THE BULLER SEAT.

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

THE BULLER SEAT.

SOCIAL DEMOCRAT CANDIDATE'S CANDOUR. The three candidates for the Buller seat _ Mr.' 'Powell (Government), Mr. Colvin (Opposition), and Mr. Gillen (Labour), are still touring tho out-dis-tricts, none having spoken in Westport yet. All .three seem to bo getting good receptions, and the result of the, election is considered to bo very open; In general politics, Mr; Gillen states that ho supported, the platform of the Social: Democratic Party. He would not stand as a candidate if by so doing he would give the .Reform 'candidate a chance of success. On a vote of no-cbnfidence in the present Government he would vote , for the Ward Party, but he considered the Liberal Party as bad as the Reform Party. Mr. • Massey had the striken batoned, but Sir Joseph Ward had an attempt made to.sell up the Blackball miners' homes after-.the strike there, and that was just as'bad as Mr. Mas* sey.'s action. The Minister 'of Marine had taken advantage of the power to suspend the Seamen's Act. and had placed the lives of the travelling public m serious danger through allowing ships to be manned by incompetent men, hut it was the Liberal Party who had framed and passed the Act which gave this power to tho Minister, and they would have also taken advantage of this power under similar circumstances. Sir Joseph Ward and his party had to a man supported Mr. Massey's infamous Industrial Disputes Investigation Act. Sir Joseph Ward when Prime .Minister had never dons anything for labour unless forced to do it by the Labour organisation. Labour should not allow itself to be tied to the apronstrings of any party, but should run a Labour candidate wherever one had a chance. Speaking at Ihakora. on. Saturday evening' Mr. W. H. Field read from the last number of tho Socialist organ, the "Maoriland Worker," the list of So-cial-Democratic candidates, among whom wero Messrs. Webb, Holland, arid Robertson. He also dealt with the Social-Democratic platform, printed on tho same sheet, with its provisions for abolition of the country quota, the sixhours' day for industrial workers, and other interesting and startling items. Tile extraordinary part of it was, said Mr. Field, that ill addressing the public, Mr. Robertson had carefully refrained- from explaining this platform, and that it represented tho policy to which ho was pledged. The Hon. A. L. Herdman will deliver a political address at Masterton tomorrow niglit. In accordance with a promise made prior to last election, said Mr. Massey during his Taumaruniii meeting,- the Government gave effeot to their freehold policy. (Applause.) A voice: What is the good of it to a man with no money? • . Mr: Massey: If he has any grit or energy he could, .lilts thousands in the King Country, make money. He explaincd how: tho present land legislation allowed a settlor to- take up land wider the leasehold system and later acquire the freehold by annual payments, (Applause.), By an alteration of the Valuation Act tne settlers could obtain revaluations where-, land was over-valued, and get a reduction of rent. Mr. Joseph Stephens, Opposition candidate for Wakatipu, addressed a good audience at Waikaka on Friday night. He was well received. He criticised the Government, and in concluding stated that' the electors should remember that ho was a resident of the,electorate and a New Zealander,, and tha,t New Zealanders should get encouragement. If, lie declared,. elderly gentlemen representing electorates were left till they dropped off, the younger ones .would not. get the opportunities they were entitled to. In moving that a hearty vote of thanks be accorded the speaker, the mover added: "Confidence is best left at the ballot-box." —Press Association. It is far too late in the day to ask tho public to believe that there is no alliance between the Wardists and the Red Feds, The publio flatly refuses to believe any such thing,—"West Coast' Times." ; . j