CHRISTCHURCH SOUTH.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18517, 20 October 1925, Page 11

CHRISTCHURCH SOUTH.

MR E. J. HOWARD. Mr E. J. Howard addressed a iargo meeting: in the. Somerfield s lrc^ T School last evening. He dcait ivitn two planks in. the Partv's platformState Shipmng and "Workers' Compensation. Mr Howard was accorded a unanimous vote of continued confidence. MR ELI/S MEETINGS. Mr H. G. El' addressed two me-etmgs last night At ihe comer of Barne ctrret' and Crescent avenue- he spoke to a fmall, audience, and at 8 o'clock ho. s.poke to about 50 people at the corner of Stewart street and Asaph street.'. .He received a good hearing a., both meetmsc-. KAIAPOI. MR BUDDO'S CANDIDATURE. Mr Buddo, Nationalist canrlidat<\ addressed the electors r.t. A\oodend on. Friday evening. There -wae a S°o attendance. Ou the motion of 0 ~ laud, a vote of thanks and conhdenco ill Mr Buddo was carried unanimously. At Arlesburv, on Saturday evening. Mr Buddo had a. g<v>d attendance and received a. vote of thanks on tho motion of Mr French. At Halkett the same evening Mr Buddo addressed a good meeting. Mr Boper was in chair. On- tbe motion of Mr Cwder. a r.-ote of thanks wa.r, passed to tho speaker. A motion, "That this meeting -is of opinion thati a strong National Party be formed from t-h& wo principal Partiec" was also carried unanimously. The number of name? on the new Kaiapoi electoral roll is 8604, as against. 8241 on the. I££?2 roll, an increase of 363. ELLESMERE. MEETING AT LITTLE RIVER. A meeting of the supporters of Mr David Jones, Keform candidate tor Ellesmere, was held in the Coronation Library, Little Uiver, on Saturday afternoon and was well _ attended de>pite tho fact that shearing is m full swing in tli6 district. Mr J. H. Buchanan presided a.nd tho Hon. Sir Heaton Rhodes addressed the meeting on the Reform Party's policy. _ Committees were set up to assist in thei return of Mr Jones and arrangements were mad© for Mr Jones to address meetings in different parts of the Little River district early next week. MR CONNOLLY'S MEETINGS. On Friday evening, at Erookside, Mr J. Connolly,- Nationalist candidate tor Ellesmere, had a good meeting, MiBrookes- presiding. A vote of thanks ivas passed to the candidate. Later ill the same evening Mr Connolly addressed the largest meeting held at. Doyleston for many years. Ho was accorded an excellent hearing and received a vote of thanks. Mr O. Rennie was in the chair. On Saturday evening Mr Connolly rddressed a wellattended meeting at Irwell, Mr JBrookes presiding. On the motion of Mr Heslop,'. seconded by Mr Itawle, a> vote of thanks was passed to the candidate for his able and - instructive address. ' Later in tho same evening about 60 persons assembled at Ellesmere to' hear Mr Connolly. Mr Mitchell, chairman of the School Committee, presided. Mr Connolly's address was well received, and, on the motion of Mr Mallet, seconded by Mr Reesby, a vot© of thanks was accorded' liim. LABOUR LEADER. A .SPEECH-AT AUCKLAND. (MESS ASBOCIA-TlOtf TELIGJUH.) AUCKLAND. October 19. Replying to tho Prime Minister at Auckland this evening, the Leader ot the Labour Party, Mr H. E. Holland, made reference to tho shipping trouble. He said that tho Labour Party's programme provided for a State Line of shipping, which would carry ou r own produce to the overseas markets, and ply around the New Zealand coasts, ivith a guarantee of continuity of service, and iv itli living wages and standards of decency - for tho men employed. All the ships of tho United Kingdom trading to New' Zealand and Australia were part of the world's greatest shipping combine/ the Inchcape combine, into which it was now", being attempted to bring the Conti-nental-steamship. lines. A Glasgow paper had recently declared that New Zealand trado was altogether in the hands of this combine, and "The Economist," of July !Bth, had shown that, after paying' iebenturo interest, the profits of the ponibine were nearly £6,000,000, or an increase of about £798,000 over 1924. rhese wore the shipowners, who, be--ause had been forced, down in Grermanyj' took their ships to that, country for repairs. The combine showed no consideration whatever for the interests of New Zealand. It was "lear that they, wanted the. trouble to 3ventuate and finalise in theso waters rheir refusal to. entertain proposals for the payment by exporters of the £1 r. month in dispute was proof positi/o , this. They could have got. their ■-hips away without additional cost, to themselves, but they prefeired to lose enormously moro than the amount involved ill the wages dispute, and at th& ' am « timo to inflict loss on New Zeaand. j The Wi'ges sheet of the ships constituted a shocking record, a-, between ] May Ist, 1921, and May, 1925, wages ivore reduced bv £5 100 per man per month, notwithstanding that the cost >f living in the United Kingdom had fiotr fallen. In September of 1924 an. increase of £1 «, month was conceded, caving tho wages £4 10s a month less than in 1921. The reduction of £1 ;vhich led to tho present trouble, was claimed by the shipowners on the plea, e increase was granted on G assumption that trade wouid in- „ " sra g <? s now offered stood no " i" s I,er or firemen, 0s ', d for sailors, and £1 17s 3d for stewards. _ That was a wrge on' which to one, either in New Zealand or in Uritsin, could maint-ain a family. New Zealand's Interest-,' , Coates had said that was one of fh»v things that did not concern New Zealand. Ho (Mr Holland) contended -hat it was of intense concern to every ntizen of New Zealand thrt. little children should not suffer want and hun;er while their fathers were fully employed. All through Mr C'oates's rcterences to .the shipping trouble -he had :arefully covered up the scandal of the low wages. if Mr Coates himself vere asked to work for such an amount bo would strike in double Quick tinw. , I s c ' e gaiH, phraseology', ho woulo hop out" and wculd j»ossibly f tho boat" in the process. t ~° ate? v - as now suggesting that, the Laboiu- Party ought to have ordered the British seamen to "hop aboard their boats and get to sea again," but if he really believed the Labour Party bad the influence which he now' credit.

