MR KEIR HARDIE, M.P.

Otago Witness, Issue 2809, 15 January 1908, Page 27

MR KEIR HARDIE, M.P.

(Continued from Page 17.) ( ADDRESS AT KAITANGATA". ' \ ' (Fbok OubtSpxcul Rhpowtkb.)- ^. - -, KAITANGATA, January 10. . Mr Keir ' Hardie -"arrived _ at . Kaitangata shortly after 8 o'clock tto-nig-bj, and was^ met by the Mayor (Mr C. E. Yates). __A" quarter of an hour later Mr Hardie ad- | dresed a very largely attended meeting in Buirell's Hall. , He was heartily applauded on entering the building, and was - welcomed by the Mayor "on 'behalf of the Borough Council and' citizens of Kaitangata. ■ - ' Mr Hardie, on rising to speak, was loudly , applauded', and" proceeded to "give an" outline of his early life^and how he was -turned out of his employment for 'being an agitator. He sketched his' political career v anentioning that at on© time he was best known in connection with, the temperance movement, which still claimed not -only his svmr,'athy, but his hearty support. — (Applause.) It had ben complained that he did liOt explain what he did in India. He was not in the habit of explaining what he said "or did. He left his work toexplain itself. He went to India intending to- spend 10 days there, merely to have a look , at the country, and he spent two months; and the reason he did -so was, that -he found the people of India to be without voice.; They had no say in the affaiis of , their own country, and had no press circulating their grievances, and no member in- the House of Commons to champion them. -^He-had taken an interest in Indian affairs/ - and spoken of them in -the House- of Commons, and thought it" was his duty to prolong his stay as long as possible. He did in India what he was doing here in New Zealand. ' He mixed with the common people. There they bad the head and' front of his offending. There was never a- day during. the two months he was in India that he was not in the company of one or two officials of that 'igreat -empire, and! never, once" during the whole two months didr one of these men take the slightest exception to anything he 'had said or done. But- now ■ it appeared he had made another of the' mistakes of his life. All that he could say ; was that • his principles were such . that, ■wherever he *aw wrong being done, he had,, no option but to speak out and denounce it. — (Applause,) •■ Mr Hardie went on to speak of affairs in -fch^ Home Country and of the- physical deterioration of the .working classes there,' and .sai4 that what struck" the visitor to" New' Zealand most -was-the fine robust appearance of the children and the; yotcng- men and women. Again referring to the. Old Country., he said the Labour party \va§ determined that the land of. .Great

•Britain should once more become the land of the people, and be turned by them to the best He then introduced the\ subject of Socialism, which meant making ■the whole people masters of their own destinies anid enabling them to control I their means of livelihood. He concluded I by hoping that there might be an inter* ! change of opinions between those engagedlih the Labour movement here and thosa engaged in it in the Old Country. Let them join "forces with those in the Old Country and make it a pleasanter place"-t« Jive- in than it bad been in the past.—(Ap>plause.), - Mr 'A. Weston proposed, and .Mr O» ■Smith seconded, a xnqtiori for a hearty vote ■of thanks "being -accorded to Mr Kej* Hardie. This was carried amid enthusiastic applause, and a vote of thanks 'to tha Mayor closed the meeting. Mr Hardie was entertained after the meeting by the miners of Kaitarigata at a social. - . '