The Manawatu Herald. Thursday, November 30, 1911. NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 1076, 30 November 1911, Page 2

The Manawatu Herald. Thursday, November 30, 1911. NOTES AND COMMENTS.

A valedictory social is to be tendered to Mr K. Newman, M.P. by the citizens ot Foxton, in the Coronation Hall supper-room next Monday at 5.30 p.m. The affair is distinctly of a non-political character, aud is being carried out under the auspices of the Mayor and Councillors. The small charge ot one shilling will be made, which will bring the function within reach of every one. The invitation is general and by advertisement, so that there will be no distinctions. As is well known Mr Newman was Foxton's representative in Parliament until the electoral boundaries were altered transferring Foxton into the Otaki electorate. Mr Newman strove at all times to forward the interests of Foxton and its residents from his place in Parliament, independent of party politics. He took a very keen interest in the local port, closer settlement movement and the linking up of the Main Trunk line between Levin and Greatford or Marton. Foxton would be wanting in gratitude did it not in some way mark its appreciation of his services, and we think the very wisest course has been adopted to that end. Mr Newman will only be able to spend about two hours here as he is booked to speak at Carnarvon at 8 o’clock. We hope citizens of all shades of political opinion, will be present to do honour to a man who has earned the good will of the whole community.

Mr. Martin, the Reform Party’s organiser, who by the way, is a very eloquent platform speaker, will deliver an address on behalf of his party and further explain their policy, in Foxtou next Monday night. Mr Robertson, the Labour candidate, is also to speak in Foxtou that night, but it has been arranged that Mr Robertson’s meeting will start at 7 o'clock sharp and Mr Martin will take the platform at 8.30. As we have previously mentioned, we do not believe in any party leader, during the hustings, taking the platform on behalf ot a candidate, for the reason that every candidate should be sufficiently well primed and possess the necessary ability to fight his own battles. Both the Reform and Government parties have, however, adopted these tactics in certain electorates, and it is to be hoped that the result has been to give the electors a clearer understanding of the leading political issues. The Hine charges, Mokau scandal, Dreadnought gift, and hereditary titles are becoming nauseating to the public, and have been sufficiently well ventilated. Electors want politics, shorn ot personalities, and clean-cut criticism on broad lines, and we hope Mr Martin’s address next Monday will be in this direction.

Mr. Monckton, the Reform candidate, should leel pleased with his Foxtou meeting, both from an attendance view point and the sympathetic hearing accorded him. Mr Monckton does not lay claim to any gift of oratory, nor does he possess what theatricals call ‘‘ stage appearance.” He is not flippant, but, on the contrary, appears to weigh well his utterances. He explained to his hearers that he was an “unwilling candidate,” and did not hanker after Parliamentary honours. Under these circumstances it cannot be expected that he will galvanise his audiences by his own enthusiasm. His speech, in the main, was typical of other Reform candidates’ speeches, and consisted of a trenchant criticism of the Ward Administration. He stated that the Maoris received from their lands in rents sufficient to pay each member of the Maori race ,£l5O per year—this exclusive of huge sums paid them for recent laud purchases. While this may be true, it is as well to remember that this money, is not equally distributed among the Native people, but remains in the hands of a small proportion. The lands of the far northern Natives are comparatively worthless, and as a result the Maoris interested are a poveuy-stricken people, who become a burden upon our charitable and old age pension funds. There are wealthy Maori landao.is in Hawke’s Bay, Wairarapa :.n.i other districts who are reaping large incomes from pakeha lessees, and they are squandering then money like children. To put these people on the same footing :t. the pakeha in respect to their lauds, as suggested by Mr

Mouckton, would be to make them paupers in a very short time. Their lauds should be administered for them by the State, aud for the sake of the remuaut of this ouce noble race. The native laud question is ? very intricate problem, aud to place the Natives on an equal footing with the pakeha would at present only aggravate the trouble. We agree with Mr Mouckton that a session should be devoted to the laud settlement question, but we do not hold with his Party’s views in so far as they refer to the parting with the national endowments aud granting the Crowu tenants the freehold at the original value. There are also two sides to the Dreadnought gift, aud the time may soou come when the people will recoguise that the Premier’s action was justifiable. At the time the gift was made. Great Britain was on the verge of a grave crisis, aud the moral effect ot such a gift cannot be overestimated. Mr Monckton referred to the refusal of the Government to give information regarding the five million loan, aud seeing that the people have to foot the bill, it seems strange that this information is withheld. But is it not fair to assume that the lender has a say in this transaction as well as the Government. We do know that the loan was issued at ,£9B 10s, and the charges, etc., connected with floating it brought the net proceeds to ,£96 os id per ,£IOO. This is considered a good result. The interest, when the conversion to inscribed stock is completed, will be ,£3 12s per cent. If there has been a margin lor “crook” business, then it is very small. By the way, the items lor which the loan was borrowed are as under; — Naval defence, ,£1,250,000 ; advances to settlers, ,£1,675,000 ; advances to workers, ,£325,000 ; rail way construction, ,£BOO,OOO ; additions to open lines, ,£350,000 ; land settlement aud goldfields development, ,£500,000 ; other public works, ,£IOO,OOO, total, ,£5,000,000.

The Legislature Act provides that 11 every person is liable to a fine not exceeding or to imprisonment for any period not exceeding three months, who at any time between the issue of the writ and the close of the poll publishes or exposes, or causes to be exposed to public view, any document or writing or printed matter containing any untrue statement defamatory ot any candidate and calculated to influence the vote of any elector.”