POLITICAL.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2340, 5 November 1908, Page 2

POLITICAL.

THE GOVERNMENT POLICY (?)

In the .course of his Hastings speech the other evening Sir "William Hassell said tliat for the past la yearn the presen t Government had dentin at, ed tiie Dominion, and! a strong Opposition was absolutely necessary, be, cause many of the Government candidates, including his opponents, based their claims to popular support on their being Government supporters. This really meant nothing, because neither they nor tho Government Iliad declared u policy unless Mr Carroll’s declaration that “political rest is the tiling most wanted” could be interpreted as one. When economy and' non-reliance on the foreign money-lender _ was die Government’s policy their supporters applauded. Now the Government boasted that they were tho most lavish borrowers in the world, and tho same supporters applauded. When the 999 years’ lease was described as an inspired policy these supporters cheered, and now, when it was pronounced accursed, they still cheered'. When the treasurer claimed support for the fall in taxation through the Customs his supporters grew hilarious.. Now, when the Customs revenue is increased, they continue to rejoice. The truth was the Government had no policy. They waited for the mandate of the people, which meant they trimmod tlieir sails to catch a favorable breeze, and their followers sat comfortably in the stern. THE FREEHOLD.

“The Government has gone back on the freehold,” said Mr L. It. Pliillipps, the Opposition candidate for the Waitemata seat, speaking at Devonport. “For a Government supporter to support tho freehold now would he just like a confirmed Mohammedan to claim that lie as a Christian.” Tho audience recognised the simile as an apt one. A GRATEFUL CANDIDATE.

As a justification of his candidature for Timaru, Mr W. D. Campbell, editor of the “Timaru Herald,” gave a little information at his firstmeeting concerning his personal! history, showing that he was indebted to the State for his education-. By means of scholarships he had been able to pass through the High School and the University. Those scholarships had cost the State £320, and capitalising that sum at 5 per cent., he calculated that the State had vested £6400 in him, and lie considered it his duty to devote such abilities as he possessed to the service of the public in return for what the public had done for him. (Applause.) He therefore offered his services as their representative in Parliament, and it rested with the electors to say whether they would accept those services or not. He hoped for a favorable verdict, and if that was given, he hoped to repay some of the debt that he owed to New Zealand. Mr Campbell thus closed his address' lamicl great applause, says the “Press.” UNIFORM SCHOOL BOOKS'.

Speaking at Petone the other evening Mr T. M. Wilford showed how he had last session carried a proposal in favor of uniform school hooks, though the Government had opposed it. Before his clause came on for a second reading wires had been pulled, and it- was suggested.to him that he shouldlet the second reading go on the voices. He refused, only to find three men, who had previously voted for him, now vote against him, while twelve members walked out of the House. That was how the proposal was prevented from becoming law in New Zealand. (A voice: “They are rotters!”) If returned he would never rest until he got the reform he had) striven for in the past. (Loud applause.) EDUCATION.

In the course of his address at Hastings last week Sir William Russeil, one of the candidates for the Hawke’s Bay seat, cricicised the Government system of doling out monies to the Education Boards for buildings, and he advocated ail automatic system whereby , the boards would know each year the amount of money at their disposal. He also spoke strongly of ihe interpuliation placed .upon the Education Act Amendment Act passed. last session, which, although it fixed a minimum salary for each grade in the service, was apparently not to bo allowed to benelit those teachers already occupying positions under the boards. In other words, any new teacher getting employment under the boards would receive the minimum salary attached to Lis grade under the new Act, whilst those in the service of the board would still be getting a salary below that fixed by the Act as the minimum salary. THE AGITATOR,

“The political agitator” came in for a word of condemnation from Mr Lawry at Parnell last week, whilst dealing with the Arbitration Act. He likened these agitators to the trained wethers that were kept at slaughterhouses for the purpose of decoying the innocent and unsuspecting sheep to the shambles. Whilst _the latter went to their death, the trained wethers went in at another door and were “fed upon carrots, greenstuff, and 1 everything that a sheep likes.” The pd'.itical agitators of the country, he said, represent these trained wethers, and the people who followed them represent the sheep who go to their death at the shambles.