MR KEIR HARDIE, M.P.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXX, Issue 9011, 21 December 1907, Page 4

MR KEIR HARDIE, M.P.

Mr Keir Hardie, British M.P., about whom so much has been heard lately, will arrive at Auckland to-morrow. Various municipalities and other local bodies in the dominion have been exercising themselves lately respecting the intended visit of Mr Hardie, and in most instan7.es it has been decided to ignore him. As that gentleman has never sought recognition from these bodies, and is pretty tough-skinned, he will doubtless disregard what he will deem to be a gratuitous rebuff. Probably the only mayor in the dominion who is not openly opposed to the presence of this prominent agitator is Mr Hislop, of Wellington, who has persistently declined to accept the cabled versions of Mr Hardie's utterances and actions in India. On Thursday he stated to the Council that he had received a circular "from the Patangata County Council (Hawke's. Bay), suggesting what that body thought to be the right recepetion to give the British M.P. Mr Hislop said that he proposed to reply that he would act in accordance with the position he had hitherto taken up in the matter. "The more information we receive," said the mayor, "the mora it is demonstrated that Reuter's telegrams have not been reliable—in fact were absolutely untruthful, as later news | shows that Mr Keir Hardie has b?en particularly careful in the views he enunciated vvhiie in India. He did not, as was supposed, always agree with the prejudices of the Indians. For instance, he had strongly opposed the opinion that there should be government by universal suffrage in India, although ho had csrtainly supported the opinion that educated Indians should take part in the government of that country. Mr Morley himself had adopted that view by promoting Indians to the Council of India." It is .expected that Mr Keir Hardie will arrive in Wellington about tie 27th inst.