THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16, 1908. MR HUNTER'S CANDIDATURE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 3019, 16 October 1908, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16, 1908. MR HUNTER'S CANDIDATURE.

The speech which Mr J. Hunter, Independent candidate for the Masterton seat, delivered in the Town Hall on Wednesday night last, should considerably assist his candidature. It was clean, honest, and full of common sense. .Mr Hunter did not endeavour in any way to either mislead his audience or to hide his real opinions. He was candid and vigorous throughout, and showed, to our way of thinking, that he is eminently a type of man that it would be well to have in parliament. Business men, of independent character, and of long, practical experience should, above all others, be those who represent the people in Parliament. It has been said that it takes all sorts of people to make a world, and it is no doubt desirable that there should be a marked difference in the characteristics of members of Parliament. If our politicians

were all of one mind we should have absolutely the most unsatisfactory House that it is possible to conceive. And it may be remarked in passing that there has been a strong tendency on the part of the present Cabinet to mould members according" to its views instead of en> deavouring by legislation to express the opinions of members generally. In other words, independence has been a sadly lacking quality in many rqembers of Parliament. Reverting, however, to Mr Hunter's speech, the candidate certainly made a creditable effort to introduce some "life" into Masterton politics. His criticisms of the Government's neglect of this district in the matter of close settlement were most telling, and his audience knew that he was talking right to the point. It may be said that the candidate put forward a plea tor more virility in political or national affairs. Dealing with the borrowing question he summed up his views into the„caustic phrase that "it is better to produce a sovereign than .to borJ row it." Everyone knows that the financial relief to the country would ; bt enormous if the volume of production couldj be largely increased, and the fact that the country is not producing more than a small portion of what it is cdpable, is evident when we consider that our population is barely a million. Whereas New Zealand could support a population of many millions. A large increase in production should result in a complete cessation of borrowing outside the country on the part of the Government. This would surely be a position worth striving to attain, but we are afraid that the Government has no aspiration in the direction mentioned. Mr Hunter did not beg the arbitration question. He made it clear that he believed in a genuine minimum wage, and he urged, as a man of practical experience, that "the smaller details of labour should be left to the employers and employees to settle among themselves." The financial condition of the country is sufficiently serious, and the only ground upon which borrowing is justifiable is upon that of reproductive expenditure. Millions are certainly borrowed ostensibly for the purpose mentioned, but what percentage of the borrowed millions is expended on reproductive works? The question could be accurately answered if only reproductive works were defined, but, unfortunately, there is no definition of reproductive works, and the Government in a thoroughly paternal manner just decides the question as seems good unto it to do. In conclusion, it maybe remarked that the whole address was able and interesting, and the electors of Masterton may be congratulated upon so desirable a candidate having undertaken the arduous task of contesting the seat.