POLITICAL NOTES.

Bush Advocate, Volume XXIII, Issue 281, 6 December 1911, Page 2

POLITICAL NOTES.

11l the course of a leading article, 0 1 Mr Massov -and his party tho Auckland Star says:—"ln Hawkc s Bay, which Mr 'Massey's supporters rightlv regard as cue of their strongholds," three and a quarter million acres are held by Jess than 5000 persons; and of this huge, area over 40 pen- ce,nt. is still .absolutely innimproved. Only 360,000 acres have been ploughed, only 1,400,000 acres have ■been" sowed, out of all that vast expanse. But Uli" Massey can see no' hindrance to settlement in the system which the groat landlords uphold. In New Zealand to-day 24,000,000 acres are 'held by seven peacent, of the .people, -and are. not put to .'anything .appro-aching their most profitable use. Yet Mr Massey has, no eves far these things; he can see* onh' two or three million acres of native laud still left to the Maoris, and he will- not bo satisfied till that, too, is divided up among the big laiudownons. It is a pitiable business altogether, as the people are beginning to find out. But they are finding out M" Massey as well, and if any politicians in % this country have to fear the 'reaction' and the 'turn of the. tide' of which the 'Reformers' talk so loudly, they are certainly not the ■men who. for' the last twenty years have worked with a single eye totho. country's welfare, and have striven-,. £'o consistently 'and suceossifully to promote 'the'greatest good of the greatest possible number.' " Iu a. .recent speech at Auckland tho Hon. G. Fowlds ridiculed Mr Massey'.s statement made in Napier to th<-» effect that the Labor audi Reform, parties might very well join, .hands in a coalition. "Just fancy," said Mr Fowlds, "the condition of the Reform party in. Napier, the 'J-lomo o.f the Twelve Apostles' of New Zealand, where they had to withdraw the Reform candidate and leave the field to be decided between Liberal 1 and Labor candidates." Mo had lieew asked, lie said, by some people, howit was he bothered about defending the Ward Government? The reason, was that he. had a. sufficient sense of fair play to prevent him from allowing charges that had been made against the Ward Administration., which he knew to lie without foundation, to pass without refutation. At the last general 1 election there, were three candidates for the Awarua. sat. Sir Joseph AVa.rd. YV. Morris, and A. Snowball. There were 4500 votiw .recorded, the Premier scoring :KW6 of their himself. In Wiii'ton, where Mr Massey's famous packed meeting was held the other day, Sir Joseph polled more than: three times a.s many as his principal opponent. Colonel Bell, Opposition candidate for Raglan-, says that if ho had bis ■way the Mouse of Lords in the Old. Country would bo wiped out. Me hoped and believed: that in a .short time, the monarchy 'would go. and •that we would live under a Repulilic.—Nice «ort of Sentiments to be i expressed by a Colonel. "\Ye__ai\o 1 .much: inclined to think that if he I should ever enter Parliament and. ) .reiterated these views he would ex- ) perienco a, very unpleasant time.