POLITICAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 251, 16 October 1908, Page 3

POLITICAL.

TiiK XAHAXjUii SKAT. MB. 0. E. BELUUINUER A'r THirXXIEAXKE KO\AL. Mr. C. E. Bellringer, ,-an dldate for the 'X'aranaki Mat . „ . 0 fairly well attended meeCT? night at the Theatre Koval I tot New Plymouth S 1116 sent campaign, J| r " Ti . .P l ®- Naw Plymouth, presided.' ' oi

Afr Itell A,J SANATION. marks of p«ao^ U mt Witll r °' hfe candidature' concerning appeared before ti,, . o easiou time that Jie was in sympathy with the Govp™ - and Wo " ,d stal "' b - v the Srxv" prefe , rence to "i-p" y wcre a,so aware tiat the Sedrfn^ 1 " 11116 !'- 1 ' 116 Rigtlt Hon - R- -T S ?*^ a^.ns on that ver y P'atform i !fabl the candidate's pr i n .' ciples were truly I.U Jer nl. and expressed n '?, D :|le W01l| (l .vot have the

ol representing this con stituency in Parliament. That was tin Mnak, pW Th" a<lC Mr ' Sedl,on i" Ta "^ kl ' mentioned thai vH j?? g P r(, P os, ti°n he had artnf *\ ree J 'r arS ap ° now fora 'e<] pol,ey of the Government and_ because he believed that policy to hfi m the interest of the people of the fw!! 011 ' ( and b ® oause " M believed the Gorernment was conducting with ereat of New ValandHe th f overnn wnt. I„ regar d to tte bye-election, he had agreed to vliSi y decision of the Government aa to his candidature, and n© felt that was

NO INCONSISTENCY iS ,„5? 3 ' tion W taken up. In U l m S , Pe6Ches three ago n r r gl f U J ged a construction Jl the Cahiaet, believing it did not tl,e P c °pte- That re-con-Swh,» 10 ? £ S , ,DCe takcn p'ace. part lv •*Ui| to tlhe lamented death of the tote Premier, and and P. y x?' th , e wili o£ Prime Minisu ' , would make boid to say, « would be Impossible to fiad in the House of Representatives a better or taore atole set of men than at present' occupied the Treasury benches. There I ■was only

ONE GOVERNMENT CANDIDATE and, despite what might be claimed to tne contrary, there was only one candidate standing in the Government interest. His position in this matter tokTbejen challenged. Mr. Bellringer «ad the telegram received from Sir Joseph Ward intimating that the speaker was the accepted Government candidate. When the other gentleman claimmg to represent the Government could produce a similar communication he was prepared to discuss the matter with mm. At the bye-election, tie Taranaki Beat had been lost to the Liberal Party Because the Liberals had not deemed It necessary to fully support the Government candidate. He hoped there would be no such mistake this time. The matter of selecting a candidate to represent the Government had been referred direct to Sir Josepih Ward as We leader of the Liberal Partv, and his decision was contained in thte telegram just read. It remained for the Liberals to abide by that decision, and to win the seat, for there was a big Literal majority in this electorate, and if the Party pulled together they must There must be no division, for division meant weakness. They were going to meet a united Opposition, an Opposition which was all that was left of that old Conservative .Party that looked jUpon money as the dominant factor in political life. As at the l?st general Selections, it was now being prophesied that the Opposition was"goinn 'back considerably strengthened. He was not a prophet, nor was he the son of a prophet. hut he ventured to say that as the result of this election there would be very little of the Opposition left, lie Government would be strengthened, for there was throughout tie Dominion a very general feeling of satisfaction and confidence in the Government. He urged the necessity for strength in loyalty to party. He then referred to the SECOND BALLOT BILL, which he referred to as a measure designed to prevent minority representation. It was never designed, as some seemed to wish, to split the Liberal Party, or to bring weakness into their camp. We had minority representation now in .Taranaki. At 'the bye-election the two candidates professing Government principles had polled 2700 votes, and the Opposition candidate less than 2000, yet Taranaki was represented now by a member of the Opposition. ■TShere might be some difficulty at lirst in the operation of the second ballot provision, but he thought that very soon its fairness and justice would be recognised. The candidate then reierred to the OPPOSITION CRITICISM of the Government policy, wflich he said had neither been strong nor effec-. tive. Many years ago the speaker had, sat in that hall listening to Major Atkinson (afterwards Sir Harry Atkinson), replying to the Opposition's laultfinding, and that great statesman had illustrated his meaning with the words, "Simple Simon went a-fi3hing, for to catch a whale; all the water he had got iwas in his mother's pan.'' I'hese words very effectually pictured the present position of the Opposition. He defended the Government against the Opposition criticism of their action m giving Parliament a chance of discussing Parliament House proposals, and stated ithat had Caibinet acted otherwise the Opposition would have been the first to complain that Parliament was being ig- ] stored. Criticism, however, had come i not so much from the leaders of tihe Op position as from the rank and file. They had heard the accusation that the Government had' not opent the votes authorised from time to time for various works, and that this was done with a view of swelling the credit at the end of the financial year. He believed the members of the Government carried out their duties honorably, but there was the difficulty that tile financial year was often more than half gone when moneys were voted, and if the season were wet, it was practically an Impossibility to carry out all the sehedulcil works. To this criticism the Premier had replied that be would nave to consider altering the financial year so that it wcflild end at September in order to meet this sort of accusation. Then Hhere was the allegation that the Government had rushed business through towards the end of the session. I'os-

