ELECTION CAMPAIGN.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1280, 8 November 1911, Page 8

ELECTION CAMPAIGN.

NEWS AND NOTESSPEECHES BY CANDIDATES. TO-NIGHT'S MEETINGS. Mr. W. H. Field (Government, Otaki electorate), at Druids' Hall, Shannon, at S Alt!' W. H. D. Bell (Opposition, Wellington Suburbs), at Nugont's Hall, iuiramar, at 8 p.m. ~ Mr. C. A. Monckton (Opposition, Otato electorate), at Schoolhouse, Waihoangft, at 8 p.m. , , , T•, i Mr. John Brodie (Independent Libera , "Wellington East), at .New Century Hall, Kent '.terrace, at 8 p.m. Mr. J. E. Fitzgerald (Government, Wellington Suburbs), at the hall, Makara, at'B p.m. , Mr. 14. W. Short (Opposition, Hutt electorate), at Schoolroom, Normandale, at fi p.m. TO-MORROW NIGHT. Mr. K. A. Wright (Opposition, Wellington South), at Fullford's Hall, Brooklyn, at' 8 p.m. Mr. C. A. Monckton (Opposition, Otaki electorate), at Century Hall, Levin, at 8 P Mr. W. H. Field (Government, Otaki electorate), at Coronation Hall, Foxtou, at Mr. W.'H. D. Bell (Opposition, Wellington Suburbs), at Nguio Methodist Churchroom, at 8 p.m. Mr. ,W. H- P. Barber (Government, Wellington South), at Masonic Hall, Berhanipore, at 8 p.m. ~ , Mr. F. M. B- Fisher (Opposition, Wel- * lington Central), at Concert Chamber, Town Hall, at 8 p.m. Jlr. D. M'Laren (Labour, Wellington East), at bowling green pavilion, Hataitai, at 8 p.m. FUTURE MEETINGS. . Jlr.' A. L. Ilerdman (Opposition, Wellington North), at Kelburne Churchroom, Upland Ifoad, on Friday, November 10, at 8 p.m. Mr. W. H. D. Bell (Opposition, Wellington Suburbs), at Seatoun Tea rooms, on Friday, November 10, .at 8 p.m. Jlr. John Brodie (Independent Liberal, Wellington East), at Newtown Library, on Friday, November 10, at 8 p.m. Dr. Izard, the Government candidate for Wellington North, observed to his audience at the Sydney Street Schoolroom last evening, that although it might bo that the need for reform actually existed, he believed that whatever reform was wanted should come from within tho ranks of, the Liberal party.. . According to the Government eandidato for. Wellington' North (Dr. A. W. Izard), political candidates should not be asked to state their views on the liquor question. This question, he contended, should bo kept apart from politics altogether. There was a separate poll for the liquor ballot, ho added. Personally, ho liad never voted "prohibition," and was not going to do-so. The Government candidate for Welling-ton-North (Dr., A. W. Izard) thus described his political hue when opening his address to the electors at tho Sydney Street Schoolroom last evening: "I will support tho Government on a No-Con-Udence motion," ho said, "but on all other questions I shall exercise my vote as I think fit. I am not going to be a taine poodle-dog, to wag my tail when I am told to,' bark at the orack of the whip, and sit upon my hind legs begging for sugar." Breaking Promises. Tho only consistent policy the Government had carricd dut in the last five years was that of breaking promises. . . . The Government had backed and filled on the closing of the Government House at' Auckland; on the discontinuance of tho La,wrence-Koxburgh railway; on the unequivocal support of tho liacing Commission's report; on tho land question. \Vith , the Government. 