THE GENERAL ELECTION.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXXVI, Issue 13521, 1 November 1911, Page 3

THE GENERAL ELECTION.

THE PATEA SEAT. Mr. Pearce at Aramoho To-Night. Mr G. V. Pearce, the sithihg member' For Patea, will address the electors in the A.B.C. Hall, Aramoho. to-night, at S o’clock. Air Pearce speaks at Brunswick'-, tomorrow evening, and at Rapanui on Friday evening ; ; Mr. O’Dea’s Candidature. : Mr P. O’Dea addresses the Patea electors at Rapanui to-morrow (Thursday), evening, and at Mosstown on Monday 'evening next. ’.; • THE WANGANUI SEAT. ' Mr.-'.Hogan’s Candidature. Mr J. T. Hogan, who has been detained in Wellington arranging several matters of importance to his electorate, is expected to return to Wanganui to-night or to-morrow. .After having carried out his duties to the public ho will be free to prosecute; his campaign in connection vvitlr the. coming election, and will address the electors in the Opera House on Tuesday .evening .nextThe usual weekly .meeting of his committee will be held at the Fire Brigade Hall on Friday evening, when in all like-■ lihood Mr Hogan will be present. Mr. Mackay at Wanganui East. Mr C. E. Mackay,. who is soliciting the suffrages of-the Wanganui electors at the forthcoming general election as an independent Liberal, addressed a very good meeting at Wanganui East last evening. The Mayor of Wanganui East (Mr John Jones) occupied the chair, and briefly introduced the candidate!

Mr Mackay, who was greeted with ap- ■( plar.se, said that' before he commenced 'his address he wished to emphatically contradict the rumour that had been going about that he intended to withdraw from the contest. All knew that if ho took up a thing, he generally saw it through, and he intended to see this election campaign through. He referred to the progress that had been made in Wanganui East since the last election, and he saw' a great future in front of that part of the town as the ultimate railway junction of a trunk railway from uanganui inland t,o the Main Trunk. The Harbour Bill was not of so much interest to Wanganui East as the other parts of. the electorate. He hoped however, that the Board would adopt tho proposal he intended to bring forward, that they support the setting up of a Royal Commission to define the rating area under the Bill. He urged upon the electors the necessity of keeping up the agitation for’ the continuation of the llaetihi-Main Trunk railway line through the Parapara on to Wanganui. PU thought that it was a great pity that nothing had been done here in respect to the establishment of workers’ homes. Homes had been erected - at Napier and Palmerston North, and lie thought that Wanganui had much more claim to consideration in this matter than had either of these towns. The Government’ were guiioy of a grave neglect of duty'in not doing something ifi this respect for Wanganui. Party -overnment, Mr Mackay held, was partly responsible for the rush of business of important measures without "discussion that characterised the end of each session of Parliament. The referendum was a. mattter the candidate was in favour of, and ho thought it should he, exercised on all important- questions, that affected the country generally. Mr Mackay suggested, that a revision should be made of the public holidays, and things put on a much more uniform basis than they were at present. Bank holidays, though not reduced, should be arranged to be held on more convenient days than at present. Special Maori representation in Parliament should be done away with. The inclusion of a Maori in the Cabinet was nothing more than a system of political bribery. The Legislative Council, he held, has, as a revising ■chamber. become a farce, and he thought, that the time had come for that chamber to bo elected directly on the popular franchise. He favoured a system of preferential voting instead of the present system of the second ballot. The present tendency of the Government was to take away the powers and responsibilities of local bodies and centralising local’government at Wellington, but he thought that the direct opposite should he done, and the Government foster instead of oppose these bodies in taking more interest in local matters. The compulsory military training scheme was supported by Mr Mackay, except, that the training should be discontinued when the youths reached the age of 21; ■:’ In reference to the defence of New Zealand on the sea, -he was strongly in favour of the establishing .of a small local navy on similar, but smaller, lines to that which botli Canada and Australia are setting up. Sir Joseph Ward's attitude on Imperial matters was briefly touched upon and adversely criticised. Industrial unrest was next dealt with, The candidate favoured the setting up of a Bureau of Information, and a working system of co-operation as a remedy ' for the industrial unrest at present-rampant, and the higu' cost of loviifg in the country. A system of superannuation against invalidity, unemployment, \ and. accident would be a great advantage to the workers, The Government had already : done a great. amount of good work by putting the . Old Age .Pensions,, Widows’ Pensions, and' the National Provident Fund Acts ■on the Statute Book, and' he thought that with' the co-oneration- of the Friendly Societies-a great deal morc-.cpuld be, done. He, dealt in a similar strain to bis Opera House speech with the land, native land,-and lands for settlement questions. A progressive Public W f orks programme was favoured by the i-candi-date. as was also the Premier’s land settlement scheme and Farmers’ Banks proposals. A great amount of good had been done Jjj. the Advances to Settlers and Advance’s to ■ Workers’ measures,. but-, he -thought, .that the .administration of there 'Departments could Be improved in the matter of .granting, the advances much more, speedily than" at present. Education:, was next dealt with. He was not. in.favour, of Bible-feading in schools, but ■thought that all children should receive Bible instruction, though not in the public schools. The system of technical.’ education should be taken up ’'seriously by the people, as although we would be an agricultural and pastoral 1 country-for some time, the rising generations must be fitted to-be able to compete with the other nations that are moving energetically in the. matter qf technical education. He favoured the sotting up of a Crown defender to defend criminals, on similar lines to the Crown ’ prosecutorat present .employed' in the country. He claimed. that his policy ..was progressive and,practicable, and if they agreed that it was and that he was ; capable.-of carrying out that programme: if elected, he.invited them to record'their ■■ votes in his favour.

