TARANAKI BY-ELECTION.

Taranaki Daily News, 5 October 1918, Page 6

TARANAKI BY-ELECTION.

MB. CONNETT AT HER' PLYMOUTH LIVELY MEETING AT GOOD TEMPLAR H.Af.j,, In spite of the exceedingly boisterous weather yesterday evening, which culminated in a terrific thunderstorm, accompanied by torrential rain just prior to the time of the meeting, Mr. J. S. Connctt, the National Government nominee for the vacant Taranaki seat in Parliament, faced a large au-lience at the Good Templar Hall last night, and was accorded an attentive iiearing. Mr. C. E. Bellringer presided, and there were also on the platform: Messrs C A. Wilkinson, M.P-. Newton Kim* W. B Grant, R- C. Hughes, J. R. Hill, 0. N. Firth, H. C. Sampson, C. Hoskiu, and, E. 0. Ellis.

Mr. Bellringer, in introducing the speaker, said he supported Mr. Connett; because he supported what was the only possible Government at the present time, and he considered it his duty to stand by that Government. He recognised that they had made mistakes. (Hear, hear.) But this was not the place or time for criticism. The Army leaders had made mistakes, but the Army was carrying on, until victory was completed; and it was the duty of everyone to support the Army. He considered that if he failed to support the Government in performing its duty in connection with the war, he would be failing in his duty as much as any person who tried to evade military service. He supported Mr. Connett because he knew him as an honorable man and a man who would act up to the highest dictates of his conscience. He also supported him because he (Mr. Connett) supported a movement which the j speaker regarded as of high importance to the country at the present time. That was the Efficiency Board's recommendation regarding a poll on the liquor question. A petition had been circulated asking Parliament to give a poll on the question, and Mr. Connett was prepared to support the prayer of that petition, and the speaker considered those who had signed tha,t petition—and there were many thousands—should be consistent and support the man who supported and would endeavor to further their demands.

In opening his the candidate referred to a previous statement as to his qualifications for the position of Taranaki representative in Parliament, Mr Connett said he would certainly have to start from the bottom rung of the ladder, but he hoped to merit later the good opinion held of him by those wfto asked him to stand.

After referring to the compact between the two main parties in politics, he said that although he was a supporter of the National Government it must not be taken for granted that he approved of ail their actions. Mistakes had been made; much had been done that would better have been left undone, and vice versa, and he felt sure the representatives of the National Government would say that had they known at the beginning of the war what they knew now, they would have acted differently. Taking that into consideration he did not think they were wholly blame-worthy. When the late Lord Kitchener had said at the beginning of the war that the nation should prepare for a three-years' war, people thought it ridiculous; but with all the power the Allies had assembled they would have been in a tight corner recently had it not been for the help of America. The first and last duty, therefore of everyone, was for the present to concentrate on the victorious prosecution of the war. The sacrifices made on the fields of Gallipoli and France, called to every New Zealander to give every possible assistance to the boys at the front so that what they had done and were doing might not be in vain. He therefore took it to be a common duty to support, and not to condemn, the Government. Those who would not support the Government in that were really helping the enemy. COMPULSORY MILITARY SERVICE. The speaker then went on to refer to the passing of the Military Service Act, stating that it had been hoped to carry through the Dominion's part by means of voluntary service; but when that failed the compulsory measure had to be adopted. It was a very far-reaching measure, and had been opposed by a section of Parliament, but since its coming into operation it had as a general rule been a marked success.

