THE ELECTIONS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1268, 25 October 1911, Page 6

THE ELECTIONS.

WELLINGTON NORTH. MR. E. J. CAREY AT BOULCOTT STIiKET. J l '': E- J. Carey, Labour candidate for u o.ilinfjtoii North, addressed an audicnce ol thirty electors at the Boulcott Street Hall last evening. The proceeding*, winch were presided over by Air. J. M'Conkey, were orderly throughout, ami (lie candidate received an attentive hrarin.R. Mr. Carey prefaced his remarks with tin* observation that it was an insult to ask '.'lie workers to vote for a Government which was hand in glove with monopolies and with the Employers' Association. As instances, he cited the case of Jlr. Harold Beauchamp, who was once put forward as a suitable candidate in the Liberal interest. lie was now at the head of 0110 of the biggest monopolies in the country—the Bank of New Zealand; Sir James Mills, managing director of a shipping mononoly had been commended by the Liberal' Government for the honour of knighthood. .Air. H. 1\ Barber, who was nut forward as the Liberal candidate for Wellington Soutli, was a member of the Advisory Board of the Employers' Federation. Obviously, said the speaker, Mr. Barber could not serve the interests of the Employers' Association and the workers—whom the Government professed to ea.rc for—as well. The Labour party, procsedcd Mr. Carey, was out for nationalisation of monopolies —the establishment of a State ferry service, State colliers, and competitive State factories.' The speaker described • the Union Steam Ship Company as the biggest monopoly in New Zealand. Eighteen years ago, he said, the Union Company's fleet was practically a mosquito fleet. Today it was probably the biggest shipping concern Soutli of the Line, and its- remarkable development had been largely fostered by Government concessions, anil upon the support of the State's railway traffic. They had asked the Government for a State ferry service between Wellington and Lyttclton. Nothing had been done. To-day, the Union Company was in a position to dictate the terms of the transport arrangements of 'lie country. Another aspect of this question of freight monopoly was the transport of cheap fuel from the State coalmines, which were, it was supposed, being run in the interests of the poor 'man. The benefits of State coal supply could not, however, he completely extended until the Government took into consideration the question of transporting the output of the mines by State colliers. The Government could mortgage the pockets of the taxpayers to the . tun-e of two millions for a Dreadnought ; which would, in a verv -short time,' be I condemned to the scrap-heap. It would I ' not taee a much smaller expenditure for , ihe purpeso of providing State colliers. j The Land Question. ' Touching upon the lands question, Mr. C'arey accused the Government of having no policy. Labour's policy was clear, and well-defined. It set forth, as essential principles in land administration: (a) No further sale cf Crown lands; (b) leasehold tenure with right of renewal, and periodical re-valuation every 21 years; (c) tenants absolute right to all improvements; (d) limitation of area based on value, to ensure an tquiiable distribution of our lands; (e) resumption of Native ami other lands for closer settlement on renewable lease; (f) increment tax on all land sales to secure to the State all soeiai-ly-crcatcd values; (g) the retention and direct operation bv the State of sufficient land to meet the demands of Hit' national food supply; (h) increased graduated land tax. \\ here, he asked, was the Liberal Government's policy? It had none to stand or full by. \\ Jim the Government sired to draft its policv upon sonio rjuestion or other, it tabled a resolution in Parliament, and took the side that attracted the majority of votes. The only way it could evolve a policy on the gambling question was to get up a debate on certain resolutions, and follow the lead of the majority. The Mokau land ca-o was well known bv this time. A vain able property had been exploited by private interests. Already one man had made ,£IO,OOO out of it, while the syndicate hoped to clear another £Sb,oot' » hat should the Government have done? he asked. All ho could say was thai; what was good enough for a syndicate to take up should have been gcod'onoii"h for the Government to take up, and develop for the benefit of the people. They had recently before them tho case of the Taupo Timber C'ompanv, which wanted private railway rights. The list of directors of that company included prominent Oppositionists and Government supportElectoral Reforms, After a reference to tho "Banking Monopoly and the State note issue, Mr. Carey devoted some attention to the question ol electoral reform, contending that the second ballot system, introduced at the previous general election, was a "continental back number." The only way out was through a system of proportional representation, which would secure ihe representation of minorities. The second ballot system was a failure; it was undemocratic. The Opposition wanted an upper House on the system of proportional representation; Labour desired no bppcr Chamber at all. The speaker also advocated tho abolition of registry ollices The Government, he said, had 'made a futile attempt to deal with this class of business by creating labour employment bureaux. One of these institutions he had in his mind appeared to him to exist sttnply for the convenience of inches on the Terrace." Tho official returns ot these bureaux were misleading. He knew of eight or nine girls who had been sent to the same place within a period of as many months, yet the leturns would assert that employment had been found for that numler of workers. If the Government was in earnest about this question, it would step in and abolish registry offices (An. plause.) ' ' The candidate also touched on the Arbitration Act, and labour questions generally, and at the conclusion of his address was accorded a vote of thanks and coiihdence, on tho motion of Mr. S. Gordon seconded by Mr. T. S. Testor.