ON THE HUSTINGS

Chronicle (Levin), 1 November 1946, Page 4

ON THE HUSTINGS

What Candidates Say It would not be- contradicted by the apolbgetic economists of the National Party that human labour applied to the natura,l resources of the earth was the mother and father of all wealth, said the Hon. R. Semple (Labour, Mifamar) . The Country Quota Mr. W. H. GLiespie, Nationarcandidate for Hurunui, in an election speeeh at Lojurn, discussed the. country quota and said that some electorates. now had up -to 16,000" voters, when" tne average was sup- • posed to be 13 500. He would ven- - ture to add, he said, that with. a moving population it would become - as low as 11,000. Not lVluch in It - There was not much in the National Party policy when it was anatysed, said the Prime Minister, )Rt. Hon. P. Fiaser. He would not say it was all bad. If, on examination, it were found that there were any good points in the policy, Labour would be only too ple'ased to adopt them when it was reelected.

Mr. Nash's Travels ■ "Three and a-nalf years were • spent by Mr. Nash m travelling outside of New Zealand during the eleven years he has been in office," said the National mndidate for the Otaki electorafe, Mr. ,J. J, Maher, when speaking in the Century Hall, Levin, on Weunesday night. "Not a bad average," he added. "It would have been better if he had stayed out of this country for 11 years."

Trade Union Secretaries The members of t-he National Party were referred to by . their opponents as "Tories," said Mr. 8. W. Smith, National candidate for Hobson, speaking at Whangarei. He added that a freezing worker had said to him: "You are more of a Labour man than those other fellows who live on the backs of the workers, the trade union secretaries, who for years have been trying to boss those who give them their living." Even Children Know It Mr. Hackett, Labour candidate for Grey Lynn, is reported as having said, "You would not haye the 'hide' to give your children sixpence today, the children would not take sixpence and you might even hesitate before you gave them a shilling," (writes "Blissful Truth" to the Auckland Herald). Could' this Hiean that Mr. Hackett has unwittingly revealed that even the children have. come to appreciate the high cost of living and. the depreeiation of purchasing power that has come about under SocialistLabour rule. Elaborately Staged The reception to Mr. Semple, who addressed a meeting at the Addington railway workshops, was elabor- .. ately stag'ed, says the Christchurch Press. After he had been piped to the platform decorated with bunting and; flags, the workshops choir sang, and after his speeeh a band of many instruments, called the gazoo orchestra, played "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow" and the New Zealand national anthem. Mr. Semple was given, a rousing reception by more than 100Q workers, some seated on girders in one of the oig shops.

Wheat Price and Crop The Government had been eompelled to get wheat from Australia when it would have liked to have had more produced in New Zealand, said the Prime Minister (Mr. Fraser) when he spoke at Waimate. He said there had been an extraordinary and paradoxical position. Mr. Fraser said the Government had asked the Wljeat Committee if it . could be sure;'df 'getting'; mere if the; were piit up. The "gxe^test ,'prodimjloii ivas: whgn; ihe price was loweSt/^WTheii the. pii.ee went up, the crop went down. He did not know that there had ever been a Minister who was juster and more sympathetic to wheatgrowers bhan the Hon. D. O. Sullivan. Effect of Depreciation The Labour Government had endeavoured to coneeal the depreciation in the currency by keeping down the price of primary products do an uneconomic level. This assertion was made by the National Party candidate for the Otaki electorate, Mr. J. J. Maher, when addressing a meeting in Levin this week. Mr. Maher elaimed that this had the effect of compelling the farmer to neglect maintenance, with the result that farms had deteriorated and primary production was imperilled. "Imperilling primary production imperils social security, because primary production is the basis of our prosperity/' he contended. • "Political Pipe-Dream" Mr. Semple had spoken of Labour's 10-year-plan, said Mr. J T: Watts, National Party candidate for St. Albans, in a speech at,Papa- * nui. "I believe that a natioiial 10year plan. should be based on realitie§," Mr. Watts commented. "Mr. Semple's plan is nothing but a political pipe-dream. Mr. Semple knows as well as I do ;that I have. persistently urged the tunnel' road and the new railway station and other important works in Canterbury. B.ut I believe that the thing is to get to first things first, and not offer a plan that would take 50 years, not 10 years, to b.ring to fruition." Mr. Watts contradicted the Minister's statement that he had "attended for 20 minut.es the meeting at which the Canterbury plan w&s presented, and bolted without asking a question." He said he had been' present for an hour and 20 minutes until he had to leave to attend another meeting.