'it was a question of "everything for office." The Government •were trying to stay their decrepitude on a glittering. array of. promises—such promises as regularly appeared in the Budgot. A Government that had been six years in office should not rely on promises, but on performances. (Applause.) —Mr. Bedford at Dunedin. That "Gross Libel." It may be remembered that at the end of the session tho Prime Minister, in the course of one of bis .customary attacks upon his critics, referred in vaguo terms to some sort of libel action that be had initiated, or was about to initiate, against eorno unnamed newspaper. It was soon rumoured that tho paper referred to was the "Otaki Mail," which, in its report of a political address by Mr. Jlonckton, •recorded a certain interjection by one of tho audience.. This interjection was, so it was understood, considered libellous by the Prime Minister. A local paper yesterday printed an advertisement signed by the proprietor of tho "Otaki Mail" expressing regret at having inadvertently allowed the statement t'o appear. "Public Waste," Public works under the Ward Government mcai public waste. Probably it would not be an under-estimate to say tint for every pound spent tho country doss not ge l ' more than IDs, of value. The t'utile and inefficient methods of railway w-n.it! uction, and the dispersion of public funds in innumerable directions instead of concentrating tho expenditure so as to complete a number of works and get them on! of hand as quickly as po» siblo, involve waste and loss running into hundreds of thousands of pounds. The employment of men with shovels and barrows to construct railway formation is a thing one would not expect to encounter, in the twentieth century in Turkey or China, and then only under native administration. It is almost incon- i ceivable it should exist in New Zealand, but it does exist, and people can see it with their own eyes if they like to visit 6ome of our railway works and study tho co-operative railway system on the spot. —Christchurch "Evening News." Tho Auckland Electorates. Tho political situation in Auckland is quiet (writes our correspondent), interest not having yet been strenuously aroused in any of tho city electorates. Even at Parnell the contest- has so far been tame. Now that Jlr. J. S. Dickson definitely stands, with the support of tho Opposition, however, tho fignt may be expected to wax keener before long. Sir John Findlay's latest raovo is to address the ladies. Ill's first meeting with the fair Eex Mas held'on Monday afternoon. Ho carofully avoided political issues, and grew eloquent over tho intelligent paternnlif.m of the Government, dwelling on the legislation framed for the benefit of tht chi.'drea, ths widow, and tho afflicted generally. Tho feminine heart was touched, and a vote of thanks and confidoEe!> was carried bv the SO ladies present. Mr. J Ivors and Mr. Glover havo yet to take ths platform, and Jlr. Fowlds has been quiet since his first speech last week. Jlr. Masscy will speak at Patumahoc. tornight. . Ho then visits Howick, Papakura, and Otahuhu, and will probably speak in Auckland next week. Why Hasn't it Been Done? Every politician in these days has his pet nostrain (writes "Mercutio" in tho Auckland "Herald"). Sir John Findlay pins his faita to a phrase, and Jlr. Fowlds his to a fad. Tho Knight believes that New Zealand is to bo made a country worth living in by tho adoption of his Tallying cry, "access to opportunity." The Prophet of tho new evangel considers that it can only obtain salvation by another turn of the land tax screw. His meek and evangelical motto is "bleed the farmer, bleed tho landowner, and God bless tho Queen Street retailer." In the multitude of political cries one gets a littln bewildered. Besides it is puzzling when ono hears a Minister and an ex-Minister gravely tell us what must bo done if New Zealand is to bo saved from damnation. Why hasn't it been done? Their party has been in power for over twenty years; tliev tliem-r-elves have held office—one still holds it -then why in tho liamo of all that is Parliamentary have tliay left undone all this time, the ono thing—or is it the two tilings?—necessary to jiut the Dominion ou its feet and make it a light and an example to tho world? Mr. Herries at Te Aroha. Mr. W. If. Herries, Opposition candidate for Tauranga, met with an extremely hearty reception at the hands

