A LABOUR "RALLY"

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 75, 22 December 1919, Page 8

A LABOUR "RALLY"

SPEECHES BY CANDIDATES

LESSONS OF THE CAMPAIGN

A T.ahour "rally" was hold in I lie Paramount Theatre last irght, ami was addres.sed by candidates who stood for Wellington scats in tho iiUerosls of the Labour Party at tho general election. Mr. O. Ward presided. The hall was only partially filled.

Mr. A. L. Monleith said llio election returns showed that tho Labour Party had made wonderful progress ill the Uominion. They showed also that Uie first plank in lli'u party's platform ought to lro proportional representation. The votes polled for Reform candidates had numbered 212,'0C0 in 1914 and ISO,OOO in Will. The votes for Liberal candidates had totalled 210,000 in 1911 and 162,000 in 1010. Labour's votes had numbered 53,001} in Iflldand 123,000 1919. Aboyt thirty seals were held in the now Parliament on minority votes, twenty-two of them being in tlie possession of tho Reform Party. Tho total number of votea polled for the Government at the election had been ISC,(100, while 32G.000 voles had been polled against the Government Mr. Jlussey had won by means of a, faulty electoral system. ■

Mr. A. \Y. Croskcry assured tho meeting tliat the Labour Party had no reason to Ih> down-hearted. It had increased its voting strength enormously throughout New Zealand, and if its representatives did not form the official Opposition in the new ParVoment they would at least bo the live Opposition. Tho party must organise for uie future, and it must recognise that its gteat and pressing need was a daily Press of its own. Mr. It. Semple said he was not at oil disheartened by his defeat. Special efforts had bceii made to defeat himj slander and misrepresentation had been concentrated upon him. His opponent had talked of patriotism And loyalty! he hud used the Union Jack as a political wc-apoh and he had sung tho National Anthem after political meetings. "It was just about the mo6t sickening thin? I ever heard of," said Mr Semple, who proceeded to assure the meeting that lie was not beaten as a workers' representative, and would be a greater thorn in the side of Capitalism than ever before. He was glad that the. Liberal Party had "got what it deserved." The Liberals had said they did not want the votes of "Red Pods." Labour had (wen that LibcraVsm did not get them. The Liberals had gone down for lack of those votes, and ho was glad of it. Mr. Semple proceeded to advocate proportional representation. He used .very strong language in condemnation of political opponents, who, he s.tated, had tried to besmirch Irs moral character. "T am going to show' these individuals that they have put me in a place where I canr.dn more work, and be mors dangerous to them," said Mr. Semplo in conclusion.

Mr. J. Head said it was improbable (hat the working class would have a good limp during the- next three years, sincc their enemies were in control. But he believed the pressure would bring thr. progressive T/berals into the Labour camp. leaving Hie rest of tilt Liberals tu join the Reformers.. Then the parties would have a streight run at the next election. The Labour I'arly must try to establish daily newspapers of its own ami lo srciiru tin; adoption of proport'onal ropresenta- • (inn. Labour, on the voting strength revealed at the election, should have von 20 seaK the Liberals 23, and the [ Ei-formers 27. ' ;

Mr. P. Kraser, M.P., sajd that tlie "battle of the exploited masses lura-inst the exploiting classes" proceeded without pau<-e. regardless of such -incidents as. general elections. Labour had polled over TG.OIlfl votes in tlie cilies. and over 51,000 votes in the country. The Massey Government. was in n minority of i.ver 127.W0 votes as compared with Liberals, labourite*, and Independents tomb'ned. The forces arrayed against Labour at the election hail included "all the newspapers, wine of the pulpits, and a Juniority of the pubs." Tha liquor trade had turned against Labour, because the workers believed in democratic control and majority rule, and Labour would not forget. .'"We have got to ask ourselves if we did all that wo could 1m ve done in the election, contest." snid Mr. Fraser. "Were we content to shout at onr own meetings instead of workine? Were we content to go in a rather silly Mi ion to our opponents' meetings and shout them down ? There are some, lessons lo be learned from this election, and one of. them is that it is better to watch our own business and attend our own meetings." TTn predicted that the cost of liv'ng would continue to rise now Iho.t "the cxnloitiug clas?-'' had been confirmed in office

The meeting closed with cheers for tlie Labour Party.