THE ELECTIONS

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 44, 15 November 1919, Page 8

THE ELECTIONS

MR. MASSEY AT PUKEKOHE THE COALITION BREAK CAMPAIGN NEWS, NOTES AND COMMENT "You all remember the coinpuisory war loans,"■ said Mr. Hugliv Campbell, Reform candidate for Hav.ke's Bay, at Hiistiugs. The system, he added, was introduced by Sir Joseph AVard. Compulsory loans were all, right, but giving it for'2o years free of income tax was absolutely wrong. Men who were comparatively poor ivould get 41 per cent, for their money, white the extremely wealthy, whom Sir Joseph AVard always seemed to favour, received equivalent to 7J per cent, on account of tfee exemption from income' tax. No more iniquitous thing was ewr brought down, and the speaker was thankful to say it was knocked 011 the' head. (Applause.)

Ths Minister of Finance (Sir James Allen). replied in the south to a statement made by Mr. G. AY. Forbes, Liberal Whip, that some members of the Heform Party might be prepared to join tiho. Opposition in . the event of parties being, evenly divided. "As"a matter of fact," said Sir James Allen, "I think it is quite easy to see that the malcontents are on.iihe other side. Many Liberal members, I believe, would be pleased to eee a stable Government in office. They are likely to Ihelp to bring about a Government of that character at the elections. With the support Mr. Massey -will get .from the Liberal Party, which I believe he is certain to get", I don't think there is any doubt of it wlhatever; Whether he will have a majority of the whole House is another matter. AVu expect that he will, but. it ii unquestionable that lie will take • flho leadership of tho largest party in the House. In that case some members of the Liberal fany Tvill'ijoin with him in forming a stabie Government, which will see that the country's affairs aro dealt wiilh 05 they ought lo be.""

A great deal had been heard recently ef the meat trust, oil and steel trusts, eaid Mr. Ii I'. Kisliworth, spwiking at Esstbourne last night. Our legislation provided a reasonable security from the operations of combined capital. Iu the best interests of ali our people there should be restriction of trade combines and trusts whose only object was to secure control of supplies and force up prices. The shipping monopoly in this country had been a great barrier to development of our primary and secondary industries, and a good example of how relentlessly the combined force of capital was being utilised to the detriment of tlio welfare of the people as a whole. A great deal of the labour unrest) wis due to the sense of. wrong in the high prices of foodstuffs and commodities oi' household jise which. had been increased in price through excessive freights. Jt was for that, lie believed, the Government would be justified in having a small fleet, to ensure firsl>-:!ass and rapid transit of goods and mails and allow our markets .to be properly served, and so escape' the loss of glutting and efnort supply which had been so evident: in recent yearsr

Sir James Allen praised the work of Mr. Jlassey during the session. "As far as I have heard." he said, "Mr. Masse.y made good, and the party (luring the last few months has gained tremendously-in both fihe North Island and thfc South Island. I think that. Mi. - Massey got through a wonderful session under a very heavy burden, and I must say that he carried it extraordinarily well. It/was a large prosrammt, a very large programme, indeed, and it was put through in a very short time."

The Postmaster-General, the Hon. J. j G. C'oates, opened his campaign at Papa- j roa 011 Wednesday. Mr. Ccates, who ! ■was warmly received, said the experi- j ences of thevVar had tended to banish i ideas and systems. It had been I said that they were gettingi back to nor- I nial. In many ways the speaker, honed j he should never get back -to normal. Reconstruction was in everybody's mind. ' Their aim should be to make the bast of the new democracy, collect the best thinkers in the country, and place measures on the Statute Book which would most rapidly aid them in reaching the great goal. The Minister rvoceeded to review the history and legislation of the past session. He criticised the withdrawal of Sir Joseph AVard from the National Cabinet before meeting Parliament. If Sir Joseph Ward thought ho had'made a party gain through this, he had made the mistake of his life. However, Mr. Massey had resolved to form his Cabinei> and hod carried through,' the session without defeat, and his city for work had won general ' He had faced and carried through y difficult position, and with the aid m Parliament had passed much useful legislation.

