OTAKI SEAT

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 61, 5 December 1919, Page 8

OTAKI SEAT

MR. A. ISHERWOOD AT UPPER HUTT. Mr. A. J. I?. Isherwood, Liberal can<lidato for the Otaki seat hold a meeting in tho Independent Hall, Upper Hutt, last evening. Mr. P. Robertson, who presided over' a large attendance, explained that the candidate was suffering from a heart attack, and prohably would not bo able to speak very long. Mr. Isherwood then rose and said lie was standing as a Liberal, although not supnorted by the Liberal Partv or any trade or' profession. The candidate denied a statement alleged to have been made by Mr. Field that ho was the nominee of the liqiior trade. At this stage Mr. Isherwood announced that he was too unwell to proceed, but snid ho would address the electors on some future occasion. Tho meeting then terminated. MR. M'KENZIE AT PAHAUTANUI. Mr. J. M'Kenzie, the Labour candidate, addressed a meeting of tho electors lit Pahautiinui on Wednesday night. He dealt with various planks'of his narty's platform nnd strongly advocated the immediate establishment of a State bank and a State shipping service.'pointing out what had been done in the Commonwealth along those lines. In reply to interjections, he explained the conditions under which the miners lived and worked, and said that statements coming from the Employers' Federation with reference to "go slow" ought to bo accepted with reserve, as the federation was a partv to the disnnte, and therefore could not he expected to be impartial. Coloured labour in Ramoa and New Zealand, and the cost of living in Queensland, and the indebtedness of that colony, wcro also discussed, tho candidate asserting that New Zealand's indebtedness per head of the nopulation wn= *£27 per head in execs of Queensland. The meeting closed with a vote of thanks to the candidate.

MR. EVELYN MACDONALD AT OHAU.

At Ohnu on Wednesday night the hall was well filletf, when Mr. Evelyn MacDonald lave a longthy address, which held tho interest of his audience throughout. Tho speaker read his first Advertisement. in which ho described himself as a progressive Liberal and Labour candidate. with a national policy. Events, ho said, liatf encouraged and justified him. Mr. Moc'Don-ild said there were many unsound economic ideas current. He referred to statements made by a nroniiuent ex-soldier—repeated in idea bv a candidate for Parliament a few days ago—calculating the millions put into tlio farmer's pockets by increased value of lnnrt owin? to the war. The land had increased in value, but this increase was a burden and a mortgage that the farmer would hnvo to wipe off with the sweat of his brow, and often by tho privation of his wife and family. It had been a source of sain to the land-grabber, and the speculator; and unfortunately, some farmers were more speculators than farmers.. This could be easily stopped if Governments wero • sincere. Ho could show them how. But tho genuine working farmer was taxed on the increased value, and taxation had to cover interest (among other things) on a war debt of eiirhlv-one millions. If ho sold at high value he had to buy again at high value, and was no better off becauso of the war. Thero was a fool-cry to make f every farmer his own valuator. They wanted, lie said, a thonpughly revised system of reliable and continuous valuation, such as could l}e accepted for all purposesrating, taxing, mortgairing, or selling. Tho oi'dinarv farmer was not in a position to bo an expert valuer. Ho was entitled' to tho service of a competent cxne'rt (some to-day wero not competent), and hp was entitled to rely upon the valuation of the Department's expert. The soeaktfr said perhaps many present knew of instances such as he quoted', of a fa.rmer who sold at what he thought a high value, and, after hunting the country came back and re-bought his old farm at £n rer aero more than he had trot. He had taken a second mortgago to par for his experience as a valuator. The Farmers' Union, aggregation of land, la.no' tenures, banking and currency, education. militarism, cost of living, and other matters also received attention. At tho conclusion a vote of thanks <»as earned.