of tho Tauranga electors resident iu Te Aroha on Friday evening Inst. Tho hall was packed, and Mr. li. L. Somors oci-n----pied tho chair. Jlr. Herries said the country was fnco to fnco with the mo*t important election that had ever taken place in Now Zealand. lie charged t lie Government with waiting for thu Opposition to enunciate a policy, and with immediately adopting tlioso points thereof which it considered best calculated to sccuro for itself public confidence. For tho Ecforni parly, which he represented, lie claimed that they worked ou a fixed policy, lipon which they were prepared to stand or fall. Given tho opportunity,' they would introduce such measures as would settle llio land question, finance. Civil Service, Legislative Council, local government, and industrial and social problems. On tho motion of Mr. Hubbard, seconded by Jlr. Nonet, a hearty voto of thanks and confidence in Jlr. Herrios was carried without a siuglo dissenting voice. The Parnell Scat, Tho Opposition candidate for the Tarnell scat, Air. E. G. li. -Moss, who has decided (as already stated in The Dominion'), to retire from tho contest, lias addressed the-following letter to the electors of Parnell: —"keeling satisfied now that I cannot completely recover from a recent operation before election day, I have with very great regret to announce my withdrawal as a candidate for the Parnell seat at tho forthcoming general election. 11l doing so, I desire to express my sincere thanks to all the momDors of my committee for the valuable assistance they have given me. I have discussed the situation with my friends, and have also carefully considered tho platforms of the other candidates who arc contesting the scat, and in doing so have arrived at the conclusion that the policy expressed by Mr. J. S. Dickson is ■more in'accordance with that of tho party with which I am connected than that of any other candidate, and trust my friends who have been rendering me such splendid services, will sec the position as I do, and will assist in niacin? Mr. Dickson at tho top of the poll." The Opposition organiser (Mr. E. It. Martin) informed a "Herald" reporter that Mr. Moss's letter expressed the opinion of . the party regarding Mr. Dickson. Jlr. Martin added that so far as he was concerned no stops would be taken to bring out another candidate' to represent the I!e----form party in the contest, and that Mr. Dickson will now receive the official support of tho party. The Decaycd "Liberals." Mr. Fowlds is not the only political candidate outside the ranks of the Reform party who is convinced that the Government long ago ceased to be a Liberal Government in the proper sense of the term. Mr. J. A. Young, the nonparty eandidato for the Waikato seat, holds the same opinion. Attacked for .having, as his enemies alleged, "turned his coat 'since last election," Mr. Young made a vigorous reply:—"His ideas were almost identical with those advanced by him when contesting tho Tauranga scat, except that at that'time ho had stood in the Government interest. His principles had undergone no change; it was the Liberal party which had drifted away from true Liberalism, and had sacrificed the very fundamental principles of Liberalism in their efforts to retain the sweets of office at any cost. The present Liberal party was composed of political, parasites and hangers-on to the skirts of tho party for what they could get out of it. We must break down this rotten system and build a new structure on a solid democratic foundation in keeping with tho ideas and ideals of the people. lie for one would vote to wipe the present, corrupt Administration right out of existence and give some other Government— any Government — a chance. They could not get a worse one, and if it only lived for three months, it would do away with the present system of power at any price." "Testimonials." In his speech at Stratford on Friday last, Mr. Hine quoted a few "testimonials" given to the Government by some of its supporters. Aftor quoting Mr. Fowlds's declaration that the Government had departed from Liberal principles, he quoted Mr. Poole:—"We havo been subjected to some demonstrations of backing and'filling. JYe 'have marched into the firing lino determined to do or die in the interests of tho people. The Leader of the Opposition and some of ln's followers have been firing blank cartridges, and before we have got well into tna line tho bugle has sounded the retreat, and we have marched off tho battlefield a laughing stock to tho community." The same gentleman, in a presessional speech, delivered by him in 1!)!0, referred to the Ministers in these terms' "Some were very reputable men and some were not so reputable; some he would trust with all he possessed, and some with very little.". Mr. Hogg had said: "Ignominious climbing down, the abandonment of principle; and if the Government has no principle what is it and of what-value is it to the people of the country? I say of no value whatever." Mr. Eoss, another member of the Government party, said: "He had gloried in the policy of the Liberal party and followed them for years. . . But what did he find to-day? As he stood here to-day a supporter of that party he found they were absolutely departing from anything that one might be prepared to concede, as Liberal principles." Mr. Graham, still another member of the Government party, said: "It is the most incongruous Cabinet I have seen dnring my sixteen years as a member of the House. I am not going to individually criticise the members of the Cabinet. I will only say this, that if the Prime Minister elected to go to tho Old Country now there are not more than two of his colleagues in this Chamber that he could rely on to carry on the work with credit to themselves and to the country, and they would be handicapped with the balance of Jlinisters, whom he could not depend upon to the same extent."

