THE ELECTIONS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 3033, 2 November 1908, Page 5

THE ELECTIONS.

An address will be delivered by Mr A. W. Hogg at Kuripuni this) evening.

Mr W. C. Buchanan will address the electors of Wairarapa at ngawa Schooihouse to-morrow evening.

A meeting of Mr A. W. Hogg's supporters was held on Saturday evening, when there was a good attendance. Arrangements were made for conducting a campaign in Mr Hogg's favour.

"The Socialist is one who has yearnings for the equal division of unequal earnings. Idler or bungler, or both, he is willing to fork out his penny and pocket your shilling."— Mr G. Hutchinson, Opposition candidate for Wanganui. The Governor's warrant directing the Clerk of Writs to issue writs for the General Election was received on Friday night, and the writs were issued on Saturday morning. The electoral rolls closed on Saturday last. Mr John Hunter will address the electors as under during this week:— Rongomai, to-night; Tane, Tuesday evening; Marima, Wednesday morning; Nikau, Wednesday evening; Hamua, Thursday evening; Atea, Friday morning; Putaia, Friday evening; Alfredton, Saturday evening. Mr J. F. Arnold addressed a large meeting of electors of Dunedin Central on Friday night, and in touching on old age pensions, said he would favour the amount being raised to 12s 6d per week. He opposed anything,like compulsory militarism. Mr Arnold was accorded a unanimous vote of thanks and confidence. Mr John Hunter addressed meetings in various parts of the electorate during last week, and in every instance good attendances were recorded and a splendid hearing accorded to the speaker. It is confidently anticipated that Mr Hunter will secure a heavy poll in the outlying districts over which he has traversed. Referring to his meetings in general terms Mr Hogg, on Saturday night, said he had never seen the stttlers in tne district over which he had travelled more satisfied with their prospects, and although the weather and some of the roads were bad he had never had & heartier welcome at the hands of his constituents. Election day, Tuesday, November 17th, is a compulsory half-holiday, and will take the place of the usual statutory half-holiday in that week. The clause in the Electoral Act bearing on the subject says:—"Every day on which any election takes place shall be, and be deemed to be, a public holiday after midday, and it shall not be lawful to sell intoxicating liquors in any licensed premises between the hours of twelve o'clock noon and seven in the evening."

The "political agitator" came in for a word of condemnation from Mr Lawry at Auckland, whilst dealing with the Arbitration Act. He likened these agitators to the trained wethers that were kept at slaughterhouses for the purpose of decoying the innocent and unsuspecting sheep to the shambles. Whilst the latter went to their death, thet rained wethers went in at another door, and were "ied upon carrots, greenstuff and everything that a sheep likes." "The political agitators of the country," he said, "represent these trained wethers, and the poeple who followed them represent the sheep who go to their death at the shambles."

Mr Hogg addressed the' electors in the Public Hall, at Hastwell on Friday evening, Mr lsaakson being in the chair. There was a good attendance and in reply to questions Mr Hogg justified the new dairy regulations, pointing out that in their amended shape they were likely to be of considerable service to the dairy industry. The meeting terminated with a vote of thanks and continued confidence. On Saturday evening Mr Hogg addressed the electors in the Public Hall, Kopuaranga. Mr G. Donovan presided. A number of written questions were submitted relating to land tenure, local government franchise, the cooperative system of public works, and Customs taxation. Mr Hogg gave a distinct negative to the propbsals suggested by the questions,, characterising them as belonging to' a past age. He received in conclusion a vote of thanks. Temuka would seem on the face of things to be a place of moods. It is nota large centre, and the six hundred people who attended Mr Massey's meeting on Thursday night w and the Prime Minister's meeting on Friday night must represent pretty well the whole population. Yet on Thursday night a motion of confidence in the Opposition was declared carried, and on Friday night the same chairman declared carried a motion of confidence in the Government. The honours rest with the Government, however. On the first night the chairman called for a show of hand?, and about fifty people voted for the motion of confidence in the Opposition, and the chairman promptly declared it carried without asking whether anyone wished to vote the other way. On Friday night both ayes and noes were called for, but again only a small proportion of those present voted. The Prime Minister took the matter in his own hands, however. "I want a definite vote one way or the other," he said. "Now who is in favour of the motion?" and there was one enthusiastic chorus of ayes, and Joseph then asked for the noes, and got no response.

"The Government say that if Mr Massey got into power he' would destroy the fine legislation which the Government had placed upon the statute book. Well, take the Arbitration Act. Could Mr Massey do anything so effectual in the way of destruction than the Government had done in regard to the administration of that Act? By a judgment of Mr Justice Cooper, it was found that they could imprison strikers for the non-payment of fines, a decision which was reversed by one of the ablest judges in the colony (Mr Justice Williams). Not content with that, and quite unable to see the danger of what it was doing, the Government took the case to the Court

of Appeal, which reversed Justice Williams' decision, and gave the Government power to imprison. Ever since then the Act has been a farce —the Government was too timid to use the power it had. It might not have been a wise provision, but I hold that it is the duty of the Government to go through with any Act it has placed upon the statute book."—Mr A. R. Atkinson at Wellington.