POLITICAL SOCIAL.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 255, 21 July 1908, Page 10

POLITICAL SOCIAL.

' 0 : PRESENTATION TO MR. W. M'LEAN,. SPEECH BY THE PREMIER. 'The New Contury Hall, Kent Tcrracu, was much too snjall to accommodate all tho people who tried to. pack themselves into it last evening. The occasion was a social gathering for. the presentation of a, .bound and illuminated address to Mr..W. M'Lean, who will contest -Wellington. East as the Ministerial candidate at the coming election. Mr. Harold lioauchamp presided; and with him on tho platform were the I'rimo Minister (Sir Joseph Ward), the Hon. A. : It. Guinness (Speaker of the House of Representatives), and several members of the Legislature). •. The Chairman said tho-gathering was assembled to .celebrate the splendid fight put up by Mr. M'Lean agaii:st Mr.. Aitkcn at the last general 'electioii. Mr. M'Lean intended to stand again at the election at tho end of tho present year. Ho contested tho Thorndon seat against Dr., Newman iu 1887, and canio 'within'3oo votes' of his successful opponent. In 1892 he. was chosen, by the Balianco Government to; stand in succession to Mr, Kennedy Macdouald, and after' ono of the severest election fights over fought in this country he was elected by a majority of 150 votes. They all remembered tile great fight of the last general election; when Mr. M'Lean was beaten by a very few votes by Mr. Aitken. (Applause.) His'popularity was again shown by the 1585 signatures to tho address which the Prima Minister was about to present. (Applause.) THE PREMIER'S SPEECH. • The Prime Minister (Sir 1 Joseph Ward), who was received with much applause, saia that the Chairman's remarks had vividly recalled: to his mind the events of the year, ISB7, when he (the Premier) was among the ' now members' returned" to Parliament, He well recollected those stirring days. It would bo .within the memory of many that the Lib- ■ . erals then had to fight a revolutionary .fight to change the system' of taxation, which had been levied in the interests of the few, and against those of the many. Mr. M'Lean'a splendid fight at that time' marked him as ono who ' deserved the people's confidence. His record subsequently in the House was' that of a man who was on the side, of tho ■ public good.' He' would probably have topped thi> poll last time had ; it not been for . an orroncouS' notion that got abroad as , to his prospects. (Applause.) After referring to the condition of the : country and the welcome to be accorded to the American. Fleet,., as reported elsewhere, : the Prime Minister went on to say that he. did not agree .with all Mr. M'Lean's views, and probably Mr. M'Lean did not agree with all ot his, but .if everybody were of tho same opinion, there'would bo comparatively little incentive to emulation, and a state of political: stagnation, would ensue. So long as they were working, not in tho intorests of any one class, but of every class, and seeking t0.... provide employment for the people, and checking the operations of. monopolies, they : . would be doing their duty by the country. Finally, Sir Joseph, in presenting the ad- . dress to Mr. M'Lean, expressed hearty wishes for his success in the coming election, ' ' and'asked them to recollect that Mr. M'Lean ! ' with his best effort's . could not please all the thousands of _ critics whose eyes would ba.upon him. So many people iii Wellington, East had represented, to him (tho speaker) that they desired to have Mr. M'Lean . as their member; that' ho'could only say that £ anything the Government, could fairly dp to assist his candidature would be done. (Applause.) " .' Having presented the address, the Premier left to'fulfil another engagement; .i; • . OTHER SPEECHES. Tha Hon; A. R; Guinness\(Speaker of the' ' House of Representatives) expressed ■' high opinions .of . Mr. M'Lean, .and A sketched his iareer asi a prominent participator in, local ;overnment' ■on the . West Coast before! he • iamo to Wellington. .He was sure that Sir.• . McLean would be found among' true Liberals seeking- havo 'taxation -adjusted, : so as to 30 borno chiefly by those best able-to pay, ind endeavouring to secure proper romunexa- . aon for the workers and proper hours of abour./ (Applause.) They, wanted to get Liberal' members for -all the, seats in and . ibout Wellington, and he hoped they would «>rk energetically to .secure the return 'of \lr. M'Lean.; (Applause.) . . ' Mr. A'. W. Hogg, M.P., gave some reminscences of political life with Mr.-M'Lean. •The Hon. G. Jones, M.L.CA tho--Hon.'J. Marshall, M.L.C., and Mr. C. H. Izard, M.P., ilso made congratulatory speeches. ; " MR. M'LEAN'S REPLY. Mr. M'Lean, in the courso of his reply, idmitted that be did.not agree with tho Govirnment in everything. /He was strongly of! ■ too opinion that not'va;' .moro' of . -he land .of the Dominion should be sold. The. lon. Dr. Findlay 1 touched the T<x>t of th*' 1 iresent economic-troubles'recently wh<fn lie aid,"that the land question' was at the bottom of,it all. .From all round the world symlathy went out to the men who were strug- ' " ;ling'fqr better.conditions of labour. Nothing .- i .•ould secure justico for them 'except equal pportun-ities ■of access to the land of thia • nd every country. (Applause.). Mr. M'Lean' •Iso on - the importance of keeping ho Arbitration Act in operation,' declaring hat it _would be ,a bad. day for tho women ' nd children when it was rubbed off the ' tatute B90I: In conclusion, he stated that . • e had never felt better fitted to tako tho old than ho felt at present, strengthened as 0 was'by his confidence in tho justice of the ause. (Applause.) Tho speeches were interspersed with a ,num- " er of . musical, items, and at the conclusion 10 floor was cleared for dancingl