WELLINGTON SOUTH.

DR. COUZENS'S CANDIDATURE. SPEECH AT BROOKLYN. Dr. A. E. Couzens, Independent Opposition candidate for AVclliugton South, opened his campaign at Brooklyn last night, when ho addressed an audience of about 130 people. Jlr. G. Frost presided. Dr. Couzens, giving his reasons for standing as a candidate for Parliament, said that he had had an irresistible impulse to do so on account of the state of affairs which had been brought about by the administration of the present Government. He had neither a programme nor a platform, but he did offer what he ventured to call a charter. Ho declared for a free press and a free people. Ho demanded that an auditor, independent of Government control, should be appointed immediately to thoroughly investigate tho public accounts, and that the result of that investigation be published in tho press.. He demanded, that tho rights and privileges of Parliament should bo respected, and that the Cabinet should furnish full information to tho representatives of the people. 110 declared that payment of judges beyond their fixed salary was dangerous to tho administration of justice. lie advocated a vigorous land settlement policy under a leasehold tenure. Ho held that education should bo free, compulsory, and secular. He was strongly opposed to Government interference in municipal affairs. He advocated economy in the expenditure of public money, so that the necessity for borrowing might bo greatly reduced. Ho stood for naval defence and tho volunteer system. The Tyranny. Some papers in New Zealand had been placcd under a boycott; her eferred especially to TnE Dominion. Ho held no brief for this paper, but the withholding of Government advertisements from it was a violation of a cardinal principle of freedom of the press. It meant in cffcct that tho Government exercised a censorship of tho press. Tho- Government's action in regard to The Dominion' was a palpable instance. Elso why did the Government withhold advertisements from it? Ho ventured to say that it was because the paper dared to criticise the Government freely. The Ministry had exercised a tyranny which ought to bo removed, for tho Government, first of all, ought to bo impartial. Were tho members of the Ministry such intellectual giants that they could judgo what was best in newspapers? He suggested rather that they were dwarfs. As to his second point, he was of opinion that tho Stato accounts should be supervisee; and audited with as close a scrutiny as were the affairs of any joint stock companies. For tho State was really a vast business concern. But

