CAMPAIGN NOTES

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22511, 20 September 1938, Page 10

CAMPAIGN NOTES

POINTS FROM SPEECHES

Lower Rents for State Houses?

That houses that could be let. at lower rentals might have to be built by the Government in future was suggested by Mr H. E. Denton, Labour candidate for Hurunui, in reply to a questioner after an address at Rangiora last evening. "The opportunity for cheap homes in New Zealand to-day ss the best ever," said Mr Denton. "The Rangiora Borough Council can get money for the purpose at 3 per cent. The State houses already built are first-rate houses, and are rented at the lowest possible price. However, I think we may have to adopt a cheaper type of houses if the need is pressing." Mr Denton referred as an illustration to the plan of the Christchurch City Council to build for pensioners homes that could be let for rents as low as 10s a week. City's Public Buildings "Only electioneering," was the comment of Mr A. S. Lyons (Independent candidate for Mid-Canterbury) at Ashburton last night on the Government's plans for "flash public buildings" in Christchurch. "Who is going to pay for the new post.office, law courts, and railway station?" he asked. "The works are going to cost about £2,000,000. What is their object? I think it is only electioneering." . No "Sugar" for Sugar Mr T. H. Langford, Labour candidate for Riccarton, speaking at Springston South last evening, criticised some of the arguments used against Labour s taxation policy, and said that the very people who cried out about taxation put a taxo'f 4s lid on sugar. , "But it is still that." said an mterjector. • . - .■ , Mr Langford: It's a far sight harder to take it off than to put it on. The interjector: But you have not taken it off. . ''No but we gave the people Jne money to pay for the tax and buy the sugar," retorted Mr Langford. Before, you did not have the money. You did not have the 'sugar' to pay for the sugar." A Full-time Job The view that being a member., of Parliament should be a full-time job was put forward by Mr H. E. Denton, Labour candidate for Hurunui, in an address at Rangiora last evening. Mr Denton mentioned that he was a member of the Christchurch City Council, the Christchurch Tramway Board, and the North Canterbury Hospital Board "If I am elected I will resign from all local bodies in Christchurch and come and live among you," he said. I wiU engage in no other business but being your representative. I will not be an absent 'Yes-man'; I will reside among you." If a Slump Comes "If the drop in values of primary products reaches the stage where we cannot pay, we will dissolve Parliament, go to the country, and let the electors decide which party is to carry the country through." That, said Mr D. C Kidd, at St. Andrews, was the National Party's proposal. The party, if returned, would not cut the wages of civil servants or the rates of pensions. Every assistance possible would be given industry. The free Arbitration Court which would be set up would receive instructions that, when determining rates of wages, the ability of the industry to pay should be taken into account. That was not being done now. "But the Court won't have to receive instructions if it is going to be unfettered," suggested an elector. The Cost of Living "The Labour Government never promised that it would not increase the cost of living," said the Mayor (Mr R. M. Macfarlane), who is the Labour candidate for the Christchurch North seat, speaking last night at St. Albans Park. The cost .of living would have risen more but for the action of the Department of Industries and Commerce" in watching price increases and seeing that they did not exceed wage increases. The rise in the cost of living, Mr Macfarlane added, was sti!' a long way behind wage increases. No one would be so foolish as to promise that the cost of living would not rise. "Looking For a Job" "We are not going to have two broadcasting departm .nts," said Mr D. Q. Kidd, National candidate for Waitaki, at St. Andrews. "Broadcasting will be brought under one head." A man: What about Mr Scrimgeour? Mr Kidd: Well, he might be looking for a job. Einstein and Wells "Einstein, the greatest scientist in the world, sincerely believes in the objective of the Labour Party," said Mr J. Roberts, president of the North Canterbury Labour Representation Committee, when he spoke last night at St. Albans Park in support of the Labour candidate for the Christchurch North seat (Mr R. M. Macfarlane). "H. G. Wells, and probably the greatest living playwright, George Bernard Shaw, are others who believe in the objective of the Labour Party. The objective of the Labour Party in New Zealand is identical with that of the Labour Party in England and the other parts of the British Empire." "Industrial" Parliament Trade unions were dictating Labour's policy, said Mr D. C. Kidd (National) at St. Andrews. They were making the bullets and the Government was firing them. "An industrial Parliament in New Zealand is just round the corner," he said. "We have almost got it here." Solving' Unemployment "What remedy do you suggest, dif-» ferent from that adopted by the Government, for dealing with the unemployed?" asked the solitary questioner at Mr A. S. Lyons's meeting at Ashburton last night. ~ The Independent candidate for MidCanterbury replied that if the Government had tackled the housing problem from a different angle, it would have been better for everyone. He was certain that the unemployment question would not have been a difficult one to solve. Private enterprise was unable to employ the men at the rates fixed for public works. New Zealand's Name A necessity for improving the Dominion's standing in, and relations with, Great Britain was spoken of by Mr D. C. Kidd (National) to Waitaki electors at St. Andrews. A man who

had returned from England told him 'that the name of New Zealand stank in London. nnnnnn "How many of London's 8,000,000 did that man meet," an elector asked at question time. / _... "I don't know," replied Mr Kidd, "but I was talking to a wool buyer, who said statesmen in London cursed the day New Zealand was ever tagged on to them. We have to watch our step." The Sales Tax Heritage That the sales tax would be difficult to remove was indicated by Mr H. E. Denton, Labour candidate for Hurunui, in reply to a question after an address at Rangiora last evening. "We get a heritage sometimes from an old party that is hard to remove, said Mr Denton. "It is a case of the sins of the fathers being visited on the children. It would be rather hard to remove the sales tax unless it was universal throughout the world. Although it affects the working man,- wages are higher than they have been for many years, and he has a bigger margin of purchasing power even though the tax is" there." The removal of the tax was a matter that a government rwould have to sit long and anxiously to consider. When another questioner asked what he meant by his, reference to other countries in relation to the sales tax, Mr Denton asked whether the questioner did not: realise that trade was international.' Mr Longford's: Politics

Quoting the philosopher Spinoza in his address at Springston South, Mr T. H. Langford, Labour's candidate for Riccarton, asserted that, with Spinoza, he subscribed to a system which ensured that "one man's wealth promotes his neighbour's." He recalled his own advocacy (during his,2o years Of political campaigning) of liberal ideas. He said that because of statements in newspapers it was necessary for the people to know his political affiliations. He had been stated to have stood as an Independent Coalitionist. Nothing was further from the truth. He had linked up with the .Liberals at a time when, in Temuka, there was no sign of a Labour movement there. "I took on that very formidable political light, Mr T. D. Burnett, and was beaten. Later I took him on again and got within 86 votes of him. But I very strenuously opposed the formation of the Coalition and said, during the discussions on that move, that if it happened I would go into the ranks of Labour to maintain my association with progressive liberal ideas. My alternative was to start as an Independent, as\ I was faced with the necessity of maintaining my grip on the 4000 people who had supported me. I had a beating then, but I want to emphasise that I told the electorate that I would support Mr H. E. Holland on a no-confidence motion."