Mr. F. Grander, sitting member and Reform candidate for Mnrsden, declared . in his opening speech at Whangarei that he approved of a National Government i composed of the two chief narlies, whoso' policies were similar in all the main essentials. Such a fusion, hp said, would he in the best interests of the country, and would obviate the domination of separate larger parties by an extremist minority. % ~Mr. Mander said that when the Prime Minister returned from the Old Country he found considerable unrest in the country and in his party,' but his presence speedily made a difference, ana two weeks after his return the clouds lifted, and the sun was now shining 011 the i;«form Party brighter than ever. He attributed this happy result to the skill and jjeJd generalship Mr. Alassey had displayed. Mr. Hugh Campbell had something to fay about Labour politicians tinil tlio cost of living, lie had noticed that 11 r. P. i'raser (Wellington Central) was referring to the fctate butcheries in Queensland. The rise in the prico of meat in .Brisbane had been (B per cent., and in New Zcutand only 33 per cent. A vo'.ce: "i'our figures arc wrong." Air. Campbell: "Oh, no, tiiey are not. I never get wrong figures. I alwajs go in for right ones." Continuing, Air. Campbell mentioned the Queensland State fisheries. A trawler was purchased for .£32,090. Worli w;;s srurtea on May S and continued till June 30, during which' tirna the expenses amounted i.o .M'iJG, and X'l3S worth of fish was caught, leaving a net debit 011 cost, of working of .!'2O9Q. Thai was really, for a, Labour Government, not a bad performance at fill. Various other State entcrpr'ses were tried. "Perhaps you wouUI like State r.oal mines) 1 They only lost JM7,COt) out of that." A voice: "Oh, shut up!" The candidate then said that Mr. liyan was not satisfied with Slate enterprise, so tiied State, dealing. Carbide could have fceen secured for JL'4O or .too a (on, but Mr. Kyan got aune from .lapan at a cost of a-little over £100 per ton. "Another fairly profitable undertaking." A member of the audienco interrupted with a remark concerning sugar. In reply, Mr. Campbell said: "The less you say'aU'.ml sugar the bolter, considering that some of your friends turned a forgo of 4500 tens away fiom Auckland to Sydney, hy , refusing to un'.ond it." (Loud applause..! At his .meeting, last evening Mr E. P. liislnvoith said he was oil out and out opponent, of the revolutionary socialist. Labour / leaders in our own country would assist tbe Government lo nationalise all producidon and industry and administer the wealth of the country in the interests of ono small section of the community, denying the rights and privileges of others—not. even allowing He'iii lino right to live. There was one section of 7.a----bour—the moderate section—which was the backbone of the country; sons and daughters of the old pioneers, many of them .wilih small holdings and nonies of their own. who should be given fair representation and a proper return for theirWi;viees to the Stale.- ■ It was only reasonable that I'his section shouid receive protection from the Government against the oppression of • monopolists and tilie intimidalion of tho e'x-iremists. There should be the rijht to live in comfort and healthy surroundings _ with more than the pittance required to supply food an<l clothing. - i

lu connection with the questions which the Wellington lie-turned Soldiers' Association is circulating lo aspirants for political honours in the seven Wellington city and suburban electorates, it is interesting to recall tluit the New Zealand U.S.A. (tho parent body to wh.ch all the local associations are affiliated) recently amended its constitution to allow for the putting of such questions, The clause in question reads: "The association shall be (a) non-sectarian, and (It) non-party-political, in that it shall not, except by tho submission of questions and the publication of the answers thereto, in:iluence or seek to influence the views .of its members regarding any candidate JJor public office or any 'political or municipal party." Tho debate which resulted in the final adoption of this c.ause occupied five hours, the principal reason'being the attempt of tho Auckland district members to secure the assent of the association to 'tne taking of political action on party lines. All the Wellington delegates voted against this, and in favour of the above clause, which allows of the putting of questions, but not of discussion of the replies received, and also forbids any other form of political action in connection with the general election.

Labour candidates looking round for some concrete instance of the benefits arising from Labour government will do well to avoid any reference to Queensland, which for the greater part of the war was under tho rule of the extreme Labour Government headed by Mr. T. J. Byan, and new in the hands of his successor (says the Christchurch "Press"). In July, lilll, the cost of living in Queensland was lower than in any other Stato of the Commonwealth; in July this year it had risen by Gi.fi per cent., the greatest increase shown in nnv State, and 15 per cent, abovo the average of the thirty largest towns in Australia. The Queensland railways afford a shocking example of Labour mi.-nianagenient and extravagance. In 1914-15, just before 'the IJyan Government come into power, they yielded a surplus, i the amount being nearly .£50,000. They'have never done so since; on the contrary, the successive, deficits ■'"rim tho pust four years total X'-'i.OM,-000. In the five-year period ending June 30 this year, the earnings increased by S.S7 per cent., the expenditure by 55.03. and the lium'ber of permanent employees by 33 per cent. The growth in tiie expenditure nnd in the number of employees is not to be accounted for by the extension of the railways, for the number of miles open for traffic, increased during tho period mentioned by barely 17 per cent. Tho disproportion between the two sets of figures—employers and mi'.eage— is evident, Tho "lieds" are never tired of criticising administration by other parties than their own; in this instance the results of their own management condemn them as wasteful and incapable.