it was not conducted as such; there were unprofitable schemes unileitiilcen—instance tho Hutt Itoad scheme—and llie.-io wero undertaken at tho request of members who could command Government support. There ought to be an examination of Government expenditure to discover whether money had been rightly mid wisely used, and tho result of this examination should be made known to tho people. If this were done, he thought: hundreds of thousands of pounds could be saved every year, nnd this money could be given to the people in (he remission of taxation. 110 believed that. the rights and privileges of Parliament should be respected, and he did not think that tho Government had done this iu making the Dreadnought gilt. The country was gulled, and led to believe that a great national peril was toward. They wero led lo believe that England was passing through a crisis, thai the Government had confidential information about it, nnd Sir Joseph Ward offered the Ifome Government a Dreadnought. A very proper gift, no doubt, but in making it as ho did, Sir Joseph Ward did an unconstitutional thing. Kings of England had suffered for less, and no Minister had any right to set aside the principles of the Constitution iu so arbitrary a manner. To any man who would do such n thing there was only one word to be said, and that word" "Ketire." (Applause.) The Judges. He objected to the payment to Judges of extra moneys in excess of their salaries. He did not think that any single member of tho Supreme Court lieucli could bo corrupted, but it was well to remember that Judges, like other people, uere only human. If a Jnd{;o received sums of money for special services in adjudicating on matters in-which the Government was interested, there was every possibilitv that the Judge would incline to the side which paid him. "Hands otf," he would say to the Government which sought to interfere in municipal affairs, more especially in tho control of Wellington tramways. The Government lind control of so mauv things already that tho Administration had too much power. And one of the ways in which they abused that power was to oppress and intimidate the public servants, so as to deny them the right to exercise freely their civil and political rights. Against Compulsory Training, Tho eandidato spoke at somo length on the defence que.stiou, and on the compulsory training scheme lately introduced. One of the clauses of the Defence Act lie objected to especially—that which said that boys who did not register must forfeit their right to vote. The Government had a right to make their laws binding in the ordinary way in the Courts of Justice, but they bad no right to tako from a youth his voto. making him au alien and an outcast. He objected to the compulsory principle because the British Empire had to be made and welded together under. the voluntary principle, and because he believed that the compulsory principle would be bad for the British nation. He was patriotic, and he loved Now Zealand. He would gladly fight if occasion arose, but this whole compulsory system was wrong, and the scheme far beyond our means. He thought that our first line of defence should be the British Navy, and the next a New Zealand or Australasia navy. He did not believe that there was anything in the war scares raised, or in the Yellow Peril scorc. The next war would be fought in Europo or in the North Sea. He 'was not one of those who doubted tho supremacy of Britain,' for he hoped and believed they would be supreme for centuries to come. Money spent on this absurd compulsory scheme was worse than useless. For all their misdeeds, he thought the Government deserved to be sent to tho rightabout. Questions, Dr. Couzens answered a number of questions. He said that he was not in favour of the abolition of the Upper House, but thought it ought to be reformed. Ho was opposed to the present Government and their methods, and he would support the Opposition, and Jlr. Massey. who. he believed, was an honest man. and quite capable of running the affairs of this country. On one or two questions he would not vote with the Opposition. He would vote for the repeal of the Defence Act. He believed in the referendum, and if one had been taken on the compulsory training scheme there would have been no friction. He was not in favour of the repeal of the Conciliation and Arbitration Act. In the local option pf-11 he thought decision should be by a baro mainritv. He thought good might come of the State note issue. On the motion of Jlr. J. B. Teyehenne. a vote of thanks was accorded to the candidate, the voto being carried by acclamation.

WELLINGTON NORTH.

DR. IZARD AT SYDNEY STREET. Dr. A. W. Izard, Government candidate for Wellington North, addressed a meeting of electors at the Sydney Street Schoolroom last evening. Mr. Henderson presided over a gathering which just Med the hall comfortably. The majority of the electors present were ladies, and (ho candidate, who spoko for about an hour and a half, received an attentive hearing, and after answering several questions, was accorded a vote of thanks and confidence. The main points of the speech—described by the candidate in his introductory remarks as a "fighting" speech—included references to the Native lands question, t'he Civil Service, Stato Socialism, labour and arbitration, liquor and the law, and so on. As a doctor, and speaking from the experience of the use and abuse of alcohol, he declared that he would not be 0110 to alter existing legislation with regard to the liquor traffic. He stuck to the three-fifths majority. In a t'rue democracy the habits and tastes of the large majority must not be covered by a small minority. Proceeding, the speaker referred to Mr. Herdman's views on the question of a Public Service Board. He stated that his opponent's advocacy of the substitution of a board for the present system of Ministerial control amounted, in his opinion, to a substitution of club control for Ministerial control. A Public Service Board would simply mean that social intercourse in "toney" clubs would open up the road to individual promotion. It was, he contended, unsound and undemocratic. Mr. Herdman had "gone out of his way to insult the Civil Service" in his campaign in favour,of a Public Service Board, for his remarks suggested that those who had and were doing well in the Civil Service at the present time were obsequious flatterers, sycophants, of the all-powerful Minister, In a passing reference to the discontent in the Railway Service, Dr. Izard said that if the men were not getting properly treated thev ought to be—the Stato should bo a pattern employer.

WELLINGTON EAST.

