THE LABOUR CAMPAIGN.

Shannon News, 13 February 1925, Page 3

THE LABOUR CAMPAIGN.

MEETING AT MIRAiNUi MILL. The newly selected Labour candidate for the Manawatu seal, Mr Ben. Roberts, gave ids opening speech at the Mirauui Mill-on Monday lugin. Mr Eagle occupied iue duair, ana introduced the candidate. The speaker negan by saying iuT wished to thank the Labour su;ppo,ikus of the district for tne honour v*ey had done him in selecting Imm iu Carry the. banner tor Labour, he Knew from personal experience the dunculties. and hardships of the working classes, and although he was a small dairy farmer now, he still had to work hard." Under the present system, the worker was a wage slave and the small iarmer was an interest slave. ,The political interest of iboth these classes were alike ibecause they were being exploited toy the financial concerns of the Dominion. When they thought of the iheratage New Zealand was in all its accumulaied and potential resources, and then, remembered that in the space of 50 or 6Q years it had become one of'the most heavily mortgaged countries in the world—Mr Hall, a prominent iarmer in the South Island, said the. land of New Zealand was carrying a higher value than the whole of Australia—then it certainly gave them som© Hood for thought. The speaker emphasised the fact that the Labour Party had its platform open for every one to read and suhscrihed to by every 'Labour' candidate. Mr Holland was touring the Dominion and the seventeen Labouir M.sP. were out to inform the people of ttoeir proposals, and the future was -bright for Labour. He made no secret that a strong fight was in front of him in ' the Manawatu, tout having once entered the fray they could depend upon it, he would be there at the flnisSi, whatever the result. He touched upon the land and finance question as being the ibasic cause of the country's national difficulties. The Labour Party was. quit to stop" land speculation, and helieved a State Banknvas the only alternative to private (banking. A fair numlber of questions were asked and satisfactorily answered. A vote of thanks to the speaker and We chair concluded a good" meeting.