THE FIRST SHOT

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 302, 17 September 1919, Page 8

THE FIRST SHOT

WELLINGTON ELECTION CAMPAIGN

ADDRESS BY LABOUR CANDIDATE FOR NORTH The campaign for tho Wellington Parliamentary seals'was last evening opened by Mr. J. Head (Labour candidate for Wellington North), who addressed a good-sized audience in the Sydney Streot. Hall. Mr. M. Walsh presided, and Mr. H. Holland, M.P. (leader of tho Parliamentary Labour group), had a seal upon the platform.

In introducing,tho speaker, the chairman referred to the Split that Mr. Head had put up in the Mayoral contest with Mr. Luke. ,„,■', L Mr. Holland expressed Ms pleasure at the fact tlmt his predecessor in the Grey seat, Mr. Webb, was freo on co more. Ho also ventured to prophesy that "what happened at Widnes the other day was going to happen in Wellington North. (Applause.) The people of New Zealand were not less intelligent than tho people of England, and ho could not believe that anvone, in view of tho record of tho Liberal and Tory parties during tho last four years, could give a "stultifying, vote" that would perpetuate their regime. Ho wanted the people to realiso that Mr, Bead was hacked d>y tho political organisation of Labour, and that that organisation was hacked by Labours industrial organisation. , Mr. Read snoko of the unrest that is inspiring'revolutions in tho world to-day. He attributed tho present 6tate of Ireland Inrgfdy to the fac; that the English had refused self-government to. Ireland in the past. Broad-minded men were needed to lead the people—not men who needed to ho pushed into progress. Tho Liberal Party had adopted as part of its programme measures that Labour had advocated for years. He did not think that such people as Sir Joseph Ward would ho likelyto out into operation tho schemes advocated by the Labourites. If the peonlc wanted 'so see the Labour platform fairly tested,, they should return Labour candidates instead of men who were - anxious' to discredit the plat- ; form. Mr. Bead charged tho Torv-Ijib-eral combination with having: (1) Ex-, tended their term of-office uncom'-'tu-tionally; (2) passed laws for which they had no mandate'from, the people;.(3) allowed profiteering, on an unprecedented scale without hindrance. It had cost tho country about JCSOOO extra "for a very indifferent form of Government sinoo . 19H." The Government had inflicted conscription on the. countrv without reference to the wishes of the people. Tho Labour Partv stood uncompromisingly against military consumption in any form. Now was the time for the peoplo ■to fight conscription by ! returning Labour |chndidates to' Parliament (Applause.) Mr. Bead adversely criticised the 6cheme for the- "consolidation qj tho British Empire," as cabled from NewYork on July 15 last. His party 'would be opposed, ho said, to such a scheme, '(which would placo the settlement or great issues'in tho hands of .a, few mon. It was proposed that New Zealand should •luive only two representatives Inlhc Imperial Parliament, but that that Par. liement should liavo power to declare ■war and determine the Empire's policies in,regnfd to citizenship and nationalisation. Under the head of "profiteering'" the candidate brought in a reference to the profits mado upon rimu—tho most'generally used local timber. The vendors of this timber, ho said, were today getting a clear profit of Bs. per hun-i dred feet. In '18U they wore getting a profit of Is. Id. on the same amghnt. Mr. Massoy had regaled the people with. the old chestnut a,bout the vicioiw circle,* "wages-rise, prices rise," and fiad as-' snrwl them that that was a two state. meiit of the economic position. "I lay down this position," said Mr. Bead, "that in ninety per cunt, of oases, probably more, prices rise aid wages oomo hobbling along in a very lame manner 6ome miles in the rear." During tho war, profits hud' poiired into tho lan of the Union Steam Ship Company. The Government had paid for hire mora than .the value of some of the ships chartered. For one ship, valued at i 60,000, some ,£131,000 had been'paid in hire,The speaker advocated tho nationalisation of the shipping services. Mr. Eead< finally indicated- what questions h»' would deal with at future meetings. Heurged that the onl y "thing ,the opponents of Labour could buy was seraooi andthe Labour oause could have ssrnc6 if ! the workers would only help thorn-' selves. .

Tho candidate was warmly applauded sw ho resumed his> seat. A vote of tliankg to him was carried by acclamation.