ELECTION CAMPAIGN

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 41, 12 November 1919, Page 8

ELECTION CAMPAIGN

WELLINGTON SOUTH

MR; .SEMPLE AT BROOKLYN

FIGHTS OF THE SESSION

Mr. It. Scmple, Labour candidate for Wellington South, opened his election campaign in Fulli'ord's Hall, Brooklyn, last- flight. Mr. D. K. Kennedy presided, and thero were some 300 people present. . Mr. Semplo said that it was the desire . ol the Labour Party to fight this fight on principles, without personalities or other side issues. ' Unfortunately, the leaders of the other two parties had in- ' troduced personalities by calling those opposed to them names. Personally, ho was opposed to disturbances at public meetings, but ho would not always blame the peoplo actually making the noise. Intelligent peoplo would not'sit quiet if they were called such names as ''Anarchists," "Bolsheviks," . and /l.W.W.'s." , / Mr. Massey had appealed to tho. people V.. aoc to return extremists to Parliament. X ißut thp_Parliamcntof. NewJ&ealaiid-was / full oi.of&emists,.lhoiCwlio_held-beliefs • belonging. tq;~tho.Stone-Age!--'. That kind' 'of extremist must expect to meet ex'tremists of another kind. If Sir Joseph Ward and Mr. Massey were to fight their campaign with slander they jieed not bo surprised if people refused to listen to them. i Mr. Semplo gave an account of his service as member, referring briefly to the work of the session. He said that very often tie Labour Five had found themselves alone in the lobby, and often when there was a principle at stake ' the ' Liberals either voted with tho Govern- j ment or left tho Chamber. Divisions forced by tho Labour Party had shown that the fight between the Reformers and liberals, was "a sham fight." (Hear, hear,) He said that the Labour Party! had fought hard against the perpetuation | ef slavery in Samoa. The fact that the j .-. Germans had'used slave labour was nu| Teason why wo should adopt it. The I excuse was that tho Samoan natives would not work. ■ .., A voioe: They mu3t' know something. : Mr. Semplo said fhnt the proposal of the Government was to introduce lowclaes Chinese, low-clas3 natives from other ' parts of over-crowded Asia, or half eayage kanakas. He recalled the outcry raised when slave labour was introduced into South Africa after the Boer War. So also public opinion in Australia had compelled the discontinuance of 'slave labour on tho sugar plantations of Queensland. Yet Sir James Allen had. declared that it was •impossible to do without slave labour in fcamoa. I hat had been tho argument .advanced to meet every proposal to abol- ! ish slavery-in cottonfield, mine, or plan- j '.-ration. Ho was sure that if'a referendum I jrere taken on the question .to-morrow i the people would vote out slavery by | three to one. And if tho 16,000 young . men who had died to keep this comirrv tree-could make their voices heardithev would vote against slavery in Samoa, •in the name of. liberty, civilisation, and .Christianity ho appealed to the people - of New Zealand not to permit the employment of indentured laoour in Samoa V\ ben the question was before the House, ' ll T I Tfr 1 W nrd s P°l<e against indent .tnred labour, but when the division was & r hi s an J ote , ,ritil the La^«r ■farty he'-left the Chamber i ■ ■♦w f ?F ing f° Housing Act, he* said that tho rate..-of interest provided was too high. The Bill did not meet with the approval of tho Labour Party: But t .t°°™ l>!H : i ' a . 1 to that part or the Bill giving the Government power to lend money to an employer, to build homes .for his 'employees. This would I give tho employer power to evict workers I if thw went.on strike, or if they were at._n.ll impudent. H p thought the Gov- ! ernment should lend monev direct to -V the.,workers to allow them to" build their own houses. He accused the Government of.not being serious about the housing problem. Cheap homes for the "peoplo • should be the first concern of the Government,.and,by cheap homes he did not mean homes at 23a. or 30s. a week. Ho condemned roundly the provisions of the Undesirable Immigration Restriction Act declaringJhnt it was the worst form of , tyranny that could be imposed unon the community. Sir Joseph Ward had' spoken against the Bill, but had votwl for it Mr. Semple went on' to speak trf coal Mining, and. of the Sankey Beport in Britain.. Ho had hoped for similar proposals from the Government here but nothing, of the sort had materialised. Ho expressed his belief that witlrproper.uianagement of the industry an New Zealand the people could have abundance of- coal at half the present pnco'of 10s. a ton. Instead of any reform there had been a clause in the Coal Mines Bill giving tho Minister of .Mines power at any time to fill the mines with unskilled labour-black fellows, Chinamen, anybody! He ridiculed tne .proposal as impracticable, even as a* strike-breaking expedient. Ho repudiate trl^T!\ ntt jJ h6 Wstion of Colonel Mitchell that the miners and the Labour i'arty 1, a ,l i, een false to the 6oldiers (While they were fighting. Mr. Semple told something of the .battle in (ill© House on tho question of judows pensions, and he declared that the proposals of tho Government in tho end had been far from adequate. He iwould not accept the > reply that this j-ioh, country could nob afford to give tho widow enougin to allow her to caro for Sierifamily as she ought to bo permitted ,te care for them* Tho Government had denied justice to . fflio raihvaymen, or rather to the loivertpaid men of the service. These men ,were in a much worse position than tliev i - .were before the war. And vet the Gov- . ernment had found money to" give m> increases to the general manager and other well-paid officers of the service. Mr. Scrapie, having reviewed in some defeil the work of the session and the doings of the Labour Party, in Parliament, "said that he would on another'occasion speak of the Labour Party's programme. He did. however, devote some .little atten- . -Won to tho Rev. Howard Elliott and his friends, saying lihnt he "welcomed the opposition of suph guttersnipes." Mr. Semple expressed his disgust with things eaid at a meeting of the P.P.A. in Newtown recently, when ho was the subject of inquisition. At tho conclusion of Mr. Semple's Bpeech, Mr. P. Fraser, M.P., mado a few remarks. Mr. Semplo added as a postscript to (his speech that the Labour members had fought for is. a day gratuity fo>- soldiers, advocating that tho money be raised by direct capital lew. Il'o do- ■ clarcd that the Labour Party*had foiHit always for better pay and better allowances for the soldier. A vote of thanks and confitVmce was carried without dissent.