Additional difficulties were met with when it became necessary to call lip Second Division reservists, and the Government had been somewhat perplexed to know which men were most essential — producers or fighters. Many exemptions had been granted, and it was to be hoped that the war would soon end, so that it would be unnecessary to send away more Second Division men. The good news of the past few (lays might give lise to a belief that in a few months the lmck of the war would be completely broken, and lie hoped such a belief would be justified by events. (Applause.) THE DOMINION'S PRODUCE. Mr. Connett then went on to refer to the good work done for the people of New Zealand in the matter of arranging with the Imperial Government for the purchase of the whole of our primary products. Not only had sales been arranged at satisfactory prices, but advances had been secured against the goods in store which could not be lifted on account of the shortage of shipping. This had enabled the dairy companies to issue their cheques regularly, and meat freezing companies to make returns to the producer. In that way stability had been provided for both producer and public. (Applause.) Mr. Connett pointed out that although the casli came first to the farmers' hands he did not bold it long—it was soon passed on to others who were looking for it perhaps quite as eagerly as was the farmer. These sales had been renewed right up to the present time, and the speaker said he believed arrangements had been made for the purchase of the present, season's output, the particulars of which would be announced by the Premier on his return to the Dominion- Altogether about £70,000,000 worth of produce had been in this way to the Homeland. Jhe Government had also assisted the companies in the matter of providing additional cool storage, and made -representations to the Imperial Government for the Release* of steamers to clear out some of Tt should M-

portance to the Empire than the carriage of our produce, and it was probably only out of recognition of 'what the Doniinoiu had done that the boats had been released to meet the present needs of New Zealand. Credit must be given to the Government for assisting the farmer to carry 011 under very trying circumstances. .

IMPERIAL CABINET. The speaker then referred to the formation of the Imperial Cabinet, which was the result of the successful conferences of representatives of the various portions of the Empire, which had been held in the Motherland to deal witli matters of national importance. He supported the idea of a permanent Imperial Cabinet, and considered Sir Joseph Ward as the best representative of New Zealand in that Cabinet. One of the subjects with which the Cabinet would have to deal, and in which New Zealand was interested, was the matter of Imperial .preference. Experience had shown that it was neees-. sary that alien goods should be excluded from British ships in the future, and it was known that the German Government had subsidised shipping companies to enable her to send her manufactures to New Zealand and compete with the goods of British manufacturers, to the disadvantage of manufacturers in thoau countries. Greater consideration should be given to Great Britain than was the case at present, as she was certainly the most extensive purchaser of the Dominion's products. The question would in all probability be discussed in con- [ nection with the peace terms.

FUTURE OP THE PACIFIC-

Dealing with the future of the Pacific, Mr. Connett said it would be remembered that wjien tile Germans established themselves in the Pacific the late Mr. Scddon entered a very strong protest, but the matter was not felt to 'be serious at the time. Recent experience showed that in the future Germany should be excluded from the Pacific Ocean- (Applause.) He also advocated the acquisition >bv the Government of one of the Pacific, phosphate islands, so that after the war a good supply of manures for farmers could be secured at a reasonable figure,

RETURNED SOLDIER. PROBLEMS.

Referring to the repatriation of soldiers, Mr. Connett said the matter was one for special and serious attention. The young men of the Dominion had made big .sacrifices, and too much could not be done in seeing them established in profitable undertakings. He was not fully conversant with what tlife Government were doing_ in the matter- of placing returned men on the land, .but he understood they were securing blocks of land in various parts of the country and were prepared to grant liberal terms and advances as an inducement to them to take up farming. Altogether some 444,316 acres had been selected for soldier settlement, and 263,201 acres had been allotted- ' Those who were unfitted for going on the land should be provided for in some other suitable way. lu Australia some were being taught poultry-farming, A special Minister had been appointed, and he was working, through committees, in various parts of the country, and he was in that way endeavoring to find suitable employment for the men. He did not know how the Government went, about the purchase of land for soldiers, hut he thought the services of men with a knowledge of the class of property required, and a knowledge of local conditions, should be utilised to ensure that men would not be put on unsuitable land, and that they should have a reasonable chance of making a good living (Applause,) He believed the Government were watching what was being done in other countries and would adopt a scheme suitable for the requirements of this country. TAXATION. Dealing with the question of taxation, the speaker said no country could send large drafts of men to the front without incurring heavy expenditure, and, in consequence, the public debt had increased very much during the war period. In 1914 it was or equal to £BS 10a 2d per head of tlio population, and in 1917 it had risen 'to £ 120.831!, 105, or equal to £ll4 18s 2d per head of the population. These were big figures, and although the money had been largely raised by internal loans, the interest had to be provided. The Customs duties had provided a large portion of the monpv derived through taxation, and this, of course, affected the cost of living, as variations in the duty on articles affected their price to the consumer. In 1914 the Customs revenue was £3,.T00,000, and the land and income tax was £1,320,000. Last year the Customs' receipts amounted to £4,000,000, and the land and income tax to £4.975,000, a total increase in taxation from these two sources 0! £4,li)0,000 The greatest proportion of the increase, it would be seen, came from the land and incohue tax, which, in the speaker's opinion, was as it should lieThe increase thus collected hv the National Government was, therefore, fnir and on sound and equitable lines. (Applause.)

