THE ELECTIONS.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 243, 17 November 1914, Page 5

THE ELECTIONS.

(Continued from page 3.)

Joseph Ward, and he declined to endorse Any of them. In spite of the wishes of Sir Joseph Ward, the local Liberal and Labour " r Association had announced Dr Thacker as a candidate for Christchurch East. Though the association had brought Dr Thacker out he could not be accepted as an official candidate for Christchurch East. Sir Joseph Ward had told the speaker that Dr Thacker was not his official candidate—that the association select-.' ed him quite independently. He had said the same thing in an interview in The Sun. The local Liberal and Labour Association -could not claim in any sense t>f ,the warfl to speak or act on behalf of Labour. It was not right for men to meet together and claim, without qualification, to be representing Labour. It was , ... only a, candidate from an organised party \ /such as the Social-Democratic Party who. could claim to be a representative of Labour. (Applause.) ■ "' ■ : THE WAE. Eeferring to the war, Mr Hunter said . he believed Britain was fighting for democracy against the military despotism ■of Prussia. He was pleased to see the way in which the various parts of the Empire had sunk their grievances to fight shoulder to shoulder in the common cause. (Applause.) He believed that a bond, whether between nations or individuals, should be strictly adhered to. The Government, he thought, was wise to go on with the elections at this time,

and he wished they had been as wise in other directions. Especially was this the <jase in regard to the Post Office Savings Bank, where the Government helped to foster a panic by its actions. It was a time, he said, when .every inducement should be offered to the people to go on with theix business. He hoped the people would show that they were not only in favour of the elections going on, but were in favour of a change of Government, as was the case in Australia.

In regard to the electoral rolls Mr Hunter said he believed an honest attempt had been made to purge them and that the officers responsible had done their best to put everybody on the roll. He was prepared to give the Government a •Bquare deal, even if it would ndt give him a square deal. The only method possible of purging the rolls had been followed. It was a person's own fault if he was left oft" the roll. Rolls were available all over the' electorate for inspection, and electors could always be found to witness another's claims. More power should be given to local bodies by the central Government. Much of the work done by the Government in Wellington could better be done by the local bodies. He thought, in that connection, that it was a mistake to have abolished the provinces. Endeavours had been made in Christchurch to establish municipal markets, milk depots, etc., but they did not have the power to do it. This showed the ridiculous position of an important local body like the Christchurch City Council, when it wished to do something for the general advancement of the people. THE LABOUR PLATFORM. The Social-Democratic Party's platform, which he was pledged to support, was not the work of one man—it was the result of serious thought and the combined effort of the Labour leaders in New Zealand, He asked that the electors carefully consider the programme of the Party and compare it with the platforms of the other parties. In regard to the bare majority, it had been -decided by the conference of the Social-Democratic Party that all candidates in its behalf should support the bare majority issue on all questions, except those affecting •the conscience of the people. In matters of religion, a majority should not be permitted to coerce a minority. The Party, therefore, made an exception to the principle so far as the proposals of the Bible-in-State-Sehools League were concerned. Mr Massey was quite inconsistent in re--gard to the majority rule principle. Although he favoured majority rule in regard to religion, he did not favour it in respect to trades unions. The first plank of the platform which he supported was proportional representation, a scientific system which allowed of the expression of the political thought of the people in Parliament. At the present time the people were restricted in their political choice, and their political thought was not transferred into Parliament; Under proportional representation «aeh party received the representation to which it was entitled. The Labour Party did not wish for more representation than it was entitled to, and it did not believe in other

parties getting more than they were entitled to. THE COUNTRY QUOTA. The Social-Democratic Party asked for the initiative, whereby any 10 per cent, of the people could by petition have any State question submitted to the vote of the people. They advocated the referendum, the recall, and the abolition of the country quota. By the country quota an added 28 per cent, of voting power was given to the country electorates. That was totally unfair to the town districts. In the Bay of Islands electorate there were 5159 people who voted \at the last election, 5696 in Marsden, and 4992 in Kaipara, a total for the three electorates of 15,847. There were 19,886 people on the rolls of the districts and a total population of 36,222. He contrasted these electorates with Auckland East, Auckland Central, and Auckland West, where the figures were:—

