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Hokitika Guardian, 10 September 1928, Page 2

One of the solid political planks on which Mr Seddon has stood throughout his political career has been his advocacy for “free, secular and compulsory education.” Mr Seddon has been tested on this question frequently on his hustings and elsewhere, and his voice and vote have gone with his professions. One day last week the Grey River Argus, in its political hunt of the Member for Westland, sought to show Mr Seddon had not supported “free” education because he had not supported free books and requisites for scholars. That, of course, is a remarkable twisting of the term “free” as applied to education, but is in keeping with the Argus tactics. It is interesting to recall that the free education as supported by Mr Seddon costs in the region of four millions annually. Doubtless Mr Seddon considered that was expenditure enough for the country to find in giving essentially free education to all, and the average taxpayer will agree Mr Seddon voted wisely in opposing the extra burden proposed of free books and requisites for schools. This latter proposal, mooted by Labour, is of course in keeping with the scatter cash policy of that party which takes no cognisance of the ability of

the country to pay, but which would always heap on the taxpayers’ burden upon burden in the trend to bring about financial chaos. Mr Seddon’s vote was wisely used to avoid that contributing contingency in the present instance blazoned forth by the Argus, which actually does Mr Seddon good service in again demonstrating the wisdom with which he 'exercises votes on behalf of the people he represents. In a further tilt at Mr Seddon, the Argus goes back beyond the present term of Parliament to suggest that localise Mr Seddon did not support a Labour Opposition amendment to the ratification of the Treaties of Peace Bill, he impliedly voted for “indentured labour in Samoa.” The amendment of course questioned the Pence Treaty, and was Labour’s ways of bringing the settlement of the war to nought. It was an ill-conceived move to take on such a measure, but the! action was another example of the ill-timed judgment of the Leader of the Party. Mr Seddon rightly voted for the Bill ratifying the treaties as they .stood, for it was manifestly impossible to amend tho conditions at that stage, and Mr Seddon’s judgment was quite right. Tho quotation of tho Argus indicates tho length to which that paper will go in tho effort to lielittle the Member for Westland.