WELLINGTON NORTH The Eoform candidate for the Wellin". ton North seat Mr. J. )>. L„] ce , heM \ committee meeting m the Town Hall last evening. Captain A. do Barclay 'was m the chair. Mr. Luke gave an interesting review of somo of the most important work of tho recent session, slating that the mandate over Samoa enjoined considerable responsibility on tho New Zealand people. It was the duty of the Government to act to secure the expansion of trade ■between tho Islands and tho Dominion. •Increased production to meet the Ihrgo financial burdens arising out of the war ■was the foreword. Land settlement by soldiers and others must at all hazard's be secured. Wheat growing in tho Dominion for our own needs was imperative. Roads ,i-ii(! light railways must bo constructed lo give access to the backblocks. Transport and shipping facilities could he improved by the Stale having a controlling interest in overseas steamers, which would also become <mo of the strongest weapons in fighting trusts and combines. He advocated Do-minion-owned ferry steamers and. colliers. He also dealt with the.housing problem; the hydro-eleclric scheme, and other important matters. He stood for tho pre-sent-free, compulsory, ami secular national sy-iem of cdiicniioii. He stated his opinio' on the proposed military training. <■'..'. >.je and widows' pensions. A hourly- vote of tlianksAaml a vote of ooniidenco wcro parsed.

