POLITICAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 262, 29 October 1908, Page 4

POLITICAL.

THE TARAJsAIvI ELEOIOIiATE. Writes. our own correspondent:- '.Mr. 11. Okey, li.J?., addressed the elccto/s at Koru on Tuesday (iveiiing. Owing to the boisterous state of the night only about twenty electors were present. Air. Baill was voted to the chair, .Mr. Okev's address was oil tile same lines as those previously delivered. He'dwelt at eon siderable length with the Xew Tlymuin It Harbour JSill and the benefits that would accrue from that measure; also with the dairy regulations, his reference lo the latter causing considerable mirth and applause. ;\Jr. Okey favourably impressed his hearers, and received a hearty vote of thanks and conlidence. Only standing room was the order of the night on .Monday last at W'area, when -Mr. -Malone addressed the electors' 011 the lines already reported. All impressive speech was delivered to a friendly and representative assemblage. .Mr. ILilone specially referred to the practical admission by the Opposition that the real issue before the electors was . " .Vli' 11 and not Measures." lie concurred : in that, and urged his hearers lo impartially consider in a business like \v:<y which of tin- candidates would and could give both them ami the country complete, continuous, and undivided service, or, on the lowest ground, give them "the best wiluc for their money." He asked , them to join with liim in resenting the

appeals mat were being made to prejudice and bigotry, and to demonstrate in a broad-minded way .that there should he equality i'ur all classes, conditions, and creeds in the selection ot a representative. in answer to questions. he said lie certainly thought that when there was no railway the local road authorities should receive increased diflerential subsidies. He was opposed io the charge of dairy registration lees. To the friendly .comic question, ''.Should rhubarb he peeled." he promptly replied that he was wondering whether children should have mothers. Votes of thanks to Mr. Malonc and the chairman (M»\ C'orbett) concluded the meeting. Tuesday morning last, at S.yo a.m., i saw Mr. Malone at the Warca Koad I creamery. Tim suppliers greeted him

cordially and gave him a friendly heaving. Jlis advocacy of the acquisition oi native lands not -required for bona lide use was approved, A vole of thanks—confidence being left io the ballot box —was accorded to Mr. Malone for his speech and his energetic endeavours to meet the electors.

On Monday morning last Mr. Malone attended at the Pimiho creamery, and also at Magou's camp at the top ot I'unihu road, and had political talk with the electors. Owing to the early dace lixed for the election he was unable to hold a night meeting.