LIQUOR QUESTION. In dealing with the liquor question, Mr. Connett said he had ; Tieen very disappointed that New Zealand had not carried prohibition at the beginning of the war. The Dominion had not lii'ed U]> to her reputation as a leader in progressive measures. America, oil the other hand, he said, immediately she took up her position alongside the Allies, dealt with the liquor question in the only way it should be dealt with at the present limp. The position there now was that in December next every brewery would cease operations, and no beer would be manufactured after that date. In the July following prohibition would enacted throughout, the States. He believed prohibition should be carried in New Zealand TTe referred to the report of the National Klfieienev Board on the question, and the evidence <lll which their report was based, and he favored their recemmendaiioi that the matter =V.'.il<! hj? submitted to the electors on the i<siies—continuance, or prohibition with comnensation—and that Hie de.'i"ion shmild he 011 a bare majority. The compensation suggested was to fiosi inferefled in the trade for the lose they wouM sustain through prohibition coming into for.':' l rnm-.liatelv. The amount was ar--ived at fii the basis of lb." value of all plant and huildin;»R connected wit'i the trade while in operation, a= compared with their value on the earning of prohibition. 'He itad "been asked if he eoni?;dere<l it fair to ,paycomnensjiHon to

liquor being voted -back again at the next election. His opinion was that if prohibition was carried, and tbeu, after the war, the people desired the liquor trade again, it should be under State control. He believed State contrbl would be infinitely better than the present system. He was not sure that greater progress would not have hecu made by the Prohibitionists if they had been prepared to accept State control as a means to the end they desired. The petitions in circulation by the Liquor Party and suggested by the Labor Party provided for conflicting issues which would probably result in the true opinion of the people not being secured. TTo favored the straight-out issue of "Beer, or no beer " (Applause-)

EDUCATIONAL. fn the matter of education, Mr. Connett said he was in favor of the present system, of /tee, secular, and compulsory education. The advantages of a good education should be free to every child. He did not, however, favor free education to a higher standard than at present, except m technical education for a •particular vocation in life. In such cases the fullest inducement shoud be offered to children. He also supported the system of offering scholarships, and hv such means the clover children of parents who were not in a position to pay for higher education were able to continue their studies equally with the children of parents in more fortunate circumstances. He favored educational reforms in the direction of reducing the size of classes, increasing the salaries of teachers, especially male teachers. He taid the country looked to the best men to take up the teaching work, and they should be paid salaries that would induce them to join the profession.

LAND MATTERS. On the land settlement question the speaker said he was a freeholder, and always had beeij. IBetter results were obtained under a freehold tenure than under any other system, as a man would naturally take more interest and put better work into land of which he was the owner than if lie merely rented it. In lieu of the freehold, he favored leasehold with the right of purchase, as in the case of young men with small capital it enabled them to get on the land when otherwise they might not be able to do so. He believed smaller holdings of -better classes of land gave the best return per acTe, and allowed of closer settlement. He opposed the transfer of land to aliens or neutrals at the present time, and believed measures had been taken by the Government to prevent it. That was one of the things the National Government might have' done long ago. He favored the individualisation of Native lands at the earliest possible moment and the encouragement of Natives to farm 011 modern lines. Lands not required by the Natives should be acquired by the Government and roaded. Every section of land should be roaded before, and not after, settlement. TTe opposed le.nd aggregation as 'being inimical to the best interests of the country.

