CANDIDATES' SPEECHES

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2312, 20 November 1914, Page 7

CANDIDATES' SPEECHES

I WELLINGTON SOUTH l : . .. — / MR. A, H. HINDMARSH'S CAMPAIGN

Mr. A. H. Hindmarsh, the Labour candidate, who is seeking 're-election for Wellington South, opened his campaign laßi night, when he addressed about 350 people in St. Thomas's Hall, Newtown. Tho Hon. T. W. Hislop was voted to the chair.

Mr. Hindmarsh met with considerable applause when he rose to speak. The first matter he • proposed to deal iwith, he said, was an extract from ■The Dominion, of December, 1911, ■which, he said, had an important bearing upon the elections of to-day. •'.l'be Dominion then, in advocating a change of the Continuous Ministry, said that the friends of Reform ana Labour should stand together against the common enemy. The Dominion today apparently had very different views, and thought Labour was composed entirely of extremists. There had been, a change of feeling, and it was a little too late to preach that to-day.. Even extreme Labour people were not the only ones who sometimes used violent language. Mr. Massey, when Leader of the Opposition, had used violent language about the then Ministers of tho Crown. Mr. Hindmarkh quoted extracts from speeches made by Mr. Massoy in v referring to members of Sir Joseph Award's Cabinet. One expected, he said, very different language from, a Leader of the Opposition, and he would say Sir Joseph Ward was incapable of, using such language. He was a, man who kept the standard of Parliament high.

Helped the Farmerp. Coming- to the question of - Labour, Mr. Hindmarsh said that he expected the Prime Minister would attend to Labour- matters when he got into charge. He introduced' a Shops and Offices Bill, but he (Mr. Hindmarsh) soon found Mr. Massey was more interested in the farmers. The first thing Mr. Massey did was to oliange the law relating to the valuation of property. He introduced a Land' Bill. It had been repeated about the country that Mr. Massey gave tho freehold, but in 1907 Sir' Joseph Ward enacted that lessees-in-perpotuity could obtain the freehold. _ The real fight was about the price. Sir Joseph. Ward said that the farmers should pay on their valuation, but that wasn't enough for _ the, farmers. In the' next session another Land Bill,, giving tho freehold to another section, was passed.. Those. Bills could be passed early in the session, but the Shops and Offices Bill was put off till the end of the session, and was then thrown out One of .the clausos dealt with the hours of women. By a technical error women in private hotels w er e exempt from the hours of work clause, and the Arbitration Court refused to make an award for them. Mr. Massey delayed making an amendment to meet the case. In the 1913 session the main part of the Shops and Offices Bill, was again put off, and nothing was done with regard to the women workers. He had introduced a Bill to assist the servants in clubs, and that had been thrown out in the Upper House. Much the same thing happened to Mr. Wilford's Bill to reduce the hours of women workers in woollen mills.

