NOTES FROM CANTERBURY.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1288, 17 November 1911, Page 6

NOTES FROM CANTERBURY.

LAND A.\D DEFENCE QUESTIONS. IBr TclcEraDh.-Snocial CorresDondont.i .Christchurch, November 18. Interest m the Kiecarlon contest, is RiwviiiK rapidly, and the opinion is streiißllicnuip that JJr. Witty, who a month or two ago was regarded as having ouc of tho safest scats in Xcw Zealand, w,l| have to fight hard f u securo 10-uleclioii. Mr. J). Q. Siillivau, the .Labour candidate, who, uy tho way was the Lovcraor's guest at I'miclieon to-dav, as prrsideut of tho Trades and Labour touncil, is winning ;, Ungn amount of support, especially in the southern portion ot the. district, which includes the railway workshops, and he carries also tlif support of tho Prohibition party. Mr O. \\. hnsor, the Independent Opposition candidate, is also doing well. Among the various reforms for tho future advocated by Mr. Laurensou on Jucslsy uißht, he put iirst and foremost the shortening of the hours of Parliament. He would propose next session to fix a midnight limit to all with this power of closure. The House also should meet early in May, and sit on until Ihe end of .September. Mr. Laurenson's atlitadc on compulsory military traimns is decidedly of the yes-no variety Ho said he. supported the cnmpuUifj.' syslem. He said tho yellow races were within a week's sail from Australia. Xo man or woman wanted to have his or her daughter married to a Chinese or .lapaiie.se. Tie would favour referrins (ho matter to a referendum, and lie believed llia.t an overwhelming majority woulil vote for tho tyslein. Subsequently, in

reply to a (luoslion, be paid lin was strongly in favour of wilhdrnwiiiK lho compulsory clauses until llit-y giit the will of Hie people on Hie Mil.jecf. JI« wuuld liku tu we. far wirier M:iipn given to the conscientious olijerlfir?. Nut a singln man or l>oy should lie in (he. Territorials who did not wajit to h<; there.

It was only with regard to land, ,«nid Mr. Nfisworlliy at AshbiirUm mi Moyriny niplit. (hat tli'o I'overiiiimii!. preached the doctrine of unearned incrimeiil. .Ntilliinj; was Klid of large shops, breweries, or other properties owned by (iovitrnjiieiit jiienibors SB regards unearned "increment. If shares went up 2(1(1 per colli, unearned increment was nut mentioned, but if land went up -P a" »<*« the tiovernment 'must havo it. He slated Hint he believed in a graduated tax on nil property with a reasonable advautago for the working people. Criticising lho (lovornmonfs attitudo on Hie land question, Mr. Xosworthy said: ".Suppose that a leaseholder held a. farm of 100 acres valued at .£lO per acre, and Dial lie paid ofl" HO por cent, or tho capilal value. He would have paid tho Government JtflOfl, but a revaluation took place at the. end of tho term by which tho capital value was raised to ,1:15 an acre, or .CISOO altogfct'her. The ,£!)00 already paid off docs not represent 1)0 per cent, of the capital value, but CO per cent., and tho Government held a for tho balance. That kind of land tenure does not appeal When asked (says tho "Press") whether he would support a proposal \o bring the liquor trailic under Stale control, Mr. M'Xab made tho cryptic, if not sinister, reply, "I have seen enough of State coiv trol at Bellamy's to make one oppose it.' It would bo interesting if Mr. M >ab would go a little further into details. Perhaps, however, be is afraid of breach of privilege. THE WRITS. A Dmiedin Press Association telegram slates that instructions wero given vestorday for the issue of tho writs on JNovombcr 20-