THE ELECTIONS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 337, 26 October 1908, Page 8

THE ELECTIONS.

NEWS AND NOTES. CANDIDATES AND THEIR SPEECHES, j The general elections take.place to-morrow three weeks. Owing to.the shortness,of the period, it will take some 'bf the country candidates all their time ft) get round their electorates. Candidates' for tho ' Wellington Suburbs seat are likely to sympathise ■ heartily with those' contesting; unwieldy country electorates, as they find all . their time occu-: pied. in traversing the townships between Tawa Flat to ' the north aid Sea- ; toun, to . tho • south. Hard is the lot -of Mr. R. <B. Williams, the Oppo-: sition-. candidate for the Suburbs, who do?a not arrive from England until Wednesday next,, and he will thus have less than three weeks in which to get, round the big straggling electorate. 'Some old political warriors calculate that it is the fortnight/before'the election that counts.

An Opposition Programme. - Speaking at Temuka, Sir. Jeffries a candidate for the Geraddine seat, stated that he had Mr. Massey's authority to state the Opposition's policy as follows:— ' , (1) Restoration df parliamentary control of the public finance. (2). Establishment of a Civil Service Board.. (3) Establishment of sound local finance, to ensure equitable distribution of public money. ' ' , ■ ■ . (4) Setting Crown lands on the optional system and giving tenants power to acquire the freehold.., . (5) , Settlement of the Native land question by ihdividualisation of Native titles, reserving land sufficient for Natives. (6) Maintenance and improvement of the national system of education!. (7) Reduction of duties on the necessaries of life. (8) Reform of the system of carrying on public works. . ~ (9) Encouraging suitable immigrants./. (10) Amendments of 'the Arbitration Act .to provide a deterrent against strikes, or to, provide a simple means of conciliation. (11) Encouragement of private enterprise. (12) Opposition to Socialistic tendencies. ; (13) Supporting the candidature of honour-' able and capable men, to ensure purity of administration. ' ' '. ■ Discreditable Tactics. A recent example of the kind of misrepresentation that tods favour with a certain class of Ministerial journal requires some notice'. On Thursday last'our morning contemporary endeavoured to deceive the public into believing that the imports into New Zealand had increased by 200 per cent, between 1900 and 1907—a period of seven .years. It said in an editorial: — "The imports' have grown in this ,way Yean ■■ Value imports. . "1900 ' ... 5,928,895 - 1907 ... . ... ... . ...16,539,707 ' ' showing that while imports increased 200 •, per cent, the revenue received from these : imports advanced' only 224 per cent." We pointed out on Friday that the imports . in 1900 were valued at £10,646,096, while ' those in 1907 were 'valued at £17,302,861, and we pointed out also that the increase in.imports between 1900 arid 1907.' was about ■ 63 per cent.—not 200 per cent, as, asserted. Anyone can work this out for himself./ On Saturday our contemporary referred to our criticism thus:— ' • 'i ' "A contemporary that . is always anxious to rush in and contradict state-' . nients of fact says that the imports to New Zealand referred to in'our issue of. yesterday do not disclose an increase of 200 per cent.; that we aro 'wrong,' and the' increase is only 63 per cent.. Very j well. Here aTe the figures again:— ... Imports to N.Z. ' ,'u..' ' /:>■.u •'exclusive'of!!specie.:i ' -■ ' : ■ • -. £ . 1890:.. .... 5,928,895 ; 1907 ... ... .... ' 16,539,707" We would direct our readers'attention to the<two extracts given above. Our.'contemporary having been exposed , in its misrepresentation aggravates its offence by. substitu r ting a; fresh table, under-the pretence .that it is the original table quoted, changing the, year from "1900". to .'-'lß9o'-—making the period oyer which the increase occurred .17 years, instead of 7—and changing'the heading from "Value imports" to "Imports to. N.Z., exclusive of-specie." And it calmly, says: "Here, are the figures again',' 1 Possibly the. Ministerial journal is not aware that a very harsh term is applied to this sort of thing, even in politics. The Prime Minister's Predictions. Speaking at Featherston on Thursday night' with reference to the Prime Minister's pre- , diction that the present, cloud of financial depression would be cleared away in December next; Mr. W. C. Buchanan said that he with others in the country would feel very gratified if such'happened to be' the case. Sir Joseph Ward should know what he was talk' ing about, but it was unfortunate that in a previous financial prediction'(whence stated that, the .'fringe, of ; the American financial panic would not touch.New Zealand) he was afterwards shown to-have been right off the track. ■ At present, it certainly' looked' as if; the Prime Minister was a little .too previous