Tho official leaders of Labour jire not being endorsed with enthusiasm by all the members of their own party. Mr. O. M. Byrne, the accredited Labour candidate for Eden, was asked whether, if elected, he would be "a blind follower of Holland, Semple nnd Co." He replied that he would be a follower of 110 person whatever. No other thing exeent the principles he had enumerated governed him. . But under examination he admitted that he would be bound by the Labour caucus. The AVellington Returned Soldiers' Association luts drafted a series of questions covering land, housing, pay and allowances, gratuities, medical and pensions, repatriation, and various other matters for submission to candidates in the seven electorates iin and around AVellington. The questions have been forwarded to the various candidates, There had been a lot of talk about the 'Labour Government of Queensland, remarked Mr. I'ishworth at Eastbourne lost evening. The cost of living ('.ere . had risen 62 per cent, since MM, and the Government had spent £!ti,ooo last year buying food for unemployed. The railways were losing one million yearly; the sinking fund had been abolished and train services reduced. The State ccal mine at AVarru was ,£74,000 in debt, and Stato fishing over ,£BOOO. There had ibeen 84 strikes in 1918. Their expenditure had Jbeen greater than Victoria with three times, the population, and taxation had risen 195 per cent, since the Labour Party came into power. Owing to the fixing of the price of sugar and tho rise in wages all but the richest sugaf lands were passing out of cultivation, and the whole business, worth formerly five millions to tho State, was steadily getting ruined. After last election a defeated .Labour candidate. had been appointed as inspector of' school lavatories at ,E(00, The police had found it necessary in Townsvllc recently to guard the Police Court with fixed bayonets during a- trial, and a Minister of the Crown took the chair at a meeting called to protest against the increased price of beer. Another Minister described England as the Land of Cant, Hypocrisy, and Humbug. The policy that produced Mich results was exactly the same policy jis'preached by the Labour Party here. ~Che Tiev. J. K. Archer, the ialioim 1 last wcWto'say that the Labour Pnrtvl "was hot'"<lefe'*diii!t" 'such- -men- as- Sein-J nlo "'AA : cbb7 and Holland, .and—was noW lo be . identified with-the..utterances oij those . men."- The .'.'Olago Daily Times'! makes this comment: "However niucr, Mr. Archer may seek to dissociate Ihe parly from the utterances of these three among its most prominent members, each one of whom has -attained in its name lo the dignity of a seat in Parliament, tlie electors m.ust realise that it is. bv these men, any b.v others such as thcsi. men, that th" Labour Party is actually nnntro'leil. The candidate who asserts tlu't.'Mhe pnrlv is not tu be identified with the utterances of Mr. Semple and Mi'. Holland, or with those of Mr. AA'ebb. who is now engaged in the work of rol'tica! oriranisation on hffhalf of the party; is »jther not sincere in what ho says or else is amazingly innocent". The extreme section of the Labour Party, of which Mr. Holland and 3lr. Semple may be falcon as types, is unrmestmnably the .dominant soc'lion of the party. One nrei'f nf this consists in the fact that it is the section of the parly thai is most largely rrnreseiitod in thj> official selection of candidates for election. And it nii.v be confidently ;is«erted that it is the section which will impose ils will on the Labour Partv—probably a very sniali and amenably parly—in the new Parliament.

Among questions to be submitted by the AVellington Returned Soldi-era' Association lo candidates in the various electorates in and around AVellington are the following:—WiW you support an alteration of tho Customs tariff to exclude German goods? AVill you support legislation for the total exclusion of Hindus and Chinese? Are you ready.to vote for the deportation of all unnaturaused Germans? Will you favour this proposal: That in all electoral rolls, jury list", and directories setting out. the names of persons engaged in trades and professions, the names of returned foldicrs, sai(ors, and nurses shall be marked with a crossed sword device, as used in the Army List, so that the public can be protected from misrepresentation, and that persons vvho have served in the war can be identified?

Din-ins liis address at Eastbourne last, night Mr. E. J'. Kishworth road an extract from a report of a speech made at .■! Sooi-.dist i-onferaice held in July of this year at ]!cggi c Kniba, by the well-known Italian Socialist Prnmpolini, which ajmrait(l in the "Cambridge Magazine" The extremists v.-«ro in the mnjority l.'y a low vfitr-s ami had urged armed orepuraiinn for ivvolnlion. I'ranijiolinisaid: "We are all agreed in desiring SocialM. revolution. \Yo must not yield io illusion. Wo moy v. : in in street fighting, but that, will not give Socialism lo (ho mjisfs, |i is no irnod oiling the example of Russia and Hungary. You will say you are ready in .-vierifice yourselves, bill; it is a serious matter to oall on others to lot. themselves b:> killed. You have lo order the workers to kill not only the capital class Iml also tlio workers not of our llavo wo of the minority the riniil to attack tlio majority? Will you stiek a knife in the hearts of your brothers? Wo have greater difficulties in Italy Ihnn in Russia. Tlio Knglish T.iil.imii- Party has declared azairst revolution. _ The executive must liear this in mind. Tf von hnvo Clod Almighty you will have food shortiiKO just tlio same, to say nothing Oil' coai, iron mid Taw materials. If wo curry freo government wo will have bloodshed an soon as our Socialist Dictatorship is established." This, lie said, xras a commentary on a certain the extremists-