WELLINGTON NORTH BY-ELECTION

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 135, 25 February 1918, Page 6

WELLINGTON NORTH BY-ELECTION

QUALIFICATIONS OF A VOTER ■ A WARNING ADDRESSES AND CORRESPONDENCE. The qualification for enrolment is one month's residence in tho district and twelve months' residence in New Zealand. Numbers of people havo enrolled on this one month's residence qualification. , The Electoral Department intends to prosecute persons who vote after having wrongly claimed the qualification. ANOTHER ELECTION CANARD An election fiction which was set in circulation is that the Prime Minister had promised Mr. Luke a referendum on the closing of hotels within the next six months. It is merely another underhand attempt to sway votes. "Not a shadow of truth in it," said Mr. Mas. sey wdien questioned on the subject last evening. 1 MR. HUTCHESON AND MR. BRANDON RECENT CORRESPONDENCE. The following correspondence has passed between Mr. John Hutcheson and Mr. A. do B. Brandon:— Wellington, 22nd February, 1918. Dear Mr. Hutcheson,—ln' The Dominion this morning it is reported as follows :— Mr. Massey: But wliat meeting liad been called to bring out Mr. Brandon P The chairman: The licensed victuallers. You, I understand, were chairman on the occasion. I would be much obliged _if you would kindly answer tho following questions :— (1) Is The Dominion report correct? , and if so (2) What authority had you for making the statement attributed to you? 11l view of the .repeated statements I have made denying the lying insinuations that 1 have Been brought forward by the liquor party, I conceive that in the interests of truth I am justified in asking you to assist me in tracing the lie to its source, and that you as an honourable man will have no hesitation in doing so. —Yours faithfully. (Sgd.) A. de B. Brandon. John Hutcheson, Esq., Wellington. 10 Mount Street, * February 22, 1918. Dear Mr. Brandon, —Your letter of even date reached me a little after midday. 1. You ask if The Dominion's report of a certain interjection (statement you call it) mado by me, at last night't) meeting at Kelburn Kiosk, is correct, and my answer is: Yes! substantially. 2. Y'ou further ask me' to give my authority for tbft statement. As it is not always possible to convey preciso and definite meaning by means of an interjection, permit me to elaborate as follows: — In the sense that the Licensed Victuallers' Association, in its official and , representative character, and with your full knowledge and consent, was the sole originating cause of your standing for Wellington North, my interjection did not properly convey my meaning. That tho L.V.A. was ably, if unoffici- \ ally, represented on the deputation into whose hands you placed your political •fortunes, I havo no doubt whatever. My reasons for. holding that view aro as follow;-' (1) I have perused a printed notice calling a special general meeting of the ■L.V.A.-for 11 a.m; of the 12th instant in tho Masonic Hall, Boulcott Street. Business: Parliamentary, On the back of the notice there is _ written what purports to be the redies of three of the candida/tss (Mr. Luke's name being omitted) to the Trade's three test .questions 5 A. Aro you in favour of voting for a repeal of anti-shouting? B. Are you in favour of a repeal • of 6 .o'clock? .. C. Are you in favour of threefifth majority vote? (1 copy these questions verbatim.) The printed notice form and the writ- • .ten notes.bear all;the appearance of a report to the meeting of a delegate. What purports to be your answers to the above questions must have been eminently satisfactory to the Trade. (2) Shortly after the announcement of your candidate a prominent member of the L.V.A. asked me )vhat I thought of the political outlook. I replied that I thought it deplorable that Sir. Brandon should be splitting up the National Government vote at'the risk of having an anti-war pacifist elected. He rejoined-: Well, lio is our candidate, and lie is not going to stand down. Having now given you reasons for toy interjection of last night, together with the significance I wished to attach to it, will you now on your part answer me these questions? 1. Did any member of, or anyone on behalf of, the L.V.A. wait upon you or write to you to ascertain your views on the three questions, A, B, and C? 2. If so, were your replies to all three in the affirmative? . 3. As "an honourable man" do you not expect to get the vote and influence of'the Trade in this election?

