CANDIDATES' SPEECHES

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2322, 2 December 1914, Page 7

CANDIDATES' SPEECHES

THE HON. A; L. HERDMAN AT .'-:'...-.:'■ WADESTOVVN > ; : A CORDIAL MEETING. '.' The Hon. A. L. Herdman, Attorney- ' General, and Reform candidate for Wellington. North,; addressed a meeting of about one hundred electors at Wadestown last night. He was given a cordial'and attentive hearing, and was applauded frequently. Mr. Edgar Wylie presided. , " -_ Mr. Herdman, who waß greeted with applause when he rose to speak, said that ho was glad,to think that the interest in politics was so great as to induce so many people to come to the Meeting. Mr. Wylie had referred to the need for a new; school for Wadestown. It. had been represented to bim (Mr. Herdman) that the present two buildings were inadequate, and he had brought Mr. Allen, tho Minister of iEducatiori. to' Wadestown to view the buildings,' and had satisfied him thatthey were not adequate. .He had urged very strongly upon Mr. Allen 'that' a complete new school should be built, but this Mr. Allen would not agree to do at once. Meantime, however. ;itwo new •rooms, were to be built; He went on to refer to the record of' •the Government. : In turn, he spokd of Abe extraordinary difficulties the Government had had to surmount, the shortage, of, finances when they came into power, the strike at Waihi, the waterside strike, and last of all the war. ■The Government. had not been forced to-increase' taxation on necessaries of life in consequence of; these difficulties, but had increasod taxation ori big incomes, and had increased the graduated'land tax, nor had the Government. been forced to retrench in the Civil Service. ,; In spite of all theso difficulties, the, Government had not negleoted their duty of. carrying on the ordinary, business of'_ tho country.' ' All the while progressive measures had been opposed by Sir Joseph Ward and his friends. In succession, Sir Joseph Ward and his followers had opposed the, Publio Service Act, the Legislative Council Act, tbo Local 'Railways Act, and the' Railways Improvement Acf>r-all. democfatio or progressive measures.

■■■;'• He defended strongly the Government's naval policy as opposed to that of Sir Joseph Ward, which was represented by the presence -in these waters of three light cruisers. For •an increased contribution. New Zealand . could'not get more than this from the Imperial Navy, and the present Government 'said that New:-. Zealand, must therefore build ships of her own, and pay for them. Where Would New Zealand have'been in' this.war but for the presence in the South' Pacific of, the Australian'NNa y? ! ; ; • ".' He considered that' the Massey Government, having fulfilled eight: out of eleven pledges in two and a half years. / had a record of which any Government mieht bo proud. ; (Applause.) ' : : Sir. Herdman answered a number of questions:. In reply to one. question, he said, ho was opposed to the continuance' of the To Aro, railway. He thought it ridiculous that a railway, should be run through one of the principal streets 'of the oity. In reply to another question, he said be was riot in favour of the repeal of the clauses in the Police

Offences Act to deal with what was miscalled "peaceful picketing." On the contrary, he thought those clauses were' extremelv'useful. Ho also believed in the. penal c'auses'of the Labour Disputes Investigation Act. A motion, of thanks and confidence was on a show of hands, with only two dissentients.■'' An amendment of thanks, only failed to find a seconder.

. MR/H. HOLLAND^MRramAiro; . v Mr.H.'Holland was given'an'attei tive hearing at Northland,-last evening; • He spoke length on the Social Democratic .Party's political planks,, mention-, jng that the party stood for the endowment of _ motherhood—a cash .payment on the birth of a child, and free hospital and .medical treatment. :Mt.:'Hol- - said-that the banks and some / other institutions forbade their : employees marrying until' they .were in receipt of a oertain wage, and'in the caSe of the banks,a man often reached the age of 50 before he received that wag*. It was not right that 'any mature, physically fit man should be denied the right to marry. ', He stood for.a six days' week for employees in olubs and private hotels, ana fair conditions for domestio servants. ' There was, he said,' no, section of the community more badly treated than domestic servants, who were not protected bylaw at all. 'He also.advocated-free education from the kindergarten to the , University, and said that the Labour "'■ Party's Right-to-Work Bill was one of paramount_ importance., : Unemploy- , inent and intermittent employment was en Indication that the community was failing'in its organisation. Mr. Holland made a charge against the'Govern-' ment of. allowing the Sugar Trust to hold up the. people of New Zealand, and said the Government had all the powers xequired under the Trade and Commerce. Act deal with this evil. ; A vote of thanks and confidence was 'carried (unanimously.