The Ellesmere Seat.

Hokitika Guardian, 18 November 1922, Page 1

The Ellesmere Seat.

(Lyttelton Times;. Mr ,l. C. Free, the Liberal candidate for Ellesmere, who opened his campaign at Soulhbriilge this week, made a very good impression upon his audience. His views were clearly expressed, and there was no room for any doubt as to his opinions on the many political matters, traversed in the course of his speech. Like ourselves Mr Free regrets the fact that the progressive forces in politics are divided, and that extremists with impossible political objectives are arrogating to themselves the right to represent tlie working classes in Parliament. That is of course, a very unfortunate development, the more unfortunate since Labour’s new-found leaders seem to take every possible opportunity of emphasising their hostility to those things which loyal New Zealanders have most deeply at heart. But the assertion that all who happen to disagree with the polities of tlie party in power ought to he branded as disloyalists was very neatly turned hv Mr Free when he reminded his hearers that Mtr Massey had never made loyalty a test when office was this prize at stake. Mr Free was talking to an audience very largely made up of farmers, and it. was natural that he should devote j some of the time at his disposal to a discussion of the disastrous policy j adopted In* the Reformers in the mat- | tor of soldier settlement. As Air Free j remarked, it is more desirable in the j interests of the country that the soldiers should be relieved ol the heavy capital burden placed upon them fev the unwise land purchases of the Government than that two millions of loan money should be devoted to advances to settlors. A revision of capital values offers some prospects to the general taxpayer of a final liquidation of the liability of the country in respect of the soldier settlers, hut a policy under which the State lends money to pay debts due to the State is simply foolish. Mr Free sees, as all candid critics of political conditions must see, that under Liberal administration this eouiitrv waxes prosperous, and that uiulei Conservative administration there is always sooner or later a need for .soupkitelipns. He asks to lie returned to Parliament as a supporter of the party that, put New Zealand on the map as a world-pioneer of advanced and enlightened legislation, and as an opponent of tjio party that lias got every public service in the country into a financial mess mid gained a dubious notoriety hv experiments -in agrarian syndicalism. In 191 ! Mr Free was beaten by his very popular and affable opponent, Hie Minister of Defence, by the small margin of 273 votes. We are sanguine that at the coming poll, with eight more years of Reform mismanagement on record, ho will win the sent,