THE ELECTIONS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 3034, 3 November 1908, Page 5

THE ELECTIONS.

Mr John Hunter will deliver a - political address at the Schoolhouse, ; Tane, this evening. ! The elections to return four representatives of the Maori race to the House are to be held on December 2nd. Mr W. Smith) Opposition candidate, who retired from the Nelson contest, will stand for Motueka against Mr R. McKenzie. Mr W. F. Massey, Leader of the Opposition, will deliver a political address in the Victoria Hall, Carterton, this evening. The Premier (Sir Joseph Ward) is announced to address the electors of Wairarapa in the Victoria Hall, Carterton, on Wednesday evening. Mr A. A. Paape is announced as a Labour candidate for Invercargill, and Mr W. Morris as an Independent candidate for Awarua, states a Press Association telegram. The last day for the nomination of candidates will be Monday next. Although it is a public holiday (King's Birthday) the District Registrars will be on duty that day to receive any belated nominations. A meeting of the members of Mr John Hunter's Committee is to be held in the Dominion Hall to-morrow evening, at 8 o'clock. The ladies' committee will also meet at the same place and time. Our Eketahuna correspondent « writes:—Mr John Hunter addressed one of the largest meetings of electors ever held in Newman on Saturday evening last, and received a splendid reception. He made a really excellent fighting speech, which was punctuated by frequent applause. At the conclusion of his address he was awarded a unanimous vote ot thanks. Reports from outside committees are most encouraging as t© the support being accorded to Mr John Hunter's candidature. It is certain that he will poll well in the country districts. His Masterton Committees are also working on systematic lines, and from present indications Mr Hunter will be well supported in this town and suburbs. A close election is anticipated. Saturday was the last day on which claims for enrollment on the electoral rolls of the Dominion could be received. Between five hundred and six hundred names have beei> struck off the Masterton roll for various reasons, and over two thousand have been added. The Registrar of Electors and his staff are now busy preparing copies of the amended roll for the election.

Mr W. F. Massey is delighted with the reception accorded to him in the South. At Timaru, where he had a packed meeting, he was most enthusiastically received. There is every indication, he says, that the Opposition will win the Timaru seat. Many of Mr Hall-Jones' old supporters expressed to him their intention of voting for Mr Campbell. Mr Massey says the Opposition will also win other seats in Canterbury, where for some considerable time there has been a growing feeling in favour of the Opposition. In Otago, however, the Opposition does not, he admits,

appear to mules much headway. i)r Chappie, at bis meeting at Moonlight (Otago) advocated lightline railways as feeders to our trunk lines. He showed how cheap and inexpensive such lints were, and pointed out that the experience of India showed that it was better to have light-line railway communication in a few years or at once than wait for half a "lifetime for heavy lines. Four times the number of places could be connected up with our main lines, because they only cost about a quarter of of the usual amount to construct.

A quaint speech was made by Mrs Anderson at a meeting of ladies held a-t Taradale to support Mr J. Vigor Brown's candidature for the Napier seat. Mrs Anderson was appointed chairwoman, and m introducing the candidate said: — "Ladies, we are here assembled to further the interests of the candidature of Mr J. Vigor Brown. It gives great pleas-

ure to see so many present, and I feel confident we shall send our man in with flying colours. Before leaving home I chanced to be dyeing a blouse for election day, and happened to read the label, and even the maker of the soap I used recommends brown to stand sun, rain, and wind without changing colour, and I am sure our worthy candidate will do likewise. Even if they do throw mud, a brown coat won't show the stain, and remember, ladies, brown is the predominant colour this season, and keep it so. I now have much pleasure in introducing Mr Brown, who will whisper some sweet things to us."

In a speech at Paki Paki recently, Mr A. E. Jul!, a Liberal who is contesting the Hawke's Bay seat, made some suggestive remarks on the passenger train service south of Hastings. He said that the present facilities v»ere most unsatisfactory. Prior to the last general election the Government was approached on the matter, with the result that an afternoon passenger train was arranged for, but after it had been running for a short time, and the elections over, the Railway Department made the discovery that it did not pay. At the present time the Mayor and councillors of Waipawa had approached the Railway Department on the matter, and a reply had been received that it will receive careful consideration. Thus it appeared as though the application would be granted, and for a few months in every third year the people would be served with a train service that would enable them to get into town to transact their business. "The Prime Minister (aays the Christchurch "Press") has a perfect passion for quoting statistics and a curious idea that people enjoy listening to them. Temuka will be lucky i? it escapes being told the number of sheep, cattle, pigs, dogs, cats, and hens in the district, the enormous growth of its population since the present continuous Ministry came into power, the number of postcards sold at the local post ofiice, and a lot of other figures, interesting no doubt, but desperately stodgy, showing the progress of the place. When the supply of local statistics runs dry there is always the illimitable resources of the Blue Books to draw upon. Let Sir Joseph get two cJ three good fat Government returns and he will talk ali night, or as long as he can get anyone to stay and listen to him. It is ao much easier to read figures than to propound a policy or defend it.'|