siby his hearers would remember that the Government entered upon the session so well prepared as to win the approbation of both sides in politics. Then came the "fleet week" interruption, and towards the end of the session members hegaa to look homeward with ioiigmg eyes. There they saw "the other fellow" getting round after voles, and a rush seemed unavoidable. He beueteo mat tile Liberal Party could and would end this system.

i'iNAXCE. Tlie strength of the Government was eminently manifested in the iiuancial position of the colony, wliieii had never .been more assured than in the past year or two. Last jeur was a year of wonderful progress, llevenue had been extremely buoyant, the record amount of £t),ojo,'Jl(i having been received. Expenditure amounted to £8,213,965, leaving the surplus of £767,810. This showed the undoubted pros-1 perity of tie country. It might be urged, there was a falling-off in Customs revenue. But the Government had been on the safe side, for they had not estimated quite as much revenue as in the previous year from this source. The actual figures showed that for the half-year from April to September 30th. 1907, revenue was £3,820,304, whilst for ithe same period in 1908 the revenue wis £3,829.641, an increase of .C 337 and this in the face of'the large reductions in the tariff. Nothing had oecuired to affect the financial stability of the country. It hau wen said Chat Government figures were not altogether to be relied on, and that the surp'mr •was onlv a paper surplus—one gentleman had been reported to say that the surplus didn't exist. He wasn't going to quote Government supporters in re ference to the. surplus, but would quote Opposition speeches in the House. Mr. Massey. T.eader of the Opposi tion. had .said: (i T do not think anyom can deny that the last financial yen ■was a particularly prosperous one fm this country: the prices of our staph iproduets were good: money wa« pleei' fill; the revenue was. to lt-e a well known term, hnovnnt: the Treasure had 3 nartieulnrlv ■>?)»■»• time, mul h was therefore free of those cares an anxieties wbi-it are co:n"ii|o.''s iru-idi -■ till to h'c v l( ve!ieTl. . . I '!o ne wi-ll e'el"bo''a Ir, r.-, I do r-o< c'vtllen."-- 'h" evisf-'rre r.f '■ snrnlu« T !H» <•••:■ o «-:ilinrr I- - it." Xof oe"v I 'Ar.n i; ■ ' first lieutenant. Vr. WmwJimMiMTf rmimrl-c. a? f,. "X liare "reat pleasure in cr Incf the novernmepf pwl the '•mini upon the prosperous state of the D