AFFORESTATION. Referring to afforestation, the speaker slated that forests were being vapidly denuded and utliity tree 3 were quickly vanishing. He dealt with the export of white pine to Australia and th; measures adopted by tJie Government for ensuring a supply sufficient to meet New Zealand's requirements. It had to be remembered that if the export to Australia were stopped entirety, it might result in the hardwood importations f'(om Australia being stoppad also- He favored, a vigorous 'policy of tree-plant-ing, and stated the Forestry Department nwo controlled 30,000 iterta of laud on which 70,000,000 trees were growing. The idea of setting aside each year a sum of money for the purpose of growing trees for farmers was an excellent one, and already 300,000 trees had been applied for. TTe urged the farming community to plant trees freely, and predicted that the time would come when travelling mills woujd come round to deal with such plantations.

AGRICULTURE. Continuing, the speaker said, as nearly all the Dominion's wealth was derived from the soil, agriculture became a most important question, and the Agricultural Department should he run 011 the most advanced lines, furnishing the fullest information as to what was being done in other countries. Mr. Connett expressed regret that Mr. McC'onneli had been allowed to (cave the Department and enter a private enterprise, as what was needed more than anything else was a practical organiser. He strongly commended tho establishment of model and experimental farms. He considered the Department should work in conjunction with the Education Department and provide suitable agricultural instruction, for school children. The subject should be included in the school curriculum, and every child should be induced to take an interest in agricultural matters. He thought, in this connection, moving pictures might well be utilised as a means of interesting children iu this subject. COST OF LIVING.

In coming to the question of the cost of living, tlie speaker said the war was, in the first place, the <;ause of the rise m the prices of most goods, and that chiefly for four reasons. First, because of the diversion of labor from manufacturing to war purposes; second, thr, scarcity of ships had raised the price of freights; third, higher insurance rates as the result of submarine risks; and fourth, because the merchants who imported floods' had, it was generally felt, asked for exorbitant profits. (Hear, hear ) In contract to 111 tWit, however, it had to lie remembered that the jiriee of the Dominion's produce had risen considerably, oil account of the largely increased demand, although the Dominion had not received such high prices as the Argentine and other countries that had been ahc to sell in the open market. Neg Zealand was not alone in suffering the increased cost, of living. The increase in the Dominion was 3! per cent., while in New South Wales it was 34 per cent-, in Tasmania 33 yer cent., in Queensland 30 per cent., and in Victoria SI per cent. He suggested that as one of reducing the cost of '-iving, shops might, be opened by the Government for'the sale of meat, that butter might be'released from - bulk to save the cost of putting if into pats, and that rash trading might generally he. adopted. The working classes, who were most affected, could obtain relief by working, longer hours. That miffht not he possible in all eases, but the average man, who worked eight hours a day, could, without hardship,'if he was disposed, work nine or ten hours a day. Men on farms usually worked about 12 hours a day.

made to mean thatjve said a man should work more hours a day for Oa a day. People should also consider getting sections and cultivating them, and so help to reduce the cost of living. Regarding the prices of imported goods, tjhe only means he saw for reducing them was to limit tire profits of the merchants. He thought the Government should ascertain if the merchants were getting more than fair profits, and thej should not be allowed to exploit the public. Mr. Connelt contended that the trouble really arose out of the war, and would soon right itself at the conclusion of peace.

AFTER-WAR PROBLEMS. * One of t!ie great question? to f>a laced would ho the position of the producer after th» irar They would like to know what would he the value of their products after the war, when conditions again became normal. It was certain that t'ie war industries would cease and the high wales paid to those engaged in them would be a thing of the past, and the purchasing power of those people would be considerably reduced. It remained to be seen whether the value of the exports would ht thereby reduced. Against this, however, there must be placed the depletion of the flocks and herds in European countries, and that would very likely he a means of keeping the value of New Zealand's exports up for some time at any rate. Another problem was the placing of the returned soldier back in civil life again. He thought Taranaki would take a prominent part in utilising the services of returned men, as very important undertakings were contemplated, including the harbor improvement scheme, the coastal railway, the metalling of the Main North Road, bridging the Mokau River, the Stratford-Ohura railway, and the harnessing of the waterpower to provide electricity for a\l farming and industrial purposes. He also stressed the necessitv for the Government, subsidising ideal contributions to the New Phmonfh High School rebuilding fund, and, if returned, would do liis best to secure such a grant.

