ON THE PLATFORM.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1309, 12 December 1911, Page 6

ON THE PLATFORM.

MR, FISHER'S CAMPAIGN. Mr. Fisher addressed a meeting in tho Alexandra Hall, Abul Smith Street, last night. Tho hall was closely crowded in every part, and .large numbers of people were standing. The candidate, who was again his own chairman, said that his special object that night was to lay bare his own record in Parliament, and he had before him on.the table 23 volumes of Hnnsard, covering the whole of his period in Parliament. A woman (named) . had been going from house to house in Aro. Street saying that Mr. Fisher had declared in favour of lower wages, and that she had heard him say it. He would bring those volumes of Hansard to his further meetings, and he would challenge anybody to show that he had ever voted for any reduction of wages, except in regard to highly-paid Civil -Servants'who were getting • .£SO rises, while those below them were underpaid.

One of the measures.which he had introduced was the Destitute Persons Bill, to prevent anyone-being suedfor maintenance of a woman and. her children, unless the husband bad been first sued. It had been pointed out that his opponent, Mr. Fletcher, had polled the record.of 10,1100 votes in a municipal election. Ho had been able to do this because of the extension of municipal franchise, which was proposed in a Bill in which he (Mr. Fisher) had introduced in Parliament. Ho had moved to increase the amount the Government could lend under tho Advances to Workers' Act, but tho Government did not take it up. .He had introduced three times tho Sunday Labour Bill, which, was first gazetted by a member of a Trades and Labour Council, and ho had been thanked for this by Trades Councils all over the- country. He was responsible for the introduction of the Preferential Voting or Proportional Representation Bill. He had three times introduced a Bill to repeal tho Second Ballot Act. (Applause.) He had asked the Government to replace the Artillerymen on duty at tho Government ■ Buildings with unemployed men who could not do other work. He had suggested that the ■ Government should build workers' homes for the waterside workers, whose position was. a specially difficult one. On the Defence Bill, he secured the amendment nlaking it.necessary for all regulations to be submitted to the House, and thus giving an opportunity for air grievances 'to be discussed; He had moved for higher salaries for mental hospital attendants. He had got through the House the Bill which enabled portions of the Wellington Town , Belt to be used for games, without interfering with the rights of the'.cifizens. . He had asked the Hou. K. M'Kenzie to separate the Tramways.Bill into two parts, so that tho employees could get an appeal ' board without trouble, and the other and bad part Of the Bill could be dealt with separately. The Minister refused, and the resulting struggle lasted all night before the Minister got his way. He had assisted in the great fight against the Criminal Code Amendment Bill, 1905, which was an interference • with free speech.' He

liad osked the Government to introduce legislation reversing tho Osborne judgment so far as it related to New .Zealand.

The Government party had betrayed the Labour party. (Hear, hear.) Now tho Government would probably try to negotiate with the Labour party and promise to give them what they had hitherto withheld. Labour had never ne-

gotiated with him, nor he with Labour, and he was not going to truckle now, or bo disloyal to the party to which he helonged for the time being. The Massey party was offering a stoppage of the wasteful expenditure of to-day, and if the Government would do that there would

bo money enough to pay decent wages to those who, were underpaid. (Applause.) The late Mr. Taylor had said that a million a year could be saved by proper administration of the Civil Service, The Opposition proposed to set up -a Civil Service Board and remove the service from political control. '(-Applause.) lie wanted to give the Reform party a chance to bring about thoso and other reforms, including'the destruction of that ghastly institution, the Legislative Council. ' He, with Mr. Bedford, had been responsible

for the exposure of the abuses of the "memo." system of telegrams under which Ministers and their families cbnld send all sorts of telegrams at the public expense and taking precedence of all other messages. Remedying that abuse had saved the country JC15.000 or .£16,000. Tho moving of a vote of thanks and confidence by Mr. J. O'Dca was the signal for a renewed outburst of cheors. "Cheers for Fletcher" were also called for, but the response was nearly drowned in hooting. Mr. Fisher then put the motion, winch was carried on tho voices. There was no expressed dissent. More cheers followed.

WEDLINGTON CENTRAL. ADDRESS BY MR. FLETCHER. Mr. K. Fletcher, Government candidato for the Wellington Central Seat, addressed a crowded meeting in the Concert Chamber of tho Town Hall last evening. Mr. J. Rod presided. Mr. Fletcher, who was applauded as he rose to speak, remarked that he thought his warm, and cordial reception only an augury of tho reception he would get on the Thursday evening following. A great deal had been made of the immense amount of money and power expended on behalf of the Liberal candidate. He would tako his hearers into his confidence. On the Saturday preceding the poll he had not made arrangements for any vehicle whatever. On Saturday a friend offered to lend him his three cars. Later, the same friend hired live cabs for him. This represented tho amount of money spent on his behalf. He had not seen a Government car or a licensed victuallers' car in ..Wellington Central. ' He had fought unaided, and did not want any assistance. If ho could not win the election on his own account ho did not want to win it at all. (Applause.) It had to be recognised that ho had fought in the homo of Conservatism, and against the Tory paper. Mr. M'Liiren's articlo In that morning's paper, stated the exact thing about. The Dominion , . Mr. Fletcher complainod that ho was being.asked to. carry all the real or imaginary sins of the Government This was a pretty heavV load, but ho had carried it. He claimed that he had fought one of the cleanest political fights ever fought in the Dominion. (Applause ) New Zealand led the van in social legislation. Tho Hon. Geo. Fowlds had said that the Government had not paid sufficicut heed to the new force that was developing ahead of. tho Liberal party. This wns true. Whether it was dono by the party npw in power or by a coalition of Liberal and Labour, progressive legislation must be carried. Mr. Ifassey and his party would never rule the destinies of this Dominion. They might do it for a few months, but tho peonlo would quickly recognise their mistake. For the first time in the political history ,of this country Labour, standing on \U own, had come right along. . It would grow stronger in tho future. Unless Labour in ado a mistake, it had practically a certainty of returning three Labour candidates for this city. He ventured to say that he had shown that his sympathies had always been with Labour. Was Labour going to enter into a coalition with the party in power or with the party which had bitterly oppo=<xl every measure intended for the social amelioration of the people? The Labour people were Koine to turn (In; scale next Thursday. lie did not :isk for their votes, bul how ix>u!d Labour support thg otlier side?. Alluding to a

Dominion- article, Air. Fletcher said that Wellington Central doctors hiul no longer any reason to givo him half-hearted support. 'They would bn whole-hearted next Thursday!' (Applause.) Thn Opposition land policy was to filch from the Maori the lands" that belonged to him. Mr. Massey and his friends never talked about the "squattocracy , of this country, hi tlio provinco of Marlborough, with its 3 000,1)00' acres of land there vrcro only 10,000 sut.S' A voice: "What has the Liberal party been doing?" Land'reform, said Mr. Fletcher, would never bo pot in this country by reluming to Parliament the men who held tho land. He won't] attack land monopoly liy taxing tho genfieman who held the hunt. Given his way, he would take a good bit oIT tho Customs and put a good bit on tho laud. (Applause.) Mr. Fletcher was loudlv applauded as he concluded with an observation that ho knew quite well his iiamt! would bo at tho top of the poll on Thursday. Mr. Fletcher answered a largo number of questions. A vote of thanks and confidence was carried almost unanimously. Cheers were given for tho candidate, and the. andienco sang "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow."