CAMPAIGN NOTES

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22516, 26 September 1938, Page 8

CAMPAIGN NOTES

Party Names r«„r,ctnnt reference to New Zealand's DrSent GovlSent as .the "Socialist EkfverWnV made by Mr K..Armour, National candidate for Christchurch Eastfcked one of his audxence on Saturday night. "There's no Socialist Sovfrnmfnt in thiscoungy• HJ** Labour Government, s^ d ,* ft ]ecto ?h a t aSv U wfth re^ou%^ of it as the "Tory" Party.

"Mr Semple a Dictator" „ "You have one of the biggest depart, mental dictators we have ever had m the Minister for Public, Works .the Hon. R. Semple." said Mr H. S s Kyle in his opening 'address at Little River, as National Party candidate for Riccarton. "What about ?he film he is showing up and down ihe country, letting the world know what a wonderful man he is. That film isT costing you £4OO. The figure clme 'down in the Supplementary Estimates last week. You are paying for a film which is being shown every Sunday to tell the country what a fine man Mr Semple is and how he is Sending his £20.000,000 a year on ffiic works. Ido not think that the People Thould pay for that Ate. and to me it is the act of a dictator.

Mr Scrimgeonr's Position The position of the controller of the LreS t the General Election 111 discussed by Mr K. Armour National candidate for Ciiristchurchl Easl, «rT Saturday night. Answering an mMr Armour said he had seen where a southern candidate had said that if the National Party was returned, Mr Scrimgeour might be_ lookine for a job. There were no authoritys in tt>e party programme for that statement, ltd to* speaker did not whole C m?tte b r? thft Mr Scrimgeour wSSd raeiv'e British justice. (Applause.)

Support for Nation*' *™Kr -No one who heard Ihe addressm of h£ campaign on Saturday night at the Street Methodist Church schoolrS. Mr Holland on Saturday hundreds of telegrams had from all over the counKexpressing appreciation of Mr Hamilton's address, and these were fxonTpcopte of whom never* heard before. It was a^ thrbilling experience, Mr Holland added, to travel through the country representing a party that was on the up grade. The party's policy was based on one ftu?daWtal-an unending confidence to the country. With private enterprise, the country could be taken to heights it had never before reached.

Footballer and Politics The at f of a Saturday of some hundreds of people to see 30 others play was put forward by Mr K. Armour National for East ChrMckurcb, on Saturday night in support of an argument that a big number of adults did rfot take the part they should in sport But his interjectors did not see it that wav "Why, we went there to see you'in the best teani in the competition" said one of them, and others also reminded ,Mr Armour of the games he had played for Linwood this year.

Socialisation of Land "Is it true that the Labour Party Easter conference passed a resolution favouring the socialisation of lanor asked a questioner.at the meeting addressed by the Hon. D- G. Sullivan*« New Brighton on Saturday evening. N l E have rit got the minutes #> of the conference, and I cannot: say,' said.Mr Sullivan, "but I do know that it is noVtneVicy of Govern, ment to take over the . farms of tne country. If there is land that can best be wor*ed'by the State to get it into condition, I believe it is Mr Langstone's intention to do so We will also take over land privately owned and make it available for closer settlement, as has been done in the past, but we have no intention of socialising land." "I have the minutes of the conference here," said the questioner. "You don't accept my answer, then?" asked Mr Sullivan. "No, replied the questioner. The Arbitration Court "The National Party says that in the unlikely event of its being returned to power at the election," said the Hon. D. G. Sullivan, in opening his campaign for the Avon electorate at New Brighton on Saturday evening, "it will reduce costs. But every cost is somebody's income, and I wonder '"whose income they would reduce first? They say that they will not reduce wages. They won't They will hand the job over to the Arbitration Court."

Co-operation With Britain

"We will be. wanting Great Britain long after we want Germany," said Mr S. G. Holland, member of Parliament for Christchurch North, commenting in a political address at Merivale on Saturday night on the need for co-opera-tion between New Zealand and Great Britain. The recent agreement made by the Hon. W. Nash with Germany to export to that country 50,000 boxes of butter annually did not tend to strengthen the bonds of Empire between New Zealand and the Mother Country, he said.

Lessons Tanfnt by Labour

"We have learnt something from the past. We have made mistakes, but we are not going to make the same mistake twice. We have learnt something from the Labour Party, and during the next three years it will be the privilege of the Labour Party to learn something from us—and then Labour will have another three years still learning from us. Let me say quite generously that we have learnt something from Mr Semple about running the Public Works Department."—Mr S. G. Holland, member of Parliament for Christchurch North, speaking at the Rugby Street Methodist Church schoolroom on Saturday night. Increases in Wages

Reference to the general increases in wages brought about by the Government was made by the Minister for Finance (the Hon. W. Nash) in a recent speech at Lower Hutt. Mr Nash said all the Government had done was to take money out the country's pool of wealth and place it in the hands of the people who needed it The result was such a demand for goods from shopkeepers and in turn from whole-, salers that unprecedented importation of goods followed. More goods were imported in 1936-37 than in any previous year. The aggregate wages paid in the Dominion from 1931-32 to the present day were quoted by the Minister as follows: 1931-32, £62.500.000; 1932-33". £58,900,000; 1933-34, £61,100,000; 1934-35. £64,800.000; 193536, £72,500,000; 1936-37, £85,000,000; 1937-38. £98,600,000: and for the year ended July 31, 1938, £100,800,000. It was the amount of money distributed in wages and salaries that determined the average standard of living, Mr Nash said. Voluntary Unionism Supported "I believe in voluntary iinionism,* said Mr W. L. Barker, National candidate for Wellington East in a recent election address, "but one of the reasons why compulsory unionism should be abolished is because the trade union secretaries have too much power. It is the primary producer on whom we depend for a living, but he is being exploited by these organised sections."