The Manawatu Herald. Thursday, November 26, 1914. NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 1329, 26 November 1914, Page 2

The Manawatu Herald. Thursday, No vember 26, 1914. NOTES AND COMMENTS.

It is stated by certain people with the object of damaging Mr Field’s candidature, that Mr Byron Brown was not treated fairly in respect to the selection of the Reform candidate for this constituency. Statements of this nature are made with the deliberate intention of creating false impressions, and to divert votes from the Reform candidate. There is a strong suspicion that the people who now express sympathy for Mr Brown were never supporters oi the Massey Government, and their wail smacks of political hypocricy. The method of selecting a candidate to represent the Government in this constituency was done openly and above board. Meetings of Reform supporters were advertised in all the papers circulating in the various parts of the electorate. Ample time was given to attend the meetings, and it was open for any supporter to nominate a candidate- Branches of the Reform League were formed throughout the electorate, and the fullest freedom and opportunity afforded to urge the claims of _ any aspirant. Only two candidates came forward, and the selection of Mr Field t® represent the Party was made after due and careful consideration by all concerned. Where Party Government obtains, there must be party discipline, and although Mr Field may not fill the eye of every Party individual, personal prejudice should give give place to Party loyalty. We do not for one moment suggest that this veneer of political hypocricy can shake the loyalty of the Party, but the unsuspecting should be on their guard against the cunning whiles of opponents.

At Mr Field’s meeting inFoxtou, the question of loaves and fishes was raised. The candidate was asked whether he had done more for the constituency in the expenditure of public money than Mr Robertson over a similar period. Mr Field said he could not answer the question, but would ascertain the details. These have been furnished by the Minister for Public Works, and disclose that during the years 1909-11 (Mr Field’s term) _ was expended upon public buildings and ,£10,060 on roads and bridges. During the period 1912-14 (Mr Robertson) ,£797 was expended on public buildings, and £3,300 on roads and bridges.

Rethkring editorially to the Red Flag in the elections, the Auckland Herald says: “The Red Flag which was waved in New Zealand a year ago, when industry was disorganised, national interests imperilled and the innocent public very seriously injured, is waving again in the electoral campaign. A prominent official of the Social Democratic organisation has publicly stated at Christchurch that the extremists ate working with Sir Joseph Ward, for mutual assistance in the forthcoming elections. Sir Joseph Ward has denied this, but his denial is strangely lacking in detail in view of Mr Hiram Hunter’s specific statement on behalf of the Social Democratic Party that ‘we have had some dealings with Sir Joseph Ward, Leader of the Opposition Party, and we have got one of our number to go through the country to try to prevent, as far as possible, the splitting of the progressive vote.’ It is apparent from this that the disturbers of industrial peace expect to benefit Irom the weakness and opportunism of Sir Joseph'Ward. This is probably good policy on the part of the ‘Federationists-’ Mr Massey is too sturdy an opponent of syndicalism with its quite Prussian unscrupulousness and its highly ‘cultured’ belief that the end justifies the means, for the red flag to be carried in his train. Sir Joseph Ward, on the other band, can have no expectation of victory unless he can unite the factions against Reform, and he must pay those factions their own price for support should he manage with their aid to secure a majority in the House. In any case, the electorates have a voice in the matter, and should express their sentiments emphatically. Dangerous and pernicious factions can never attain to dangerous power excepting by the indifference and shortsightedness of the public. The I.W.W. secured control of many New Zealand unions not because unionists are generally lawless and revolutionary, but be-

cause the syndicalists plotted and planned while others did nothing. We have the same plotting and planning in the electoral campaign now proceeding. Is it to be successful ? It will not be successful if the electorates do their duty and return to power a law-keeping and peace-preserving Government.”

Speaking at Wellington recently the Hon. A. 1,. Herdman, Minister for Justice, said: ‘‘The Massey Administration had endeavoured to carry out the government of the country faithfully and well. Facts faded somewhat rapidly from the public memory. Did the people bear in mind the fact that only 12 months ago the city was faced with a great industrial difficulty ? Did they remember the incident in the Post Office Square? Any Government must have recognised that no section of the community should have the right to say that the business of the country should not be carried on, and that the people should not be permitted to go on with their work without molestation. It must be perfectly clear that there was an alliance between the Opposition Party and the gentlemen who created the disturbances last year in the city and throughout New Zealand. The issue was : Were they going to have Mr Massey or were they going to have Sir Joseph Ward back, plus the “ Red Feds.?”