CONCLUSION. Concluding, Mr. Coiineti said that if lio was returned tins'matters to which he had referred would receive liis hearty support. He believed Taranaki was on tho eve if big developments, and lie would consider it an honor to have a share in bringing about the accomplishment of these schemes. He then re* ferred to the associations and publte bodies with which he had been connected as having given hiin some ujsight into public affairs. Tie also claimed to represent the workers, as he had teen a worker himself. (Lnngliter from the back of the hall) "He bad worked on his farm for rears from 4 in the mornin? till 7 nt night, and knew something of' the lot of the working man. He had risen from the bottom rung of the ladder and sympathised with the workers because he had been "through the mill." He claimed also that no man who bad worked for him had ever had reason to complain of his treatment. (Applause.)

SPIiECH BY THE MEMBER .FOR EGMOXT.

At the invitation of the chairman, Mr.0. A- Wilkinson, M.P., addressed the meeting.

On rising, Mr. Wilkinson, was \varmly applauded, but tlu'ongUout his address he was subjected to a good deal of interruption from a section of the audience. Mr. Wilkinson referred, firstly, to the fine spirit shown by the chairman in his observance of the party compact, which he said it was the duty of the members of both parties to observe. A voice: It was only' made by the leaders of the parties.

» .Mr. Wilkinson said there were certain sections in the House that had not agreed with the compact. He then went on to refer to some of the statements of the opposition candidate for the seat, as reported in the press. He had said that the National Government was the most inefficient Government that had ew»r sat on the Treasury benches—(cheers)—and if he .was returned lie was sure the people of Taranaki would not be sorry tor having given the National Government the first kick on their downward patch. (More cheer,* and applause.l_ He said he wanted to tell them that when the National Cabinet was formed the third party in the House—the Labor Party—was offered a portfolio, though their strength did not entitle them to it, «hut they did not take it.

A voice: They were too proud to ac> cept.

'.Mr, Wilkinson continued that they refused to ae;ept a share of the responsibility for carrying on the country in a tiijie of unparalleled crisis? Taranaki, electors .were now called upon to choose between:;;* candidate who supported the National Government and one who, lie bnlievedj'if elected, would be found allied with, the party that refused to accept responsibility--%it'the carrying on of the country. (Hear, hear) He felt quite store they would vot«-; for--'(A voice: Smith!)—-the party that had carried on the business o f the country, with credit to itself . and the country. He rcferrde to the small •matters'"which were raised against the Government, but said, in the greater things and the things that mattered in such extraordinary times, the Government had clone good. work. The passing of the Military Service Act had enabled this country to carry out its part in the war. They had also made contributions to war loans compulsory upon wealthy people and trading institutions —a far-reaching innovation. which had not, so far, ibeen attempted. in any other country. He then -referred to the restrictions placed upon the sale of liquor. He stated also the fact that the New Zealand Forces, which '•ad been raised, trained, eouippad in thf Dominion, had been the first to capture any German territory. In Imperial matters the. New Zealand representatives had sat with (lie statesmen of t'u- Old Land, and their deliberations had been appreciated W t,}ie leaders in the older lands. All these things had been done. Tmt the Labor Partf bad refused to take a hand in them. A voice: Because they'd have had to share the ba.me.

Oontimiin?. Mr. Wilkinsull said it was only the Labor members who opnosert the Military Service Act. and be quoted from their speeches 011 the A et when it was before the House. Knsfc. people agreed that the measure was just and useful and had enabled New Zealand to do its part to uphold the civilisation of the world. (Applause.) Mr. Wilkinson Went on to stress the fact that it was through dependence on the voluntary system of defence that Britain was so unreadv when the war broke out, and that it was onlv the readiness of the - nv r l tv " oM Ha<l

ably would never have been a war. He mentioned these matters tp show exactly what the Government supporters were assisting to do, and what was the attitude of the 'Labor Party to those efforts.

