KAIPARA ELECTORATE.

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 4 October 1911, Page 3

KAIPARA ELECTORATE.

Mr E. Thurlow Field, the Independent Opposition fp&ndidate^ for:- Kaipara Has--been in o\it\ district the last few weeks making, Kim|ejf known to the electors and holding pdlitical. meetings. -Everywhere he has beep, well received and is very.'high: in his praise of the friendliness and hospitality of! our district. He has held six_ political meetings at various centres between Biverhead to the south and Kaukapakapa to the north, and has always met with a good reception and a very favourable hearing. At Riverhead on the 18th, notwithstanding an exceedingly stormy night there was a satisfactory attendance 'and those! present went home well satisfied. At the close of the meeting a- great many-questions were asked, and ■thereplies seemed to satisfy the questioners. : In-particular, Mr Field's views upon the labour! questions of the day seemed to ■meet v with general approval. At WaimaukU there was an overflow meeting apparently unanimously in favour of 'the.Opposition policy,,.which was there ! infolded, j The same remarks apply equally to Woodhill and Taupaki meetings. On .Monday the >:?st'h'at-Kaukapakapa there : was.also agood atteridance'nof-withstahd-ing a sho^e^ and very threatening evening. Mr Field for an hour and twenty minutes held his audience. He traced the rise of the Liberal party in England and compared^ its traditional views and policy with thatiof the present Government part in, New j Zealand. He claimed that Liberalism meant progress towards liberty In the light of that definition he ridiculed . the claims of the present Government to liberalism. He: reminded his hearers of the utterances of Sir John (then Dr.) Firidlay in London, how he had denied the idea of personal liberty in New Zealand. He pointed out that the present party riot only .had no liberal policy,- but had. actually no continuous policy of any kind. Inproofof this he traced the changes' in Native Land policy and in the policy relating to the acquirement by Lesses in perpeturity of the freeholds of their lands. He showed that the Government were constantly changing their plans in connection with these and other mattersChanges made not for the benefit of the country, but for the, purpose of retaining the reins of Government —for party purposes alone. He severely criticised their action re; Sir Joseph .Ward's Baronetcy, re the- appointment of D'r Findlay to the Cabinet after his rejection by the electors, re the'Mpkau Block and re the sums paid to judges of the Supreme Courts in excess 6f salaries. He contended that if the Liberals,'the true liberals of Kaipara fully grasped the signification of these facts, they would vote solid for the Opposition, \against the Government — for him, the Opposition candidate, against the Government candidate. He then at length discussed the Opposition policy which he pledged himself to support, and finally he urged upon his hearers to support a policy of straight, clean and economical financial administration and of. a progressive land legislation—a policy calculated sto enable the country to meet with equanimity any troublous times that may come, rather the Government policy of drift and shuffle —-a policy which, if continued, will ,in the event of any falLinthe prices of butter and wool, threaten the dominion with proverbial disaster. •

At the close of the meeting a vote of thanks and confidence was carried unanimously. ;