minion. No one can deny but that the country has been urrougn perou a pen0(1) an(l ao ht as a<; c u Jts are concerned, X think tJhev faVol ; abl J' other L ks . • • . Of course, any GoutmolTt 1 tbat iS . iD P ° Wer wiU d » its utmost to promote ue trade oi Hie country, or else it would be put out This Government has done what any Government would do, anu 1 am not going to dwny it the credit." Another pioniinent gentleman on tile Opposition ton i. Housc - . who h ad a reputa- ! 011 c 'itic, a man of linunual excellence, and looked on as a'l authority on iinanee, was Air. Eraser I niembur for W'akatipu, and he said:'

r Aleirtoers will be surprised at wnut i ' mi! fh'l^th 0 Say> i but - not oni >' do 1 ild ' ' think 1 i-i I l '' 1 ' a ' li hi h£ U wa) ' b> ' lvll,tll ; "1 lit lion, the Almister lor I'manee £2Do.lfx?' C made ttlU SU 'I" US n^ri J' 1200,U00 greater m am.uiu, ,„ 0 no « ly that he oug!„ io Hu-,e don " thl r, U]d 1 1 ' aVe dO,Ui ' mal those Opposition candidates in Tara,Iww o were condemning tile linanmy policy of the Uovoimneui, w „i

who said the accounts were luisleadin" T ak^ 8 dir<ct opposition to t lon'ed" ° ti,U t«-v th , CL ' nalal > I* would actvpi the sutements ot the leaders to those f tliv. candidates who were not in the position Ol the leaders to know the exact po.-sutioa ol altair.-s.

lie admitted that the public dubt had increased by millions', but a ino,t r ate amount of borrowing was essential in a country such as this, where the needs of settlement were so great that .they could not be otherwise met. Al2'M ° f the itiouey tt! n , s P° nt 111 reproductive woiks. thu l, becan "J no burden on the tax- ' •r, jf . J3u l blic Deirartmenc n"' k ° f H tor ">»*> and bridges. Xh e Government had also been accused of draining the resources of t ie country by borrowing within its borders, and the Opposition instanced the loans obtained from the A.M.P. Nocioty and tlhe Auckland Savings Bank As a matter of fact, all tiiev had bor-

rowed from th-e A.11.P. Society in 1 2 year was £225,000, and a' similar amount from the Savings Bank m 20 years, lhat averaged less than £4O, 0(10 a year, and that could not have caused a stringency 0 f the money market in iew Zealand. In the past five Government had borrowed * xd,600,000 from Australia Mr. Bellringer claimed for the Government that its financial policy was sound and sure. TAXATION. M'hilst lie agreed that taxation should «e largely for revenue .purposes, a,'t' the same tinu* there were now in this country industries that would in the | future be great and strong, but now they needed assistance in their development. and the duty devolved upon Parliament to develop those industries, th « adding to the wealth and occupations of the people.

ADVANCES TO SETTLERS. The speaker then referred to the criticism levelled at the Advances to Settlers' Office, which some people claimed was not meeting tiie needs of the people. Early this year there had been indications of the hardening of the money market, and some financial institutions notified people whose mortgages they held that unless tuey agreeu to extension at a higher rate of interest they would have to call in the mortgages as they fell due. It was claimed by some that the Government had done nothing to meet the position. As a matter of fact the Advances to Settlers Department 'bad lent in the twelve months from Ist July, 1907, to 30th July. 11)08, .C1.4J9,9j3 as against £707,000 in the previous year. Advances had practically doubled, so the Government had recognised the position and come to tile rescue of the people, thus preventing an otherwise sure increase of from one tu two per cent, in interest rates. Ii might be ancient history, but if was a fact that when the Advances to Settlers' scheme was first intiiiJuccd it was opposed by tile opposition, wiio prophesied that it would send tiie country to ruin and land us in a state of financial chaos owing to the withdrawal of capital. But this was t'he finest thing ever done by any Government for New Zealand, delivering the people out of the hands of the private moneylenders, making mon«y cheaper and available, There was a difficulty just now in meeting demands on account of the unforeseen dcinaudg Recognising the need, Parliament had now given authority to increase the Advances' vote from five to six millio is, and this, with the repayments WHicfc would shortly reach £1,000,000, should suffice for future needs without further borrowing for some time to (Tome. If the Government uud done nothing els.' but this, they were entitled to the gratitude of the people. (Applause). LAND. He was a believer in the optional system, and strenuously opposed to any system which would enable any me man to own a whole countryside and block legitimate settlement. The Government had been accused of legisut- | ing so that anyone desirous of obtaining land must hold it on the leasehold tenure. What were the facts? The Government had set up the Native Land Commission, which now recommended opening up 1.089.00(1 acres for sale, and 105.000 for leasehold, and there was more to follow. Again, there was the Land Settlement Finance scheme which provided Wiat any ten men could negotiate for the purchase of a privatelyowned block of land of not less than (140 acres, sub-divide it into blocks of not less than 50 acres, and secure the purchase money from th-e Government on debentures at f'/, per cent., maturing in 21 years. After five years, the occupier could pay off the mortgage upon six months' notice and deal with the land as he liked. There was a proviso that until one-third of the amount had been paid off the occupier must reside on the land, and could not alienate it. That was. he thought, a sincere effort to eater for the needs of those who preferred the freehold system, i ifortunately, although both sides of the House had favored the measure, it was not put through last session, but was promised for the next, and he hoped to he able to give it his support in the House. ENDOWMENTS. He supported the action of the Government in retaining reserves for the support of education, hospitals, eliaritabe aid. old age pensions, etc. LABOR.

