THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. MONDAY, DECEMBER 4, 1911. THE NECESSARIES OF LIFE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10494, 4 December 1911, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. MONDAY, DECEMBER 4, 1911. THE NECESSARIES OF LIFE.

Mr A.. H. one of the Oppositaon candidates .for tte Mastertani seat, made a distinct "hit" in, Ms open-air address on. Saturday night, when' he challenged the position taken up by Mir Hogg oni.tba question of a reduction in the' duties on the i accessaries of ldlfe. Mr Herbert; ooiiitended idiait th© tariff on foodstuffs l Should >be entirely a-emoveVi, so tftikub itf would be impossible far'rings and combine® to inflate prioes' and put up the- cost of living at times: of sintoiritage. It wiil be remembered that, in the last session of Parlfiairienib, Mr Hlogg introduced a mjeas>ure having for its object the abolition of ,the duty on floury isuaair, raisins, and otlher foodstuffis. Tnie Govdrmmienit, wfliAeli pretends' to have ait heart the interests of the masses, wet only opposed this measure, but absolutely refused to. take irt> up as a Government Bill. The result, was that it was crowded out, to make room for Hegdislation of a> non-oanrteaii--tious. ibatt less' important character. TQue point that Mr Herbert makes is this: If Mr Hogg is sincere Ln Ms 1 f desire to see the duty removed from tike nedessarAes of life, how can he v support a Governttnent which streniu.ou&ly opposes' reform in -this direc."trion? It may, of course, be iiirged fchlat the Reform Party ihas not shown' itseW iju sympathy with the ' proposal of Mir Hogg. That is quite time. Rut the Reform Party has promised, iif returned to power, that iit will revise the tariff m. such, a way that relief wiflil' be afforded to j farmers and other primary producers as well as the masses, MrHogg sincerely believes that on» of the most pressing requirements of tlie present day is (the revision of the tariff, it fe his. duty to support a (party which, wl bring about that revulsion. But what does he do? iHe knows' thiat it is in tlie power of the iGovcriiiment .to afford the relief hi© asks for. He. kniowsi that the Government (has ■ .studiously refused to exercise t'hat power. And' yet he records his. vote in favour of keeping fin office an Administration wifldh. flouts his own opinion, and that of a considerahte section of the cbmimuaiity. Is this consistent? Is it a tfelasonuble position for Mi- Hogg to take up? He may not be 1111 sympathy wMi either the Government or tilie Opposition in many of tlie political issues'; but if orne of the dom!i>niant parties will concede a pressing reform wiUMi he himself advocates, and which is refused iby the other', it is isau-efly liifs duty to support that party. H'h© fail's to do so, he stows himself to be inconsistent. Mr Herbert emiplhaisiiseß .tliiis position, and is quite entitled to d» **>> H» f a< S e ' lie in. favour of a reduction in the tariff, and opposes' ai Governanemt wtooteh refuses to ihring down a measure to give effect to that reduowxni. Mr Hogg, on the other hand, pre--9

tends a desire to relieve the workers and straggling settler® of some of their bow-dens, amd yet walks, deliberately kuto tile lobby and) votes to keep ku power an Administration which refuses this relief. The position is one which eJectora should l seriously consider between now and Thursday. Tiiey are entitled to a clear and definite statonveaut from Mir Hogg in. the matter. If that gexutieman persists in declaring his intention of assisting to keep the present Government in power, his snmcerity in the matter of the Customs* duties mjjglh.it reasonably be qiuesitioned.