Hearty Humour Pleases Miners

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 156, 22 September 1927, Page 11

Hearty Humour Pleases Miners

MR. WARING AT HUNTLY REFORMER’S MERRY EASE (Special to THE SUN.) HUNTLY, To-day. HEARTY, good-humoured old gentleman, wearing the venerable side-whiskers of a departed generation—that is Mr. A. H. Waring, Reform candidate for Raglan, who addressed a packed meeting at Huntly last night. Though many of the miners may not have favoured Mr. Waring’s political sentiments, they enjoyed his jolly mannerisms, and the atmosphere throughout was friendly. The School of Mines building has a small hall, which was not quite large enough for the crowd, but which at the same time placed the candidate on a footing of intimacy with his audience. Mr. Waring was, of course, in the enemy camp. Huntly, a mining town, is the acknowledged headquarters of the Labour movement in the Raglan electorate, and to date has rarely failed to returned a pronounced Labour vote. In introducing the candidate, Mr. W. C. E. George, Mayor of Huntly, commended Mr. Waring’s pluck in coming into the field at his time of life. “He is an old identity in the Waikato, and we admire him as a man and as a gentleman,” he declared. Equipped -with a Year Book and a handful of reference papers, Mr. Waring set out to deal with problems of the day. “I undertake this campaign with a very great deal of diffidence,” he said, after referring to the untimely death of the late Mr. Bollard. “THE OLD BUFFER” “The only thing they have against me,” he said, “is that they" can say ‘the old buffer is too old.’ But I have a lot of energy left yet. “The Coates Government is being blamed for the depression, but how could things be otherwise, after such a war? “Where are these Jeremiahs, who 1 blame the Coates Government? Britain ta.kes 80 per cent, of our produce, so bad times at Home must reflect here. America only takes seven per cent., and as soon as she bought a bit of | butter, a duty was put on at once. Mr. Waring blamed the war for increased taxation and the higher cost

of living, and he claimed that the graduated tax was the fairest means of distributing taxation. The farming community had had to carry too much of the burden. He considered the land tax most pernicious. “During the slump many of us were hundreds of pounds behind, but we still had to pay that wretched land tax.” Touching roading, he considered something should be done to make the people who did most damage pay most for the upkeep of the roads. The Singapore base was most essential, and h«> would approve of contributions thereto. COMMON SENSE FIRST “You know me perfectly well,” said Mr. Waring, breaking oft from his discourse, “and I am only here telling you a little because I don’t know much more” —there was a burst of laughter —“but I am a business man. I may net be able to explain anything, but I ha.ve common sense, and I know what is worth voting for. I won’t be like some other chaps—they are like that racehorse, All Talk, and I he’s turned out now, because lie wasn’t up to much.” (Laughter.) He promised that he would do all in his power to see that the coal used in New Zealand was obtained in New Zealand. (Applause.) “If I am suitable, you know what to do. If I am not suitable, you still know what to do. I was asked the other day if I was in favour of the abolition of the Upper House. I said, ‘No. I want to go there myself afterwards.’ And I think I would look very well there, too.” (Laughter.) T will answer questions if they are not too hard,” concluded Mr. Waring, after thanking the audience. I am in favour of the Bible-m----schools,” was his definite reply to the first questioner. _ » , “That is rather advanced. It is too hard,” he said, to a young man who asked if a Government which compelled men to go to war should not be compelled to provide employment. “You are taking mo out of my depth,’’ he said, replying to another que.ry by the same man. The questioner: “Do you believe that the money spent by New Zealand on four obsolete battleships could not be more profitably employed at this juncture?” , _ .. Mr. Waring: I have no doubt it could be employed more profitably, but whether it would be wise to do so is an entirely different matter. NOT A CATECHISM

“Look here, young man, this is not a catechism,” said the candidate, with severity, when the questioner began another line of inquiry. Discussing unemployment, he saia there was less here, in proportion, than elsewhere. It was absurd to blame the Government for the present situation. The candidate’s breezy replies had the audience in a delightful humour. Laughter swept the hall when Mr. Waring calmly handed a pamphlet to a persistent questioner. That certainly wants rectifying, he said, when the danger of long mixed trains on the Pukemiro branch line were mentioned. He promised his support for any feasible scheme for the utilisation of the bv-products of coal. The Arbitration Court, he believed, was at present a r ead letter. • Who has made it a dead letter? I couldn’t say.” (Laughter.) Still chuckling, the audience dispersed after passing a motion of thanks, proposed by Mr. J. P. Bailey, and seconded by Mr. John Watson. No counter-motion was proposed.

HUMOURS OF THE CAMPAIGN

GEMS BY MR. A. H . WARING

• I have no time tor economists.” — A characteristic sample of Mr. Warrings’ creed, outlined at. Huntly last night.

‘lf it had not been for the British Fleet, I wouldn't have been lecturing here to-night. Yo,u can bet on that." A defence of -naval expenditure.

'Go to your bank manager to borrow £100,” said Mr- Waring, "and he will at once ask you what you want it or Then he will lcok, you over, and ■hink Well, perhaps fifty will do him,’ And you’ll be lucky if you get that much."

Interest in the campaign is warmin" and the visit of party leaders is awaited with enthusiasm. To-morrow a major meetings are those of the Hon. 1 D McLeod, at Waiuku. and Mr. J. Taylor, at Huntly, where a sample of Labour hostility is predicted for the Independent- Reform candidate.- So

far, Messrs. Waring (Reform) and Lee Martin (Labour) appear to be the outstanding figures in the campaign. Mr. Thomas Parker (Liberal) will be at Ngaruawahia, the headquarters of tit; electorate, to-morrow night.

LABOUR’S CAMPAIGN

MR. NASH AT ONEWHERO MR. P. FRASER ARRIVES (From Our Own Correspondent.) HUNTLY, To-day. Mr. Walter Nash, national secretary of the Labour Party, spoke at Onewhero on behalf of Mr. Lee Martin yesterday. A vote of thanks and confidence was carried unanimously. The Labour candidate spoke at Tuakau last evening before an audience of 350. Mr. Pirritt presided »and the speaker received an excellent hearing. Dir. Peter Fraser, M'.P. for Wellington North, arrived this morning to further the Labour Party’s candidature.

LIBERAL LEADER

MR. VEITCH DUE TO-MORROW (Special to THE SUN.) N GARUAWAHIA, To-day. Dir. W. A. Veitch, M.P., the Leader of the Liberal Party, is arriving at Ngaruawahia to-morrow morning to enter the by-election campaign in support of Mr. T. Parker, Liberal candidate. It'is quite probable that other prominent Liberals will be joining him.

MR. WARING AT PUKEMIRO

(From Our Own Correspondent) GLEN AFTON, Wednesday

The Reform candidate for Raglan, Mr. A. H. Waring, addressed a small attendance at the Miners’ Hall, Pukemiro, Mr. MacKinnon presiding. Mr. Waring paid tribute to the good qualities of his friend, the late Hon. R. F. Bollard.

The candidate dealt principally with the land tax, which he considered extortionate, and was much in favour of owners of motor-cars being more heavily taxed for the upkeep of the roads. He defended the Government's policy regarding the Singapore Base.

When asked by Mr. P. Hunter what action '.he would take in reference to the importation of coal, which was causing a considerable amount of unemployment among the coal miners, Mr. Waring replied that he would do all in his power to remedy the evil.

A motion by Mr. Hunter, seconded by Mr. J. Dunbar, thanking Mr, Waring for his address, was carried;*