossible promises, which cannot be fulfilled because the cost would destroy all chances of preserving that balance in the national accounts which is the basis of continued recovery and prosperity. Their sole political function is that of a vote-splitting machine. “In view of the tactics of misrepresentation which the Leader of th® Democrats has unfortunately adopted, I regret to have to warn the electors against the possibility of similar last-minute misrepresentations made too late to permit of rebuttal.

“The Labour Party appears to the electors on two main planks—guaranteed prices and national control of currency and credit. Of the former it is not unfair to say that the Labour Party itself is in a hopeless state of confusion. No two candidates tell the same story. There are as many interpretations as there are exponents. The proposal is impracticable, ill-considered and entirely out of touch with the realities of the situation of national control of credit.