in his latter prediction. Everybody knew how things were financially at present in"the. Dominion. Money was 2 per cent, higher, and almost unprocurable.' Financial authorities, which included the-maiiaging director of the Bank of New Zealand, had stated that the stringency might last for another twelve months, and advised a policy of "go slow.?' The .Opposition had said the same thing and had been-acoused of-crying "Stinking fish." Would it not have been better for Sir Joseph in the first place, to have made the position quite clear to the people of New Zealand as had been, done' by .other'financial authorities .' instead of.buoying them up with false.hopes? (Applause.).. . :, . . • "The Government Should Ease Up." t "We have eveiry sympathy with the buoyancy of spirit or prevailing optimism of Sir Joseph Ward," remarks a West Coast paper, "because • we have ■ every faith in the . genius and honesty of the people of this highly-favoured land,'but we cannot shut out the reflection of the most ordinary pru-. dence that the time has at -length arrived when the Government : should ease up on their ingeniouisly-enlarged system of borrowing.' Are the people of the. Dominion never to depend upon their own unaided honest efforts?" ' Electrical. Election matters are dull enough in some constituencies, but in Westland, where Mr. Tom Seddon is encountering the opposition of Mr. Michel, tho political atmospnere is electrical. Morning, noon, and night, writes a Kumara correspondent, the solo topic of conversation is the election. "It is the first salute in the morning, the last farewell at night. During tho day it engrosses moro attention than business and pleasure; and all other topics combined. Stroll down the town. at any; time, and everyone you meet is infected more or less the same way. , One cannot engage in a conversation on any subject , for ten minutes at a time without tho election being intruded. It is tho fruitful source of endless talk, leading here and -there to'heated argument and occasionally to personalities, and even further." HOw History Is Made. Some really astounding things are being said by some of the Ministerial candidates. For example, Mr. Astbury, a Government candidate for the'Egmont seat, 1 speaking a? Eltham last week, referred to tlio Second Ballot Bill as a "wise and democratic'proposal I" That was surprising enough, but Mr. Astbury went on to say that "the attempt to stop free ' speech, which was frustrated by the Legislative Council,' was regrettable." Which was frustrated by the Legislative Council! And Mr: Astbury reckons himself qualified to assist in tho government of the country. Is It Worth It? ' . -Another delightful reason wh'v he should be re-elected was put forward by.. Mr.

Major at 'Hawera last week. "The country," he said, "had spent six times £300 oil his political- education, and he learned ■more last year than in any threo' years before. He now asked them to return him again," Selwyn. Intense surprise was expressed • at Mr. Hardy's meeting at Methven when it was announced that Sir. Dickie, the Government candidate intended to retire from the contest. Mr."Hardy"has now no opponent. State Socialism. The Socialism of the Cathedral Square Socialists does not ,alarm Mr. Maslin (Opposition, .candidate for-. Ashburton), but he recognises a great danger to the country in the Socialism or the present Government. The Minister for Education was the greatest land and Dr. Findlay, an advanced Socialist. 1 The buying ,up of land by the. State was a system of slow land nationalising that.qnly needed to go on long enough to cover the whole country. The Government'had also gone into the wine business, and had spent thousands in proving that wine, could be made from grapes. Why not add brewing and whisky making? They had also 7 State -cows,, and from the cows they got milk which they- sold at a loss of some thousands. They .had State sheep .and pigs, and made State pork,, and lost on that, too. Was not' all this "State Socialism ? Mr. M'Nab had been-asked for a return of .all the receipts- and expenditure, but tho Minister did not give the returns* Mr, A. r L. Herdhian. Mr. A. L. Herdman, Opposition candidate for Wellington North, who some six weeks ago gave an'-interesting pre-election speech in. the Town Hall, is to deliver an electio:: address' at the Sydney Street Schoolroom to-morrow .evening, in which he will deal especially with the question of Civil Service control.