ON THE HUSTINGS

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 59, 3 December 1919, Page 8

ON THE HUSTINGS

HUH SEAT MR. RISHWORTH AT PETONE A FIGHTING SPEECH

Mr. E. P. Risuworth, Government candidate for the liutfc seat, addressed a well-attended meeting of the electors of Potonp last night. The .Mayor of IV tone (Mr. J. W. M'Ewan) presided. .\lr. Kishworth was given a cordial reception. He said that ho hoped to bo able to show to 1 lie electors of Petono that he was advocating a sound progressive policy, and that he was iollowing a sound leader. It was all very well to suy vliafc there should be no personalities iu tho light. Hut it was no faithful observance of I his very good rulo if a candidate, while refraining from personalities on the platform, was privy to the circulation oi* false report and misrepresentation against an opponent. A t'ooiisli statement was being made that every vote cast for the Reform candidate was a.vote for Labour. This was the veriest nonsense. He believed that the time had come for the Liberal candidate to be opposed. Mr. AVilford had been Member for the Hnft for some 20 years, and ho had circulated among his friends a circular claiming credit for all that had been done for the district in all those years. Surely this was absurd. Was no account to be taken of the ordinary growth of the district? For instance thorc'was a bridge, perched up with tho steepest approaches and with a ipost dangerous sweep of road leading to it. For his part he, Mr. Rishworth, would not care to claim credit for such performances as that. Ha would not claim' credit for the grass growing greener or the cabbages growing bigger. The Liberals had seceded from tho National Government under circumstances such as to justify the reproach of political treachery. A voice: Rot.. Mr. Ilislnvortiil should say that a good deal of the dry rot of Liberalism has got into your bones. And there's ft good deal of Tommy Rot too! (Applause.) Mr. Massey, said Mr. Rishworth, had achieved a wonderful record in the last session, 'and at the end of it had submitted a modest but yet a sound and progressive programme. . (Applause.) Mr. Rishworth went on to speak of the promises of progress in Mr. Massey's programme, dealing with hydro-electric schemes, the extension of the railway system to develop the parts of tho country not yet in easy communication with the centres of population, and a great improvement in the reading system. This need for better roads was extremely urgent, and it could not for much longer be postponed. It was one of the points in tho programme of the Government party. Without these things increased production would not be, possible, mid only by increased output could our great load of debt be carried by the people. The country must face the wheat nroblfm. Farmers would not' grow wheat if prices were fixed at a level which would not allow them a fair margin of profit as compared with that obtainable from other branches of farming.

Mr. 'Risiiwm'tli proceeded to discuss otlirr problems of the hour. He was subjected to *i\ fairly steady fire of interjections, but he had the support of a large section of the audience, and at no time was there anything approaching disorder. Incidentally he spoke of housing, but pointed to the fact that if tho money were at once available the houses could not be built because neither the labour nor the materials could be obtained. A voice: tVhat about the land to build them 011? }[r. Rlsliworth: Yon have a splendid opportunity here in "Petono nmvided by a Liberal Government, the Wilford Settlement. Tou have any amount of loud (here, and it lias boen free of rates and laxe.i all these year- Tt lias been one of the greatest drawbacks of the borough of I'etone. Mr. Kishwnvth spoke also of the planks common to all tl:» rarty pintforms—those dealing with child life and education. After referrii'T to the programme of Sir .Tosenh Ward, and the millions of boTroviuir involved over a neriod of years, Mr."Rishwortli said that it was a nrodijal nroj?famme. and the man who selfishly left his colleagues in the lurch at Hie' time when the Financial Statement should have been prepared was not a man iv-ortliv to be followed -is leader. A motion of thanks and confidence was proposed, then an amendment of no confidence. The motion was declared carried, but the announcement of the Mayor was the signal for much noise and general uproar.