THE ELECTIONS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 3023, 21 October 1908, Page 6

THE ELECTIONS.

It is quite within the bounds of probability that second ballots will be required for all three of the Wellington city seats. For the Wellington South electorate, Mr Barber, the sitting member, is likely to be successful, writes a correspondent. The political campaign has commenced in earnest in the Pahiatua electorate, writes our Pahiatua cor'respondent. Messrs Cooper 1 , Hawkins, and Ross are now busy addressing meetings every night. The election campaign will not be at its height in Wellington for a week or more. Large numbers of electors are enrolling, and the polling is certain to constitute a record for the city and suburbs. For the new Suburbs seat, it is too «arly to predict who is likely to be victorious, but one can venture to prophesy that Mr Wilford will again win the Hutt seat, and that Mr Field will once more be returned for Otaki.

Mr A. W. Hogg, M.P., will address the electors of the Masterton electorate at the Town Hall, Masterton, to-night; at Eketahuna, on Thursday, 22nd;Mauriceville East, 01: Friday, 23rd; and at Mauriceville West on Saturday, 24th instant. The contest between Mr Fisher, the present member, and the Hon. T. W. Hislop, Mayor of the city, for the Wellington Central seat, is likely to be a keen orte. are '(,849 electors already on the roll. It is too early to predict which of the candidates is likely to be successful. The issue in the Southern seat will also he doubtful*

It is quite on the cards that Mr Hlrdman, the Opposition candidate,; will win the North Wellington seat, states a Wellington correspondent, as he is receiving support from quite unexpected quarters, and he is a better speaker than Mr Izard, the present member. Mr Bolton, the third candidate, is also likely to poll well, so a second ballot may be « necessary to decide the final issue. Speaking at Waitara, Mr N. T. Jennings expressed strong disapproval of 'a law that made the honorarium for a man who' had to travel over fifteen hundred square miles of territory the same as the man in the city, who could go about his business and attend to his Parliamentary duties at the same time while his travelling expenses were nil. There should, he said, be, equality of sacrifice.

Mr Shackelford, the Government candidate for Eden, in a letter to an Auckland paper, denies that all the new Government candidates had been supplied with ready made speeches from Wellington. He states that he has received no such speech or communication, nor any direction by letter or word of mouth from any individual In reference to.any of his utterances, public or private. In his speech at Waitara, on Thursday evening, Mr W. T. "Jennings said it seemed co him that the point had been reached when there would be some divergence on the part of a section;■ who had been allied to the Labour party. This section wanted to go further than the . Government would be prepared to go, and unless there was a fusion of the old-time Opposition and the moderate Government party, a third party would arise. Ashad been the case in Australia, a third party would be ineffective, and in any case the extremists should pause and reflect, for the Liberal party had been progressive and the Dominion had prospered under its guidance.

"The financial position of the Dominion is sound," said the Premier in the course of his speech at Palmerston North on Monday evening, •'and I am confident that the outlook is promising. What we want a little more of was faith in ourselves and less pessimism, and while acting with prudence, not by senseless fear of the future to create an unwarrantable feeling. \ of unrest. I have authorised additional funds for both the Advances to Settlers and Workers Departments. Both have done excellent work during the past *six. months. No pressure could be allowed to be brought to bear on the Board. It had important and responsible duties w to perform, and must do them without pressure or interference of any kind."

The gross public debt of the Dominion on March 31st last was £66,453,897, of which £27,623,547 has been raised since 1891, said Sir Joseph Ward in his Palmerston North speech. Of this amount £18,306,051 may be set,down as interest-bearing debt, and therefore the interest paid thereon cannot be considered as a burden on the taxpayer. One of the largest items is £4,110,000, raised for advances to settlers. Land for settlements is responsible for £5,890,000. The interest actually earned on moneys borrowed for this purpose is over 4i per cent. To provide loans for local bodies £2,603,000 was raised, which returns an interest of at least 3 per cent. Additions to open lines, £2,350,000 may be set down as producing 3 per cent. Reserve fund securities, £BOO,OOO, earn 3| per cent; £500,000 raised for purchase of Bank of New Zealand preference shares returns an interest of 7i per cent. New iZea*land Consols deposits, £500,'000, the interest paid is more than recouped by reinvestment of the deposits received. Uther items, such as State coal mines, advances to workers and purchase of native lands, make up the amount, and all of these may be fairly put down as interest-producing. The balance of public debt, £9,317,000, includes money raised for rail ways, roads, bridges, telegraph extension and public buildings. On the total public debts outstanding on March 31st, 1981, the average interest charge was £4 10s 3d per £IOO. The average rate now is £3 14s 7d per £IOO.

In a leading article, the "Lytteltori Times" deals severely with Mr C. A. C. Hardy, M.P. for Selwyn. It says: —Three years ago Selwyn was represented by the "silent member." JMr Hardy still lives on his reputation for silence, but his career as a mute has long since been blasted. He is now one of the most loquacious men in Parliament. He prattles incessantly, and his prattling has not added to his popularity. We may be permitted to wonder how Mr Massey will like to read the striking concession that the member for Selwyn

made on Friday night at Rakaia. Mr Hardy had been charging the Government with "buying the constituencies with votes for roads and bridges," and he went on to say that his own friends, if they got into office, would manipulate the public funds for their own political advantage. Here are his words: "I suppose if my own party got into office they would do the same. T have not the slightest doubt about it. Some of them are straight enough, but there is a difficulty about getting all men straight. When men get into power they like the sweets of office, and will pay almost anything to remain in office." Could we look for a more striking exposure of the spirit that animates the Opposition? What a commentary on all the professions and protestations of the Conservatives during these last seventeen years. "Hang the country, give us office," that is their creed. Mr Hardy must know. He is one of them—he is in their confidence.