GENERAL ELECTION BATTLE

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 48, 20 November 1919, Page 8

GENERAL ELECTION BATTLE

MR. PIRANI AND THE RED FEDS

MEETING ENDS IN DISORDER

NEWS NOTES AND COMMENTS

""/The Leopard's Spots. / /i \Lest the public be-,deceived by the: / studied restraint and ostentations moder-' t I ation of tho speeches of the Holland Exitremist clique, it may be as well to remind tho electors thair-the leopard oannot ohango its spots. Tfibvjireamble to tho'' constitution of tho 'Federation of! Labour as approved by Mr. Holland, 1 M.P., the present leader of the so-called Labour Party in New Zealand Parliar ment, -beforo the 191-4 Unity Congress, 1 reads 'as follows:—"Tho forking clnssj find the employing class hqVe nothing in oommon. Botweon these ,two classes a struggle must go on . until the workers .of the world organise as ftxolass. take possession of the car.th, tho machinery of production, and abolish the whge system." At the 1915 Labour Congress, Mr. Somple said: "A federation that cannot draw blood from tho master clas3 will achieve nothing." / • The Fifth Wonderful Thing. Mr. Murdoch, who has been promising the electors of Marsden as near an approach to the political millennium as his imagination can picture, says that while ■ he is not in favour of'party Government in any shape or form, he will, if elected, vote against tho Massey Government. ; Which prompts tho reflection that a certain- prophet of the Scriptures, hod he lived to-day, would have written': "There are five tilings which are wonderful to mo: Tho way of a serpent upon a rock, the way of a ship upon tho Gea, the way of an eagle in' the air, the way of a man with a mind, and the way of an Independent politician who does not believe in party Government." An Example to the Worker. "With Mr. Ma66ey's Party he had little in sympathy. He (tho speaker)' had besn a hard worker all his life,'and he would find it difficult to cssociate himself .with men who moved in a circlo th whioh he would not aspire." Thus, Mr. T. Gurinion, Independent Labbur candidate'for Temuka, who possibly.haa never heard that Mr. Massey, to whose 60clety he would not aspire, spent two on three of his earliest years in v New ■ Zealand as a farm labourer on Longbeach, at 255. per week, and subsequently travelled a thrashing-mill in tho Ash- _ Durton district, and later on in and about Maiujere, where he first started farming on his .own account. He is a living proof that thero is no position in New' Zealand to which a man of industry, ability, and pharactei) cannot aspire successfully.' As'a worker, Mr. Miwsey's record compares favouably with the records of a number of candidates whoso chief work has been done, with their mouths — Christclmroh "Press." The Situation in Westland, The oontest for the Westland seat (says the Hokitika "Guardian") has . taken a fresh turn by the retirement of Mr.-.Lynch. It would appear therefore that the Westland seat will bo contested V,-Mr. Seddon, an avowed Liberal, and Mi..O'Brien, nominated by Labour. Mr. O'Brien, who is a native of Australia, is a resident of liunauga, which is not within the Wsstland electorate. So far the "Guardian") we have not noticed Mr. O'Brien's name on the printed Westland roll. Ho is, in fact, an elector of the Buller idistrict, so that if by any mischance Mr. O'Brien wters returned to Parliament, Buller would possess two members,-and Westland be witlhout a resident member. It would appear that Labour has had !» look afield for a champion,- and the supporters of. tha cause are asked to vote for' an outsider. Mr. Seddon is now carrying on his platform campaign in the north, and is to ' deliver'.his main 6peech at Greymouth next 'weelf. His opponent 3ms called to his\aid Mr. Webb and Mr. Holland.

