POLITICAL NOTES.

Waikato Times, Volume 99, Issue 16634, 27 October 1925, Page 6

POLITICAL NOTES.

ECHOES FHOM THE HUSTINGS. Bouquet for Raglan County Council. A member of the audience at (he Hon. Mr Bollard's meeting in Glen Murray asked whether the Government, could do something to assist in providing a roller to put right niela! that had been freshly spread. It was very important, said the questioner, thai, metal should lie properly rolled. Mr Bollard, in replying, said that the matter was really one for Hie County Council concerned. Travelling round the electorate be had heard nothing but praise for tin- manner in which the Raglan County Council's men carried out thier work: that body's staff were enterprising and conscientious workmen, who took pride in the efficient performance of their duties, and the testimony he had given was well earned. (Applause).

An Optimist. "f have been informed upon good authority that the National Party will come back with thirty-live members They will sweep the poils in the South island, and win seals in the North. I believe thai Miey will bathe strongest party in the House." said Mr A. B. Sievright, Nationalist candidate for Wellington Soulh. An Ominous Prediction. "There is a great big crisis coming on at the present time. If the Tory Government remains in the saddle in England much longer there will be revoiu lion-—bloody revolution." —Mr J. Gilchrist (Labour) at Dunedin. Tax on Bachelors? "Do you believe in a tax on bachelors; there are a good many here?" was a question put to the Hon. B. F. Bollard at a meeting in Glen Murray. The laughter which the question promoted, and in which the, questioner whole-heartedly joined, made it unnecessary for the candidate to give a reply. A Man of Courage. "I want lo put myself on-side at the outset, and fell you I am a straightout supporter of the Hon. .1. G. Coatcs. He is a young man. and a man wc all admire tremendously. Even his worst enemy will admire a man who has the courage of his convictions, ami a man who has the stuff in him to break down the opposition in his own Departments and get, things done. He conies with new ideas and new ideals, and that is what is wanted. We must have progress; wc must either go forward or go back. I'm firmly convinced Mr Coates is the man who will see that we go ahead." —Mr Dunbar Sloanc, the Reform candidate for Wellington Central, at the Kent Terrace. Congregational Hall.

A Low Estimate. "As for the Labour Party's plat-form—-well, if they got into power to-morrow, it would take them 100 years 10 do one-tenth Of it."—Mr Dunbar Sloa.ne, Reform candidate for Wellington Central at the Kent Terrace Congregational Hall. Cheaper Manures. 'the necessity of providing cheaper agricultural manures was a matter referred to by (he Hon. R. F. Bollard at his meeting in Glen Murray. "There is no doubt about it," he said, •■that there is certainly need for cheapening Nauru phosphate manures, and I can tcil you this: that the. Minister of Agriculture is giving the matter his earnest consideration. It is all a question of freights, but I have hopes that the Hon. Mr Nosworthy will succeed with tiie scheme he has ueforc him. Cheap manures mean increased production, and that is what this country needs." (Applause).

"Something Even Stronger. As an experienced chemist, would you be in favour of administering sleeping draughts to a few Labour political pests, or would you chloroform them? This question was asked Mr Dunbar Sloane at the Kent Terrace Congregational Hall, Wellington, but the storm of hoots from the rowdy element present prevented him from replying. The Things They Do in Russia. Bang! Mr T. Forsyth was just raising his hand at tiie Kilbirnie Hall last night to vehemently denounce Hie Labour Parly, when a loud report 'presumably a basket bomb) startled everyone in the hall. When the audience had recovered its; equilibrium, the candidate, with a smile, said, "Don't lie alarmed, ladies and gentlemen, it is a. loud noise, and. therefore you know where il came from. It somewhat suggests one of the bombs that were hurled about in Hussia by a party once led by Lenin and now by Trotsky. You are quite safe, ladies and gentlemen, because you are in New Zealand, and not in the place where bombs are a common commodity." (Loud applause). Modern Socialism Defined. It has been said that "modern Socialism is a mushroom growth forced by Russian atheism on the manure heap of foreign economics," and, like most mushroom growths it has proved to be a poisonous growth, bringing revolution and want in its train. Two distinct classes of men foment unrest —visionaries, who are sincere but impracticable, and men who see in the destruction of civilisation opportunities for self-advancement without work. Russia offered a suitable held for the opportunities of these men, and today that unhappy country curses the hour that she turned from constitutional government with all its known am) acknowledged faults lo Ihe Utopian dreams of those who have 10-day led Hussia lo her economic ruin. .Mr R. Cobbe (X.), Oroua, A Job for Nebuchadnezzar.