cd them vith, uhv had he no< been courteous enough to invito himself •, Mr •Holland) as Leader of the Labour Party, to participate in the conferences which took plaeo between the Premier and tho seamen. Mr Coates preferred to meet them alone. Again.why did Mr Coatcs refuse to give Parliament an opportunity to endeavour to bring about a settlement of the trouble. Tho Prime Minister had apparently brought no pressure -whatove.r to' bear upon the shipping torn-! bine, Ail his efforts had been directed towards tho seamen. The trouble really belonged to Britain, a-nd if the. combine had had any consideration for the people of this country, the dispute would never baVo been allotred to materialise here. He wa;:- willing, and always had been, to act- as an intermediary, He wanted to see the trouble fettled as' speedily as possible, but there w'a's only one way to" prevent similar trouble, and that was for the Dominion to ha~"e its own line- of iisamers.. Wage Reduction Btory. Mr Holland referred to the Frimo Minister's denial that, any tvago reduction was contemplated. Ho yaid thai - v !r Coatee's repudiation of the suggeftion contained in the report of tho l)epartmenl of Labour, .for a wage reduction to provido family allowances, might load the less thoughtful to infer that- a Minister wa.> obliged to accept liis secretary's report without questioning its contents. However, it v. as common knowledge that before a, Departmrnijal report was presented to tho House, its contents ■poro-dis-cussed by Ministers with the Permanent head of the. Department-, and that, the Minister finally approved the document. It wa,~. somewhat ludicrous to find the Government endeavouring to tak-3 shelter behind the Secretary for Labour. Hs (Mr Holland) had not the slightest, hesitation in asserting that the proposal to reduce wages as outlined in the report was wholly approved by tho Minister, who presented the report. - to the House. In any case there was no tiling new in wage reductions emanating from Government sources. The sweeping wage reductions of the past, si da by side with tax reduction to tho wealthy, was proof of the Government's inclination. Furthermore, Mr Coates had significantly qualified his protestation that no reductions would be made. He bad added "except in times of stress and depression, and after the Arbitration Court and Parliament decide that it should be done.'' This meant that it only needed a Reform majority in the House, and tho machinery of the Court, would bo set in motion, an in tho past, to effect the reduction without making it appear that any promise had been broken. The only real guarantee against wage reductions was the defeat of the present Government. HE. EXPECTED IT. MR BOLLARD AND THE MINERS. (press association- telegram.) HAMILTON, October 19. At Pukemiro the Hon.' R. F. Bollard was bitterly attacked by the local secretary of tho Miners'' Union who, after the candidate's address, moved: "That, we haive no confidence in the Tory Government and in Mr Bollard as a member." Warming up he asked-: "Who could vote for the Government? It is murdering thousands and millions of men, women, and children. To hell with, them I I would shoot them and him ! J ' After some turmoil the motion of lack of confidence in, th& Government and tho member was declared carried. Mr. Bollard : I thank you for listening to my address. As for the motion passed, it is what I expected from such bitter opponents of tho Government, which believes in free speech, liberty, and law and order. (Applause.) ' Tho meeting, -with the. exception of threo or four women., was composed exclusively of miners. TO-DAY'S MEETINGS. CHBISI'CHUKCH XORT&—-Mr 'F. R. Cooke, coiner of Bealoy avenue and Madrns street, to-night.. l AVON.—Mr D. Or. Sullivan, ■ Pier Hall, New Brighton, to-night. Mi- \V. E. Leadlev, Xorih -Linwood School, 8 p.m. LYTTEIiTO^v—Mr* M. E. liyons, Pigeon Bay, to-night. Mi- J. . Mr.-Oorcbs, Little. Akaloa, to-night. CHItISTCiIUROH EAST—Mr D. P. Dennehy, "VValthqjn School, to-night. Mv H.. T. Armstrong, Sydenham Football Club Hall, 8 p.m. I KAIAPOI —Mr Buddo, Southbrook Hall, 8' p.m., Mr C. Morgan 'Williams, Ouruhia, 1 p.m.; Marshland Hall, 8 p.m. Mi- W. Brock,' WaLkiiku Hall, 7.15 p.m.; Woodend Hall, 8.15 p.m. CHRISTCHURCH SOUTH—H. G. Ell, corner Baretta, and Dunne streets, 7 p.m.; Church square, Addington, 8 p.m. Mr JO. J. Howard. Lytton and Milton streets, 7 p.m.; Barrio street and Crescent road, 8 p.m. . KURUNUI —Mr' J. G. Armstrong, Annat Hall, 7 p.m.; Springfield Hal l , 7.30 p.m. Mr .G. VT. Forbes, M.l V,' Cooper's Creek School, G. 30 p.m.; View Hill School, 5.30 p.m. IUCCARTON —Mr H. S. S. Kvlo, Sodcburn, to-nighr-Mr. A. E. Langdale Hunt, Rolleston, 7 p.m.; Temp'eton, 8.30 p.m. Mr - W. Cole, Halswell, to-night; Town Hall. Rircarton, S p.m.. , , ELLESMERE—Mr 1). Jones, ■ Motuicarara Hall, 8 p.m. Mr J. Connolly, Eo'lcston and Terupleton, to night.