THE HUSTINGS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 7, Issue 7, 17 September 1943, Page 5

THE HUSTINGS

POLITICAL EXTRACTS

ROUND WITH Til E CANDIDATES

The following ore short extracts from political speeches; made" by various candidates in the Tauranga and Bay of Plenty electorates. Mr A. J. Angus (Ind.) at Omanawa. "Mrs Drcaver's outburst against the Doctors and Civil Servants should cause, people .seriously to think. Her threat against the latter .sounds suspiciously like something Himmler. might say. It only wants tlie concentration camp in the background to complete the picture. Whose, are the eyes upon them ? Is the Gestapo already in existence?

The civil servants are no irresponsible people and an open enquiry would soon elicitate the fact that they have genuine grievance. It would, at any rate pay the Government much better to hold such an enquiry than to try and enforce co-operation by intimidation- Coercion and co-operation arc words with, vety different meanings, as Mrs Dre aver should know. We want no Gestapo in this coun-« try, male or female. If Mrs Drcaver's constituents do not accept the warning so kindly provided, h have no. doubt their turn will come when totalitarianism is complete. Lt is well on the way." Mr W. Sullivan at Wliakatane "There is no disgusing tlie fact that, the liydro-clectric schemes of this country are in a difficult position to-day. No one is more to blame for this position than the man who was so fond of presenting running shoes to everybody a few years ago." Hon. A. J. Parry at Edgecumbe An interesting comparison in the number of bankruptcies in New Zealand over one or two periods, particularly of farmers, was made by the Minister of Internal Affairs, Mr Parry, in the course of a speech at Edgecumbe. Between 1920-1930, he said, butterfat had reached, probably, the highest price in the history of the country and high prosperity seemed to be assured the men on the land. But in that favourable setting of the period mentioned the average number of yearly bankruptcies of farmers was 161. For all groups, tlie number of bankruptcies was 691. To make a comparison with what, had happened under prosperous conditions in the period he had. given, and the conditions ruling to-day under the present. Government, he could not do better than quote a paragraph in "The New Zealand Herald" of July 31 last. The paragraph read as follows: "No July Bankruptcies—no bankruptcies were registered with the Official Assignee, Auckland, during July. In July of last year two petitions were filed. The total number of bankruptcies for the present year is nine." The Minister added that the return was

significant

Hon. Peter Fraser at Whakatane

"People rising from the debris of their homes; people who have had their kith and kin lost to them for ever under the blind barbarism of the Nazi invaders. Poland, Norway, Denmark, Belgium, CI recce. They have suffered and they know the anguish of war. What a paltry thing to hear of jieople who say they are not getting enough silk stockings or grumbling at missing an egg for a fortnight, and this when the democratic world is fighting for its life. Yet the newspapers, give space to these alleged hardships—this little thing and that little thing. Why, we ought to be ashamed of ourselves to even mention them."

Mr W. Sullivan at Whakatane

"Do. you know what happens to the petrol tax ? Mr Coates instituted it. first at so much per gallon in order to build main highways. Today of the total 1/2 7-lOd tax, only fid goes to the main highways, 4 7-1 Od goes to the consolidated fund and Id to the war expenses account."

Mr Jonasen at Waimana

Labour had started a scheme to build State houses. The Tories had had the. houses empty and the people on the roads. The speaker criticised the cost, of the State houses being built by private, enterprise and said they would cost £100 less if built by State workers. He objected to letting people add bits on to houses. Looking over the State houses he considered the people were getting houses cheaper than under private enterprise. The Government was receiving £l,000 ! 00 1 0i annually in rentals new.