WELLINGTON SUBURBS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1292, 22 November 1911, Page 8

WELLINGTON SUBURBS.

.ME. BELL AT BROOKLYN. Jfr W. H. P. Bell, Opposition candidate for tho Wellington Suburbs f.cat, addressed a meeting of over ono hmirirai electors in Fullford's Hall, Brooklyn, last evening. Mr. G. Frost prowled. Dealing at tho outset with tho extravagance of the Ward .Administration, Mr. Bell stated that Departmental expenditure had increased since ISO 2-3 by 187 per rent., whereas rcver.m.', in tho wuno period had increased by only 115 per cent., and tho increase in population amounted to onlv 51 per cent., while tho cost of government per head had increased by 7t per cent., revenno per head showed an increaso of only 4U per cent. The increase in expenditure, said Mr. 8011, was out of all proportion to the increaso in "population and tho increase in revenue, and something must bo wrong. The only possible explanation was that the Government hod" been extravagant. If instances were sought they might be found in such cases- as that of the Southland votes that wore challenged by Mr. Mascey when tho Supnlcnientary Estimates wire being consuferetl in Parliament The Minister in charge of the Estimates was supposed.to bo a trustee for tho.people, arid it was his' duty to take care that every penny was being nropcrly expended. "Nevertheless, directly Mr. Massey called attention to these, items of expenditure, tho Minister said that there was something wrong, and that h? would sllox the.votes to stand aside. The actual facts were that tho money was to bo expended on private property solely for tho benefit of the individual owners of that property, and not for the benefit of tho public. Tho Minister, who should have been a trustee for the people, would have allowed these votes to pass had he not been checked. The explanation of such happenings was that Ministers had ceased to regard themselves as trustees for the people. In his previous addresses, Mr. Bell insisted upon the vital necessity of securing clean administration. Dealing with the freehold, he stated'that one paper, in . reporting his speech at Bcrhampore, had not made his position qui to clear in regard to leasp-in-perpctnity land. What he • desired was that the. Government should sell what it had to.sell.at the present market value. What the, Govcrnmert had to sell was tho present. unimproved value, less the tenant's interest; The' Government, now owned: 'a) The right to receive the land back nt the end. 0f'909 years; (b) the right to receive a rent calculated upon tho original value of tho, land. Tho right, to receive the land back at the end of 999 years was practically ] valueless. The price which the Government would receive, in the open market, for the right to receive a. rent would bo tho sum which, if invested, would produce an annual return equal to the j rent. This, sum would bo found to bo j equal to the original valuo of tho land, i A questioner stated that ho was anxious to sec Mr. Bell returned, but asked him whether ho could not seo his way to dron his freehold policy. Mr. Bell replied that he did not think it a proper thing for a candidate to drop his porsonal opinions in order b obtain I votes. A vote of thanks to, and confidence in, Mr. Bell was carried unanimously. MR. J. E. FITZGERALD AT BERHAMFOEE. Mr'. J. E. Fitzgerald, the Government candidate for the Suburbs and Countrydistricts, addressed a largo meeting of the electors in the MaEonic .Hall, Adelaide Road, last night. Tho chair was occupied by Mr. Andrew Collins. The candidate stated that as he was a native of the. district it was reasonable to suppose that ho. know the needs of the district very well indeed, and that his business connection, his membership of all tho important local bodies, all guaranteed that ho would do his very utmost for, the furtherance of. tho interests of the district and tho Dominion. Ho supported tho present .Government, as ho eonsidored.it had done great service to the country, and with tho addition of some fresh blood and enthusiastic young mcu,'ho'believed it could do much better. Ho was.aware that the party may have made, mistakes, but it offered tho best material for improvement, while on tho other hand the so-called Reform party was merely a rehash of the old Tory party, but with a fascinating name, appropriate only so far as that party had to "reform" itself to save its being soon extinct. The speaker stated that while ho was not tho Labour candidate, yet ho claimed to be the real friend of Labour. Ho had workedhard and with considerable success in the interests of tho working man. and he believed the present Government had placed them in such a good position that they woro the envy of the workers throughout the' world. The speaker advocated tho imposition of an increased graduated tax on large estates, which would throw those big estates on to the market, and dispense with that useless practice of tho Government buying land at high prices for close settlement. It would take the taxation off the iiecessaries of life and place it upon tho land, which was best able to hear the burden'. In fact, the revenno from this source would be largt enough in time to do away with high Customs duties, and even to do without borrowed money- for developing tho country. Mr. Fitzgerald advocated tho rating and taxing of Maori lands, so as to help to pay for the road, railway, and bridges which had improved those lands. Tho candidate ridiculed the idea, of defying the Defence Act. So long as it was tho law of the land it ought to be enforced to the letter, and no Government is worthy of the name if it allows the laws to be hold up to contempt. If the law was not in accord with the Irishes of the people, it.should be repealed, but till then he, thought overy goml citizen should stand by it. He favoured a reduction in the age limit, and tho insertion of a conscience clause. Mr. Fitzgerald advocated a simpler course, and more thoroughness in tho primary schools. fog"tlter with a much wr'der use of the technical school classes, the fees for which should be reduced to a minimum through further assistance' from tho State. He advocated the application of the electoral principle to the constitution of the tinner Hoii'p. and would endeavour to cheapen telephone communication for both town and country. He onncsed the alienation nf anv more of the Crown lands of the Dominion, which should be set aside as i<n endowment for education, old ago pensions, and hospitals. Aftsr answering a number of questions, the eandidat-" was accorded a heartv vote of thanks n"<l confidence on the '"otien of Mr. W. J. Miller, .seconded bvMrs. Williamson. The motion was carried with cheers. MR. J. T. LUKE AT KHAXDALLAH. Mr. J. P. Luke, a candidate for the Suburbs scat, addressed a meeting of electors at the Churchroom, Khnndalinb, Inst ovening. The Mayor of Onslow, Mr. F. Holdsworth, was in tho chair. Mr. Luke said that future borrowings must be for works of a reproductive character. Other State requirements would be provided for out of surplus revenue. This, together with the profits of the Slate's utilities and tho national undertakings that now return a considerable annual income, would be available for works of a ron-rcproductive character. Dealing with tho proposed scheme for provision against unemployment ho staled thai, there should be co-ordination and mutual midiirslamlini: between the national and cirir. authorities to encsur-

