THE OTAKI CONTEST.

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

THE OTAKI CONTEST.

MR..W.H.-FIELD AT MANAKAU. Mr. W. H. Field addressed a full hall at Manokau on Monday evening, and met, witt a most flattering reception. Major Tatuin was in the chair, and in introducing the candidate drew attention to his very excellent 6ervices for the district in the past. ' Mr. Field dealt fully'with "a number of the'.chief; political subjects now be-' ■forethe electors, and drew pointed attention to a 'number of inaccuracies which had.fallen from his opponent oh the platform, in particular those relating to land settlement under the present Government, to the alleged ineffectiveness of tho new graduated land tax, to exaggerated statements of aggregation of land in the district, to misstatements as to railage on bee'rj barley, and racehorses, and the action the Government had taken with Tcspect to the price of foodstuffs. He'also showed that far from its being true, as stated by his' opponent, that during that gentleman's three years in Parliament he had obtained more Government grants for the district than in Mr. Field's previous three years, the truth' was as shown by official figures from the Public Works Department exhibited by Mr. Field that the latter had obtained more .than three times the amount obtained by'his opponent.. Mr. Field oxpressed astonishment at his opponent's recent denial of any agreement;'between the "Liberal" Party and the.'Social Democrats, and quoted definite announcements on the subject made by his opponent at Otaki, ' Foxton, and elsewhere. It was'.futile, Mr. Field said, denying what everybody know to bo a fact. With respect to foodstuffs,, and his opponent's acousing the Government of shortage in respect of wheat supplies, Mr. Field quoted tho report of tho Food' Commission sot up by the Mackenzie Government, of, which his opponent was a member, and showed his hostility to the unanswerable volume of ovidence of farmers in tho south that further labour was required in the couutry in order to enable farmers to grow an ample supply of wheat for this country's needs. Mr. Field quoted the minority report of Messrs. Veitch ,and Robertson, indicating that they were opposed' to the importation of labour, but sotting tip a specious scheme of land settlement whereby workers at present here were to bo placed on land, and so make room for tho admission of further industrial workers. It was clear, Mr. Fiofd said, that these gontlemon deaired to supplement-the ranks of their .supporters in this way. Mr. Field

pointed out some of the urgent needs of the district, for which he said there was much of an important character still remaining to bo done. A unanimous vote of thanks, Mr. Field declining confidence, was passed with three cheers for the candidate.

Mr. Field takes strong exception to the report published in the "New Zealand Times'' from a Levin correspondent of his meeting in Levin on Friday last, and characterised it as a paltry method of electioneering.' He states that, the description given is entirely inaccurate, that the meeting in question was a record one, the hall being crowded in every part, and that he was most enthusiastically received. It was true, ha said, that in accordance with the general practice of his opponents a body of individuals assembled in a portion of the hall to disturb his meeting. and so enable the Opposition journal to report him as being heckled, but the plan utterly failed, and he obtained an excellent hearing. These tactics, Mr. Field said, wore unlikely to do him much harm.