Mr. Wilkinson then went.on. to deal with the cost of living, which he said was a vexed question, but tiion its solution the future happiness ox the people of the Dominion depended. He stated, however, the New Zealand was one of the most fortunate countries. While the increase here in the cost of living had 'been 39 per cent., in Norway it was 130 per cent., in Austria I+3 per cent., Sweden 147 per cent, Germany 109 per cent., and in England 108 per «ent. He "said it had been claimed that the increase in wages had not kept up with the increased cost of what had to be bought with those wages. His experienca was that always increased wage* End shorter hours of work made prices higher aH round. What was necessary was increased production. Ho then referred to the award made in the Taranaki grocers' employees' case and to the employment w women at equal rates of pay with men. (Har, hear.) He did nns cbjcct to pay women good wages, but, with all due respect to them, he did' not believe them capable of equal work with men in the grocery trade. The result was that women were being ousted from positions which they could in some cases well oecpuy, and men who might be at the war were taking their places. In referring to tha evidence taken by the Parliamentary Cost of Living Commission, Mr. Wilkinson said tiie Government had fixed prices-of meat and butter at what he believed fairly low figures- (Laughter.) Danish butter was sold a 6s per pound, while the New Zealand product at from Is od tc Is Sd per pound did not yield a very great profit to the producer. If the farmer bad to work under trade union conditions it could not be done at the price- Sugar, he said, was cheaper in New Zealand than in any other country, the price of flour, pollard, and b.ead iiacl been lixecL A voice: What about chaff? .(La.iglj-U-r.) j The pries of bacon and henz'ne had also been fixed. Yet in all the deliberations of the Cost of Living Committee, j on which. Labor was represented, «:> con- - crete proposal had come from the Labor ' Party as to how the cost of living could , be reduced- ' Apparently, Labor wanted j the right to demand the highest possible j wages and at the same time the right : to restrict fee price the farmer should ; receive for nis work. S'.icu a police ' was indefensible. All restrictive policies were undesirable. The only iubri- , cant to consideration of the whole ques- j tion was reasonableness. He referred > to the food conditions in New Zee land, • compared with other countive?, wheic j rationing was in operation. Also to j the fact that In England Inwmw of £ 120 per annum were taxed,- while in j ,V, c w Zealand the exemption limit was j £3OO. - At present he saw no slternaj tive to the present Government! Labor was hopelessly incapable of forming a Government', Ho hoped the 'electors next week would vote for Smith!) —Mr. Cortnett, as he was sure he wflrtVl be a representative of whom £he district, and country would have room to lie proud- ' Cries - of "Never!" were ming.ed- Wif.e the applause which followed ■ - QUESTIONS j: : A number of questions were":asked of 1 both Mr. Connett and Mr, Wilkinson, but ti|« utmost good humor .prevailed throughout, even though some of the aiiswers apparently did not satisfy the questioners. Mr. C. Sadler asked a question as to the position of the voters in camp. Be said it whs at first understood they would be able to vote in camp. Then they had been notilied that they would be given leave to vote in New Plymouth, but no railway passes would be issued j to them. He asked if Mr. Connett and Mr, Wilkinson would see that either the men were allowed to vote in camp or given passes to come to the nearest polling booth to vote. Both expressed their intention to do all they could to see that the men were given proper opportunity of voting. , A question was then put to Mr. Connett as ,to-whether he believed in equal pay for equal work, and he replied that he' did, but that if the question was intended to try and trap ■ .hjiu , in , the matter of what he had said about higher pay for* male school teachers, he still held that on 1 account of the heavier obligations the men had to undertake they should receive higher remuneration. - i I, In replv to a question as to whether he thought £2 17s fid an excessive wage for a grocers's assistant, Mr. Wilkinson stated lie did not. He stated; that in liltham the hours of work were shorter and the pay beter than in any other part,, of the DominionAt TuT-. TX. <T Ttr/uin aataaA>«rilV ftlA ktlolSm