As your replies to the foregoing questions are frank and satisfactory so shall my apology and amend be sirfcere and ample, should I find I have erred. As I know no better means of "tracing a lie to its source" than the public Press, I shall "in the interests of truth" hand this correspondence to the Press, unless you give me good reason to the contrary before noon to-morrow. Yours faitbfull.v,

(Sgd.) John Hutcheson. A. de B. Brandon, Esq., Wellington. "Wellington, February 23, 1018. Dear Mr. Hutcheson, —I have to 'thank you for your letter of yesterday's date, which came through the pust, and was received by me, together with my other private and "business correspondence, at ten minutes past nine this morning. You, as a business man, must know that your ideniand for a reply by twelve noon carries with it a hope that my Teply mav not arrive in time, and that you .will be able to publish your—may I say —disingenuous letter without contradiction.

I do not appreciate the intolerant' suggestion that the gentlemen who asked me to become a candidate— gentlemen who form opinions based upon their own personal knowledge and experience—unofficially represented the ■L.V.A. You drag in a notice calling a special meeting of the L.V.A. for the 12th instant. The announcement of my candidature was made on the 6tli instant. A comparison of dates will show that at the time of the meeting I had certainly not been put forward by the L.V.A. If the members of the L.V.A. subsequently; decided to support me that is no justification for faying I was brought out by them. I must confess that I do not understand a gentleman of your known ability, while guarding yourself against pronouncing on the authenticity of the uucumenfc m your hands, permitting

yourself to make what looks very much like au attempt to stab in the back, for you make this comment: '/What piuports to bo your answers to the above questions must have been eminently satisfactory to the Trade." Fortunately 1 am proof against such an attempt, if attempt there was, because my endeavour is, and I hope always will be, to do justice to every man, and if I have the support of tho L.V.A., it is because of their knowledge of my leading principlo, and I thank thoni for their recognition. Your second reason, like your interjection at the meoting, is not based on authority; and yoUj knowing that, should not iiavo relied on it without first ascertaining tho facts. Let nie. point out that "our candidate" properly applies to "'the candidate wc are supporting." It is not a wiso thing to bo misled by ambiguities in lan-

guage. You ask mo certain questions, but 1 am sorry that you feel impelled to use inverted commas when you call upon me as an honourable man. However, I pass over the insinuation. (L.i Pour gentlemen waited on me after my candidature to ascertain my views, and this was after my candidature had been announced.

(2) My views were given to tile gentlemen present before the questions named by you were mentioned, and those views have been given by mo to the electors'in my addresses. In those circumstances specified answer to the questions were not called for. (3) 1 hope to get the vote of every man, whether Prohibitionist or publican, iviiy places the winning of tho war above all questions or domestic policy. ■ 1 will be pleased if you will hand over the correspondence to the public Press. Yours faithfully, ' (Sgd. A. do B. Brandon. John Hutcneson, Esq., Wellington. 10 Mount Street, February 23, 1918. Dear Mr. Brandon,—Your letter of tho 23rd instant, in which, you agree to the publication of this correspondence, reached me about 2 p.m. of the same day. You have evidently written under strong feeling, due no. doubt lo the anomalous position in which you find yourself as a candidate; but since you have agreed to let tile public judge tho merits of the case, and as this is no ordinary election, I shall not indulge in invective, suoh as yours. In the first place, you entirely misconceive what I had in miiul when I stated my intention of handing your opening letter and my reply to the' Press. . You asked me as "an honourable man'' to assist in "tracing tho lie to its source." • lii accepting vou.r challenge, I suggested tho Press, and gave you till noon to say "Yes"' or "No," which you might easily have done by 'phone, almost as soon ns you had perused my letter. Besides, in the good old days ot family tradition had not the challenged person the choice of weapons? Relieve inc. I had no such sinister hope of taking y'ou l at a disadvantage, knowing as I do by experience something of the hardicap carried by a political candidate, even in ordinarv circumstances.