Vote for the Best Men. " \ Speaking at Feilding on Monday night,; tue;Hon, D.H. Guthrie, Ministpr of Lands, said: —Vote for the lx?st men you can .send ~to. Parliament. The time is for,' the- sinking of party strife. What) happened when the parties/united in tho common cause of war? Why should not such a condition of things continue during the period of reconstruction rather than revert to the old svstem. -which never was and cannot be "in ' the .interests of the country? These are the principles expounded by -Mr. Massey' f manifesto. I stand for the same principles, and I want to say to vou tonight to use your voto in the interests of tho country, and if this is done throughout the Dominion all will be well for New Zealand. Judgment not to ba Trusted. "The arguments used by the Opposition/Leader ;ore played out," says the T)nnnovirko jSews." "Ho is lioist by his -petard. ..His own gigantio Voteoatcliing manifesto wherein ho is prepared to spend 2,"J millions has "never impressed tho country, because Sir Joseph Ward has never given, any indication where the money is to come from, and ' his financial explanations have been decidedly open_ to criticism. The truth of tho matter is that, however valiant an attempt, may be made to resurrect the bonefitf: of 'Liberalism, the people do not trust Sir Joseph AVard. -His own followers do not trust him. He is not a political leader'in the best sen»o of the word, because he has shown m'ain and again that his judgment is bad." Seven Years of Closer Settlement. 'It lja.s been, said on many occasions that thft party of which I am n member is not in earnest in regard to' its closer settlement policy." said the Hon. TV H. Guthrio'nt Folding. "People should inquire into tho position before making mich a statement. I have, already eliown that in its soldier settlement scheme the closer settlement policy is being given effect, to, and I shall now quote figures Indicating what has bene done during the lost seven years, and in vi<vv of.the conditions that have prevailed for the greater part, of that 'iroe. T do rot think n .hotter record could possibly ! ';e expected. "Subdivision by frenholdors: Holdings, 56?."; subdivisions. 11,738. settlement finance: Holdings, 22; GuMivisions, Wl. "Lands for Settlement Act; Holdings, s 88: subdivisions. 1521. '"Totals: Holdings, 5803; subdivisions, 13.110. "With the Crown nnrl Native lnnds f'-at hare been subdivided, no fewer than jfl.OiW snlxlivi.-voi's have been provided durinsr the period, involving an area of 3,8M,84G acres." Too Much Party. "It is not my business to make party capital," said Mr. Massey at his meeting at Eltham last night. "I have a .higher duty than that. I intend to speak in .this election campaign in tho interests of tho country rather than in tho interests of the party. A\e have had too much party in the past. (Hear, hear.) .1 don't want to see in the future what I.have often seen in the past— for I have been in Parliament for a Ion" time—politicians putting the inter. : - ests of their parly before the interests of ■ the, country. I hope that those times ' will never come again." (Applause.) A Lucky Escape. Mr, Massey was -tolling something alvliit the bftttcr-fat levy and tho 6quall-; eation fund- 1 at EltliWu -test'-night when aninterjector said the people that manufactured dried niillc escaped the butterfat tax. Mr. Massey; "Yes, that is'so." Voices (enserly): "Why? Why?' Mr. Massey : "Because I was away from Now, Zealand." '>

| The Wardist Side-Show, 11 "Tho contest," says the Christchurch l;" Sun," "is rapidly developing into one between the present Government and Labour, with the Liberals running a sideshow of their own. The' Liberal campaign is being 60 badly managed by Sir Joseph Ward and his newspaper supporters, and tho position of tho party is becoming so hopeless that, as a bulwark against Bolshevism, it is hardly worth considering. On the other hand, the present Government has improved its' position very niuoh during the past few weeks, and the question that tUe it* erago citizen who wants sound government by responsible politicians has to decide- is whether ho will not be wasting his vote and playing into the hands of the Bolsheviks by supporting Sir Joseph Ward. The latter's chances of getting 41 seats are decidedly remoto. He can only turn out the present Ministry by invoking tho aid of Bolshevik allies, and their lovo for Sir Joseph Ward is not such that they will place him in power except on the terms that suit themselves. Under tho circumstances, tho safest course is to vote for the Government at this election, and trust to • wiser counsels prevailing when Parliament i.-cets."