MR. M'LAREN AT KILBIRNIE. Mr. 1). M'Laren, .M.l'., addressed a well-attended meeting in the Methodist Church, North ICilbirnie, last evonin*, Mr. P. J. Fear presiding. In opening Mr. M'Laren referred to the industrial unrest existing throughout tho countrv at present, and emphasised the necessity of public men "exercising caution in respcct to suggestions .that the present arbitration system should be abolished. The Act, he believed, could hs improved so as to bo of considerable advantage in preventing industrial conflicts, so long as both employers and workers kept in mind the limitations of this class of legislation—in that it could not bo expected to solvo tho economic problems of our time, but was merely a means for allaying acute industrial (rouble in times of emergency. The Labour party in politics was constructive in its lines of policy, as was evidenced by tho work already carried out in the States oud Commonwealth of Australia. Soon after last ©lection, he had urged in the House the need for doaling with the matter of unemployment on systematic lines, and he had continued to impress this necessity upon Parliament in the three succeeding sessions. He would support any sound scheme of insurance against unemployment, but recognised that special prevision by way of State settlement or works would have to be instituted to take up tho surplus labour which was left unemployed during any period of depression. He pave the Government credit for what it had done, in the early part of 1909, to meet the unemployed trouble which then arose, but held that, some permanent remedy should be provided instead of hurriedly got-up relief works. In a country like this there should really be very few unemployed if the lands of the Dominion were properly settled, and sufficient

encouragement given to our industries. There was, ho held, room for much improvement iu rcspect to tho public service of tho Dominion, but the proposal lo hand it over to the control of a Commission invested with despotic power did not meet with his approval, 110 was surprised that any legal gentleman should have put forward a nropnsa.l which would only give a Civil Servant the right, of appeal from the decision of tho Commissioner to tho C.unmissioner again. It was a curious proposition that a party to an action should be made adjudicator in the case in which lie was interested as a party. Sir. Sl'Larcn commended lain amendments to the Workers' Compensation Act ami tho Old Ago Pensions Act. Ho was unanimously accorded a vote of thanks and eonlitlcnce at the close of his address SPEECH BY MR. BOLTON. Sir. I'. G. Bolton, Government candidate for Wellington East, addressed the rlectors at the Victoria Hall, Adelaido lioad. last night Tin? hall was crowded. Mr. E. J. Kitzgibbon was in the chair. The candidate dealt fully with the questions of cost of living and unemployment. 110 advocated the removal of tho duties on all primary products with the object of cheapening" the cost of living, and dealt fully with various monopolies at present oppressing the consumer. lie outlined a scheme for cheaper land and houses, which would assist cither the rent-payer or tho person desirous of acquiring" a home, with the aid of tho Advances' to Workers Act. Referring to the Opiwsition, Sir. Ilolton described them ns the party of purity, prepared to offer a bribe of '.£(,000,000 of the people's e-s----tate to tho Crown tenants, in order to get into power, and also emphasised that although the Opposition joined in condemning lmrrowing, only eight of them voted on Sir. Poarce's motion to reduce the amount of a proposed loan by .£200,000. liven the Loader of the Opposition and Sir. Herries voted against Sir. I'earce's proposal. Turning to tho policy of bis opponent, the Opposition candidate for Wellington East, he invited him to give particulars of any back country iu the Wellington district remaining undeveloped, and to admit his mistake to the statement as to 1,000.000 acres of Native land undeveloped, and to givo particulars of any actual savings that he could effect either in expenditure or taxation. He also challenged the Opposition candidate to say whether ho favoured taking the duty off all imports of primary product's, and not a few only, and as to whether he favoured an increase in the-graduated land tax. Numerous questions were given to tho candidate and answered, mainlv dealing with tho Arbitration Act and Socialistic matters." The matter that seemed specially to appeal to the audience was th» dealing by the candidate with the question of tho reconstruction of tlio Arbitration Court. A. most enthusiastic vote of thanks and confidence wa.s carried by acclamation, amidst cheering.

WELLINGTON SUBURBS.

