The Daily News. MONDAY, DECEMBER 7, 1914. FRIDAY NIGHT'S MEETING.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 155, 7 December 1914, Page 4

The Daily News. MONDAY, DECEMBER 7, 1914. FRIDAY NIGHT'S MEETING.

The political meeting at New Plymouth on iFriday evening was the largest and most enthusiastie ever held in the town. That must be conceded ny any unprejudiced mind. Mr. Wilford is in the forefront of political speakers, and always worth hearing. On Friday lie was in liis best form, and was soon on agreeable terras with his large audience, his witty and effective replies to interjections contributing not a little to this effect. Towards the conclusion he liad gained the complete confidence of the meeting, which grew wildly enthusiastic under his inspiriting lead. New Plymouth audiences are slow to move, cold ,in demeanour, sceptical of strangers, but after Friday, night's experience this opinion will have to be considerably revised. Mr. Wilford's criticism of the administration of the Government was J strong, fearless, and —from the manner i of its reception—telling. Of course, much ] of what he said was not neW. It had I been said before on many a platform, in many a newspaper, but never said more I clearly or more, forcibly. In regard to the Huntly disaster, however, he broke new ground. He established, a case against the Government which demands an early ansWer. He accused —and quoted evidence in support of his accusation —the Prime Minister and Minister for Mines of withholding tlvc Coal Mines Bill that had been considered by the ..iines Committee —the experts of the House—to be urgently needed, at the dictation of certain mine proprietors. The Bill was ready, was in print indeed, but it was held back after the mine proprietors had had a conference with Mr. Massey. Mr. Wilford's point was that if there was any evidence to give, should have been given to the proper tribunal, the Mines Committee, who would have weighed the evidence accordingly. Another point was that, in view of the knowledge that fire-diunp obi tained in the Huntly mine, and the warnings of the Government inspector, the Bill should not have been subject to the jerrymandering it had at the hands of Ministers. Had the Bill gone forward, the use of naked lights in the Huntly mine would have been stopped—and no Huntly disaster. This is a very serious charge to bring against the Ministers concerned, and calls for an immediate reply. In regard to finance, Mr. Wilford once again dispelled the notion that the Liberal Government left the finances of the country in a chaotic state. It can be shown, and is being continually shown by Keform candidates, that the amounts j in some of the lending funds were unequal to the commitments, but they always carefully refrain from explaining that the Government had power to transfer the credit balances from one fund to anocner, and that there was in the aggregate more than a sufficiency of money available to meet all the commitments, When such a transference was made, the law provided that notice had to be given within a short period t« the House, but one of the first things the new Minister for Finance did was to repeal tii is section, so that the country can be kept in ignorance of any transference that may be made. This is hardly in accord with the professions of purity ami a square deal. Mr. Wilford, among other tilings, dealt effectively with the "Red Fed." bogey. He disclaimed any sympathy with extreme methods, believing in evolution, and not revolution. Before last election Mr. Massey was politically flirting with this disaffected Labor element; he was on terms of intimacy with them; he fought for them, and succeeded in helping them into Parliament. Now lie cannot denounce the "Feds." strongly enough. Circumstances alter cases. Then, the "Feds." , were "up against" Sir Joseph AVard; now they are "up against" Mr. Massev. This change in Labor's views is no reason why the Prime Minister slipulil go up and down the country, denouncing the Liberal and Labor parties as anarchists and the enemies of the country, warning the Dominion not to countenance them in any shape or form, and setting class against class. The Government, in our opinion, rose magnificently to the occasion when it was faced with the ".Red Fed." crisis last year, and discharged its duty splendidly.' For what it did it deserves the gratitude of the country. But no one has sinc.e done more to spoil the good effect of tile Government's firm and efficient handling of the trouble than Mr.' Massey himself. The "Bed Feds." were thrashed, as they well deserved to be, J but is it "sport" that, once you have I beaten your man, you should not go on j boasting of it, and threatening to repeat the dose? Rather, it is "sport" to take your beaten foe by the hand, show liiin the error of his ways, and make of him. It ill. becomes a leader of any party to go on kicking a man, even so misguided a man as the "Red Fed." was, when he is '''down and out." That k the reason why sane Labor and fair-minded men of the other parties are evidencing soreness. They have 110 sympathy at all ' with the. ways of the "Red Feds.," and to ' say that the latter will "run" the country .should the. Liberals return to power is stating what is a wilful mis- ' statement. On the whole, Mr. Wil-

ford made a strong casq out against tin- (lovernment, one that | will lip, hard to refute, and liis speech will, judging by the impression it made, have a very important bearing on the election ff>r the Taranaki seat on Thursday. Mr. Hughes, the Liberal candidate, met with a cordial reception. He does not claim to be an ideal candidate, but he showed the people that he is capable of championing the

interests in every way, There is no I gainsaying the fact that our past representation lias been of a very milk-and-watery kind, and that the time is ripe for a cnange. A lethargic, self-satisfied, unambitious man must give way in the interests of the district to a younger, more virile, energetic, and capable representative. /Whatever liis shortcomings, Mr. Hughes haß shown, and is showing, himself to be a "battler," and that if he is returned lie will see that the interests of the district will not be overlooked, as unfortunately—we rejfret to have to say it—they have been in the past.