PLATFORM POLITICS.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1979, 9 February 1914, Page 8

PLATFORM POLITICS.

"THE WISDOM OF WfUfORD. 1 ' (To tiio Editor,) Sir, —The oracle- of Libomltsra has spoken I Furthermore, in a verbatim report of tho Friday night "tan.gi" to Petone, it is recorded iii the local journal that Mr, Wilford had had a great experience in polities. Whilo'lii; land ho haa received a cablegram offering him a portfolio in tho Mackenzie Government, bat ho had declined "it. If Over he did accept a portfolio it would bo with a party of progressives. Within the next few weeks tihero would bo -political news that would surprise most people. He had bemi asked to speak at To Aroha that night, but ho had started his political carcer in Poione over twenty years agft, and before he went forth into other places ho would ask them to show bv some means that they believed iri him. "Let nvo say to you this," ho continued, "politics have never paid mo, but I love to play the game. I can .honestly say to my constituent's that I havo never turned down anyone whom I could assist,, and my constituency will always find me the same." Te Artrba, forsooth I "What &jt opportunity was missed by tlio versatile member for Hutt jv few weeks ago in addressing tho people of To Aroha on. "Tho Ways of Reform" during his holidays there, instead of his perennial interview with mudi'despised journalists concerning "tho degenerate trout"—tho old, old "slab" trout of Lako RotoilHil A rare opportunity Mr. Wilfofd - missed: (1) Of telling the unsophisticated : King Country elector how nearly he had ■ come within tho reach of Ministerial, , rank and opulence., (2) Of the brcath- ; less-suspense as Ho his attitude on returning from the "land cursed" Eng- • land, ivlien, jiofc desiring te change liis, • political coat, ho coolly asked the Hutt electors to give him "a free hand" to , voto for or against the Mackenzie Miitistty,' which wo now for the first time i learn had cabled him a portfolio! (3) > Of tho advantages of "the soft, soft ) pedal," and his wasted-effort to keep • that Ministry in office and bis seat I therein warm, (4) Of ' tho "toasted > cheesc" and the Liberal "fats," who ■ thwafted • his ambitions; and (5) of > "the ways of Reform" ever afterwards! Now, Sir, as to Mr. AYilford's progress politically in Pet-one after twenty years. The figures fcsr 1911 election ) do not give any great indication .of his ■ ' vaunted stability- in this wide-awake > community. . Remembering Ill's sudden illness, and big "sympathy'' voto, ho. > only received 1431 votes, out of a total ' of 3186 votes cast {including Koro- • »or'o)—less than half! How taany less k lie will receive in 1914 remains to. bo 1 sefin. , . 1 Even of this number less than 500 j attended Friday's grandiloquent appeal ' to bo permitted to go forth and sound 1 the tocsin throughout the. length and | breadth of the, land, aided lay their lr.an- [ date to "go,, sec, and conqucr:'' Hith- ! | erto this political stalwart could nearly J account for as many persons on his 5 Petone "committee," and yet dismally ; failed to convince one-half. of Petoiio : th,at twenty years of political life entilled him to mono fully share their i confic^encol' . Bv all means let Mr. Wilford go back | to To. Aroha. and to Timbucktn. but .not to Parliament! A man who thinks '<, too much of his constituency to live in ' it—an absentee'representative, as, Mr. ' Wilford is—deserves another holiday 1 abroad, while some resident, who fools ' round year in and year out- attending i to boroughs, county councils, school ' committees, town boards, river hoards, 1 cemetery boards, and such other liigiily- : paid, offices stepped':''iii and shouted "Hnnte Rule for the' ; Tlutt !'•' Tho now Jy-elCcted oho. would not so plibly refer, as Mr. Wilford docs, to "the poverty of poorly-paid politicians P'—l-am. etc., . ARTFUL DODGER. ■ MR, WILFORD'S FICHTINC SPEECH Sir, —I liaro (read your report- of Mr. Wilford's speech at Petone, and lot a. . downright farrago of political humbug • it would Ik> hard to find its equal. If , this sort of ctulF suits tho electors of the Hutt t'hoy - are easily satisfied-, and, i I F'ight. add, easily -iiivlled and befooled. Thlco the -case of tlio dreadful sped re . of "boy labour" that..- tho , "Tommy" lashed, himself into sucl-i it fury aver.. Ho says, the -Sedgwick boys', have been "secured for a ytf'ar at 7s, Cd» .'a week, and had to pay back to tho Government 85 per cent, of that for their passage out," This is n gross mis-, representation of the conditions of tho. . engagement of Sedgwick boys-,.' Mr. Wilford surely knows tli.it the T's. Gd. a ■' week mentioned is the- absolutely minimum wage, guaranteed- tn tho lads before leaving England, and as a matter of fact nearly all t'lie lads are earning far higher wages than that, Life is too short to waste time answering all of the random assertions, and half'trfitlis of tho member for the Hutt However, it goes without saying that the electors got a good evening's entertainment for nothing, and there were no dull moments whilst,the '"star" actor of the Opposition spoke his piece.—] am, etc., , SPECTATOR. ' January 31, 1014.