ELECTION CAMPAIGN.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1295, 25 November 1911, Page 14

ELECTION CAMPAIGN.

' MR. MASSEY.

THE QUESTION OF DOWNFALLS.. IB? Teloeraph.-Preis Association.) Auckland, November 21. Two meetings of electors .were convpned by Mr. Massoy this evening. At Birkenhead'ho.addr'esse.d over 150 peone, anl in the conrso of" his speech said that, while it was true that there had been factors in Canada which did no t oecm in New Zealand, the lesson of the dpfeat of the Laurier Government was that the people could unmake at tho no l> what they had previously, made, and ho was-confident that tho lesson -would bo very forcibly impressed upon tho \\ard Government next month. Ho received hearty votes of thanks. _ . " Tho other meeting was attended by obout 250 persons who greeted Mr. Massey with prolonged applause and cheers. At this meeting also tho Leader of tho Opposition received a vole ot thanks.

RANGITIKEI

MR. NEWMAN AT GLEN OEOUA. Mr. Newman gave an address to tho electors at Glen Oroua on November 21, Mr. R. Bc-swell occupying tho chair. The speech was similar to that delivered in other parts of the electorate. ; - -Mr. Nowman dealt with the land question at length, referring particularly.to tho. unearned increment in Maori land. He showed.that the South Island was better treated than the North in regard to railway granti-, and the purchase of land for settlement purposes. With regard to tho latter question, out, of fourteen estates dealt with under tho Land for Set-tlement-Act,-between -April 1, IWO, nnd March 31, 1911, 13 were in the South, and one in the North; prices being given up to iMB per acre for some of the land. Mr. Newman suggested that a largo quantity of ■ land, well suited for close settlement, could be acquired within a short distance of tho Main Trunk lino at'very much lower prices. Tho increase of Customs duties under the present Administration was referred to. It was pointed out that the Customs taxation per head was 10s. more now than it was in tho time of Sir Harry Atkinson. Tho increased cost of living was' consequently caused by tho increased cost of taxation to some extent' Mr. Newman next dealt with the management and administration of the railways. It was shown that the railways paid" -4 per cent last year, and a trifle over the cost of the money invested in them the year previous, wMlo for the previous eighteen years there had been, a deficit' each year. The. increased revenue .now. was accounted for by the increased passengers'. fare?, which,'to a large extent, came out. of the pockets oi the workers, as tho result of the.alteration in second-class fares. Mr. Newman also dealt with the question cff ... tho Dreadnought. He stated' that although ho'had supported the. Dreadnought gift he would not have done so had he known the true position of affairs. He thought that if the Dominion put its local defences in good order, and continued its contributions of JBIOO.OOO per annum,,that was all tho Mother Country required, and was all that was. necessary. The Hine charges. Mokau cass, the need for a Local Government Bill (long, promised), and tho necessity for aa elective Upper House, w.ero also dealt with. Mr.. Newman pointed out that-tho whole of the area from Wellington to Hawera, also a portion of tho Wuirarapa. had .been iin : represented in tho Upper House for .many years.- In conclusion. Mr. Newman stated that the difference between the Opposition anil the Government might briefly be stated (o be: That the Opposition party favoured the land being settled on le-aye with right-of "purchase' iu strictly limited areas; that it favoured the encouragement of private enterprise, nnd that tho State should only' interfere whore monopolies were operating, injuriously to the public. Tlio" Government, on the contrary, desired to have land occupied by Crown teuivnts, and anrarently were going in for a policy of. nationalising industries more nnd more" as time went on , . The beet-root industry, the iron industry,- and the water power of the Dominion were illustrations of this. Other matters were referred to by Mr. Newman in a manner which interested the nnrliencc On the motion of Mr. W. Farmer, seconded by Mr. C. Hoprong, a hearty vote of I hanks was accorded Mr. Newman for his address.

BARE MAJORITY,

ACTION BY NO-LICENSE LEAGUE. A vigorous discussion took placo last evening at the meeting of the local NoLicenso league wheu tho members showed no uncertain ~mind on the question of supporting..', bare' majority candidates. The "matter, however, that caused some diversity of opinion was the position in electorates when two or more candidates favoured tho bare majority. Finally it was decided that tho attached letter ho addressed' to all candidates in the five local electorates and that on receipt of tho various replies the league would take a' definite lino of. action on the subject and request its followers lo refuse support to all candidates who insist upon the present "undemocratic handicap of a three-fifths majority":— Wellington, 24th November, 1911. . Sir,—The No-License League of the Wellington city and suburbs are committed by their own convictions and ■ by'the unanimous vote of the National ■Council to a fixed hostility to the existing three-fifths majority, which controls licensing results in this country. •. This majority amounts to a fifty per cent handicap of the vote for reform. Wo ask frqm you the favour of a ro'ply by return post as to your position on the mnjority question. We are not anxious as a council to interfere, with tbo general politics of tho country, but this particular injustice is of so grievous a nature that wo are proposing to leave no stone unturned to secure the defeat of all» advocates of the three-fifths majority. Awaiting. j-out favour,—Yours sincerely, (Sgd.) G. PETHERICK, Hon. Secretary.

THE MAORI ELECTIONS,

Tho following returning officers for the Maori electoral districts have been appointed: Northern, Mr. Charles W: Grace; Eastern. Mr. Harold Carr; Western, Mr. Wm. Henry Grace; Southern. Mr. Helyar W. Bishop. •The writs for this election will be issued on December 1, and the election will take place on December 19. On Sunday erening Mr. E. k. Wright will address a No-License meeting at the corner of Adelaide Road and Liixford Street at 8.15 o'clock. The Rev. Mr. Carlisle will also speak.