MR. W. H. D. BELL AT KHANDALLAH, Sir. Vf: li. D. Bell, Opposition candidate for Wellington Suburbs, addressed a crowded meeting at lvhandallah last evening, the Church Schoolroom being barely largo enough to accommodate an audience of some 150 / persons. Mr. l r . HoUisworth occupied the chair. The candidate stated at the outset of his address that ho hoped there would lie no misconception of his attitude iu coming forward at tho present juncture. He was absolutely opposed to the present-administra-tion of the country's affairs, and considered that if tho Reform party were successful at the forthcoming elections, and spent the next threo years in a general cleaning-tip process, and doing away with existing abuses, that the party would have justified itself, and would" deserve tho thanks of tho people. It was contended by tho Government that the Reform party had no constructive policy, lint if this were so, then neither had tho Government a constructive policy, since the policy of the Reform party dift'ered little from the proposed policy of the Government. The Government professed lo bo in favour of vigorous land settlement, so wa.s the Reform party, but tho point was that after 20 vears of <jdico the Government had proved incapable of carrying its professed policy into oll'cct. I'lie Government professed to have at heart the settlement of tho great industrial problem, so had the Reform party, but the 20 years of Continuous Government had not resulted in anything ap. preaching a settlement. All parties were agreed that administration must be economical, but had the reign of the SeddonWard Government been marked 'by economy? Sir. Bell warned his hearers against misrepresentations, and stated emphatically tnat the Reform party was opposed to tho aggregation of largo estates. Ho also pointed Suit that it was untrue that tho Opposition, if returned to power, would proceed to repeal legislation such as the Advances to Workers Act and the Old Age Pensions Act. The candidate received a most enthusiastic hearing, and after answering various questions ho was accorded a hearty vote of thanks and confidence, on the motion of Mr. P. H. Burke, seconded by Mr. A. lerguson. A strong committee of ladies was formed the meeting. A men's committee had already been formed. MR. J. E. FITZGERALD AT ■BELMONT. Sir. J. E. Fitzgerald, the Government • candidate for Wollington Suburbs and Country. Districts Electorate, addressed a meeting of-electors at Belmont last night. Sir. Johnston occupied the chair. In referring to the Opposition, Sir. Fitzgerald said it was a matter fcrr speculation as to what were the common grounds on which the Opposition meet; what was their object or what was their .policy? Was it a disliko to the Government which for 20 years has controlled the destinies ot tins country, or was it a dislike to the many reforms they had undertaken? The Opposition of to-day, in his opinion, was powerless, the worm' of progress had eaten into its timbers, and it stood a moss-covered ruin, all crumbling in decay. In dealing with railways, Sir. Fitzgerald said that tho Government should give every possible encouragement for people to reside in the suburban districts. The candidate dealt with the industrial legislation of the Government. A vote of thanks and confidence was carried by acclamation, on the motion of Sir. A. Carver, seconded by Mr. Slathewsou.

HUTT ELECTORATE,

Sir. R. W. Short, Reform candidate for the Hutt, addressed the electors at Korokoro last night, and received a.vote of thanks and confidence. Sir. J. W. Sl'Ewan denies a rumour regarding his intention to withdraw from the contest for the Hutt scat. He intends to pursue - his candidature, and states that he has received substantial promises of support.

MASTERTON.

Sir. A. H. Herbert, one of the Opposition candidates for the Slasterton seat, addressed a meeting in the Town Ilall this week, when ho was well received, and was accorded a hearty vote of thanks. Sir. W. F. Slassey, Leader of the Opposition, .is to address .* meeting at Ekctahtuia on November 11.

OTAKI.

ME. MONCKTON AT TE HOEO. Air. C. A. W. Monckton, Bcform caudidate tor Otaki, had a most enthusiastic meeting at Muhunoa ou Saturday night. .Mr. W. E. Arup was in the chair. After hearing a very interesting address, Mr. Webb proposed a vote of thanks and confidenco in the candidate, and of no confidenco in the present Government. This was seconded by Mr. Gorrie and carried unanimously. Mr. C. A. W. Monckton, Eeform candidate, spoko at Tc Doro on Monday night'. The schoolhouso was packed and Mr. Eli Allen presided. In tlio course of his address the candidate referred to criticism of his recent speeches. Mr. Jloncklon was in good form, and as he drove each point homo was applauded. He spoko for an hour and a half. No questions were asked. Mr. Hammond Murray proposed a voto of (hanks and confidence, the motion adding "that Mr. Monckton was a Gt and proper person to represent this important electorate in Parliament'." This wa9 seconded and carried unanimously.