THE WAIRARAPA SEAT.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 3017, 13 October 1908, Page 5

THE WAIRARAPA SEAT.

MR J. T. M. HORNSBY AT MIKI •: Mi XL There was an .".(tendance of between thirty and forty persons at the Miki Miki school house last evening, when-Mr J. T. M. Hornsby addressed the electors in support of his candidature for the Wairarapa seat. Mr E. W. Payu>n occupied the ohair, and in introducing the candi date to his audience asked that Mr Hornsby be accorded a patient and impartial hearing. Mr Hornsby, in his opening remarks, dealt with the* Second Ballot BiU, the provision l ' of which he explained fully to his hearers. The 1 Bill was ■ designed to prevent the splitting up of voius in constituencies, and, of course, aimed at the prevention of minority representation. The Bill would operate fairly to both parties. Mr Hornnby detailed the part he had played in the passing of the measure, when it was finally decided to strike out the "gag" clause and the clause which allowed a can diddte with a clear majority of 500 to be returned though he had not an absolute majority. Mr Hornsby next dealt with the Education Bill, which he considered was a great advance in educational legislation. In the past the speaker had always thought and advocated that country schools should have proportionate treatment with city schools. In the case of city schools lavish expenditure was frequent, the schools being equipped with every-/ thing that could be desired from a modern educational standpoint. He did not say such -schools should not be well furnished, but he had always contended that country schools should be given their due modicum of modern improvements. The speaker thought it deplorable that teachers should be sent to country schools to teach children placed under them without the pioper facilities for 30 doing. Equal pay for both classes of teachers was a reform which the speaker had for many years both with hi 3 voice and with his pen advocated strongly. By equal payment to the sexes, which really 'meant' equal pay for equal work-+- and sometimes better work was done by vuimen —a great difficulty would be overcome, for it was a very undesirable ching to have the "cheap" labour of women pitttd against that of men. There had been a great cry in the past for a uniform system of school books. Expert opinion, however, inclined very strongly against this supposed reform. Now Parliament had embarked on what lie thought was a far preferable departure, and should meet with the approval of all who aimed at refern in educational matters. This new venture was the placing on the Estimates of a dum out of which it was intended to supply free books to all school children up to the, second standard. (Applause.) He was pleased to hear their expressions of approval, as it showed they appreciated the efforts of the Government to improve the educational system of the Dominion. The French system of free educational advantages to rich and poor alike wasone which he thought could be copied with ad-, vantage by Great Britain. In New Zealand what he hoped for, and believed would soon be,- accompli.-hpd, was a system of education which gave equal opportunities to all. It was folly to imagine that all could be made equal in ability and intellect, and equal opportunity was the most that a Government could do in the way of educational! progress. The speaker then referred to the Old Age Penaion Bill of present session, a measure which, he contended, had worked a very great and very necessary reform in an import ant Act. Previously the Act most harshly and unduly penalised those thrifty persons who had accumulated some small savings from their hard won earnings. In short; the Act had discouraged thrift, whereas now a qualified person who, possessed property up to a reasonable amount was not denied the benefit of the Act. Then again, a single lapse in the way of sobriety had really meant a fine of such a magnitude as to be most unjust, amounting to a five years loss of pension. Now, he was pleased to say, a great,deal of this injustice had been cleared away, and instead of five years' loss of pension a twelve month's only was sacrificed. The amendment to the Advances to Settlers Act was the next matter touched on by the speaker. What had been effected by the Amending Bill was that a great deal of the red tape attached to the securing of an advance had been abolished. The jtime which elapsed between the first receipt of the application for an advance and the time the applicant received such was greatly reduced. Under the new legislation the Minister had power to approve ot the loan without the necessity of the appli- , cation having to go betore the Land Board. Undoubtedly the great measure of the session was the amendment to the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act. When the Bill had come down [to the House it was high time that something should be done to put an end to something which had grown up in the country, where a law had been made to the advantage of a large section of the community, and part of that community was flouting the law openly. The Government had made an honest attempt to grapple with this great problem. He recalled to his hearers' minds the state of things which was known to exist prior to the passing of the main Act, when sweating and long hours'* were rife, and when girls were often required to work certain periods for no wages at all, to be turned adrift., later by unscrupulous employers at whom the Act was really directed. If the present Act were to be wiped ' off the Statute Book who would be the losers? The workers! It stood to common sense and reason that an employer would, if there were no Act, make the hardest bargain he could for himself. The worker was given a legal status under the Act, and if he chose to set that Act at defiance the consequences rested upon himself, and it would rest with him whether the Act was wiped off the Statute Book or not. Conciliation Boards under the amending Act were wiped out, and in their places was substituted Boards composed of equal numbers of employers and employees, three of each to be the number. Mr Hornsby contended that the vast majority of the workers had no sympathy with those agitators who ; stirred up strife, and under the.

