POLITICAL NOTES.

Otaki Mail, Volume 27, 17 November 1919, Page 3

POLITICAL NOTES.

Mr J. McKenzie (Labour) will address the electors at Brights’ Theatre to-night, will speak at He Horo tomorrow night, and at Waikanoe on Wednesday. Mr W. H. Field’s committee will meet at 8 p.m. at the Druids’ Hal) on Wednesday. Mr Field, M.P., in his speech at Otaki on Friday night, expressed the opinion that the Government should arrange for importing benzine and other oils direct from the oil wells. He believed they could sell these goods at about onc-half what was now being charged consumers, and even then make a profit. In the course of his Otaki speech, Mr W. H. Field, M.P., said that one of his opponents in the present contest —- Mr Isherwood —was the licensee of an hotel. This, he though, should dispel once and for ail the persistent reports that had been current to the effect that he (Mr Field) had been a liquor representative. Mr Field added that lie hoped the liquor question would be kept quite apart from politics in this oiec'tion. They had a separate licensing poll, and there was no reason wliv it should have any part in the election. Sectarian strife should also be kept out of the contost.

Mr Field addressed a representative meeting of electors at Ihakara on Thursday night, Mr Broadbelt in the chair. In his address Mr Field said most of our Labour agitators were iexported men, who made the mistake of talking to our prosperous people about chains and slavery, which were not understood here.

Mr J. McKenzie, Labour candidate, spoke to a .well-attended meeting at Ohau on Thursday night, and was accorded a licariy vote of thanks. A number of questions were asked and answered. On the liquor question, said the candidate, he stood by his party’s platform, providing for preferential voting on the three issues. He declared himself in favour of a more generous payment to soldiers by way of gratuity than the Government had provided for. Extremists arc they who seek purely selfish ends, without regard to- consequences, who will take all they can get. and give no more than they have to. Those who demand a one-sided socialisation of the means of production, distribution, and exchange; who would denounce the thrifty,' encourage the slacker, foster discord, and render the world unsafe for democracy. But there is another version of extremist. I am opposed to the extremist in any direction. We hear Conservatives speak of the danger of experimental legislation; and these men were posing as Liberals —the real Liberals —men who had recently passed more experimental legislation titan ever before in so short a time. _ it was the cry of wolf when theje was no wolf, but a friend. Conservatives had raised the cry against all progress. They afterwards adopted measures they had opposed by evenpolitical trick and pull, They had endeavoured by ths same ruc-ans to force progressives to extremes. He believed the publie could see now that it was a wolf Who cried “wolf.” If they did not see it and stop it some day the real bad wolf would come, and heaven help us alL—Mr Evelyn Macdonald, speaking at I’oriraa