THE GENERAL ELECTION

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2313, 21 November 1914, Page 8

THE GENERAL ELECTION

CAMPAIGN POINTS. NEWS NOTES'AND ADDRESSES ■ - AND PRESS COMMENTS. POLLING DAY FIXED FOR DECEMBER 10 , .' "In order to put the Reform Government out of office, we have had some ; dealings with Sir Joseph Ward, Leader of the Liberal Party, and we have got one of our number to go through the country to prevent as far as possible tho splitting of the Progressive .vote."—Mr. Hiram Hunter, National President of the Social Democratic, Party (the political organisation of the Federation of .Labour) on November 17, 1914. "Just for a word '. . . Just "Are wo Industrialists? Are for: a scrap of. paper Creat Bri- we Revolutionists? If we are, tain was going to malie war."— let us act accordingly. If necesHerr von Bethmann Hollweg, ssry, let us toss every agreement Chancellor of Germany, on August to noil."—Mr. , Hlckey, of the 4,1914.' '' executive of the, Federation of Labour, New Zealand, on February 7, 1913. Tho British' Empire Is engaged in a life and death struggle with the nation Which declares that "scraps of paper" are nothing to it. The electors of New Zealand are asked to support the nominees and allies of an organisation, a membor of the executive of which has openly declared his belief In the same principle, 7 and which on its industrial side has more than onco given effect to it.

%::■■•; ;;Talreyior example; Sir Joseph Ward's k.;.,,. iriost>spectacular item—the •,bonus;, of -i' £5 perbaby.'-That'was a very' handy !;'■•'' sort of carrot,! but he suggested that it - ':: ; ' v . was: hung /on.much' too long V stick— ; "'X'. 'if tlie; money was"\ reV . : ; ■■/quired.at; all,, itwas required when the ./v/!\>:child; wa« born.—Mr. W.' Downie Stew!.v'.:Vart,. Reform ' candidate for Duuedin t};o;fflpsb£i:. :.■;/:';/;>'.' ~ .;.'•■..' ■../.! | : ;.-.£ '■•'l,';: "If; J;proriiise .you'.'sometliing, that is .yjT,; riot,'a-pledge to/.my.constituents."—Mr. ::;;;;:>>.; i J.vPayne"at-;Gfey.;Lyiini : -;■■' ■ .-.-■: ■■'; >iiWhe4' ; iii-Ohristchurchv the' other 'day, : was'approached by' an; inV. - /■' tejviewer' anxious to:.know some of -the Minister's; opinions on the elec-. I ''-. ■■'■ 'tion campaign.'"Mr. l " Massey'.said 'that \ '■ -:i:.0•■ from.'what' he had noticed of,the,Oppo-■ !;;■':■ sitioriroaiididatea! speeches'in the Press £ ;/■'■; there was : little that was fresh or.even '{■'.!'■"€. Snterosting.;.-.''So:,;far as I amiable to j-/ , ■'?;- judgej!?fehei said,;!;"thp prospects/of : ,the '■■■ -;,:':. Government 'are .very ■ good. and yare. im-. £$:,:■ > prpv v ing,rapidly..j.The.p_ublio-.is,realising I'>:•:;i. j'ihat^what:.has, ! been■ said.;by"the alleged, 'i-:'/-..-; ./critics :'of ; -thbl Government is' chiefly spmejof itl personal, and' feyf:.; bomejof :it;idLrocted;agaiiist:'the: Goverri:'.v .; there £Vi-W/.-is nljt a.single■seripus:charge'that.can"-" !.' ; ;■';. '-} be arid, on. .the • other £-..'■:■■; i'"hand,'.the electors--will admit';that'our s./.v:: iecord, so. fafcis:a:very, good one." ' ■;,