ago expenditure upon jinlilii: works being more widclv dMribuleil over period* n> ;is l.i prevent Ihf! sudden sl"pp>"'.: " works mi nil sides, lemlling in liiiien <;l unmiplovmenl mill sire:,-, In 11k; brctdwinner." Ai-Sivilifs in thin dnecltnii would do nit.ro linn prnpie-aN nf rilicl In prc,.en<: I In: miinlniml nf (ill)- people, lie would siijipi.tl » l,,\ni-plmiiiiiig>-ebi-iiie on n basis ol (rusting I'"' 1'" ,J, l """'<"■'• lii- In develop 11 woll-deviM-d system, whii-li llii'.v should submit In I'mlimiielit for logishiiivi) Mii»:liuii. In lliis way tincntcrprbe mill <-.<i-npenilinn ol' Ilio civic milliorilics nuil (he people v.ould be linniglil. about, nml improved conditions mid llin ckiiHoii of ii healthy public ."piril. in llio country would icmi!l. Oilier i|iiesli(ius denll: willi liy Mr. Luke were luxation, eiliienlion, Civil Sen-ice elus-ili-ratinn, Xiilive l.'iml acquisition, and indiislrbil arbitnitinn, and ennciliiilioii. lie Kiiil In: was in fnvour 'if the repenl of Hie Scenncl Ilullril. mid t\w sub-lit ulii'll of proportional wiling-. On flic iiirilinii of .Mr. ('. Crump, serandrd liy Mr. It. Cameron, n volf of thnn't.-i mid ' confidence wns accorded llio caridi(lnto.

MR. MOORE AT JOUXSONVILLE. Mr. V. T. Monrn. Labour candidate for llio Suburbs sent, mel, (ho members of his country committee at .lohnsonvillc Inst night."and was iiifnrraed thai tho Farmers' Union w.is circulating a report Hint his plntform was not in the interests of farmers. Mr. Mnoro Uild his committee to challenge such n statement with nil their might. Ifo snid I hat his scheme, for tho establishment, of n Stale mercantile n.genrv to secure full value for all tho products "of, the laud was calculated In do more good for llio farmers than anything vet suggested in their behalf. He was confident' that the freehold question was being made a bogey to divert tho minds of farmers from the real issue— which issue wns tho return the producer got for his meal, wool, butler, and other products. It v.-ns arranged that Mr. Moore should revisit several of tho country centres to rcaddre.ss meetings to contradict what ho considers tho misrepresentation of his candidature.