GENERAL ELECTION.

Hokitika Guardian, 18 November 1919, Page 2

GENERAL ELECTION.

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DATE OF ELECTIONS.

I (EMPLOYERS URGE DEC. 10th. AUCKLAND, Nov. 17, I The Auckland Provincial Employers’ (Association is requesting the Government to fix the date of the elections as December 10th., if possible, it being considered by them that if the elections are held later, there would bo a great dislocation of their holiday business. I CANDIDATES SPEECHES, i WELLINGTON, November 17. i Mr R. A. Wright, -Reform candidate lor Wellington Suburbs, opened his campaign to-night at Karori. He as- ! serted that he stood for the stable goIv.emmen, sober finance, and steady progress. The war had left a great burden of debt and the ministers who had charge of the national finance must be cautious, firm and progressive. Ihe Government had been generous, he sod in th© provision made for soldiers by way of repatriation and gratuity, jnt he had thought the pension paid to totally disabled men should have been increased. Mr Wright was accorded ' a unanimous vote of thanks and confidence by the meeting.

CHRISTCHURCH, November 17

Mr J. McCombs, the Labour candidate for Lyttelton, opened his campaign .there to-night. He claimed that i party Government under the existing conditions was a necessity. The Politi- ! cal Labour Party was seeking,. by consitutional means to bring about a better state of society. The Liberal Pnry occupied a position midway between the Conservatives and progress, tie said that Labour was the only parity definitely challenging the old order, with its corruptions, its inequalities, its >jn,justice, its commercial immorality, ; and its profiteering. He advocated free 1 education from the kindergarten' to the . university, more liberal pensions for . widows.

He urged the acquisition by the State of flourmills, ‘mines, and the ferry service. He condemned Sir Joseph Ward’s financial proposals and said to was convinced that the repatriation policy would have to be reviewed. Mr McCombs was given a unanimous vote of thanks and confidence.

CHRISTCHURCH, November 17,

Mr G. Witty, M.P., the Liberal cardidate for Riccarton opened his campaign to-night. He said that from the 1 ashes of the old Liberal Party, there I was going to spring up a New Libsnl , Party, which would do better work I even than the old one, and would be I a benefit and a blessing to the com- ■ munity.

, | At the same time, lie said, he was , 1 not tied hand and foot. He had reI fused the position of Whip to his parI ty twelve times, and had refused positions in the Ministry, because h e re fused to be absolutely tied to any nartv. He would sooner go out of the House for the rest of his life than join the Extreme Labour Party under any conditions. A vote of thanks and confidence was declared carried almost unanimously. HON. HEATON RHODES. CHRISTCHURCH, This Day. Hon. Hfeaton Rhodes addressed his constituents last night in connection with the soldiers’ -gratuities. He stiid the bulk of the soldiers considered the Government was doing a fair thing. The question of indentured labour would come up next session. Land aggregation must be stopped and he advocated the compulsory taking of estates for settlement purposes. He emphatically supported the present education system and would increase, University scholarships. All non-essential building should bo stopped to allow of the erection of workers’ bouses. He believed a new system of military training should be introduced next session, | which would enable training to be done f without in t erf erring with a man’s 1 ordinary occupation. Government should let farmers know what they j would get for their wheat by fixing j prictes. Ho approved of the ferry service, but thought action should be delayed till the South Island Main Trunk | line was finished. A vote of thanks , was pasfeed. * j