THE SUBURBS SEAT.

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2326, 7 December 1914, Page 6

THE SUBURBS SEAT.

MR. R, A. WRIGHT AT JUDGEFORD On Saturday night Mr. R. A. Wright addressed tho electors in the Judgeford schoolroom. Mr. Pearce occupied the chair, and when introducing tho wwkar «ferred. to tin? fact that tho

candidate had had previous Parliamentary experience, having represented a Wellington constituency with honour to, t'lio electors and credit to himself. The attondauco was good. Mr. Wright, in his remarks, dealt largely with political matters from a. farmer's standpoint (Judgeford being a farming' district). Particular reference was made to t-hs views held by those who contended that all taxation should bo put upon the land, lie failed to see why those who were fortunate enough to earn large incomes should escape a fair share of taxation. In any case, if land were taxed to the extent the' extremists asked for it would mean confiscation. Jie ventured to think that 110 bona lido farmer would bo found voting against the Government, which had proved iteolf the friend of the settler. When lie said this ho did not mean to imply that the Government would legislate for farmers only. The latter did not expect this,' but they did expect fair treatment, and this the Government would give them. Tie was opposed.to mere cla.se legislation. A Government that had the welfare of the Dominion at heart would legislate for all classes) and be subservient to none. If ever the extremists held the ' balance of power between the two parties, and forced the Government it controlled to levy all the taxation upon the land, it would simply be passed on to the customer. The farmer would increase the local charges for . butter, meat, cheese, and milk. But. the farmer. would be unable to increase the price of his produce shipped to foreign markets. This is where he. would suffer loss. The speaker referred at length to the gibe of the Opposition that the Government had only taken the duty olf packing cases, and replied that the duty on packing cases, like all other duty, is passed on to the consumer, therefore remission of this duty should benefit the people generally. At the conclusion of the address a number of questions were asked which had been answered at previous meetings. On the motion of Mr. Galloway a vote of thanks to the speaker, and confidence in the Government was carried unanimously, amidst applause. MR. F. T. MOORE AT MAKARA. Mr. F. T. Moore (Opposition) addressed a meeting of the. electors at Mabara 011 Saturday night. Mr. Thomas Brown occupied the chair. The candidate said that the issue at the coming election was the people versus the "Fat Man" class, who,.he declared,' owned all the best land in the country, and who controls the sale of all the products the land' produced. The candidate declared 'that the return of the Reform Party would mean still higher prices for all necessaries of life, and higher rate' of, interest for money. It was unreasonable, asserted the speaker, to expect democratic, measures while tho Upper House was,.he alleged, dominated men. Owing to the economic conditions caused by the war, a Government friendly to the interests, of the people and opposed to exploitation, was a most'urgent necessity, and every democratic vote should be cast to this end. The speaker was accorded a unanimous vote of thanks. ' MR. 'FITZGERALD AT OHARIU. ' Mr. J. E. Fitzgerald,. the Liberal candidate, addressed a meeting of the electors at Ohariu Valloy on Saturday eyening. Councillor S. Bryant presided. . The candidate stated that ho was emphatically opposed to land monopoly, and he contradicted the assertion of the Conservative nominee that the Massey party were friends of the small settler. According to Mr. Massey's own records, the Liberals had, asserted the speaker, actually placed 257 more settlers on the soil in their last two years of office than the Massey party had in a corresponding period. The speaker declared that tho Conservative nominee was ■ also inaccurate when stating that the Massey party had advanced more money to . the. settlers and workers than had the Liberals. As a member of the Moderate League, he severely'criticised, his two. opponents, both of whom, he declared, were pledged to the bare majority on the liquor question, and to the referendum on all other questions. Mr. Fitzgerald stated that Mr. : R. A. Wright had threatened to issue a writ against him in connection with 'his criticisms of "that wretched pamphlet