He believed in the right of the workers to combine for their own advancement, for he believed every Jio~iest man was imbued with a desire to improve his condition and that of liis family, and no obstacle should be placed in his way. Here in 'laranaki was an object lesson of of workers. The co-operative system in dairving was a combination with thfei' ultimate object of securing to the workvrs of the land the fullest possible return for their labor. The movement, unsuccessful at first, had prospered, until now there were co-operative dairy companies owning co-|operative freezing ,md box-making works, co-operati.-e stores to supply their needs, and a cooperative system of marketing. Tf it were right for this industry, it was right for the workers in eviy industry to do tile same thing, following this successful example of combination, lie saw ill tlie co-operative inni'-iplc the

solution of many of the labor difficulties. He believed in wages that would enable men to live in comfort and to make provision for old age. and would Tather see a thousand men " l; hu-s c l m ' fortably placed than one millionaire The speaker was a believer in conciliation "as a means of settling disputes, and, speaking us Rn cmpeiycr ot innor. said lie had found workers willing to earn tflieir wages, with the exception of a verv small minority. Compulsory arbitration. however, should lie kept as a last resort, hut he tielkived t/iat ere long it would lie unnecessary. EDUCATION. ; He supported tlic present education svsteiu, and praised the new Education Act of the list session as an honest efTort at improvement. lUITAVAYP

were touched upon, the candidate point- i inc out that the Government, was doing • it." diitv well ill providing all facilities . f,-v tl-c" public. Tie believed Taranakis , in tv&rA to railways, was to combine in urging the early completion tie- Stratford-Main Trunk connection. instead of clamoring for several line* The opening "p of the liinl"ila=id („ Toranaki trade was all-important, and everv effort should be made to tap tl,at countrv from this end before the trade became diverted to Auckland. He bad been surprised to see that -Mr. .1. 1! l! ; )ie. the Opposition candidate toi Stratford, had condemned the Goverufor sending fresh men on , o Ihe work, for had not deputations of <•.£ | yW ■ in virions Xortli iitwmuM j towns a>kcd Sir Joseph Ward to do | that verv thing? Touching on lore , railway matters. Mr. V-cUringer said tint anv attempt to delay the aimnl of' the mail train i" PlvmmiU fl onbl be contested, for it was all-im-„ortant to preserve Urn Auck!nii'l->iew Tlvmoulli ferry service. T.ie claims I for area)or railway facilities for .dairy ' in-odnce. too. were undeniable, j T)ETT.XCE

