POLITICAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 151, 21 November 1914, Page 5

POLITICAL.

THE OEXERAL ELECTIONS. I FIXED i'lirt DECEMBER 10. tßy Telegraph.-Per Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. It h definitely announced to-night that the writs will be issued to-morrow, and that the general election will be held on Thursday, December 10th. The Maori elections will be held on the 11th December.

THE PREMIER IN THE SOUTH.

Bid MEETING AT INVERCAR/HLL.

li'vercargill. Last Night. Mr Miss"v addressed a huge and enthusiastic meeting in the ' Municipal Theatre to-i;i.ul,t, the Mayor (Mr McFarli'.ne), presiding. Touching on the war, Mr Massey said it had been brought home the necessity of doing something adequate in the Pacific. He believed that at the end of the war, ther would be a conference of the. Empire statesmen, and he hoped there would be an agreement bv which there would be placed in these waters a fleet sufficient to hold its own against anything likely to come along. (Applause). .Mr LMassVy thought' further sacrifices would still be required from New Zealand am! other wards of the Empire.

Ho condemned the Ward Government for not having borrowed while the market was good, conpelling the Mackenzie Government to borrow on short-dated debentures.

Concerning borrowing, he pointed out the inaccuracy of Sir Joseph Ward's suggestion that the Government wanted to borrow over 12 million this year. As a matter of fact, the Government did not propose to borrow more than three millions.

Ihe allaged increase of taxation had no foundation. The Government had not increased the customs dutv on any single article, and direct taxation had only increased in regard to the graduated land tux, and on incomes of over .€i0()() a year year. He ([noted from tin; Year Hook showing that during two years of the present administration the revenue f-om taxation per head had. increased by (is 'M, and during this two year previous to the Massey Government taking office it had increased by ISs 4d per head. Had the war not intervened, lie would have revised the customs taxation, would linve placed the taxes on luxuries and removed them from necessities of life. Exports had increased by ,-C")'o00,OOn during the two years ending ,/pne 30, and but for the war, bv the end of the present year, there would have been an increase of another £3,000,000. The Government intended to cope with influx of people to the towns, and already he was dealing with the valuation question. Land should only pay its fair share of taxation.

Mr Masscy pointed out that the shortage of wheat in Europe mid Australia was beyond the power of the Government to deal with, and unless we grew enough wheat for our own requirements the price was bound to increase. -

He referred to the remarkable prosperity of the colony, in spite of tile war, as evidence by the Post Office Savings Banks, where for ten months of this year the deposits exceeded withdrawals , by over a million pounds, almost a record. (Applause.) The Government had carried out as many of its pledges as it had had time for, and would fulfil every promise. He ridiculed the baby bonus in the form proposed, enumerated the measures passed to assist the workers, and dwelt on the increased salaries paid to State servants. The people had now to choose between the present Government and a party that, if returned, would be dragged at the heels of the Kcd Feds. A motion of thanks and confidence was carried amidst cheers and eountercheers. »i i -. .1 ■ibii^jiiua

MR. HUGHES AT WEST EXD,

At tlio "West End Gymnasium lust night Mr. D. J. Hughes, Liberal candidate for Tavanaki, addressed an enthusiastic audience of over 100 electors, Mr. P. Henderson being in the chair. The candidate followed the same, general lines as at his previous meetings. He made special reference to the position of the nurses in public hospitals, who, lie said, were compelled to stop about a year before they were allowed a holiday. When their vacation time came round, and they wanted to go home to their family circle, or have a well-earned holiday, they were in many cases faced with a long railway journey. Those who were fortunate enough to strike excursion fares could not complain, but there were many who could not do so. The speaker thought nurses should have every encouragement, particularly as their wages in public hospitals generally ran about half the ordinary current ■Wages for the first year, and'they were not over-paid even after that. He thought all such nurses who had to use the railway should be allowed to travel at the reduced fare. Throughout his address Mr. Hughes received a most attentive hearing, 'frofluent applause punctuating his points. At the conclusion the candidate was accorded a hearty and unanimous vote of thanks and confidence, to which was added a vote of non-confidence in the Massey Government.