AUCKLAND WEST. ij Tolorrupa—ltwu A«ocl»tlo« Auckland, November' 11. Mr. A. J. Endrican, Deputy-Mayor, and tlio Opposition Candida to for Auckland West, opened his campaign to-night. He said he went to the electors as a Liberal, and dealt at length with housing and municipal questions. At the conclusion of the address amotion was proposed, "that, having heard Mr. Entrican, we do not consider him a suitable ;person to represent ns in Parliament." The chairman declared the motion lost, amid uproar. WAIKATO. Hamilton, November 11. Major J. 11. Luxford, solicitor, and a vice-president of the Returned Soldiers' Association, is r. candidate for the Waikato electorate, as a Liberal. kangitTkbi. Tailiape, November 11. Brigadier-General Meldnun, the official Liberal candidate for Rangitikei, addressed a good, gathering at Taihape lasd night, and got a good hearing. A vote of thanks and confidence was carried by a large majority. NELSON. Nelson, November 11. Mr. 11. Atmore, a candidate for the Nelson seat, delivored his opening speech to a crowded audience to-night. Ho declared himself a supporter of Liberalism and sane Labour. On a no-confidencc motion he would vote with the Liberals. The candidate was accorded a cordial hearing, and received a vote of confidence. LYTTELTON. Christchurch, November 11. Mr. W. T. Lester, Mayor of Lyttelton, who is contesting the Lyttelton scat in the Liberal interest, addressed the electors to-night. He advocated State coal | mines ami State colliers to tarry the i coal. State flour mills, and a State ferry service. He claimed that the Liberal Party had done more for tho people than any other party in politics. Mr. Lester received a vote of thanks and- con- | fidence. ! _ TEMUKA. [ Timaru, November 11. Mr. T. D. Burnett, owner of Mount Cook station mid a farm at Cave, opened his campaign for the Temuka seat at Cave. While preferring unity of the parties, he would follow Mr. Massey for the sake of strong government, independents being useless. Hi,! main plank was , progress and well-being, founded on land administration and a fair incidence of taxation. The aim ohould be an occupying ownership, with leasehold as the J to tho freehold, .and' the j multiplication of small holdings. The I wheat districts should grow the Domion- ! ion's bread, farmers to bo encouraged to Idoso by assured prices. As to the railj ways, the Smith Island trunk line should i be finished and motor trollies run on i both Toads < and branch railways by a I ohango of wheels. He was against nationalisation, as self-interest made mon I do thoir best. Education needed improvei meet and more liberal provision. MATAURA. Gore, November 11. Mr. Erskine Bowmar was nsked to contest the Mataura sent as the farmers' representative by the executive of tho ■Farmers' Union at Invercurgill, but has definitely announced that he will not stand. I Mr. Anderson opened his campaign j last night at Waimumu. He received .a ' vote of thanks and confidence. Three | other candidates have been speaking in tho south end of the electorate.

CAMPAIGN NOTES POINTS PROM THE SPEECHES. "The Liberal Party seems to have lost all sense of decency and self-respect," said Mr. P. Fraser, at Brooklyn last night, "because while it is keeping out of the fight in Wellington South, in order that Mr. Semple may be defeated' by the so-called Independent, in Wellington Central they h'ive adopted a man who was one of the bitterest opponents of the Liberal Party in years gono by, and who in. 1914 stood ns a Reformer in AVanganui, "and eaid then that Mr. Massey was (he best Pi-emicr since the days of Bnllance. Also, ho stated then that Mr. Massev's dealing with the. strike in 1913 was ono of the most conspicuous acts of statesmanship in the whole history of this country. A' few worffs of commendation of Sir William Fraser were spoken by Mr. R. Semnle lost night. "I want to say this . . ." he said. "He is a hard-baked Torv. His mind belongs to the Stone Age. but he is transparently hone6t, honest as the sun. He believes ho is doing right, and does if."

Mr. R. Semple, Labour candidate for the South electorate, will hold a meeting in the Star Theatre. Newtown, toniirht. Mr. A. L. Monteith, Labour candidate the East seat, will address the electors in St. Mark's Schoolroom to-night, and Mr. A. W. Croskery, will meet the electors in the Masonic Hall. Berhampore. Mr. P. Fraser, standing for the Wellington Central seat in Labour's interests, will onen his campaign in St. Peter's Hall. Ghuznee Street, to-morrow evening. Mr. Dunbnr Sloane, Liberal candidate for the Suburb.? seat, will address the electors at St. Hilda's Hall, Island Bay, to-morrow evening. Mr. Walter Cotton, the Moderate Labour candidate for the Hutt seat, will address 410 electors at Petone to-night. A meeting to form committees will also be held to-day in the kmge room next Simpson's, barber. On Friday evening, commencing at ts o'clock. Mr. J. P. Luke's committee will meet in No. 1 committee room, Town Hall. Mr. W. H. Field, the R-eform candidate for Otaki, had a large mooting of supporters at Levin on Monday evening. Mr. T. Bovan was in the chair. A large committee, with Mr. F. Roe as secretary, was formed to work in Mr. Field's interests. Mr. J. B. Hughes, who contested the Christchurch South seat at the lost general election as a Reform candidate, has, says an exchange, been approached with a view of his contesting (he Christchurch North seat—the electorate in which lie resides—as a Government candidate. In the list of candidates for • Waimarino published on Tuesday appeared tho name, "J. C. M'Gill Putt." The name should have been ,T. C. M'GillNutt, and we are informed (hat Captain J. C. M'Gill-Nutt is not a candidate for the sent, having been invited to stand nnd having refused.