POLITICAL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 3867, 6 November 1928, Page 1

POLITICAL.

Mr. Joiner, who is contesting Auckland Central as an Independent, recently spoke fro m a paokig case. At question-time he was asked, among other thing's, if he was in favour of kilts for Chinese, larger whitebait, and cruelty to dumb animals. He ignored an inquiry whether he was the author of “Yes, We Have No Bananas.” Eventually some of the crowd applied the closure by singing, “For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow.” The chairman, who had been invisible up to this point, mounted the box and suggested a vote of thanks, which was carried with ironical cheers. His place was taken by another man, who thought a vote of confidence might be added. Somebody in the crowd proposed an amendment to the ef - fect that if Parliament were moved to a certain locality a little west of the city those ■ present would have every confidence in /the candidate as their representative there. “Quite so,” replied the man on the box. “He would stand a.t the gate and show you in.” Amid more laughter the crowd dispersed, the candidate carrying his rostrum away with him. INCIDENCE OF TAXATION. Replying to criticism by his United Party opponent, the Minister of Finance, Hon. W. Downie Stewart, stated in an address that it was entirely fallacious to argue that the well-to-do had been relieved of , taxation at the enpense of the poorer classes. He said the higher incomes from £4OOO a year upward were now paying from two to three times as much in income tax as they were before tihe war, whereas in the case of small incomes of from' £4OO to £650 the relief granted to the family man had been so great that he was paying substantially less than before the war. A man with £SOO a year and three children, who paid £5 a year before the war, now paid only £1 19s sd. THE DOMINION'S REPUTATION. “Show me any country in the British Empire which has been better managed than New Zealand,” said the Prime Minister, in his speech at Pukekohe when dealing with the activities of the Government during the past three years. If the country had been mismanaged its credit would not be so high as it was. The greatest tribute the Government could have was that paid by the United Party when it said it could bring £70,000,000 of I borrowed money into the country.