WELLINGTON EAST.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1290, 20 November 1911, Page 6

WELLINGTON EAST.

MR. M'LAREN OTJT OP DOORS. Mr. D. M'Tarcn, Labour candidate for Wellington East, addressed threo openair meetings on Saturday. The first was at South Kilbirnie, at 1 p.m., when he snoko to a number of workmen, and explained tho industrial legislation of Inst session and that which he expected would be introduced next year to amend tho Arbitration Act and other Labour laws. He emphasised the necessity of having representatives of tho workers in the Houfo when , theso measures wero being dealt with. At .7.30 p.m. Mr. M'Laren spoko in Tasman-' Street. He dealt principally with the need; for closer settlement, encouragement of local industries, and the ■ maintenance and improvement of tho national system of education. ,Mr. M'Laren then went down to tho Conrteney Place tramway junction, where he spoke to a gathering of about 300. people. Ho detailed tlio efforts he had made in regard to legislation for.'ensuring a proper milk supply for Wellington. In his judgment this was a most important matter in the interest of the health of the people and especially of tho children. Ho held that in regard "to such a matter tho public interest .was the first consideration,, and he dealt with the need of establishing by legislation tho fair Tent principle. Residential properties were very often based simply on the needs of tho tenant without any proper relation to tho value of the property rented- A maximum rental was as important to tho worker as a minimum wage- He supported remission of duties on foodstuffs and articles of common necessity. Whesro there was cvidenco of articles being cor- ■ nored by trusts, the State should come in as a competitor, in order (o regulate prices in the interests of tho consumers. His policy was clear and distinct from that of Liberalism or Conservatism, as it was founded on the principle that government should bo from the mass of tho people and that tho Executive should bo more limited in its powers than it vvas in New Zealand at the present time.

Votes of thanks and confidence wore earned at each of the meetings, mid the last of the three concluded with liearty cheers for tho candidate.

MR. BRODIE AT KILBHtNLG. Mr. John Brodie, the Independent Liberal oandidate for Wellington East, addressed a well-attended meeting of electors in O'DoimoH's Hall, Kilbirnie, on Friday evening, ill'. Harold Flanagan occupied tho chair. Mr. Brodie, in opirn.ing, said that thero was never a time in the history of the Dominion when independence was so urgently required in our Houso of Representatives—the Houso. suffered from .too many blind followers of the .party in power. Tho coming election, he felt confident, would sco this reversed, and a more democratic tono would exist. Every Government required scvero criticism. Ho referred to the great importance to this Dominion of having a naval base centrally situated. Queen Charlotte Sound appeared to be an ideal rendezvous as compared with .Auckland Harbour. In his opinion it was the duty of the Government to persevere with the proposal. Afforestation, the speaker went on to state, was a matter that demanded moro attention from the Government. In the next quarter of a century the country would be almost depletod of native bush, and timber in consequence would become costly, so that the planting of largo areas of forest trees on waste lands—lands that are unsuitable for any other purposewould meau in the next half-century a great source of wealth to. tho country. Work of this nature could bo carried out at a timo of tho year when work ia usual-

ly scarce, thus affording a great amount of employment for those out of work. Tho candidato stated that he favoured dental inspection of all school children. Jto also referred to the great benefits derived by military training between the ages ol' lG and 21, and in after lit'o men wlio had this experience would apprecialo it. The speaker dealt at some length with (he general political questions of tho day. At tho conclusion of the meeting Mr. Brodie was accorded a vote of thanks and confidence, on the motion of Mr. C'orbett, which was carried unanimously. OI'JiN-AIR, ADDRESSES BY ME.. BOLTON. Mr. F. G. Bolton, the Government candidate for Wellington East, addressed a largo crowd in tho opon air at Corner, Courtenay Place, on Saturday night. Tho candidate dispensed with tho necessity for a chairman as it was an openair meeting, and delivered a vigorous fighting speech, in which ho appealed to tho electors to voto yolidly for himself, as outlining a democratic policy in the intereets of the mass of tho people. He condemned the Opposition's attitude as to tho disposal oi tho Crown lands and their clamouring for a sharo ijf public works expenditure, wliilo at tho same time repudiating borrowing or the creation of a surplus out of revenue. Bo advocated au increase in the graduated land tax, the imposition of a stilf absenteo tax, and defended warmly the principle of tho Death Dulles Act as being tho most democratic and reasonable way of efi'ecting a satisfactory distribution of wealth. Ho advocated a system of uniform school books in preference to the present conflicting system, and also favoured free school books so far as tljis was financially possible. He favoured an extension of our system of education to iucludo froo training right up to tho University. He also advocated strongly the protection of our local manufactures wit.li tho object of providing employment for our young people and preventing the extinetion of many of our most useful industries. Subsequently Mr. Bolton spoke at tho corner of Adelaido Road and Drammond Street on similar lines. At hoth meetings he received an excellent hearing, and hearty votes of thanks and confidence were accorded, and cheers given for tho candidate.