The Clutha Leader. BALCLUTHA: FRIDAY, DEC. 5, 1913. LYTTELTON BY-ELECTION.

Clutha Leader, Volume XL, Issue 45, 5 December 1913, Page 5

The Clutha Leader. BALCLUTHA: FRIDAY, DEC. 5, 1913. LYTTELTON BY-ELECTION.

Youth for Delivery Cart. W. Boyd, Baker.

The Keform Government certainly cannot be accused of being lacking in pluck, whatever other accusations may be laid to their charge. At Grey, where a candidate on the Reform side in politics never previously dared to have a look in, tliey put up Mr Michel at the byelection a few months ago, and he topped the poll at the first ballot, finally scoring the remarkable poll of -811 votes at the second ballot, being beaten by only 666 votes, less than 40 votes more than Sir Joseph Ward beat Mr -Hamilton by at Awania. And now at Lyttelton they have a candidate in Mr M. J. Miller, where they previously thought it hardly worth while to make a contest, and where the conditions are somewhat similar to those at Grey. MiMiller is evidently one of those numerous electors who were of the opinion that the, in recent years, so-called Liberal party had a monopoly of liberalism and progressiveness. But the advent to power of the Reform Government, and an experience of their legislation and administration, has enabled him to see that he can give them his support, and still be loyal to the Liberal convictions of a lifetime. Speaking on the occasion of his opening address at Cashmere last Thursday night, where he appears to have had a good meeting—a marked contrast to his meeting at Woolston the following evening,—lie said "he had been asked why he stood in support of the Government, but in his opinion there was no other choice. The Massey Government since it came into power had done such splendid work for the whole Dominion, and was proceeding along lines that were so thoroughly Liberal, that lie could not give any thought to doing other than support it. (Applause.)" The policy of the Government, he proceeded to say, was thoroughly Liberal, and not Conservative, and therefore there was nothing inconsistent in any man wiio had been a life-long Liberal standing as a supporter of the present Ministry. There had been no change in his own views, and he believed that the best parry lie could represent was that of the Government. Labour matters will, of course, loom largely in the contest, and while Mr Miller cannot in any sense be classed as an opponent of Labour, being of opinion that without organised Labour no country could progress, yet he boldly stated 'that he thought the present strike was ill-advised. Personally, he felt that in the Dominion the Federation of Labour as it now existed was not wanted. (Applau.-e.) The Arbitration Court had been of great benefit to the working man of -New Zealand, ami he did not think there was any hardship in asking the workers to comply with that law. He hail great sympathy with the Lyttelton Waterside Workers who had struck out of loyalty, and he wished their lot was better, but lie hopeil that some good would come out of the trouble both for the men and the masters. He approved of the action of the Government in maintaining law and order, and felt that the Massey Government was doing everything it could to advance the interests of the workers. The views expressed by Mr Miller are also those held by many others who are well known as staunch and loyal friends of the workers, but "of course they are not acceptable to the militant Federationists at the present time. There are four other candidates in the held—viz., Mr .1. B. Laurenson (Oppositionist), Dr Thacker (Independent Liberal), Mr ,1. McCombs (Social Democrat) and Mr W. Radcliffc (Liberal). The election takes place next Tuesday, an.l the Second Ballot Act applies. Whatever the final result may be, the prospects of Mr .Miller's success do not justify much hope. At the last general election the late Mr G. Laurenson polled 4160 votes tu Mr Colin Cook's (the Reform candidate) 20*1. hi jfiOS Mr G. Laurenson polled :um ami Dr Thacker -21 HI. At the 1905 election Mr Laurenson rolled 2.31J, Mr W. Raddiffe being next with l.'i!) 3, two others polling 967 and o'J!) votes respectively. The feeling in :ke_ contest is exemplified by the fact that the late Mr Laurenson's name has been greeted with opprobrious epithets because he ventured to express an opinion.- averse to the Federationists in tiie present strike. An attempt has been made to make party capital out of an allegation that the writs were issued at unduly short notice after Mr George Laurenson's death, but this has fallen '•'Jinplete.iy to the ground in view of the '-<vt that exactly the same time transpm:.i between the late Mr T, E, Taylor's death and the issue of the writ by tin; Ward Government for Christchurch and by the further fact that in the present «ase thirty hours' notice was .yiveu of the intention to issue the writ,