, Moreover, I beg you to believe that my use. of inverted commas had no further significance in connection with tho phrase "au honourable mail' 1 than with the other extracts from your letter, cited by me, except as emphasising my acceptance of the conditions of your challenge. For the rest of your letter not relevant to our dispute. I gladly Concede you Pascal's excuse, vide Hadfield. ,

To return to our muttons: In my reply to your request for tho authority on which I made my interjection, to whicli you take exception, i have'al-' ready made all concession possible, and 1 rest my case on that reply. Surely you are not so unsophisticated as to suppose that th© Trade began its activities on the 12th instant, the date (if its special meeting? You do not for a moment imagine that the Trade would bring out a candidate in the same public manner proper to recognised political parties? Everyone knows that their method of procedure, in matters political, resembles that of n fiali common to the American shores of the Atlantic, inelegantly called the 'sucker (lepadogaster bimaculotus), which finds both locomotion and sustenance by adhering to larger and swifter-moving fish. Now, without any ambiguity of language, the big fish the lepadogaster selects is "his candidate." In your specific replies to ray three questions, for which I thank you, Nos. I and 2 follow precisely the wellknown sequence and procedure, which amounts merely to the fastening down of the net. Looking at answer No. 3 as an elector of Wellington North, I am sorry I cannot endorse your aspira- ' ticn. Were the conditions of candidature as between you and Mr. Luke reversed, and although in uotmal times your political views, in most essentials, differ from mine even more widely than do Mr. Luke's, I should undoubtedly have brought myself to support yoiir candidature, on the same grounds as I now support Mr. Luke, namely, the profound that the best service I, as ' an individual, can render the Empire in this fateful hour is to maintain, and as far as possible augment, the mana and prestige of our present leaders. —Yours taitlifullv ' (Sgd.) JOHN HUTCHESON. ' A. de B. Brandon, Esq., Wellington. THE "TRADE" AND WELLINGTON NORTH. The following letter lias been addressed to Mr. Hutcheson by Mr. John Beveridge Dear Mr. Hutcheson, —I notice in your reply to Mr. Brandon, published in last night's "Evening Post," that, inter alia, you mention that "shortly after the announcement of vour candidature (Mr. Brandon's) a prominent member of the L.V.A. asked mo what I thought of the political outlook, and you replied, etc., etc." I am not now a' prominent member of the L.V.'A. either of the New Zealand or the local association, in fact, I am not a member at all of either of these bodies, buE as I am in the Trade | and had a conversation with you one day re the political situation somewhat on the lines you indicate, I assume that I am the person to whom you allude, if not, well and good, but if so II now take this early opportunity of correcting a wrong interpretation on your part of what 1 rfitl say. Wo discussed the political outlook generally, and you deplored the fact that two candidates wore standing in the Reform interest, thereby splitting the votes, which you said would have the effect of allowing an out-and-out Socialist and Rod Fedder to slip in and represent Wellington North, and that you were writing or had written to Mr. Massey, pointing out and suggesting to him that to prevent such a result the Prima Minister should got Brandon to stand down. I replied that what you said might happen, hut personally, and also so far as liotelkeepcrs or the Trade were concerned, we could have no politics, but would be forced to vote for the candidate who would best consider our interests, and as against Luke,*'" Brandon was our man, and ho would nnt stand down. You have evidently applied the last sentence in the wrong way, as I meant that lie (Brandon) was the man we would have to vote for, instead of which you evidently took it that T meant Brandon was our nominee. Such was not the case, however, and I hope you will acceptl this correction. I can assure you that until after his nomination I had—to my knowledge— nevor met or spoken to Mr. Brandon,

and I also assure you that so far as tho hotelkeepcrs and the Trade generally, who are, like myself, electors of Wellington North, are concerned, Mr. Brandon's name was never mentioned as a possible candidate.' I'm sure you will accept my correction, and also my assurance as one of tho Trade and interested in the Wellington North electorate, that Mr. Brandon was not nominated by the Trade, but for the reason indicated may secure their support at the poll. (Signed) John Bcveridgo. 26 Kelburn Parade.

