PATEA BY-ELECTION.

Taranaki Daily News, 1 April 1921, Page 8

PATEA BY-ELECTION.

THE REFORM PARTY. MR. DIXON’S CAMPAIGN. The meeting called to hear the views of the Reform candidate (Mr. Dixon) at Hurleyville was convened for an hour, that did not suit the electors, but an informal meeting was held, a committee was formed, and a chairman and secret tary appointed, and also literature dis,tributed. \ At Alton the’ehair-wtus taken by’’Mr. H. Hodge. There was. a good ‘attendance when the candidate gave his address, much on the same lines as at Mokoia, and was well received. ’’ A number of questions were asked at the close oi .the meeting. A motion was proposed by the chairman: “That the candidate be thanked for his able address, and

we have every confidence in him as a fit and proper person to represent us in Parliament.” A strong working committee was formed.

LABORVCAMPAIGN. MR. MclLVßipfc AT HAWERA. (Contributed.) Mr. Mcllvride addressed a crowded meeting at the Opera House, Hawera, last night. Mr. P. O’Dea was in the chair. Mr. Mcllvride dealt with the Labor Party’s platform at length. In dealing with finance he suggested that a State bank, could do good work at the present juncture in tiding peqple over difficulties, and.he instanced the success of the State bank in Australia, the profits* of which had increased from £53,000 in 1915 to £1,000,000 for the latest returns, use of State shipping at this time of high freights was also stressed, and the example of Australia was again mentioned. The candidate said health should be the first consideration of the Government, and he stood for proper dental and medical attention to school children. The provision of maternity homes throughout the Dominion was also advocated. He favored better schools, free education, and free and uniform school books. Proportional representation was discussed at length, the speaker declaring that under liis system the present Parliament would be composed: Reform 27, Liberals 24, Labor'l9, Independents 6. He stood for the abolition of the Legislative Council, full civil rights for public servants, and concluded with criticism of the Government’s policy in regard to the cost of living and housing.

Mr. H. E. Holland also spoke. He dealt with the State banking question -and on war profiteering. At the conclusion the speakers were accorded a hearty vote of thanks, and the meeting passed a vote of confidence in the New Zealand Labor Party. Three hearty cheers for the party terminated the meeting. MEETING AT WAVERLEY. (Contributed.) One of the largest meetings held in Waverley for some considerable time was addressed by Mr. Lewis Mcllvride, Labor candidate for the Patea electorate, in the Town Hall there on Wednesday night last. Mr. A. J. Adlim, chairman of the Waverley Town Board, presided, and introduced the candidate. Mr. P. Fraser, M.P. for Wellington Central, was also present and addressed the meetings Both speakers received a most attentive hearing, their remarks leing frequently applauded, especially when references were made to many glaring social evils and the Labor Party’s remedies for them Mr. McllvYide said in the course of his speech that whenever Labor entered any contest it was accused of vote-splitting. That charge was entirely false as far as Labor was concerned. Labor could split votes with no other party. The Labor Party challenged both Parties—the Liberal Party and the Reform Party. At the last election wherever a prominent Labor candidate was in the Held both the Reform and the Liberal parties had so arranged it that only one candidate would enter the field against Labor. In fact the .Liberal and Tory-parties had agreed then that they would not split votes when fighting Labor. That was true of the Buller and of Wellington Central, in both of

which constituencies the Reform Party stood aside eo that the Liberal might have a chance of defeating Labor. It wds also true that in Wellington South both Liberals and Tories had united to defeat Mr. Semple. The fight then in

he Patea electorate was between Labor n the one hafid represented by himself, dio had the honor to carry Labor’s ban-

ner in the election, and the enemies of Labor on the other hand represented by the Liberal and. Tory Parties. If there would be any vote-splitting on polling dgy it would be between the Liberal and Tory parties. Let them split votes if they cared to do Ao, Labor Would get all the democratic vote. In support of his contention that there wag no difference ’of the slightest Importance between Liberals and Tories in the House of Representatives, Mr. Mcflvride quoted from division lists in Hannard, and also from speeches by Sir James Allen, Hon. Mr. Guthrie, Minister of Lands, Mr. Downie Stewart, Minister of Internal Affairs, and Mr. L. Isitt, official Liberal member for Christchurch North. Mr. Mcllvride dealt also with the land question, State banking, finance, shipping, cost of living, housing, pensions, immigration, proportional representation, initiative, referendum, and right of recall, and other measures advocated by the Labor Party.

A considerable number of questions ere put to Mr. Mcllvride at the close

of his address, and were promptly answered to the satisfaction of. the audi(/nee. A cordial vote of thanks to hot® Mr. Mcllvride and Mr. Fraser, and a¥like compliment to the chairman, on the motion of Mr. Mcllvride, brought the meeting to a close. THE LABOR CANDIDATE. Mr. Lewis Mcllvride, Labor candidate. addressed a well-attended meeting in the Town Hall. Waitotara, on Tuesday night last. Mr. Kells, farmer, occupied the chair, and introduced the speaker. Mr. Mcllvride dealt with the Labor Party’s platform and the attitude of the party on the land question, finance, taxation, state banking, shipping, old age, widows’ and invalidity pensions, public health, and education. A most cordial vote of thanks was accorded the candidate for his address. A meeting of about 200 Trades’ Unionist's, their wives, and other workers, was addressed by Mr. P. Fraser, M.P., for Wellington Central, in the Town Hall, Patea, on Tuesday night. Mr. McDonagh, secretary of the Freezing Union., presided. Mr. Fraser

explained the objective of the New Zealand Labor Party, dealt with the party’s progrtunme, and urged those, present tosupport Mr. McllVridd as the candidate of the only Democratic Party in New Zealand. THE LIBERAL CAMPAIGN. MR. VEITCH AT HAWERA. Mr. W. A. Veitch, M.P. for Wanganui, addressed a gathering in Hawera on Wednesday evefting in the interests of Mr. W. Morrison’s cadidature for the Patea seat. Mr. E. Morrissey presided, and there was a fair attendance.

■ Mr. Veitch said thftt in the present election Labor had no chance of winning j£he seat, and a vote for Mr. Mcllvride would be a vote for Mr. Massey. They had heard something about the crucifixion of Ireland, but he wanted to tell them of the crucifixion of New Zealand by the splitting of the vote in the interests of the Tory_party. After answering a number of questions, Mr. Veitch was accorded a vote of thanks, on the motion of Messrs. Grant and U’Ddwd. 1

MR. MORRISON AT MAXWELLTOWN.

Mr. Morrison, the Liberal candidate for the Patea by-election, continued his campaign on Monday night, when he addressed a large meeting of electors a.t Maxwelltown.' H. Siddall was voted to the chair and briefly introduced the candidate. Mr. Morrison referred to the actions of the extreme Labor Party, pointing out that any tiling of an unpatriotic nature should not be tolerated by any community. Mr. Morrison then pointed out the fact that as this was a farming electorate he could justly solicit the electors’ support, as- he was the only farmer of the three candidates. Opportunity was then given for -questions, but as none were forthcoming Mr. Nelson Hughes proposed a hearty vote of thanks to Mr. Morrison for his able address, which was carried by acclamation. The usual vote to the chairman brought the meeting to a close.