Mr. Hindmarsh went on to deal with several matters lie lad attended to in Parliament, and explained the provisions of. the Distress Limitation Bill that he had put beforectbe Houße,:and which was passed. After the second reading the Government took the Bill up and it was passed. He also put the Imprisonment for Debt Limitation Bill, which was carried. Ho also moved that' in every, case of compensation -under the Workers' Compensation Act the money should be paid to the Public Trustee, and that was the law to-day. . (Applause.) It gave relief to widowß by providing for regular payments. He also moved an amendment to the Magistrate's Court Act, giving relief to small debtors, which was carried. Mr. Hindmarsh dealt witli various other steps he had taken in the interests of the workers. Land Reform Wanted. . Referring to land matters, the candidate said that the very fact that the graduated land tax was supported by both parties' showed there were large estates to be'broken up. The' question was a very important one, and he regretted that people did not take more interest'in it. If they did they would demand an alteration in the law. During the last ten years 24,000 children had been taken out of the country because their parents could not find employment for them. More people had gone out of the country than had come in during the past nine months, and in districts round Woodville ; the population was decreasing: Those matters were not remedied because certain' rich men controlled New Zealand. They were invaluable to the present Government, and controlled the party which at the present time controlled Parliament. The papers, he alleged, were controlled by them, and facts were misrepresented. He referred to "machine-made figures," supplied to Reform candidates, and characterised the figures quoted by Mr. Luke as, absurd. In the last year of Sir Joseph Ward's term of office, 1911, the surplus was £954,000, the largest surplus they had had. The-talk about nothing being in the Treasury bad nothing to do with the surpluses. The Liberals said that there was no depleted Treasury when they went out of oiiice. The commitments to local authorities, which were quoted by the Reform Party, were spread over a number of years, and provision was made to allow the transfer of money from other Departments. He waß not out to champion Sir Joseph Ward, but he Jiked to see fair play towards him, and the whole of his transactions were open to publio inspection. Mr. Massey, ; few yeara.ago, had spoken against lending money to farmers, and yet when the scheme was launched he became a violent supporter of it.. Now the Government was actually advancing' money which they had to borrow in England, to lessees to purchase the freehold, 'l'he candidate said that at the same time he knew of a working man who could not borrow money from the Government to pay off a small mortgage on his property. Retain National Endowments. \ Hereferred to resolutions passed by the farmers at their conference in WelITngton. They were great.. Socialists when they wanted anything, he said. They wanted the country to assist them in every particular way, and yet they , were loud in their exclamations against co-operative work, or anything being done tor any other people. There was another thing he wanted the assistance of the people in—it was against parting with the National The farmers had passed a resolution in favour of disposing of the endowments, and to uso the money for the purchase of town lots. He said if thoy wero going to allow the present party to rule, the people would allow their endowments to he disposed of. The largo farmers were rapidly bringing themselves into the condition of carrying on a crusade against the towns. The land was passing into the hands of the big people, and the'saino system would como about here as was coming about in America—a system of tenant farmers. He stood for the landless people. (Applauso.) The only tiling the Government would do was to borrow money and sell land. Questions Answered. ;Mr. Hindmarsh answered a number of questions. Ho said that before tho_

Htrntly disaster the Government had been urged to do something to remedy matters at tho mine. He understood that had the Mining Bill been passed in 1913 the matter would have been attended to.

Mr. Hiifdmarsh was asked why the Ward Government lost an opportunity of purchasing Mr, Yates's property in the Northern Territory of New Zealand. It had meant a loss of about £40,000 or £50,000? The candidate said that lie had spoken, to the member for Bay of Islands about it, and he had said that the land ivas very poor. The present Government had purchased poor land. ' "But," concluded Mr. Hindmarsh, "I have got enough 6ins of my own to answer' fof; I don't want to answer for anybody else's sins."

To further questions, he said he opposed the importation of boy labour; he thought provision should, be made to allow one union throughout New Zealand for shearers', etc. The graduated land tax was not sufficiently stiff-to make' large landholders in Hawke's Bay cut up their land. A vote of thanks and. confidence m tho candidate was carried 'unanimously. MR. J. P. LUKE AT BROOKLYN. Mr. J. P. Luke, the Reform candidate, addressed a 'meeting at Brooklyn last evening. Mr. H. Holland was proposed, and 'accepted the position of chairman. , Throughout the meeting Mr. Luke was accorded a good hearing. After_ Mr. Luke had answered all the questions put to him in a straightforward manner, the chairman said he was prepared to receive a motion —for or against, whereupon Mr. Marment proposed: "That Mr. Luke be thanked for his address, and tha.t those present think Mr. A. H. Hindmarsh a fit and proper person to represent this electorate." "Any amendment?" asked the chairman, after the motion had been secqnded. "Yes," said Mr. E. J. Jones. "I would move that Mr. Luke be thanked for his address, and that this meeting has every confidence in him as a fit.and proper person to represent this electorate." On a show of hands the amendment was declared lost (the difference might have been twonty in a meeting of about 150 people)! The motion was then put by tho chairman, and carried. Cheers , were then given for Messrs. Hindmarsh and Luke, and, on the motion of the latter, i for the chairman. .THE SUBURBS SEAT. MR. R. A. WRIGHT AT TAWA FLAT. A large attendance of electors assembled at the Schoolroom, Tawa Flat, last evening, when Mr. R. A. Wright, Reform candidate for the Suburbs, delivered an address, which was received with enthusiasm. The meeting invited Mx. T. Taylor to take the chair. Mr. . Wright replied vigorously to the attack which had been made by a candidate at Tawa Flat on the Civil Service Commissioners. He quoted the following extract from the Public Service Journal, a.periodical conducted in the interests of the Civil Service, to prove the falsity of the-charges made: — "We are quite satisfied that the Commissioners are out to obtain the best value for the State at a minimum of cost, arid we also believe that it is desired to encourage efficiency. As a business proposition this cannot be denied, and.lt is equally true that a good aiticle will always command its price in the open market. The State service must be made a shade more attractive than private service if the business of the country is to be conducted in an efficient manner. The association owes to'the Commissioner a grateful acknowledgment of the courtesy and consideration which its representatives have received from . him, The' relations between the two. sides'have, been .'of . the mdst desirable nature hitherto, and we liopo that they will remain so. Nothing can, bo. gained by creating antagonism, and a good deal may be lost, whilst a feeling of distrust is often engendered which may render useful negotiation almost impossible."

