POLITICAL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 1073, 23 November 1911, Page 2

POLITICAL.

Mr Mouckton addresses the electors iu the local Coronation Hall on Monday next.

Mr Mouckton addressed a wellattended meeting at Oroua Bridge on Tuesday night, and received an excellent hearing. At the conclusion he answered a number of questions aud was accorded a vote. of thanks. He also addressed a good meeting at Oroua Downs last night aud was accorded a similar compliment.

Mr Byron Brown addressed a very enthusiastic and crowded meeting at Devin on Tuesday night. Reterring to the laud settlement question iu this district, he is reported to have said : There was 9,500 acres iu the Himitangi estate, and from personal inspection it was, on the whole, very excellent laud. (A voice : Sand). Was it sand ? (Yes!) The interrupter had evidently got sand in his eyes. Some of the land was sandy, but he saw some ot the s finest laud they could wish for. 'Y ( hen there was Dr. Wall’s estate, which, he believed, was run by two or three families. Then there were some 4,000 acres of laud across the lake. He admitted it was a little sandy, but taking it on the whole it was really excellent laud. He wondered how much laud was held by Air J. R. Mcdouald in this district. He was told it was anything from 10,000 to 20,000 acres ; he would put it dowu at what he thought they would admit was a minimum—• 10,000 acres. Mr Brown said that he was absolutely sure that there was a very large area of laud that was held by Mr Mcdouald, and if it was uot held by him it was held by other men for him. (Cheers). Aud he was right up against dummyiug iu every sense of the word. (Cheers). Within a few miles Irom that hall, there were 28,800 acres of land held by a few people. These lauds were capable ot providing lor hundreds of people. (A voice •' “How muchy has Cieswell got ?’’) Mr Brown said that he did not know what land Mr Creswell owned, but if he (the speaker) was reiurned to Parliament, aud Mr Creswell had more land than he should uave he would see that it “was jolly well cut up.”

Asked at his meeting at Revin if it were a fact that he had referred to Mr Moucktou or his secretary as a “little wizened cuss in leggings,” Mr Brown explained that when iu foxton he had been told “a little wizened cuss in leggings” had been going about making incorrect statements. He certainly did not apply those remarks to Mr Moucktou, And as tor his secretary he did not know him any more than a crow.

The recent libel action, Moucktou v. Blown, crops up now and again at either oi the candidates’ meetings. At Revin on Tuesday night someone iu the audience asked whether Mr Brown had paid the hue yet. Mr Brown said that on September 2.3, he paid a cheque to his hrm of solicitors ot ,£5lO 8 s 3d. That cheque represented the whole of the costs iu slander action, and it also seated £250 on account of the hue. hor about ten days after the case had been finished he did not take any notice of the matter, till he was told his solicitors were being pressed lor the money and he (Mr Brown) said he was prepared to pay the whole 01 the expenses if plaiutiif would kindly grant him lime to pay the £670 hue. The reply of the plaiutiif was the issue ot a sale of writ into the hands of the sheriff to seize his property. That writ was issued. His solicitor wrote and said to him, “it is no use, Byron ; you will have to fork out.” But he addeu that he would see what could be done for him if he would send along the costs and a part ot the verdict. Mr Brown wrote out a cheque lor £sxo 8s 3d, signed the cheque, and alterwards got the receipt. He had paid that money six weeks before the question was asked at Manakau.