WELLINGTON EAST

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 66, 11 December 1919, Page 8

WELLINGTON EAST

ADDRESS 1 3Y DR. NBTVJIAN. Dr. A. K. Newman, Reform candidate for t.lie 'Wellington East seat, addressed a meeting in the New Century Hull, Kent Terrace, last night. 3tr. T. I'orsyih presided over a large attendant. Dr. Kcwmiin referred with satisfaction to the dissolution of the National Government. Coalition Gorornmente, he said, were no good. The record of work put up -by the Reform Government dnriiiS' Hie last session iliad been very creditable; it liad to he remembered, of course-, that the Opposition offered 110 olwtruolion. Dealing with education, Dr. Newman claimed that there should be as many 'female teachers as male teachers, otherwise tlio instruction of the cliildreu would become unsatisfactory. If thcro was one item of public expenditure which, was of real value to the people it was the money that was spent upon education. Unless the children were educated properly they would have to be content with poor billets, ami the better posii tions would go to people importer! from j outside. The Government had planned to spend ,£3,000,000 011 educational purpose?, and there was no doubt that till; money was badly needed. 110 favoured the adoption of one system of schoolbookc throughout the Dominion, the books to bo printed by the Government. He thought that within two or three vcars they would find that the State system ol' education would bo very much improved. The Government hall taken steps to improve tile housing conditions of tlio people, and i' 1,500,000' had-been put on the Estimates to begin the buildin!; of houses. Already a start had been made with the house-building scheme. 'I'hfl policy would bo pursued hy l.'io Reform Government until tlio whole of Hie 1 people of the Dominion wero decentlv housed. It was essential that tlio fishing industry of the Dominion should be encouraged, and the Government had taken measures in that direction. Dr. Ncwmau, urged that there should be 110 differentialion between the pensions allowed to epidemic widows and the widows of. men who died from other causes. Women should be allowed to sit in the Upper House, and :ho hoped that shortly they would have the right of entrance to thai' Chamber, lie believed in Hie principle of the elective Executive, because it would do away with the vicious system of "one-man rule." lie hoped that before very long the Dominion w ;>;ld have Ministry ducted by. the lir>ua\ Dr. Newman reviewed the legislation passed last Hossion, giving- particular attention to the Immigrants' Exclusion Act. Hu held that it was only

right and proper to prevent undesirables from entering the Dominion. Tho islands surrounding New Zealand could bo mado groat assets to the Dominion, and the Government would havo to take steps to bring more cheap fruit into the country from the Cook Islands. Taxation should be made easier on those who had to earn (heir incomes. Such a system was followed in England. At the close of Dr. Newman's address a series of typewritten questions was handed to him by Mr. E. Kennedy, secretary of a local trades union. Some of these dealt with the candidate's attitude to the P.P.A. Dr. Newman 6aid he did not belong to the P.P.A.; but 011 polling day he hoped to gain the votes of the P.P.A' as well as every other elector in Wellington East. (Annlause.) With regard to two of the questions, the chairman said he felt that they should not be put to the candidate, ns they only served to introduce pereonalities. They referred to the suppression and the deportation of certain peoDle. Mr.' "Kennedy pressed that they should V,e vend to the meeting. Mr. Forsyth: The questions deal wholly and solely with the P.P.A. and its agents. Mr. Kennedy: Nothing of the kind. Mr. Forsyth: This is one , Question: "Will you repudiate th« —-. the 6imie as the Prime Minister (Mr. has done?" What'rigTit hap anv man to repudiate any other man in this election? What about the liberty of the subject? I suppose vou hold for that—you and your party? Mr. Kennedy: I suggest that it is a fair question. The chairman: We don't want to 6tir up sectarian strife. Do you? Mr. Kennedv: \o, sir. Mr. Forsyth: Then T think you ought to leave these questions alone. Dr. Newman lins answered the main question.

