THE COMING ELECTIONS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 203, 25 August 1908, Page 3

THE COMING ELECTIONS.

OHINEMURI. if! -J(By Telegraph.—Own Correspondent.) WAIHI, Monday. . 'Mr.H. J. Armstrong, Labour candi- ; date for Ohinemuri, gay e His initial ad- : dress in the Miners' Union' Hall on . Saturday night, the Mayor ; (Mr. J. Newth) presiding. The speaker denied i that he was the nominee of the Socialist party, and maintained that, he had come • out as a I/abour candidate at the request i- of a number of his fellow workers. He , did not favour a third party in the • House. Generally he would be a supporter of the Government, but would , vote against any bill especially appertaining to mining if he considered it was . against the best interests of the workers. He maintained t-li.it the provisions of the Arbitration Amendment Bill were ; quite sufficient to give ample demonstration to workers of the necessity of being directly represented in Parliament. He - dealt severely with the penalty clauses, and' held that there were special occasions when there was'no other course open but to strike. Arbitration was going to be forced on, arid he believed that they would get on without strikes, but it was" only right that they should ask for statutory and unconditional preference to unionists. Mr. Armstrong next directed attention to local mining , conditions, and expressed himself strongly opposed to the unreasonable consolidation of leases. He also protested against mining areas, being, locked up, held on protection, and used in conjnection with sharematket operations. He j also dealt with residence areas, and allegjed that, . owing to absentees holding i ground for speculation purposes, it was j now a most difficult matter to procure a section except on the outskirts.' It was never the intention' of the Act to allow this sort of thing, and the same remarks, applied to business site sections. He I considered the practice as equal to obj turning money under false pretences, and { yet they wondered .why the cost of living was so high, when they were paying high rents to absentee landlords. He advo* cated placing a royalty on gold to assist sick miners. In dealing with the temperature of mines, lie held that the law should define as hot places all in which the temperature exceeded 80 degrees. He ' opposed freehold land tenure, and favoured abolition of. the sale of Crown lands. Ho was opposed to Bible reading in schools, and favoured the referendum <-n ' the liquor question; at the same time he considered the bare majority should rule. The speaker at the conclusion of his speech was accorded a vote of thanks ; and confidence.