A vote of thanks and confidence was carried by acclamation.

MR. FITZGERALD! AT MARANUI. Mr. J. E. -Fitzgerald, the Opposition candidate, addressed a well-attended meeting at Maranui Hall last evening. Mr. Clater occupied the chair. The candidate stated that it was against the interests of the present Government to interfere with vested interests, and proceeded to adovcate more rapid settlement of Native lands and encouragement to the settlers, with the avoidance of extravagant administration. Mr., Fitzgerald charged the Government with encouraging and fostering re-ag-gregation -of estates, and stated that one large landowner in the Pahiatua district has succeeded in depriving 12 small settlers of their holdings, aggregating over 1600 acres upon whidh nearly 50 people lived in comfort. Mr. Fitzgerald referred in similar terms to his previous speeches to what he termed the lack of confidence of British investors in the present Government. He also criticised the Publio Service Commissioners on the same lines as previously. He quoted from the Public Service Journal to prove that the Civil Service was reeking. with discontent and had absolutely no confidence in its Commissioners. • In reply to a question Mr. Fitzgerald stated that he would not support the creation of a portfolio to control the Public Service Commissioners. He would_ support any measure to restore the Civil Service to the elected of the people. The usual compliment was paid the candidate and a committee set up to further his interests in the campaign.

THE HUTT SEAT. MR. A. M. SAMTJEL AT UPPER HUTT. Mr. A. M. Samuel, Reform candidate for the Hutt seat, gave an address at the Upper Hutt Town Hall last night. Mr. P. Robertson, chairman of. the Upper Hutt Town Board, presided. Mr. Samuel's address, which lasted for 'an hour and three quarters, was enthusiastically received by an audience consisting of about 200, which included a large attendance of ladies. At the close of the meeting a vote of thanks to Mr. Samuel and a vote of confidence in the Massey Government was proposed by Mr. T. Boyd and seconded by Mr. John White, and carried with one discordant voice. • A committee of about 40 persons who remained behind at the conclusion of the meeting was formed, and Mr. T. T. Boyd was elected chairman and Mr. Arthur Seed secretary. Mr. T. M. Wilford addressed a meeting at Epuni schoolhouse on' Wednesday evening, and ; wa6 accorded a vote of' thanks. and confidence. MEETINGS TO-NIGHT. The Hon. A. L. Herdman, at the Kiosk, Kelburn, 8 p.m. Mr. R. A. Wright, at Plimmerton, 8 p.m. : Mr. J. E. Fitzgerald, at Miramar, 8 p.m. Mri F. T. Moore, at Ngahauranga, 8 p.m. Mr. A. M. Samuel, at Wainui-o-mata, 8 p.m. Dr. Newman, at New Century Hall; 8 p.m. Mr. J. Duncan, at Endeavour Inlet. Mh J. P. Luko's supporters at St. Thomas's Hall, Newtown. Mr. H. 13. Holland, open-air, Ltwisville Terracc, 8 p.m.

TO-MORROW'S MEETINGS. Mr. J. E. Fitzgerald, at Paremata, 7.30 p.m. Mr. W. H. Field, at Waikanae, 8 p.m. Mr. H. E. Holland, open-air, Hawlcestono Street, 8 p.m.