DUNEDIN CENTRAL.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVI, Issue 19, 22 January 1915, Page 2

DUNEDIN CENTRAL.

. THE NEW ELECTION. SPEECH BY MR MUNRO. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) DUNEDIN, Thursday. A political address was delivered to a laTge meeting -of electors of Dunedin Centra] to-night by Air J. \V. Munro, the I Labour candidate, who is again standing | for election for that seat, against Mr C. E. Stacham, tlie Reform candidate. I Mr Munro, in referring bo the events ] following the general election, said that victory had been snatched from him, j but that it would have the effect of; arousing all the forces of Labour and democracy to activity.' As-to his being .described.as a "Red Fed," when he re.-' ceived a definition of the title he would be prepared to meet ..the statements. He emphatically denied that he bad ever said -that if he had his way he would pull down the Union Jack and hoist "the red flag of socialism." Ho aliK) denied that he was an atheist, and stated that his politics were taken from the Bible. .The present Government supported vested interests, and it was prepared to stand by the forces that were exploiting the people. The war had not increased the productive cost of wheat or sugar, or meat, but tie people who controlled markets had seen, their chance, and raised the .price,, knowing that they had a Government in power who would protect them. Parliament had handed over the power to the Government to' protect the people in a crisis, but the Government had not tihe backbone to carry out that power. The. Government was weak, and there were people who wore taking toll from the people to their heart's content. The speaker revived the question of the Huntly strike, and said that Mr Massey had not punished those who were responsible for the recent disaster. j The Labour men were prepared at present to stand by the Liberals, in order to secure a stable Government- He j recognised that during the war they could' not look for much advanced legis-1 lation. The workers had accepted a suspension of the Arbitration Act,, and farmers should also make a sacrifice, instead of exploiting' the people. As to the legal technicality by which he hsd lost the seat, he contended that the Government ihad "the power to rectify that technicality. If clause 237 of the Legislature Act did not give the Government power, through an Ordcr-in-Council, to rectify that matter, then he did not know why it was there. It might be sirid that the speaker could not expect his political opponents "to give him tibc seat if they could help it, but did not his opponents claim to be "sports" and "square dealers?" Had the speaker been in Mr Mnssey's p]ncc he would have taken the responsibility of acting on clause 237, and then the people would have acclaimed him an honourable politician.

After a number of questions had been answered tibe following motion wins carried: —"That this mooting extends its sincere sympathy to Mr Munro in being deprived of his position as member for the constituency, and pledges itself to do its utmost to secure his return for the second time."