JTe was in favor of greater cncottrag"ment to volunteers and much better treatment for rifle clubs, believing tnat every man should be encouraged to learn shooting. Military training should

t i# «ontinuous from the school cadet • °f 13 or years. lie _ Stioiigly. supported me JNcw ZvaJiiTid f siavin vote. -liie superannuation scheme and the amendments of 11* Old Age Pension., . Act received the candidate's warm >,:pport, the opinion U-iug expressed that -10 long taut would be an universal pension scheme. He paid a ln . bate to tile Premier and Hon. j. , v . -Uillar, who were iv.=pon.sU,le lor mo ]"=»nge of the Xew Plymouth Ilarl»or XiiM _liie iUny regulations t . lune ]„ tVjr mention, tlie candidate statin" iimt most up-to-date farmers approved uf frm as P ass '' d - 11« «'«> refuied to t ie fact t'liat tile regulations e naked lor by tlie formers, and

"ere submitted to the country rA .,- ! "f ?.!! d uciore bemg pUid. Xho Opposition m th e Taraiaki electorate had written in tlieir favor. Xhe candidate's tribute to tile new High- Commissioner, Hon. Hall-Jones, «as greeted with applause. This appointment was referred to as a mv »r\l yiu*n tor devoted service, appreciated oiv'r 0110 Un<l ° f the Doi " lnio n to the

CONCLUSION. : J" . Ur Bellringer said he • ,' t fi ™ b^! !rei ; in New Zealand, u he claimed jj e bad as much right rf> . -!! iail '° bo the "champion of aranaki to .-erve Taranaki's interim j' ~ l WaS ,'' ,lative of its soil, and (I endci »ored in the past to advance ts welfare and secure its prosperity, lie believed that in this "Uarucn of I At* Zealand were great and wonderful opportunities, alld that tile development and progress in t'Jic eomin" years would be-such as could scarcely now be I conceived. The time was not far dis I iant when ocwrn steamers would trade >i ; ca^ vater .(applause), and the hi-st and last port of call in the Svdneyi< Tj, aland trade. He trusted that »y the vote of the electors he would be honored to do his part in still furthje* tV il S t llc of the people of this Dominion and raise her to a higher state. ° J

Jhe only question was: "Seeing tnat you announce yourswf as selected by the Government, how was it that vou Stood previously and placed the seat'on two occasions in jeopardy? Wag thai, consistent with a Government support-

Mr. Bellringer replied that not he but the Premier had announced him is the selected candidate. When he stood previously it had been as an "Independent Liberal," and not as a Liberil in the Government interest. He did not endeavor in any way to mislead the electors. At the last, election, instil of jeopardising the seat, he thought i e had saved it. "I object to no man standing," he said. "liu't what I do object to is a man stating himself to be w3ia,t he is not." (Applause). Mr. J. B. Connett moved a hearty vote of thanks, and in doing so said h'e had had the Premier's authority that Mr. Bellringer was the selected Government candidate. Mr Malone was claiming to lie the Liberal candidate, bin then the electors must remember that that gentleman belonged to a proi sion that could make things to afyar not exactly what tliev were. Mr. Tweedale seconded, and the notion was carried unanimously. The usual compliment to the chair terminated the meeting.

SPEECH BY MB. MASSEY. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Pukckolie, Last Night. Tlie Leader of the Opposition (Mr. Massev) delivered a speech at Pukckolie to-night. He had an enthusiastic reception. He referred to the legislation of 'th» session, condemning the Second Ballot Bill and dairy regulations, and said the issues before the country were 'whether men were to he sent, to Parliament to support better administration, an elective Upper House, to condemn the extravagance and waste of the public works funds, and the settlement of •native lands. Were the .men to be left in oflicc who had shown themselves the 'natural enemies of the settlers by the land legislation and dairy regulations? Were large sums to he voted and nil - expended'; Was the public service to be left open to improper influence in appoint incuts, and the people bribed wi.'.li 'promises of expenditure of their own 'money? He thought youths under 21 'should be trained for military service, 'lie favored the conciliation and aibitra'tion amendments, but thought there should be more conciliation. He was 'accorded a vote of th'auk s and confidence, amidst cheers.

Ml!. ALLEN AT MILTON. Milton, Lust NightMr. .lames Allen, M.ll\ for Bruc". 'opened his campaign at Milton to-night, 'when there was a very large attendance. Mr. Allen, who had a cordial reception, generally criticised the administration of the Government, and advocated supporting the Opposition as a 'cheek on hasty and ill-considered legislation. A vote of thank's and confidence 'was accorded him.