The total number who voted in the three Auckland electorates quoted was 22,027, and the population 45,562. In the Bay of Islands, Marsden, and Kaipara the total votes were 15,847. The three country districts hfcd therefore 6180 votes over and above the strength they were entitled to. That, he considered, was a great injustice, and one that .should not be allowed to continue for long. (Applause.) In every three country electorates there was an average of 6000 votes more than the electorates were entitled to, as compared with the city electorates. CIVIL SERVANTS. Mr Hunter said *he was in favour of full civil rights for civil servants, and a 48-hour week for railway servants. He favoured superannuation being paid to the widows whose husbands would have been entitled to it. Casual railway workers should receive not less than 1/3 per hour. He favoured the abolition of the divisional barrier in the Eailway Department between the first and second divisions, and bo allow every man an opportunity to rise. He favoured the construction of all railway rolling stock in New Zealand. He recognised that if there was a serious shortage of rolling stock, it would have to be imported, but provision should be made to ensure a sufficient production in the future.

He favoured the removal of the political restrictions on women by permitting them to enter Parliament as members. The third plank in the platform was the principle of a six-hour day. He believed that if a majority of SocialDemocrats were elected to the House of .Parliament they would legislate along such lines as would make that possible before many years passed. OTHER MATTERS. He strongly criticised the actions of the merchants who made a profit out of the circumstances arising out of the war. He characterised them as pirates, and said they should have associated with them a skull and crossbones on a black ground. One merchant on whose word he could rely, had told him that if he had obeyed the dictates of the Merchants' Association he would have made an added £4OOO a month on his turnover. By the passing of the Labour Disputes Investigation • Act by the Massey Government, the trades unions were robbed of the right to strike if the workers thought fit. The SoeialDemocratic Party asked that that right be given. They also asked that provision be made for the making of Dominion awards. It was also asked that protection be given against bogus unions. He cited the Huntly disaster as the outcome of the existence of a bogus union. As far as the strike was concerned, Mr Hunter said he had been accused of many things, but he wished them to remember that a labour man could get no justice from the capitalistic Press. His only way to put his case was to go before the people and tell them. He had been accused of bringing the drivers out on strike. He explained the position he had taken up in regard to the matter, and said he had not influenced the men in the matter. It was utterly absurd to say a secretary could bring intelligent men out on strike on his own sweet will. He was certain the workers at this election would show by their votes their disapproval of the action of the Massey Government in backing the employers in the formation of bogus unions. When the Federation of Labour constitution was formed, the great care taken was to provide against strikes taking place. The secretary of the Employers' Federation (Mr Pryor) had told him that a fight would have to take place and that the sooner it came the better.

The Social-Democratic Party demanded direct taxation, the taxation of the large estates on a fair basis, and the removal of taxation from the necessaries of life. The general taxpayer had reaped no benefit from the raised capital value of land. Those increases had gone to the speculators. An increased graduated taxation on large estates would cheapen land and make it better and easier foT the farmers to work. Because of the defective taxation of land, the cheap money scheme of the Liberal "Government had been nullified. There should be no further alienation of Grown lands, and access to the land should be made possible for the workers. In the past the speculation in the leasehold goodwills of ■ Government sections proved moTe lucrative thari speculation in freehold. He | advocated free and secular education from the kindergarten to the university, with compulsory attendance in the primary grades. A*9tai,e steamship ;service should be started to compete in the inter-island ferry service and reduce the prices at present charged. The interests of the country as a whole demanded that a State Bank should bo established, and State insurance against accidents should be provided. Shorter hours should be fixed for women workers in factories, and he advocated the granting of the old-ago pension to men at 60 and women' at 50. Mr Hunter advocated the volunteer system as against the compulsory military training system. He hoped, he said, that the electors would seriously consider the platform he had put forward. . He guaranteed that if he were elected to Parliament he would do his best to carry out that programme. In answer to questions, the speaker said he was in favour of the abolition of the Upper House. He was opposed" to any interference with the present splendid system of election and would fight the proposals of the Bible-in-Schools League to the end. (Applause.) He favoured a feasible scheme for a canal being put before the people for their decision, but he did not think the electrification of the Lyttelton line and the duplication of the tunnel should be deferred. The payment of teachers on an attendance basis was unfair and ; unsatisfactory, and the sooner a more satisfactory scheme was adopted the better.

A motion of thanks and confidence was carried on a show of hands, without dissent.

Voted. Enrolled. Population East . .4'. . .. 6>975 9,4)46 15,195 Central ...... 7,633 10,712 15,214 West .. *. .7,419 8.787 15.214