"\\"e read in Ihe Bible that Nebuchadnezzar called on Daniel no! merely lo interpret his dream, lull first of all to tell him what his dream was, which was about as hard a task as could well be, given to any man. But Ihe candidate who has lo interpret the Labour land policy has an equally difficult task. He has to reconcile irreconcilable provisions and contradictory policies. —lion. Downie Stewart.

Penalty for Straight Speaking. "The first man in any great reform usually has lo pay the penally for ids courage," said Mr T. Forsyth, speaking al Kilbirnie. "You lake Mr Moss, of Dunedin, He had the audacity lo conduct a newspaper correspondence in which he sought to put the plain English construction on the reading of a plank of the Labour Parly's platform. He lost his head. • • • The Labour Parly w.is after his scalp in two ticks. He hail lo gel out, they said, and out he went.. Bui Mr Moss, in his indiscretions, haif made il easy for the other Labour speakers who followed, and they were obliged to speak with even extreme caution. Mr Jordan al Auckland the oilier day—a Labour member, by the way, staled that it would be impossible to give effect to a certain plank in the Labour policy." jApidau.se.j_

'Have a Firs!"

"J think it time that the Stale Fire insurance Office should give some assistance !: ils long-standing pre-

mium-payers, especially those in rural districts, hy way of making advances lo litem on their properties, many of which had now ihe borer," said a

member of ihe audience at a meeting addressed hy Ihe Hen. 11. F. Bollard at Onewhero on Saturday. "Don't you think the insurance offices should give us some, relief?" asked the interrogator.

A Voice: "Have a fli'3 old man!" [Great laughter). There were no further references lo Ihe mailer.

" I'm Darned Sorry to Hear It." " As a sane and sensible man. Mr Sloane, do you repeat your statement that the advent of a Labour Government in New Zealand is likely to be followed by a repetition of Bolshevik Russia," the Reform candidate for Wellington Central was asked at his meeting on Thursday. The candidate proceeded lo go into Ibis question fully with reference lo authoritative statements as to the operations of Moscow in England. Before the candidate could get much further, I here was an uproar of interjections and cries. Mr Sloano said it gave him a pang to hear a young man —a young New Zealandev ■—seized with such opinions. A Voice: There are thousands of them. (Applause.) The Candidate: Well, all I can say is that I am darned sory to hear it; but I don't believe it. (Cheers.) The P.P. A. " Are you a member of the P.P.A., Mr Sloane'.'" the Reform candidate for Wellington Central, was asked on Thursday. " I am not," said the candidate, " and I never have been. 1 was always taught to respect the religions, whatsoever they may be." (Applause.) A Prized (Out) Plank. " That's a plank of the Labour Parly's you have stolen." cried an interjeclor at, Petone on Thursday, when Mr Veitch spoke of a fund to alleviate occupational diseases. " Well, then, you can't object to my making it public," rejoined Mr Veitch. " If it's in the Labour Party's platform, of course, it must be good." Why Coates Joined Reform. " Why," we are asked, " did Reform have to choose an ex-Liberal for Prime Minister?" It chose Mr Coates because he had exceptional qualifications for the office, as the country is finding out. But why is Mr Coates an ex-Liberal? He was elected to Parliament nearly li years ago as an Independent Liberal. His aim was to support a truly Liberal policy. He found that the decadent Liberals were no longer true Liberals, and in order to be true to his convictions, he had to enter the Reform Party.—Wanganui Chronicle.