THE AVON SKAT. Christeliurch. Last Night. Mr. f'., W. Kih-i'll. a candidate lor the Avon seat, addressed a meeting of elce'tors at Linwood tonight. He stated he 'was a. supporter of. the present (!overn'ment, but would retain the right of freedom of action ill necessary cases. 'At the close of the address he was accorded a vote of thanks.

TIIE TlMAlil* SEAT. Timaru, 1-iast Night. In response t» a requitition from 120(1 electors, the Mayor (irr James Craigie) "has agreed to become a candidate for Timarn in the Government interest.

MR. BEDFORD PRESSED TO STAND. Dunedin, Last Night. Mr. 11. D. Bedford has been pressed 'during the last few days to enter the lists for Dunedin North at the general election, but h'a.s definitely decided nut to stand.

'THE ELLESMERE SEAT. Cliristchurch, Last Nigfflt. Mr, F. Rowcll, a candidate for the' Ellesmerc seat, opened his campaign at Springston last night. He declared himself a straight-out Liberal and supported the various measures of the present Government. Mr. Rowell was accorded a hearty vote of thanks. Mr. Geo. Rennie, also a candidate for the Ellesni'ere seat, addressed a wellattended meeting at Leeston hist night. The candidate announced himself as a supporter of the present Government, and was accorded a vote of thanks.

THE CABINET. It is believed in well-informed circles that with tile retirement of Mr. Hall,lo;ie.s from tile Ministry, the (tovernmeiit will take the opportunity of increasing the strength of lite Minis 4 ')' by the appointment of an additio nil member, and that the likely new port- ' folio holders will be Mr \Y. T. Jennings and Mr. Hogg (Masterton).

THE KG 110 NT SEAT. Writes our Warett correspondent: Mr. Astlairy addressed the electors i f 'llie Kginont seat in the Newell Koyl 1 Schoolroom hist, week. There was a fair I attendance. Mr. A. t'assie was voted to tlie chair. The candidate was wMI received. and had a very attentive he'fili"". Mr. Aslblll'v seems to have a very good knowledge "of Imckblocks recpiircHnents. He impressed on the electors 'that if lie is elected as member for Kg- ! 'inont he will be found season in ainl 'season out pressing the claims of his I district. A vote of thank's was accorded I the candidate.

Writes our Pungarehu correspondent: Mr. Astlmry addressed the electors of the Egmont seat on Thursday even- ] ing last. There were about twenty present, including a few ladies. Mr. I'leming occupied the chair. Mr. Astbury, who is the first candidate to make an appearance in the Held, made a very good impression. He is very clear ami distinct ill his language, and, as some ot ■his hearers remarked after the address. vi spnke common sense.'' The eamliihue 'made nut a good case for the (loveut'lnent as to their share ill aiding the 'farming community and legislation. "j|.> 'admitted that he dilVered from them in '-nine things. lin the whole, however, lie felt sure they were worthy "f sun'port. A hearty vole of thanks was passed to the speaker for his able and Interesting address, and a vote of thanks 'was also passed to the chairman.

Till; TAVMATU'NUI SKAT. Mr. W. T. .Jennings. M.|P„ who was 1.0 bave -nilod from Waitara last night, for Kawbia to conduct, his election campaign in the remote districts of the Taumarutitii electorate, has had (lie mUfortnne 'to have his arrangements upset by lis 'location of the steamer service owing to rough weather on the coast. Mr. -leu iiings has now perforce to travel round by the Main Trunk and commence his eamoaign 'from the other end at short notice. While this may result in some disappointments, it is not considered that Mr. •Tennings will have the slightest dillicnlty in retaining the confidence of the people of Taitmarunui. ; jfr. C. E. TSellringer addressed a good ■ mect'rng at Albert road on Wednesday j evening. Mr. Helm presided. A vote of thanks was accorded the candidate, on I the motion of Messrs. J. Hall and Henderson.