TEE ELECTIONS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 3043, 13 November 1908, Page 4

TEE ELECTIONS.

For the Eastern Maori electorate the following nominations have been received:—Apirana Ngata, Waiapu;. Dick Poaka, Wanganui. The Hon. Dr Findlay, in compliance with the request of a number of residents, will deliver a political' address at Datinevirke this evening.. This will be the Attorney-General's first platform appearance during the present election campaign. A Parliamentary candidate who fails to poll one-fourth of the total number of votes polled by the successful candidate forfaits his £lO deposit. But will the votes of the successful candidate be counted for this purpose at the first or the second ballot, if any? This question has been raised, but will probably not be authoritatively settled until an actual case has to be decided. The Second Ballot Act throws no light UDCi it.

Mr G. Rpnnie, who is npposing MrRhodes for Eilesmere, does not see what good purpose can be served by sending to Parliament a strong Opposition. "Why," he asked, "should' it be considered necessary in the country's affairs to have men in Parliament pledged to hinder and thwart the Government to the best of their ability ? Would we not getbetter results by sending to Wellington eighty good men. all simply wwm'ous to advance the interests of Zealand?"

[ Mr John Hunter met with a splen- ! did reception at his meetings at Nireaha and Rongskokako, given on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings,! respectively. He was listened to —-- with marked attention, and received a hearty vote of thanks at both l places. At Hastwelle, last evening,. Mr Hunter addressed a good meetingof electors and delivered a spirited speech on important political questions. He will meet the electors of Eketahuna in the Public Hall tonight.

Dwring his speech at Remuera, Mr E. G. B. Moss recalled an amusing incident of the old provincial days. Amongst other taxes levied was one on bachelors and another on houses with chimneys. Twenty-five members of the Armed Constabulary were run in atjTauranga, and a well-known priest, according to Mr Moss, had' the bailiffs in his house. He was talking recently to the rev. fatherabout this experience, whereupon the latter remarked: "The bitterest point of the whole thing was that it was to get the payment of the bachelor tax."

Mr A. S. Malcolm, speaking at Balclutha on Tuesday night, said in i the south as well as in the north no subject demanded more attention than that of the Native lands. Tens of thousands of men were anxious to settle on those lands, but. owing to the fact that our Native Minister was a gentleman who found activity undignified, this opening up that would give New Zealand a push fQrwasd was not brought about. Thai B«a. J. Carroll was a great believer in the "taihoa" policy. He would appoint any number of commissions, but had an intense objection to putting their findings into effect. He was not the sort of man to carry out a vigorous policy of settling the Native lands. Of course, there were difficulties, but what was a Native Department for but to wrestle with those difficulties?