Too Thin 1 Tho Liberal leaders are making some clumsy attempts to excuse themselves for breaking up the National Government. Speaking in Auckland, tho Hon. A. M. Myers said:— As lias already been pointed out by Sir Joseph Ward, ho was never asked to romain in tho Cabinet, although he had informed the Prime Minister of the resolution passed by the Liberal caucus in regard to their desire to go to (he country as a separate party. In-.addition to this, 'it must be borne in mind that the National Government was . steadily weakening and becoming n ere and more-unpopular with o\ory party in the House, as well as wit> the newspapers which support' both tho ]teforni and 'Liberal parties. The ■ Liberals, as a matter of fact, had received, a definite invitation fiom'tlie Reform caucus to join in tho creation of a national party. Tho Liberal caucus, headed by Sir Joseph AVard, declared in favour of the continuance of the oldparty lines.. Mr. Myers seems to tl ink that the Liberal Ministers acre justified in leaving the Government becauso it was. "becoming more and more unpopular." They knew that there was difficult work still to be done, but they leftMr. Massey to do it, \vhile they sought to gain a party advantage by means of bir Joseph Wards vote-catching election manifesto. Eno.' "This is not a time for you or me to a Liberal or a llefornier," said Mr. -D. Jones, Government candidate for ivaiauoi. "It is a time to think of what < ill be for the best interests of-the Dominion. I read Sir Joseph Ward's Christchurch spcech- carefully, and what did I iind in it?— Sir Joseph Ward right through. When you find a man saying it would-be «ingcrous for the.country to leave him out of power-well, it would be dangerous to put such a man into power whether he bo Sir Joseph Ward, Mr. Massey. or anybody else." A Washing Day.

Speaking' at Ashburton the Hon. W. Nosiyorthy • said that he wanted, to sec tho Massey parly go back not as Masseyltesi or .Reformers, but as men of sound political views, who were roady to lace he big problems that now confronted the country. Those problems were very Rreat. The money that had to be paid out since the war wad greater proportionately than that during the war, what with settling thQ returned men, with Kr i a v-V ltle3, aml mnn y °H'w responsibilities due to the war. "Sir, Joseph Ward when he left the Ministry left the JUassey Government to do all the cleaning up,", added Air. Nosworthy. "Sir Joseph Ward had thought that there was a washing day needed, that the Massey party could do the washing, and that when the linen was luing on tho line lie would criticise." Unfortunately for tiio Liberal Leader, the lieform Ministers proved a great deal more capable than ne had anticipated.

A Soldier's View. Mr. Olutlia Mackenzie, Government candidate for Auckland East, said at a meeting that there were really only' two issues—the present Government or extreu'e Labour.. The Liberal Party stood hetwen the two. Those who voted for oir Joseph Ward ano his party did not Know to which party their votes were really troing, since ho believed there .uust be a division of the present Opposition Party, soine going to the present Government and some to extreme Labour. Ho stood as a Government candidate because ho believed there was need for tho more stable government and virile party—that led by Mr. Massey—to retain control. I "The Blatant Agitator." "Tho great pity is that Labour, in its obstinancv and stupidity, will persist in favouring representation that is 'mors by the spirit of anarchy thafc .tile sulrit of constructivencps," gays tho Waikato, "Times." "It must not bis supposed' that Labour is devoid of sane champions and representatives. That is not so; but it is tho blatant ngitator voicing tho immoderate demand who raises an antagonism to the Cause and delays the progress of legislation that would lead to bctterme.it in the condition of the working classes." ? One For Hls'Nob. At Mr. Witty's oppning meoting in the Kiccarton campaign', somebody moved, and it was seconded: "That the meeting, while thanking Mr. Witty for hid address, has no confidence in' tile Liberal Party under the leadership of Sir Joseph Ward." About ten hands were held up in support of the amendment, and about twenty-five against it, a largo number of those present refraining from ( voting, but on the motion being put to tho meeting there was a loud ononis of "Aves," and tho chairman declared it carried "almost unanimously," Awfu' Wicked! At Karori last night Mr. Croskery, Labour candidate for the Suburbs, worked himself into a frenzy in speaking on tho land question. In condemning tho ittct that farmers vrere allowed to rt*ceivo the unearned increment of their holdings he exclaimed—tho whilo severely punishing the inoffensive table, with nis fist—"Did you ever hear of such an re oi n r J? ount of wickedness in all your lite? The candidate also delivered'diatribes against the action of the Government m allowing returned soldiers to purchase Teady-inade homes, thus accentuating tho housing problem for tlm rest of the community—a "crime." An to the'educational system half the teachers were "nervous wrecks." Throuirhoui the speaker's denunciations the audience sat unmoved, maintaining a stoical silence which was only broken whop an elector adjured Mr, Croskery not to drink "too much water." i While bathing from Ilaylo beach, a man got into difficulties, and the liov. T. Hill, formerly of London and latterly a curnte at Kcdruth, went to his assist- ' ance. Both wore drowned.' Mr. Hill's mother was on tlio beach, at the time,