entitled The Tragedy of Life."' He said he welcomed these proceedings. The candidate, who was. accorded the usual compliment, speaks at Miramar, Worser Bay, and Island Bay this evening. WELLINGTON .NORTH. SOCIAL-DEMOCRAT CANDIDATE. At Everybody's Theatre last night .Mr. H. E. Holland, the Social-Demo-cratic candidate for Wellington North, referring to the Tecent statements of the Auckland Reform League as to the alleged campaign of terror and intimidation by the Social-Democrats and others against the Reform Party, indulged in an .attack 011 tho Reform Party, the Cabinet Ministers, and the Reform Press. Mr. Holland asserted, in reply to certain statements that he would :not get the Labour vote in Wellington North, thatthe Railway Servants (Thorndon branch), Seamen's. Union, Drivers' Union, and Bootmakers' Union had publicly announced their approval of his candidature. .Mr. Holland also addressed an openair meeting on Saturday evening: WAIRARAPA SEAT. SIR WALTER . BUCHANAN AT CROSS CREEK. Sir Walter Buchanan . had a very good hoaring at Cross Creek on Friday evening, when he addressed some forty electors, of whom quite a number were ladies. The chair was occupied by Mr. P. Cording. AH the leading topics were dealt with, and he received applause for his opinions on the Navy and the labour questions. At the conclusion, in reply to a. question as te when new Fell engines would be put on, Sir Walter. Buchanan said that he hoped that the Rimut'aka deviation would be put through shortly, so that there would bo 110 necessity for '.Fell engines on this section. A vote of thanks was accorded the speaker on the motion of Mr. Tate, seconded by Mr. Barrett. THE OTAKI SEAT. MR. W. H. FIELD'S CAMPAIGN. Mr. W. H. Field addressed largely attended and successful meetings : of electors at Manukau, Paraparaumu, Muhunoa, Taikorea, Shannon, Makarua and Ihakara, last week. At Shannon on Friday night the Gillandia Hall was full and it was evident that the flaxipill hands and other supporters of the Social-Democratic candidate were there in force to secure an advantage, if possible. .Accordingly at the close of the meeting an amendment of thanks and no-couhdenco, moved by Mr. Hillier, the president of .the Flaxmill Workers' Union, was declared to be carried, though it was apparent, as the chairman said, that many were holding up both hands, and it was equally evidonl, that not more than a third of those present, showed their hands. In the ttaxmill districts' not only among the ■ tradespeople, but even among the farmers, there is the strongest reluctance to 'take sides openly. The attitude of the strike" sympathisers when tho specials wore coming to Wellington has made people very careful. Mr. Field hit straight out, notwithstanding somo unmannerly interruption, 0/1 \tho subject of the strike, the electioneering inaccuracies of his [opponent, and other matters. He exhibited the official Public Works Department's figures to show that thero had been voted for tho district, during his last three years as member, for roads and bridges, new money to the extent' of £10,060, whereas, ta o;sonenV in hia.,

three years, had only obtained £3300. Mr. llillior, who is Mr. Robertson's chief henchman, ondoavourcd- to show figures to hear out his candidate's stateriient as to securing moro votes than Mr. Fiold, but the latter floored him by showing that his were official figures, and 110 defied any ono to produce from the Department any statement to show that there was the slightest inaccuracy in the figures abovementioned. Mr. Field further produced official figures to show that in tho Horowhenua county, which forms the major portion of the electorate, the grants 111 his three years wers £5655, as against £1120 in his opponent's three years. He pointed out that he had long advocated the restriction of the area of private holdings, and that the present Government had been tho first to legislate in ■ that direction. Mr. Field warmly defended the action of tho Government and the farmers over the strike, and condemned the Federation of Labour as the greatest menace this country had ever experienced. Mr. Field dealt fully with the Social-De-mocratio platform, of which his opponent was one of the chief upholders, but which he nevertheless had carefully refrained from explaining to tho public. Mr. Field covered a wide range of ground, and concluded by appealing to all classes to support moderate legislation as against mob rule of which we had had nn experience at the time of the strike.