MR. HOLLAND'S CAMPAIGN

The Crown Theatre was crowded last night on the occasion of Mr. H. Holland's _address in furtherance of his campaign. Mr. P. Frascr was in the chair.

Mr. Holland, who was accorded a good hearing, nunounoed that his address that night would be confined to a historical review of conscription. He described conscription as the great issue around which tho Wellington' North campaign was being fought. This was the first opportunity the people of New Zealand had had of reviewing their Government's action, because tho Government had taken fine care that the public up to the present time had had no opportunity of delving into the facts of the case. The speaker said that his candidature was a challenge to conscription. He quoted military history in support of his contention that a conscripted soldier never made as good ft fighter as a volunteer, and averred that conscription alone made Napoleon's crimes possible. When the people were allowed a voice in the matter, conscription, Mr. Holland contended, would he wiped off tho Statute Book. Conscript service had been forced oil England by Lord Northcliffe and his controlled Press. It was not put into effect in Africa because the people would never allow it, while in Canada it was forced through only after one million peopLo had been disfranchised. Australia had twice rejected the measure. Coming to New Zealand, the candidate said that Sir James Allen's promise to supply troops for overseas service had been met by voluntary enlistment of three times that number. Yet conscription was supposed te have been enforced because wo had failjrl to keep our obligations. Nearly half of the New Zealand adult population had been taken for war purposes, and now, lie said, the Government was advertising widely in Australia for men to take tho place of our conscripted boys. In secrecy, he added, tho Government liad reduced the monthly reinforcement? from 2200 to 700, thus proving his party's statement that New Zealand was being economically ruined. A. vote of confidence in tho candidate was carried.

MR. POLSON AT THORNDON

Mr. A. N. Poison, Independent Liberal candidate, delivered a further address at St. Paul's Schoolroom, Tinakori Road, on Saturday evening. Mr. Walter Browne was in the chair.

The candidate stated some of t.ho main planks of his platform, and also criticised Mr. Brandon's position as a sport. Mr. Poison said he w r as informed that Mr. Brandon was a member of the Wellington Racing Club, and that was the only racing club in New Zealand which had refused free race tickcts to the soldiers. Mr. Poison drew attention to tho result of the polling for the Southern Maori district, which had just come to hand, announcing that- the National Government candidate had been defeated, and the Independent Liberal bad won. Ho took that as an indication of what would happen in Wellington North. He also referred to reports of a cleavage in the Cabinet, due to differences between Sir .Tames Allen and the Hon. Mr. Russell, and stated that he believed also that Mr. Justice Herdman "pulled out" because be could not subscribe to the nresent' Cabinet methods. Mr. Poison also specially stressed his belief in equal pay for equal work, and in the provision of decent opportunities for townspeople who so desired to take up farm lands. A. unanimous vote of thanks and confidence was pawed to tho candidate, and a vote of thanks to the chairman.

DR. THACKER AT EMPRESS THEATRE

Dr. H. T. Thacker, M.P., delivered an address in the Empress Theatre last night in the interests of the candidature of Mr. A. N. Poison. Mr. G-. V. A. Goulter presided. The theatre was filled.