Where Free Opinions are Permitted. “ I am not now expressing the actual platform of the Reform Party—it. is my own idea. There is one thing about tiie Reform Party. We are not tied down to a platform and hauled over the coals like Mr Moss if we say anything not strictly in accordance with the party’s policy.”—Mr .1. McG. Dickson, Government candidate for Chalmers. One Good Word for “ P.R.” ” There is one good .thing about proportional representation. II is the only good feature which that much-vaunt-ed system of consulting the electorate possesses, and il is that it gives some folk wtio wish to pose as mathematical wizards an opportunity to wallow in figures.”—Mr M. E. Lyons, Government candidate for Lyttelton, speaking at Opawa. “ Luxuries ” and “ Necessities.” “ Would that not be on luxuries and not on absolute necessities?” interjected someone at Dunedin, when the lion. W. D. Stewart was explaining recent Customs tariff reductions. "People differ,” said the Minister promptly, *’ as to what they call a luxury. Some people caU whisky a luxury and some consider it an absolute necessity!” (Laughter and applause.) What Labour Would Give Us. That the dole is responsible for much idleness and a great shrinkage in production is the opinion of Mr Tapley, Reform candidate for Dunedin North. Addressing a meeting at Maori Hill on Wednesday evening, he said that in England at the present time a man could work three days a week, and by drawing the dole for the remainder make more money than if lie worked the full week. 'Phis was undoubtedly productive of laziness. Labelling IVlr W. A. Veitch. Mr Girling proceeded lo quote Mr Witch's recent condemnation of the Labour land policy, and said that criticism was from a member of the Labour Parly. (Dissent arid cries of " No!” and " Rot !” j Mr Girling: I say he is a Labour Party man—and I know Mr Veitch better than most of you. Jt was on account of the extreme views of the present leaders of the Labour Party that he had to throw in his lot with the Liberals, and I predict Unit when the lime comes that Labour abandons its extremists, Mr Veitch will fill a very high position in the party's ranks.— (Applause.)—Mr W. J. Girling (It.), Blenheim. IVlr P. Fraser Indignant.

Mr Peter Fraser, in criticising the attitude of the Reform propaganda, referred particularly to an advertisement portraying what he called " a man with spikes for whiskers—perhaps to represent Father Christmascontrolling the ropes or chains from Moscow." This was some of the

"dirty tactics" employed In mislead I lie public. On the other hand, the Prime Minister had waxed indignant at (he Labour Party's warning against the proposed policy of the Government to lax the unmarried to assisl Ihe man with the family, while the .Minister for Lands had actually descended lo shocking language for a .Minister of Ihe, Crown. Why this outburst? Because Ihe Itcform Parly was found out and now turned round, to accuse the Labour Parly of "dirty tactics" and said it was a. lie. —Mr P. fraser (Lab.), Wellington Central, speaking a I Uroua. "The Whole Damn Lot!"

" Some little lime ago," said .Mr A. L. Monteith, M.P., at the Labour demonstration meeting held in the Linpress Theatre, " a parly of Labour members conducted Ihe Prime Minister around Ihe slum houses of Wellington. Do you know what he said when he saw liiese fearful shacks? Well, he said this: ' If I had my way I'd wipe out the whole damn lot.' Since then has he taken the slightest step towards

■ wiping oul the whole damn lot?' 11 certainly has not." A Ricketty Platform.

" My opponent, Mr Harrison, says I am on a weak platform," stated the lion. W. D. Stewart, at one of his meetings in Dunedin. "1 will say in reply that so far as the Labour Party's platform is concerned my esteemed friend, Mr Moss, found that platform lo collapse under him and precipitate him temporarily from Ihe Labour political fold," (Applaus and laughter.'