.'Jt, would have'been. a. graceful act on .. : . the\ part.of vthe/Wairarapa electorate, v had .-.it ,paid.'.i3ir; : ,Walter .. Buchanan tho : compliment, iim unopposed ,-'; 'for;.the ■last"'timevwhioh ! 'he shalliseek. '.■■"". At one tihie"it was thought '{}_ '". /ijifit. this■ would' happen,'. indeed a etrong '■■\,\ supporter of -his.'opponent /suggested,' : ; '.: sometime 'ago,,/to a representative of■ ■■.;;:fche..'''Standard";.that r this'.:course w.as .;;. the'n'/likply -tp-' be- taken;: , ": But party ■■i ;'; 'considerations.-are;'always:-strong; : too ; ; --'Etrong'to bear the stram'bf such a'cpn- .■;■■' cession, "even" if 'that .'concession be, to. /!'a! maiirwho! has •served his/, electorate. • well,"ahd-who, .in addition to/carrying ■:; but. hie. , Parliamentary, duties as -faith-' 'I'iiiilly and asV'wcll'-'as. 'has. ' -■,'done, has made:"his 'name',revered and. ■ loyed'aU over-the ■Wairarapa.. fie has to- fight then 'for, tho seat,.and" /that ho - will. put; up as big land.' as vigorous a >.'..'.Gght.as he, has;e.ver, : preViousl[y,done may '. : ,\ be takenifor granted , by-his fmends and :';; supporteis^Wairarapa;;:''Standard'.'': ; V:/. 'Mr.-H/ F. ; ;Tpogbod;/whp is the Re- :,. form! candidate'^foriGhristch'urch.North, ;•■ is going: to beat:Jlr. ; -:lsitt;':despite.the. '•; : Jiquorvtrades';'.device of putting up one .- •!Petherick; tb-i steal. , votes- from lit. :Tob-" ;■ v.good, eays r a'"ClifiStchurch oorrpspond-:ent',;;,i'',Th6!..Kefprm,-niari' 'is , -young, 'a .: lirstrate. speaker,'!; a. hard workei , , and .. a. gieali' fighter. ; ' "At' every meeting he U wins" votes "from hisj opponent,: ana his .\. .BpeecheSj.iirp. quite the-feature of the ■ . campaign'herb. Mr.' lsitt is not the eame'strong-candidate as iii 1911, when the T. : E. Taylor sympathy vote was •'fresh,-and , he is not°:making aiiy friends ■':)[ by his shuffling ohithe. Bible-in-schools '->:.' referendum- br. ; by' Jiis! dodging .of '.the ;>.....■ defence question. ■■ : - : -\- ', .'■■■ '..:! The HoiKlAi-LT-Herdiiian, in his ad- '.: Srcss iit Kelburn' last night; declared v -himself strongly' in.-.-.fayour of the,sixty ■; per t 'cent. iioll.;to carry local Np-Licenso : and Dominion Prohibition. He ex- ■ ip'ressedtthe.opinion that finality in .leg-.- . /■ dslatipn". on the; subject had not been "•.'teached.; It was impossible'to conteni-plate-;New .Zealand under No-License.: .it /would be a .plague! spot" on the ' earth,':and i:b one would come here. !' ! . Hβ was opposed to direct State!or muni-" •. ■ cipal-.control, .-.but ■ believed a. great re- / about by hav- -.'■'. ing the whole '.'control of licenses and v -!-tlie-/regulation !pf ,the sale .of drink /.placed in the'hands of three men , responsible to Parliament. . ; •"■.,..

.-/If.!there is one' thing'the_ Reform Party will be remembered for 'it will be for: its determinatioii to remove- the .public service of the Dominion, from the reach; of political influence.—''Manawatu' Standard.". . •/, ! . , ; : ■' ■

"We-all know Sir Joseph's littlo :weaknesses,' and'-we , 'might very well overlook them, had his speech contained any evidence of real statesluanehip," says the "West Coast Tiriies" of Sir Joseph;-Ward's "Winton speech. •"It, was utterly devoid of tho slightest sign of such a quality.: The,speech was intended tp.be a, policy speech, but it failed/ to' disclose ..any .policy. It is true that it embodied a long catalogue of legislative proposals of varying merit/ but" , a mere; list .'of contemplated enactments no; moro-necessarily constitutes a policy; than does tho mere assemblage of all the chemical constituents of protoplasm' create -living matter."/ -V--:■ -• - : -■••'■ :.•".. ■ ■ ■'

According' to the member for Avon, ' Bays 'the'Christchurch "Press," the advent of the Reform Tarty far power "wasthe-best -thing could have to New Zealand,". because "it sTiowed the'.people what the Conservative Party really was when he got Into office," In this .connection, adds the "Press;" we may, reprint what Mr. Russellsaid at Phillipstown on July 6, : 19il : ;—''"If the Reform' Party got into power it. would aboliehold age pensions; manhood suffrage, land for settlement, cheap money schemes, and the State lire insurance." At any rate, the Becorm Party's advent to power-seems to jiave shown with uncommon, clearness , what Mr. Russell really was and is. .