Dr. Thacker made a series of attacks on the National Government, and especially 011 the Minister of Defence. He referred to the four candidates in turn. He attacked Mr. Brandon most severely of all, allying iiim with the Wellington Racing Club and the Wellesley Club, and attacking then both of these institutions. He called Mr. Holland a '-Jted Fed," and someone. made such a prolonged protest that Dr. Thacker seemed to lose the thread of part of his discourse. He offered the opinion that Mr. Luke would be at the bottom of the poll! Ana last of all he extolled Mr. Poison. A motion of no-confidence was tendered, but tbe chairman declared, in the faco of scores of protests, thai it lapsed for want of a seconder. A vote of thanks only was deehued carried by acclamation. Dr. Thacker, in response to a special request, addressed a crowded meeting at Wadostown 011 Saturday evening. He spoke or. various matters in support of Mr. Poison's candidature, and on other subjects of interest. At the conclusion of the meeting Dr. Thacker was accorded u hearty vote of thanks for his visit and address. "SPORTS" AND THE ELECTION • ISSUE. (To the Editor.) Sir,—l was very much surprised to read in to-day's Dominion a manifesto issued by the "Sports League" in favour of jlr. Brandon's candidature for Wellington North electorate, and 1 am astonished at the reasons given ill it for turning Mr. Luke down. I must have always had, during a fairly long life, an utterly erroneous idea of the definition of "a sport." My idea has been that it is synonymous with a broad-minded liberal man, but to judge by the manifesto it is just the opposite of that. I havo often been called an "old sport," but surely thoro is a new-fashioned "sport" at the present day, and I am only too pleased that 1 ain not one. Because "Mr. Luke .is not in sympathy with the aspirations of the sports" (to quote the words in the circular), he is not a right and fitting representative for Wellington North. Surely, narrow-mindedness could 110 further go! Mr, Brandon is said to be an "old sportsman," therefore, ho is the right man to vote for. That is all that is needed apparently for the Sports League in this the most momentous year in tho history of the British Empire, and it matters not if this support given to Mr. Brandon ensures the return to Parliament of a. man for whom not a single member of the Sports League would register his vote.

Has prejudice so obscured the vision of the men who have engineered this manifesto that they cannot sec the harm that would come if Mr. Holland got his foot in Parliament? It is all very well to talk of "a ridiculous cry that in doing so we shall be acting in

tho interests of Germany," but I can only say there are nono so blind as thoso'wiio will not see—l am, etc., D. M. YEATS. 17 Orangi Kaupapa Road, ' February 22, 1918. MR. POLSON AND THE RETURNED SOLDIERS. Sir,—The insistent attempt of Mr. Poison and his supporters to identify his candidature with returned soldiers has made it necessary for tho association to make tho position clear, more particularly since the taotics of Mr. Poison's supporters have tended to create in the minds of many people the idea that their support of Mr. Poison will nlso give assistance to the cause of the returned soldiers.

The Returned Soldiers' Association wishes to contradict this in the most definite and emphatic manner. The Returned Soldiers' Association has chosen its own methods of securing equitable treatment for returned soldiers, and looks for the support of the people and Parliament in matters which it desires to rectify,_ but declines in any way to be associated with tho return of a particular candidate to Parliament, least of all with those of the typo in question. For the information of tho public, the association wishes to emphasise the fact that Mr. Poison is not a returned soldier. It therefore deplores the unfortunate impression likely to bo conveyed_by his statement that he is an ex-soldier—an impression ho has shown no desire to contradict, and resents the belief inculcated in the electors that he is in any way authorised to speak on behalf of returned soldiers. —I am, etc., DOUGLAS SEYMOUR, General Secretary. At the Town Hall to-morrow evening the leaders of the National Government, the Prime Minister and Sir Joseph Ward, will tell tho electors why tliey should support the declared candidato of tho National Government. Mr. Luke will also speak. The chair will be occupied by Mr. J. Hutcheson. A Labour rally is to he hold in tho Town Rail to-night. M'r. W. Maddison will preside and the speakers will be Messrs. H. E. Holland, P. C. Webb, M.P., E. J. Howard. W. E. Parryf J. Read, P. Ross, J. Thorn, T. Briudle, and P. Eraser. A meeting in support of Mr. Holland will be held in the Post Office Square at 110011 to-day. At 2.30 p.m. to-morrow Mr. Holland will address a meeting of women in tho Crown Theatre, and at night ho will speak in the Masonic Hall, Boulcott Street.

Mr. Brandon will address the electors at the Wadestown Clubrooms to-night at the Methodist Schoolroom and at Molesworth Street to-morrow night.