land State meat sjiops had to 3be closed to which Mr. Wilkinson said they hat) been found by the people to be of littlej benefit. A voice: That doesn't say much foij your Government's pnce-fixingi (Laugh* tor.) A question was asked with regard id, returned soldiers being senf to take upi tree-planting, and, in his reply, Mr.' Connetti said that the questioner evfc deritly had some feeling that because a! certain class of men who were unden going gaol punishment were put to tree-i planting, it was somewhat of ft det grading occupation. He did not thinti that was the case, and he thought it ai suitable class of employment for certain men who could not take up heavier work. ..Someone asked the candidate v if hS was in favor of one company having thi local monopoly of lignite coals. Mr. Connett replied that he-was hofl in favor of monopolies. Voices: What aUout the man on the) platform? Questioned as to the prices asked by the farmers for their produae, Mr. Connett said the prices were fixed on the basis of those paid in other British dominion?. Mr. Connettoeaid he wished to refer to a matter mentioned by Mr. Smith at one of his meetings. He wts sorry it had been mentioned, as he and Mr, Smith had agreed to contest the election on the most friendly terms- He referred to the matter of the county clerK being given permission to take up out* side work, and the suggestion that the> decision to give such permission had some bearing on his work in connection with Mr. Connett's candidature. H«j pointed out that the meeting at whicH the council decided io allow its clerk tflj take outside work Was held on Septem-: bor 2, and the business had been ad-( journed from the meeting of the prw vious month. The vacancy in the Tara* naki seat did not take place till Sep* tembor 18, so there could be nothing in' the reference, f"d lie did not think if fair. ' -, Voices: No. Mr. Fitzpatriek then put f.evera} question* t« both Mr. Connett and Mr* Wilkinson relative to increases in wageS and the purchasing power of the sove« reign, alleging that the purchasing power of the wages was the real mear sure of their increase.

Mr. Wilkinson replied that increase! in wages inevitably made increased prices of commodities. He predicted 'liafc after the war prices would fall rapidly,' but lie did not think .wages would fall correspondingly. One sos« tion-wanted the highest rate of wages , for themselves but urged that tlio Government restrict the prices of tile pro* ducts of another section—i.e., the farmers. Mr. Fitzherhert also asked if it would , not be fair to increase wages to ths same extent (39 per cent.) as the cost of living; had increased. The questiou only , drew a similar answer to that givea to the former questionA gentleman in che gallery then asked several questions. Firstly, as to whutW Mr. Connett would be in favor of settling the cost of living by the same ti-itoimils:<l9 settled thf) workers' wage* Mr. Cpnnctt replied that lie did not think it was practicable. The law of supply, and demand entered too largely -info thehnattyr. , , 'son\e questions wpra tnon .MJ» Wilkinson: as to the amount of/money spent oil war relief and the coat o. floati,U war loans, .an^.:the member for Kgmont showed? that the amount, spent in relief waa ffrfeatly iW excess of the cost of raisin? the war l° a " 9 - .He f f ftwrowinft within New Zealand. and said that 1 as.the (!',wrnmer.t 1M com.jinisorv powers under the Act he .did nof see that.'there was any necessit-T foi heavy expenditure in tf»e mciter of loan 'raisins; -On'p great Vwson the war liad t-au«ht New Zealand was the resources she "had within her ovfn borders, and he earnestly trusted that jifter" the war those resources would ne devsloped to tho fullest extent. A vota of thanks to Mv v Connutt for his address was then pvo'iosed by' Mr. J. W. H&vden and mwiei.'. Mr. I.', B- FiUhei'beii; moved ' T iat it he a vote of "thanks t?i,l eon(ilenfle.' , The amendment-was ataided, a/Srt the chairman remarked that lie hoted Mr. Fitzhcrhert would vota for his own'- - amendment, to wln'cl; Mr, Fitiihelbert replied he certainly wtfliid not. The amendment wat declared lost oil the voices, and the vole of thanks car- ' ried with acclamation. \ -i