POLITICAL.

Bush Advocate, Volume XXI, Issue 95, 20 October 1908, Page 3

POLITICAL.

PHEMiEK AT .PALMEHSTON

MOUTH

[PRKSS ASSOCIATION.] . PALJiKHSION, last night. Sir Joseph Ward "addressed a croAvded a^.cl.entliuiiustic meeting at the Opera House to-night; He. dealt at length with Mr Massey's recent address. ' The - AudiV Office gave the Ward Government a clean certificate for public accounts last year. Mr Massey said they were playing second fiddle to Australia in the mail service and no' oifo /who knew the facts would blame the JCevr Zealand tfovernmen t for. discontinuing the Frisco service.

He, himself,' wa.? dissatisfied with our

passenger and mail servige. He then dealt exhaustively wM^Mr Masses statements vifeai-d^a^e land poilcy.

As ifo tfie: latter' s suggestion of no taxation of mortgages, he stated that

under those Circumstances there be no l'eason why every man in the. country should not liave a mortgage. Regarding taxation, there was persistent misrepresentation and he emphatically stated that no increase of taxation had been placed on the statute book for many years. He denied the Government had proposed to spend half; a million for Parliamentary Buildings at Wellington.. The whole proposed cost of the erection of the Parliamentary Buildings on the Government House site, was £226.000 and the cost Irad been exaggerated by the Opposition. Government was anxious to be economical Bearding the "gag clause," it had ner,fcr tx?en intended to gag the press, but 'it was merely desired to prevent criticism which a candidate-, could not answer. .. He denied Mr Massey's statement that thousands of articles

for use in mining and. in agriculture

were now taxed that were free last —year. Regarding the complaints by Mr Allen that insufficient money was being spent on roads; and bridges, it was impossible to spend the amount voted till the end; of the year; Ib reference to the expenditure of public works he said it was proposed to spend £250,000 per annum in addition to what was being spent this year, which money would be devoted to roading the. backblocks. He then reviewed the work of tlie last two ses-

sions, saying..that a libera^ and progressive policy had 'been-, carried out in respect to- legislation. He referred at. length to the' r progress of

the post a*nd telegraph department, saying that -the development for the past 17 years had been like a romance. As to the dairy regulations,'

lie held the object was' to improve the quality. He referred to the tremendous strides made in the export of dairy produce during the past 17 years which was admittedly due to the Agricultural Department. The regulations would not come into force for enarly a year and dairy farmers would have ample opportunity to make suggestions. The regulations were in the best interests of dairymen. The maximum fees would be reduced with a maximum of 5s instead of 10s. He felt he could now appeal with v confidence Based on ai-ecord of good iiseful work and valuable reforms to a people neither ungrateful nor insensible to the work of Government, and show that the Government de sired to help^ them. After dealing with expenses of the Native Land Commission he* spoke of j the criticism o£ the advances to workers, denying that the Government op- ' posed applying the system to rural lands. He himself had suggested the Advances to Workers Act andnot Mr Massey as the tatter claimed.

He hoped the Jiew Arbitration Act would 'improve the relations of employed and employer as the law was now nearer the system of conciliation than ever before. Dealing with the .Government's legislation, he claimed that it was in advance of most countries'. The Government had dealt with some of the greatest and -most difficult problems affecting this ox any other country. Concludi rig, he • said Government wanted to make conditions freer and better for all, not to legislateHor one class against another. He advocated progress in liberalism, not "wild unconsidered license. :

At the close of the address a vote of thanlcs and confidence was carried, with only one dissenizeni rote.

To-night's meeting was Sir Josephsmaiden speech here. Th> meeting was much the greatest ever held on the West Coast. The Municipal-Opera House is one of the. largest in Australasia, yet it was packed to the doors in all parts and the big stage had to be cleared of scenery to accommodate the people, and even then hundreds were unable to gain admission and had to go away.

NEW PLYMOUTH, last night. Mr W. G. Maloiie, standing as a, supporter of .the Government, opened his campaign to-night to a large house. He expressed himself a strong "supporter of the. Ward Government, but while a strong friend, he would not be a slave. He claimed to be a strong -freeholder and opposed to native aristocracy in native lands which\shoulli all, except that required for the natives, Tbe sold and the interest paicl to the natives. He claimed that the administration of the Government could not be assailedon any point. He was accorded a vote of thanks. - /. ■[

DUNEDIN, last night

Mr J. T. Johnson, a. candidate for the Taieri. se'a-t, addressed the electors at Mosgiel to-night. The main plank of his platform was that the workers should have more facilities for righting their grievances tMn. existed at present. He/advocated an amendment of the industrial law so. as to enable "any worker, irrespective of a union, to claim the assistance of the Arbitration Court to regulate wages, laying down as" a -condition precedent that Paiiiament%iould provide legislation enacting a living 1 wage. In the event of an industry under exists ing conditions .being unable to pay that living wage, he suggested -the State should have power to either take over, the industry, or in part ■take it over with a stipulation that the minimum be a living Mage stipu-, lated by the Industrial. Court. He anounced. himself as a supporter of the present Grorernmoiiu. He was accorded a rote of thanks.

Mr E. H. Clark, "vvho -eo-irfcestecl the Waikouaiti seat at the last election, has decided to stand for the Port Chalmers seat against Mr E". G. Allen. Mr Clark will give general support to the policy of the present Government.

Mr W. Cox, Humffray street, Ballarat, Vie:, writes: — "I have been a great sufferer from rheumatism arid haying obtained the greatest relief by the use of Chamberlain's Pain Balm f I cannot speak too highly of it. Whenever I feel the rheumatic pains coming on, I give, the affected parts. a few applications and it always arrests the attack. I know several people who have used Chamberlain's Pain Balm, and they all speak in the highest praises of it." For sale everywhere. • " :