THE ELECTIONS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 3038, 7 November 1908, Page 7

THE ELECTIONS.

rr Mr W. C. Buchanan will address the electors ta Langdale on Tuesday next, and at the Schoolhouse, Maungapakeha, on Wednesday. The dates of future addresses to be given by Mr John Hunter are as follow: —Kaitawa, Monday; Nireaha, Tuesday; Rongokokako, Wednesday; Hastwells, Thursday; Eketahuna, Friday". Mr A W. Hogg was nominated for the' Masterton seat yesterday by H. J. O'Leary, Masterton, blacksmith; Emily Rayner, Masterton, settler; Martha Patience Taylor, Masterton, housekeeper; John Rcse, Masterton, settler; Walter Harris, Masterton, settler; Charles Wag!and, Masterton, farmer.

Mr A W. Hogg, a candidate fnr Masterton, addressed a well-attended meeting of electors at the Kaitawa Public Hall on Thursday night, speaking for an hour and a-half, telegraphs our Pahiatua correspondent. He was well received, and at the conclusion, after answering several questions, he was accorded a vote of thanks and confidence. "Buying your votes with your own money," said Mr Darton, speaking at Gisborne of the manner in which Ministers make use of political patronage. "It's hard to beat a Minister, my word it is," he continued. "They come along with a few smoodging words, and £IOO here, a metalled road there, a post office here, and so on."

Mr Fowlds is not the only Minister who will have to tight hard to retain his seat. Private advices received in Christchurch from the Mataura electorate indicate that Mr M'Nab is up against a fairly hard proposition in Mr G. J. Anderson, a Gore journalist, Mr M'Nab has hitherto polled very solidly in Gore itself. Indeed, it has been Eaid that his majority in that town is practically his winning majority. On this occasion, for the first time, he is opposed by a Gore resident, who is very popular in the town and has a large following in all parts of the electorate.

The two candidates for the Napier seat have now passed out of the attitude of passive resistance, and have emerged inio that of positive aggression. Both strongly support the Government, but the line of cleavage between them is clearly defined. Mr A. L. D. Fraser stated in his opening address that his ideal member of Parliament was not the man who went as delegate, and whose alpha and omega was to get money spent in his electorate, a man who became a door mat for Ministers in order that he might find out what was being spent in his electorate. He believed in a member of Parliament whose ideals permitted of a far-reaching horizon, and who made endeavour to mould the present and future of the whole Dominion. This is not Mr Brown's view. In his opening speech at Port Ahuriri on Wednesday, he challenged his opponent's political theory, and said: "If Mr Fraser can get a new post office for Napier, that should not prevent him being a statesman. If I £m returned to Jfarliamennt, I will not only sit on the doormats of Ministers, but, bedad, I'll take my blankets and sleep there until I get what I want." Mr Brown made it clear that his political creed was summed up in the advancement of Napier, which he contended had been subjected to flagrant neglect. Mr Hogg's reply at Newman to the questions put on behalf ot the Farmers' Union affordfi clear evidence that the candidate has not, with a progress of time, modified his Socialis- i tic proclivities, and from the farm- | ers' standpoint the answers cannot i be taken as satisfactory. The land I question has already been thrashed out and it is an absolute certainty that the majcrity of Crown tenants will not be satisfied until they are allowed to acquire the freehold. Without going more fully into this it is hard to see why the argument that tenants who had made an agreement with the State should adhere to .it and not endeavour to shuffle, when on the other hand land is compulsorily taken for settlement from persons who hold a land transfer title. What is done in one instance can surely be done in the other. The candidate's reply to the question dealing with local government is scarcely likely to be received with much favour. It will not be admitted that it is desirable to extend the franchise. Mr Hogg's saving clause, that ratepayers only should be entitled to vote on the expenditure of money becomes of little effect if it is possible for non-ratepayers to pack a local body, With regard to further nationalising the means of production, distribution and exchange Mr Hogg's bogie "monopolies" is brought forward, and his answer leaves no room for doubt as to the course he intends for the future to pursue. It will not satisfy farmers. On the matter of taxation through the Customs, it again seems that the wrong course is advocated by the candidate. "Some men must go to the towns, and these should be well paid, a resuult which could only be attained by placing protection on industries." To add to the attractiveness of the towns as against the country only means that the tendency will be to centralise population. This is undesirable in the extreme. What is needed is that the country life should be made as attractive as possible, so that there should be every inducement for people to go on the land. Our dairy products are at present bringing very satisatctory prices. Why should not the tendency be to take the fullest advantage of this while it is being offered? The best investment for the Dominion at present is undoubtedly closer settlement and the consequent increase of production.—"Eketahuna Express."