Published on Tuesday and Friday Afternoons. TUESDAY., APRIL 19, 1921. A CHALLENGE TO MR MASON

Franklin Times, Volume 9, Issue 625, 19 April 1921, Page 4

Published on Tuesday and Friday Afternoons.

TUESDAY., APRIL 19, 1921. A CHALLENGE TO MR MASON

The feverish attempt to grab power in every direction exhibited by the extreme section of New Zealand Labour has been extended to embrace seats on Borough Councils and Mayoral chairs. This in itself is not a crime, it is what is done after the power is gained which determines that. We would refer our readers to-the recent report on the conference between the coal miners and coal owners held at Wellington. Mr Reece, for the State mines, said: c; The Government had developed all its mines with borrowed money on which interest had to be paid. Capital could not he procured unless interest was paid.’-’ In reply to this

Mr O'Brien, as an exponent of the principles of extreme Labour, said: u He would make it a crime to pay interest.” Here, in a nutshell, we have Labour’s attitude unmasked. Extreme Labour would repudiate loans and make it a crime to pay interest. Now, will Mr Mason, as Labour candidate for the Pukekohe Mayoralty, come out into the open and state whether he agrees or not with the principle of the platform which, per Mr O’Brien, would make it a crime to pay interest on loans negotiated. Let there be no quibbling about “it not being fair to judge or condemn,” but a straight out “yes” or “no.’ If Mr Mason does not feel called upon to reply to this challenge, his silence must of necessity be put down to indecision, and indecision is not an attribute of a successful Mayor.

“We nothing extenuate, nor aught set down in malice.”