amending legislation this majbsity would be given the opportunity of asserting itself. So far as the Government was concerned, it had said ,the last word in labour matters Ira the amending Bill, and it now rested with the workers themselves to say whether a start should be made again "off scratch" in the labour world. He was pleased that there was a judge on the Arbitration Court bench who had the backbone to say he would not give an award where the staple industry of the, Dominion was affected when that Judge believed an award would be prejudicial. Mr Hornsby referred briefly to the Quackeries Prevention Bill, in the course of his remarks,, painting a vivid picture of the evils arising from the influence of medical harpies on credulous young persons.. Ha gave personal experiences of hisr own regarding people who had been duped, and while expressing regret that Parliament had not gone further than it did in the matter, said he took the present legislation as the' first instalment. Passing on to ths Dairy Regulatiuns the speaker said he and others had wondered what • had happened when they first read the proposed scale, and they had asked the Minister if he was really in earnest over the Bill. Seeing that Wairarapa exported nearly one-quart°r of che whole cheese production of the) Dominion he had given the Minister to understand that he personally wanted a clear explanation* The final result of protests was that a reasonable and .workable set of regulations was finally adopted, and the power of inspectors modified to within reasonable limits. The Shearers Accommodation Bill wast next touchsd on, Mr Hornsby''stating that from the outset he had seen that it was another of tho3e attempts made by a person who dwelt in an office to dictate to others how they should have their being, as it were. However, the Bill was dropped to the last place on the Order Paper, aud he assured his hearers that they had heard the last of it. On the laud question "B£r .. Hornsby expressed views decidedly in favour of the freehold in a reas' Siable area. He denounced land aggregation in strong terms, polling to Scotland and Ireland as examples pf what monopoly of land ital doce to demoralise the life of the nation. He contrnied tsat in the L.I.P. tenure, the Government should now give lesses of such land the fullest opportunity to acquire the freehold. New Zealand was/too small to be locked up in large areas, and he Was in favour of granting L.I.P§ tenants the , freehold on conH'.Mnn that they paid the 1 per cent difference in the price at which 'cney acquired fiheir holding, believing such would be an economic advantage to the Dominion. He might be confronted with the cry of some who would say that he would give away the unearned in- ■ crement, but to those he would reply chat it was very difficult indeed to assess what exact amount such increment would be, while in the case of some bush srcijons it wau a very hanj-eurn ci,increment. (Ap n .lao?e).-• fhe speaker cei". , dec! the reservation of the 9,-000,000 acres for euucati., i . and old age pension endowments contending that though the Leader cf „. he Opposition had scouted tna a nount t>f the immediate revenue "S :, a mere drop in the bucket, it was to posterity, also they should look. Ho twitted the Farmers' Union with importing party politics into their work, ; anojwich using the small man as a lever for the big—a remark which Mr '." D. W. Foreman objected to as incorrect. Mr Hornsby quoted ,the case of where at the Lavln Conference the Executive of the Union and the big runholders had declared they would have nothi tig to do with a motion in favour of limiting aggregation of land. He believed in farmers uniting for their mutual benefit, but not on political lines, but in the direction of farmers' banks,' auctioneers, etc. It might be alleged that the Government had done nothing for the small farmer, but the present remissions on railway freights affecting the industry amounted to , about £550,000 per year. The candidate referring to the increase in the Naval subsidy, said the £60,Q00 annual increase was justified, as; it showed New Zealand appreciated and relied on the assistance she was receiving from the Navy of the Motherland. The speaker expressed himself strongly in favour of compulsory training, contending that for the present cost of our defence system the Dominion would have a far more effective citizen army under compulsory training. Coming down to the local question of who should win the seat he was contesting, Mr Hornsby appealed to his hearers to leave personal considerations entirely out of the question, and vote for the candidate whose opinions most appealed to their views. (Prolonged applause). ' The questions set by the Farmers' Union were put to Mr Hornsby. He declared himself in favour of the household franchise in county and local body elections, believing , that the man with a 40-acre farm had as much at stake in proportion as the 40,000-acre proprietor* He strongly opposed Customs taxation for revenue purposes only on the ground that it would be inimical to many New Zealand industries. He was a modified protectionist. He was opposed to nationalisation, and would vote against the discontinuance of cooperative works, as that system had proved most successful in his own district. He was also opposed to the Referendum Bill. Mr Hornsby was asked a question which he interpreted as a feeler as to his opinion on the liquor traffic. He said he was not a prohibitionist, but would always fight for leaving the important issue in the hands of the people themselves. (Applause). A hearty vote of thanks to the ; speaker was carried unanimously on the motion of Mr S. Tankersley, seconded by Mr T. Wyeth. A similar vote to the chair terminated the meeting.