Several questions were asked the candidate, who, in reply, said he was in favour of the prohibition of Asiatics,: principally Japanese and Chinese, from landing in New Zealand. He was notv in ' favour of State aid being given to any denominational school. A hearty vote of thanks to Mr-Mackay for his address' was proposed and carried by acclamation, a mmilar-compliment to the chair concluding a. very successful meeting. ■ SPEECH BY MB, GEO, FOWLDS. (Pet United Press Association.) . AUCKLAND;; October 31. Mr George Eowlds addressed the electors, of Grey Lynn to-night, .There was a large meeting and he received an excel-' lent reception. Mr Fowlds referred' to his resignation, which was caused principally by his desire to have a freer hand, and thereby give a fillip to the reform forces of the Dominion. If lie had believed that his resignation could, have, resulted in the- return of a majority of members willing to follow Mr Massey he should have felt it his duty to remain/where he was. After quoting figures, Mr Fowlds said he believed he, nad made out a convincing case for the first plank in his political platform, ; namely,, an increase of one penny in the pound on unimproved land values. If the Liberal, party is true to itself' it would abolish the absurdity of minority; rule on . the liquor question. As a private member he had always stood by. the democratic prinfciple of the bare majority.- As a Cabinet Minister ho was compelled to stand by the policy of the Government. He formerly acquiesced in the three-fifths majority without mud; protest, believing that it gave.; a certain amount of permanency to temperance reform when No-License was carried in any district. ; Another source;of degradation, almost as deadly as the. liquor traffic, was the existence of slums and insanitary dwellings. Immediate action ought, to be taken by all local authorities to ensure the elimination, as soon as possible, of any slum conditions which , had already developed in their districts and to prevent a recurrence of these..,conditions in the future. The adoption of proportional representation was recommended by the speaker, who then dealt with the Legislative Council and local government reform. In conclusion, Mr-Fowlds said:

“The people of New. Zealand have- a splendid opportunity to histice, and I call upon you to strike a blow for freedom ' and rise in your might and help to herald in the dawn of a new day of human emancipation. If .you respond your children’s children will rise up and call you blessed. You will earn the gratitude and blessing of the children of the slums and gutters of every land.”

MR. MASSEY AT ELTHAM. ' ELTHAM, October 31. The Leader of the Opposition addressed a public . meeting in tha , Eltham Town Hall last night,' about 800 being present, the, Mayor (Mr G . E.j JVake) presiding. Mr Massey, who received. .. an excellent, hearing, said the big question on polling day would be, Does the,, Government retain the confidence of the people? He was glad to 'say that, the whole of the Taranaki Province was represented by min on the Opposition side, arid it would continue to lie so represented. Opposition members offer honest and willing service, and ho believed the-time*was coming when men ofi greater-energy -and, ability thanthose'how in power’Wbtifd he' required to manage the affairs Of the 1 country. We could not go on piling up debt and increasing taxation as in the last few years, but would have to keep the expenditure much nearer our income than was at,present.t?he case, ’Referring to the Financial Statement, Mr Massey contended thaf.it showed no hint, of reducing taxation or the- cost of living. .There was no evidence of a lando.pnlicy, of reform of the . Legislative., Council, of -an improved method of; appointment to ; the public service, and of dealing with the dissatisfaction in the Railway service. It was an electioneering Budget, without any policy worthy of’ the name. He would only go .hack five years, since the time the present Minister took office. He dealt at length with- the unsatisfactory land system, and he criticised, the various Land Bills brought down by , the Government. Despite the immigration system, the arrivals scarcely balanced the departures, as ' settlers could not get access to the land now unoccupied. He supported Sir John , Fipdlay’s suggestion that the native,’ should he placed on the same footing in regard to their land. Hfc urged the'right to acquire the freehold, and an offer of security of tenure. He complained thal the Government did not exercise tin aiithority granted in regard to the purchase of land for settlement. The only farmer in the Ministry was the Hon. G. Buddo, and they did not give him- the portfolio of Minister of Lands, an he had repeatedly expressed himself in favour of the ’ freehold, so that Sir, Joseph Ward, who knew nothing about land, had tc hang on to that portfolio. Mr Massey adversely criticised the Mokau transaction, contending that every facility was given for speculation as against the ordinary settler. He held that anyone voting for the Government candidate would express approval of the Mokau transac-, tion. Mr Massey said he was not against borrowing, and admitted that thq, country had favourable assets, but, the indebtedness Was increasing at too great a rate. While the Government was , anxious that it-should do all the financing of the-coun-try, when New Zealand money could not 'be; invested in the country there mnst .be something , wrong. He complained that dc- - tails of the cost of loans could not be obtained. The people had a right to know how; the money was expended.'. He strongly urged reform of the Legislative Council, making, it an elective body on a proportional system. Though the public service was a good one, political influence prevailed, and New- /Zealand lagged behind other countries in this respect. Regarding public works, he favourfed something on the lines of the English Development Board, -without political influence or pressure. , The local government system was out of date. . Money voted for roads and bridges in any one year should- he snent in, that year. It was extraordiury' that the, increases to railwaymen had/heen made just on the eve of an*election. In objection to the functions of Parliament being,handed oyer to. Ministers, he quoted the proposals under the last Tariff Bill "giving <the Minister the power to decide whether articles were dutiable or not. Taxation had been incorased on articles required, in the dairying industry. The Minister of Public Works had the power to take away money voted, for certain work and spend it elsewhere. Salaries' fixed by any Act should not bo. altered, except:,by Act of Parliament... lncreasing, the payment , of Judges ..appointed, to’ Coni- . missions .was tampering'-with the- judicial bench. .He was proqd that ~Nqw ■ Zealand was the most Imperialistic Dominion, in the Empire, but he considered that Parliament should have been consulted about the Dreadnought, instead of the Ministry usurping the functions of the representatives of the people.. Ho detailed his •Family Home Protection Billj which, he hoped the .amounts- paid""to;the Government and,’ Opposition- papers ! fori advertisements,^and'

