MR. BENNETT AND LABOUR.

Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 283, 28 November 1919, Page 8

MR. BENNETT AND LABOUR.

CANDIDATE UNDER FIRE. BRISK MEETING. Many interruptions from Labour partisans characterised the meeting addressed by Mr. C. F. Bennett, Reform candidate lor. Auckland West, in the Paget Street Hall last night. Mr. Bennett began his speech by referring to ttie return of Mr. Lloyd George and M. Clemenceau to power with overwhelming majorities as the result of elections held since the armistice. "We are going to do the same in this country with stable government,-" lie declared. Mr. Bennett went on to say that JL Clemenceau's defeat of the extreme Socialist elements was evidence that sane democracy and sane labour were going to rule. This remark produced an uproar, and queries: " What about Belgium and Italy?*' " What about the British byelections?" A reference by the speaker to Messrs. Semple, Fraser and other Labour leaders brought forth a query, " What'll you bet they don't go in?" He proceeded ot quotte a number o£ utterances reported to have been made by Mr. Semple and others, which drew forth applause and ironical Temarks. j The candidate was interrupted a good deal while dealing with the wage question. He agreed that wages in -most i cases had not risen to meet the cost of 1 living.

The candidate went on to urge a better -understanding between masters and men and among all classes of the community. He dealt, with land settlement and the Government's homestead scheme. When lie stated that sufficient money had been placed on the Estimates to carry out a liig programme of arterial road improvement, someone asked, "Do you think you'll catch a vote that way?" and a second voice replied, "You won't be there, Mr. Bennett."

Mr. Bennett: AA'c're going back with a bigger majority. (Applause and dissent.) The Labour supporters came to the fore when " question time " arrived. One individual took up the epithet "extremist *' again, and asked whether reformers in all ages had not been so called. Mr. Bennett replied that probably fhis v.'as true, but cited Mr. Lloyd *>.*eorgo as a reformer who had been often called an extremist, but never a disloyalist. This remark brought a man with a pronounced north-country dialect to his feet, with the statement that Mr. Lloyd George had been hooted off platforms in the NorMi of England during the Boer War. and had been -called a dislo3 r - alist. " I saw it myself," he declared. "" I saw the house where he took refuge." Mr. Bennefct: Yon must have had glasses on. mv friend, when you saw that. At the close a vote of thanks and confidence was moved, also a no-confidence amendment. On a show of hands the former was declared carried by a lame majority, about 20 voting against it. As the meeting broke up, cheers, mingled v.it-i groans were given both for " extreme Labour" and for Mr. Massey.

MRS. BAUNIE AND LABOUR. HER ATTITUDE EXPLAIXED. In her speech at the Epsom Library last evening Mrs. Baume had something to say about her attitude towards moderate Labour and her opinion of the present official Labour party, partly in reply to comments made by her Labour opponent for the suffrages of Parnell. "1 have always been a friend of moderate Labour, and 1 think I am the first woman in Australasia who has ever taken a case in the Arbitration Court on behalf of a woman's union of workers. 1 went into the Court and fought their case for those girls 'because I felt they were not getting a fair deal. But because I am the friend of anything I think is right, and I wish to mention this 'because comment has been passed iby another candidate, I went also into the Arbitration Court against a body of workers because I felt they were not right. They were by what they wanted attempting to exploit a certain class of the community."

The candidate added: "I do support moderate and sane Labour, but I would not support extreme labour under any circumstances. I feel that the official Labour party, as it is termed to-day, is very very dangerous. If I were returned to the House I would refuse to go into the lobby with official Labour as constituted at the present time. And if I belonged to a party that went into the lobby with official Labour as it is at present constituted I would leave that party. (Applause.) Ido not speak of moderate Labour or of the great body of Labour in New Zealand. The majority of the workers of this Dominion do not sec eye to eye with the extreme in embers of the Labour party as represented by Messrs. Holland, Semple, and Fraser." (Renewed applause.) After reviewing some of the war utterances nd attitudes of the leaders of the official Labour party. Mrs. Baume remarked: "That extreme Labour which now says it was loyal ail the way through the war—did thai official Labour party ever condemn the sinking of the Ln. -tania, the murder of Captain I'ryatt, the murder of Nurse Cavell. and many other things T . on!d mention." (Hear, hear, and loud applause.)

THE KAIPARA SEAT. The Postmaster-General, the Hon. .1. G. Coates. addressed a large gathering of electors here. Mr. W. E. Johns occupied the chair. In answer to questions, the Minister stated that he was in favour of the Government taking over the construction of a main road through both islands by making special grants to local bodies for the -work. He was also in favour of cheapening the cost of telephones to the back-blocks settler. A vote of thanks and confidence was carried unanimously.

ABSENT SOLDIERS' VOTES. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, Thursday. Regulations as to the taking of votes of members of the New Zealand Expeditionary Forces for the purposes of the next general election and licensing poll are gazetted. They provide for the taking of the votes of members of any Expeditionary Force in New Zealand, members of New Zealand Expeditionary Force at sea, and soldiers in Samoa and Great Britain. , ....