Mr C K. Wilson completed his meetings ;in4ho'Waitara;portion of his district at TJrenui on Thursday night, and addressed a. very .large.meeting, stated to bo one qf-tho:biggesfever hold there. Mr Pope 1 occupied the chair, and at tho-conchision of the address a unammouß, vote of thanks arid confidence was carried'. 1 ' rooeption,!riKht

through; the district,; it. is stated, has been/very enybtfsiastip. . No Government in New Zealand had ever done so much for-the working man as tlie Massey Government had in 6iioh a short space of time.—Mr. G. J. An-: dersori, member for Mataura. , Poor Mr. G. W. Rnssell is in sore trouble over the Defence Act. On Wednesday; .night Mr. Sullivan quoted a letter written by Mr. Russeir to a constituent m 1911, saying :—"My objections to .compulsory training have been that it is both unnecessary and impracticable. I have never been in fayour of it, but when the fever was in Parliament and the, country it was useless to try and stop it!" 'Mi-. Russell referred "to; the matter on Thursday night, biit. did. not deny having written the words 'quoted .—Christchurclr ' Tress."

! Questions concerning certain, pledges made by Mr. John Payne, the Social Democratic member for Grey Lynn, formed a : prominent .part of, a meeting held by tho:caiididate in Grey Lynn; on Wednesday evening..'.': ■ ■'■ .|' ,;- I'-'-. A voice: I don't hold.a brief for Mr. Massey, , but on. November/9, 1911, at Mount rEdenj didn't you announce that you supported- a coalition of the Labour and Refbrm iiiterestß?. ' ' '. ~: Mr, : Payne :■; Where did you get that iiom? hi-cs::: ( ' . • •■,.'•: • Tlie voice: I have asked you a question.. ■'• ;. _._•••.■ ■•. .! .•_ ! ■ * ■ ■ ' Mr. Payne: Whore did you get it from,P. .■•.' ■■-■'./■! -.'• ■ . '~.-■• : ''Auotiher,;y()ice:.you auswer theiques-i tion..v:!'/- ; :/',L.!';- / ■ . ■' '■ "', r '."., '■' Mr. Payne:-I; will say that Ihave.no recollection of:, saying that. (Cries of ."Oh.") However, af you give me the authority,; I.jWill'anewer it. ■'''' '.''■' .;■-, Settlers' at' Te Rehunga, a settlement near Dannevirkb, in the. Pahiatiia electorate, had a feast on politics on Thursday night, eays our Tahiatua, correspondenti -' Owing to tho-arrangements clashing both candidates forthePahiatua found, themselves scheduled to appear at" the- schoolhpuse at the same,time.'-. .However, an amicable uu.derstanding was- arrived at. ' Mr. J. H. Escott vigorously defended tho Government's policy, before a large audience for. an'hour, and he , was followed by; Mr. J.' D. Matthews, the Opposition nominee.! -Both candidates received a good hearing, but by consent, so it ie stated, there; were no votes• of .thanke or-confidence.to either candidate. . / The .speech was, no doubt, apprbpri-' rite enough on the lips of Sir Joseph Ward! , as ,wo lenow him politically in this, coiiiitry, but neither in manner nor in matter was it the sort of speech British people are accustomed to look,for in public men who claim to bo endowed iwith the qualities of real statesmanship" and to guide their- conduct by the canons/of good-taste. That the speech was at fault in the latter respect is sufficiently proved by the alternate vituperation of opponents and the shrieking ■paeans of self-laudation .; which,: in gtrophe arid antistrophe, ran through it like a ; melancholy chorus.—The "VVest Coast Times"! on the Opposition Leader's. Winton address/, '■~(■■; .-'

' Like a strong mail., struggling with adversity, the Opposition are still struggling with the statistics of public finance. . The Christchurch organ of the Opposition said: —"The excess of receipts over expenditure (in. 1913-14) was £392,397, the. smallest, recorded .for inany a long year." The Year Book for 1913 (page 764) shows that the excess of receipts over expenditure'.was! only £216,473 in 1908-9, and only £247,995 in' 1909-10. Only four years, but it seems like »• century to the poor "Liberals",-in the cold shades of Opposition, says the "Press."., . '

A statement had been made some time ago in the Napier "Telegraph" 'to the effect that the Elderslie NoV 2 Estate had been purchased by the Government for £33,420, but had been valued at £13,000. It had been valued for taxation purposes' at £13,000, and yet they tried to make out that there had been dirty work. The fact was that the estate had been bought in the time of the Liberal Administration, and was paid for , 'before the Reform Party went into office.—Mr. T. H. Dalton, Reform candidate for Dunedin South.

The usual method of the Social Democrats is to try and play upoii the passione- and prejudices of their audience, and blind them to the real facts by stirring up class hatred. No man who listens calmly and analyses the arguments used by the Social Democrats can bo deceived.—"Grey River Argue."