said the proper system would be to give advertisements according to the . news* paper’s circulation. He quoted criticisms of the Government by Messrs Ross, Graham, and Barclay, and urged the electors to vote, for the Reform candidate, at, the coming election. A vote of thanks to Mr Massey and confidence in the present member forvEgmont was carried. Mr Astbury, one of the candidates at last election; .desired to move an amendment, but .would not rise till the chairman proceeded to put the motion. x : . .

HON. T. MACKENZIE AT EUTHAM.

TLTHAM, October 31

The Hon. T. Mackenzie addressed a large attendance at the Town Hall toiiignt, the Mayor presiding. Regarding, the nigh Commissioner, he said his appointment had never been considered by the Cabinet. He believed it .better for some years at any rate to remain and help to build up the agricultural industry. He was reorganising the Department, and desired to extend it on certain channels. Replying to Mr Massey’s address of the previous evening, he described the leader of the Opposition as ’‘the Rxp Van Winkle of our Parliamentary institutions.” The Home Protection' Bill that; Mr Massey spoke of had been embodied in the Statute Book .16 years ago. but in a clearer and' more efficient form than Mr Massey proposed, and was now' the law of the land. Regarding the statements that the loan was a failure he contended that the Opposition members and the Opposition press did their best to make it so by doleful accounts sent to London, so that financial journals advised inventors to charge a higher rate of interest. He explained that a. large proportion of the public debt wasfinter-ast-earning. Mr Massey complained about the small amount spent on the purchase of estates. The Opposition papers .urged thalt more money should have been available for the various works.- If all the demands were acceded to, the debt would have been increased by four millions ■nore. The Oprosition supported every oan, were there to claim more than their ihare, and then condemned the Governnen.t for borrowing it. Borrowing conlucted on proper linos was a wise and food thing. Ho combated the argil-, nents about excessive taxation. Customs lutics had, been remitted on necessaries. Where duties had been put on was for the purpose of preferential tariff .with Britain. He- dealt at length with the land laws, expressing himself in favourif optional tenure. No Government had lone more for the settler than the present Government. He emphatically stated that he would noC have exterior asistanee in his election campaign. • He ./anted to be returned on his own merits, <,nd not wobble in on crutches lent by unie one else. He wanted a fair fight between the two candidates. .There were great problems to be considered, which reeded careful study. He referred to the possibility of opening Continental markets to New Zealand meat, the, strikes ■a England and to the Imperial Council (which must come). He complained about the time wasted in considering scandals unearthed during the recess, which proved only marcs’ nests. The Minister had an attentive hearing, and replied to mairv questions relative to policy and, administration. A vote of thanks was accorded co him.

THE TAUMARUNUI SEAT. Mr. Jennings at Wajtara. WAITARA, October 31. Mr IV. T. Jennings, Government candidate for Taumarunui, spoke last night and : defended the administration of the Parliament. He largely quoted figures to show that though the public debt had increased there, was a decreased burden on, the pebple in consequence of the money being spent in a greater proportion for’production purposes. Ho made a strong” appeal to Ms audience to vote against the Opposition for the reason that that party as a whole had endeavoured to block the passing of the AVaitara Harbour Board Bill four while the Government, on the other baud, helped the district to he freed of the New' Plymouth liability. A vote of thanks only was proposed, and was followed by an amendment of thanks.and confidence, the lat- • ter being carried by an overwhelmin'* majprity. B