Mr. Kennedy: Read the first question. , Mr. Forsyth: I am not smmg to reaq, the question. (Applause.) You can take it to vour own meetings. Mr, Kennedv-: They Wive been there. Mr. Porsyth made it clear that lie did not want to "go?" legitimate questions. "But." lie added, "I think you will agree with me that Mr. Kennedy has had a 'fair spin.' We are all out to give (he working man a fair thing, but I am utterly opnosed to touching on religion. To bring in religion is the way to make this election bitter. You have only to introduce questions like that and yon have got it'. As far as I am concerned I will not allow it.". (Appkuse.) ■ Mr. Kennedv did not push the matter further and -the incident' closed. The candidate was accorded a unanimous vote of thanks and confidence. MR. M'KEXZIE AT VICTORIA HALL. Mr. L. M'Kenzie addressed a largo meeting of electors at Victoria 'Hall, Mr. Galliehan presiding. The candidate urged the necessity for increased production, which was the best way of meeting the financial responsibilities cast upon us during the war. He also referred to the cost of living, and claimed that the subject could not be dealt with without bringing in tho cost of boovS and clothing. Ho claimed that before the war the hides cost the tanners a little lower than they did now under the Government schedule price. In tlio Gazette notice of October 2, 1910, they found the mice varying with quality from 9Jd. to !Hd. per lb., and, according to the same Gazette, the tanners had tho pre-oinptive right to purchase up to 50 per cent, of bides of all grades, and the whole of the calfskins for local use. Before the war the tanners used 30 per cent, of the local hides, and only 10 per cent, of tho calfskins, but to-day they find that full advantage was taken, and the whole 50 per cent, was purchased', "besides all the calfskins. Rejected hides were often sold by auction, and generally brought a higher price than that paid by the tanner, many finding their way to America, American boot?, after paying the freights and Customs duty, were sold in the country at very little more than the local made artwie. What' concerned the public most was tlio high price they had to pay for boots and leather now-, and could any legitimate reason be advanced for this when, the raw material was costing only a small amount above pre-war prices. Everyone knew the difference now and t-.lien, and it cost as much now for boots tor a child as it did for adults' toots sour years ago: Still this was claimed as a legitimate charge. The same couldi be sai'd of wool, and tho same advantage was offered the woollen manufacturer, mid still, with this advantage, cloth that cost 7s. Gd. to os. 64. wholesale before the war, was now 325. 6d. to 355. per yard. Was it any wonder, asked tho candidate, that every man had to pay three or four times as much mora now for his clothing as he did liefore tho war. There was no reason .why the advantage given by the Government to the manufacturer should be allowed to bo passed on, ns was being done. What was wanted was a clause protecting the price to the consumer, and limiting the profits of these large _ manufacturers. New blood must be put into Parliament, otherwise these conditions would remain. After covering the ground of the Liberal platform, the candidate answered a number of questions, and was accorded a vote of thanks ami confidence. MR. A. L. MQNTFiTTH AT BROUGHAM STREET. . Mr. A. L. Monteith addressed a large meeting Inst evening at the corner of Ellico and Brougham Streets. Tho candidate spoke upon the lines of his previous speeches, dealing with shipping, cost of living, housing, and education. Dealing with the latter subject, the candidate stated that the cost of education was 3ls. id. per head, mid shied that the Labour Party believed in the best system of education possible, and that all school requisites should be provided bv .tho State. Otherwise, asked, the candidate, how could we say that we had free education. Tho candidate mentioned the fact that tho average class was 33 pupils for the whole Dominion. In schools that had over six teacher? on the staff tho average was 48, which was, in his opinion, too many, if the best that is the pupils was to be got, and the teacher was to be allowed to do his best.. Tho district was in need of additional accommodation with regard to schools, somo of which were very overcrowded, mid could 'not accommodate all the pupils offering. Speaking on the subject of pensions, the chndidate mentioned that Mr. Massey had voted against old-age pensions 87 times. Sir James, Allen 78 times, and Dr. Newman over! 50 times. What had the old men and women of ths country to thank these gentlemen for? asked the candidate, ■ These pensions had only cost the country one penny a head the first year that the O'.d-Age,Pen-sion Act had been in operation. If was not The amount, but the principle against which these men voted.