■Asked at lJir.icdiu whether lie considered that tile Sei-ond .Ballot Hill 'had [minimised tile number of cusulifki.i.':s offering, Sir Joseph Ward said:—"X am quite satisfied that we 'have no more candidates under the existing system than we would hare had under the old system, but wluit the second ballot has done is to prevent the pulling up of a candidate merely for the purpose of diverting a portion of votes from another .candidate, which has 'been a feature of every election in the past. 1 disagree entirely with those who argue that the second ballot system is in any way likely to affect the workers. Statements of this sort are made by those people who do not seem to realise that some of the strongest advocates for the second ballot were the workers themselves. Nor was there in the mind of anyone any intention to prejndically affect Labour when introducing this reform. It is perfectly wellknown that practically since 1 entered politics 1 have been a believer in the principle of majority and not minority representation. The workers, as indeed any other class of the community, 'nave the same opportunities of recording their votes on a second ballot as on a (list. Everyone may be relied on to record his vote again and to utilise it in favour of the candidate the vote desires to see returned. 1 regard the statement as merely a cry got up for a purpose; but thinking the matter rationally out, 1 can see nothing to justify it." The editor of the Wanganui Chronie'o is constantly hearing of charges of '"briljery .and corruption being levied against our public ollicials and public men—and yet no one is prosecuted and 'the accused do not seem disposed to accept the challenges of their accusers—tlius the true facts are never brought into the light of dav.' f The Chronica* (-avs the Wellington Times) can easily put the matter lo the test by coming out into the open and making a specific charge of corruption against a fluvernment. ollicial or Minister of the Crown. It wiil then get. all the trouble it is looking for, and perhaps a little more. There is a lot. nf shooting from behind a maze of adjectives, but not one straight-out, direct charge. Let us he.tr the evidence. I'lie Auckland Herald .lias perl'onn. d a graceful volte-face. By editorial announcement ill Holiday's issue it forsakes its attitude of inveterate antipathy to the (Jovcmmcnt, and, following the lead of the Wellington livening Post, an erstwhile bitter opponent of the Government, proclaimed men and not measures to .lie the test of the coming elections. "Any citizen" (says the Herald) "may .support either the (government or the Opposition without altering his political ideas one iota, an 1 as long as wo retain meaningless differences we only strengthen those who have a distinct and unvarying aim in their political actions. The sooner meaningless political differences are elide 1 the better for the country, and the sooner we shall have bi'lter government. There is no big dividing ijueslion between tin l parties, and the changing condition-, of New Zealand have obliterated old party distinctions. The immediate way to cml dillemices is for every citizen to vole lor tin: best candidate, for tile one most likely to do good work, without paying any regard whatever to parly lines." Ihe \\ airarapa Daily Times, once the buttress of old Toryism, has thrown up he sponge Here i s «„ ultimatum : i ' ri V . 011 iJr ' Uonisby was a candidate for the tt-airarapa seat, ive strongly opposed him, for we did not like Ills political views. In )!100 we said \ery little against his candidature, because we had come to recognise that !'• :llol 'l Hie seat hetween 1002 and 1110,5, had been able to io \eiy little for his constituency in consequence of his adherence to a party which seemed tu be out of touch with' llie mass ot electors throughout New Zealand. In 11108 we go a step further with icspect to Jlr. Eornsbv, Wc still c iller from many of the views which lie piotesses, but wo.recognise the immense practical importance of closer settlement to this district and we l' vl bound to admit thai he has, during the wm-l i lee n' ! '™ 1 r l,Ct :" ni l' li 3'M splendid woik j n this direction, and that ii would be an advantage to Masterton and the settlors both north and south Of tills town, if Mr. Uorusby were in a position to continue his work as promoter of closer ■■■<■!(irnr.'iu diirinu' tile next, tliree years. A\ e were pleased 1o notice w ,vk ago that even Jl'r. Buchanan admitted tin? growing necessity for closer settlement: but what ciiance is there of obtaining it from the lam • runliolders with whom he is so closeTy ' associated? If WC! ourselves owned a large run. vve should he in practice whatever we might ho in theory, op' posed to Closer settlement. and we arc lilt Jast to blame tht- Shepherd K.i>v»'s for the attitude tliev take up. Yet closer settlement lins come in the interests ot. the community, So far ifr. Ilornsby has shown us tile problem can w solved; but -Mr. lUichanan has not submitted. as yet, v. practical proposal for uicetm*- the obvious requirements of tlic constituency. Are we to send ourfarmers.' son< Quecnsla-id? Innais nt .-lander actions arc being mnd«' gainst 0210 nt' Mr. VowkW. sup" porter* a.I Urer Lyijv), bui 3 eorrospoude it thinks the trouble will end in talk.

I'lm i, Muni .Ml', a. w. Hogg at .Uns t i'l-jon: In lighting a ,1,i.'l with the, pi'ival.. capitalist lin' syndicate or tile joi:it. slock company, tlrn Ministerial backbone needed a lot of stiffening.- bin thank* to tlic genuine Liberals Avrifl whom tliey wore idratilicd the liovornment was gaining courage. Tile Minis ter hail intimated tiiat it was (hi: inten lion of the Government to open out the .State mini's mure oxt'CTisivclv so that (lie people outside „r flic „i,.1r0I'olllan centres niighl have .tile chiUifO of petting (loveniment coal at a rcn sonalde «'U»t. Tlr«v 'wvre told that every ounce of eoal , taken out ua-i readily sought after by Ipublic-n stroll:; proof thai, the i|',u>|i(y was pood and Hie price snlVicietitly low to In' generally appreeialrd. Xo| V '"rv loni; ago an attempt was made by a mm I mini?'," »»d shipping rill;; in '\ll~l rl!i;, ami New Zeal'.miil lii rai-a i-i,il (,> famine a 1;d lie .believed il v.';e! : | f, — 1<;:! for il;c tvv* t"I'l Si ,1,- 1' 1i• ■ . i,! n.x Puitii.iiuii. 'IV j lnill'V. jjL,, I >v(j lu.ii.fi; jft j Hi' ii l iii'.'fs <*h» 1 sit 1\" i*f 1 ju. ij\t "i'liiir' 'l fa!/ .->{;\iiiTnnl of Will's, f.-ciiiin:.! 1. vriU'iii t'r.iii) Hi,. litin* the v. (':)• lev;! llio mbie.