- ----- • The Cray Lynn Mystery. So much' has been written lately concerning the mysterious "campaign of calumny being waged against .the Hon. G. Fowlds in the. Grey Lynn electorate that .the public has been very greatly alarmed. A few impulsive newspapers have used their most passionate pens against the vague "calumnies," under the impression, that Mr. Fowlds'.was'.being charged with fearful offences:'.'The'terrible'"campaign of calumny" turns out' to J be merely some gentle criticism of the Minister. '-In Lis speech on Wednesday /last .the. only "calumnies". referred to by the Minister were—first, tho rumour that his colleagues are not very fond of him; and, second, the statement, which is a true statement, that his Department ordered that a 'rather 'drastic punishment should be applied to some girls in Te Oranga Home. And it is this which has alarmed and agitated the public ! The Leader of the. Opposition. ■ ! Mr. Massey is. evidently not sparing himself' in the coming campaign. He left Auckland,' via West'iCoast, yesterday afternoon, and delivers addresses at Feilding to-night, and Woodville' on Tuesday. Crossing to the South Island on Wednesday night, ho speaks at Temuka on Thursday, and Timaru on. Friday. On Saturday night he will return to •Wellington, and will deliver addresses at Palmerston North on Monday, November 2, and Carterton the following night. His opponent in Franklin' is in : the meantime hard at work trying-to defeat him. . . The Hutt Seat. ' ' ' Although the name of, Mr. Welch has been mentioned as a probable candidate for ■the Hutt; seat there has • been doubt' in the l minds of some people as to the likelihood of a candidate entering the field at this late hour. Mr. Welch,-however, has definitely decided:to contest the seat, and the handicap of his- late appearance will not be a serious one, for he belongs to a family widely known throughout the Hutt Valley— ■in fact, Mr. Welch is a native of the,_district. He is a farmer, with- strong views 'concerning the . existing state of things politically, and although standing as an "Independent" his sympathies are with the Opposition ; ; as .to-.the need.- of ; reform in ■ a variety of directions. He will at once; institute an active campaign. . Jottings., , . .. . A > pearl of- delicate wit from Mr. C. E. Major; -M.P.'i—"But he had said that ' the (Opposition' Was asi dead as Julius Caesar, and- he repeated "that now. Only when people were dead they smelt, and the Opposition were creating a smell." , A delightful vision is called up by -the opinion-of Mr. Jennings, M.P., that incase of' war "the seat of Parliament" should be removed • for safety .'.'to tho Waimarino Plains." One can imagine the scene, in the'large tent, on-a wet, rainy night when the division b'ell '..rings, and members must go out' into'the' mud and the tempest. Sir Joseph also- deals unfairly with the ■concessions made-'-to the. public in the.car-, riage of ' goods; . Why should he call theso changes concessions; as though the railways belonged to< him,-and be was giving, a. favour ?—Mr. Geo. -j Hutchison . at Wanganui. Mr: F: M.-B-' Fisher announces that a ladies'-'-meeting-'will bo held to-morrow at ■3 p.m. in St.- Peter's Schoolroom. Mr. Barber addresses the electors of Wellington South, ; to-morrow night in Fullford's Hall, Brooklyri./: ' • • , '- •■ . Mrs. Hislop • invites the lady electors of -Wellington Central.,to meet her at Godber's .Rooms, Cuba, Street,'at 3.30 p.m. to-morrow. A; meeting of, the Hon. T. W. Hislop's executive committee will be held in Pierce's (tobacconist)'' Rooms,' Cuba ' Street,; at 7 o'clock to-night:' " ' Mr. William M'Lean, Government candidate for .Wellington East, will hold his first public meeting ait .the Victoria Hall, Adelaide: Road, to-morrow evening. . ' The-. Dannevirke. "Advocate" states that a petijtibii is ' in" - circulation in Norsewood askuig o.' Ericksen, the present member', for that, .district, and chairman of the . Dannevirke "County. Council, to reconsider hisdecision, .and .again'stand for election. Mr. !F. W. JJranklarid, who is contesting tho Manawatu spat, will address electors at Rongotea to-night, at Taikorea on Wednesday, at Awahuri on Friday, at Feilding on Monday, November 2, and at Marton on Wednesday,- November 4." ' Mr/Buiek, I ,,the,, Opposition candidate for opens his. campaign in' earnfest till? week: Mr. ißuick considers his prospects to bo .remarkably promising. • Mr. A. T. Ngata, M.P., left by the.Tarawera on Friday night for Gisborne. From there he will tour the East Coast and the wholo of the northern part of hi 3 electorate. Mr'.' Ngata has already spoken in the Wairarapa, and at' Hastings, Waipatu, and MotS). It is not-considered that the presorit member ;for tho Eastern Maori seat will have any difficulty'in being returned. • ' TO-NIGHT'S MEETINGS. The public meetings advertised for ■ this M. B. Fisher, Tory Street Mission. Hall, 8 o'clock. _ Wellington Central—Hon. T. W. Hislop, Aro Street, 8 o'clock. . Wellington East.—Mr. D. M'Laren, The Bethel, Tory, Street, 8. o'clock. • Wellington Suburbs.—Mr. J. E._ Fitzgerald, St Thomas's Hall, Newtown, 8 o'clock. Wellington . Suburbs.—Mr. W. T. Young, the Hall, Ngahauranga, ,8 o'clock. Otaki.—Mr. Byron Brown,: tho Schoolhouse, Reikiorangi, 8 o'clock. ■ Otaki.—Mr. Field, the Hall, Porirua, 8 o'clock. Manawatu.—Mr. F.,W. Frankland, Rongotea, 8 o'clock. WELLINCTON SUBURBS. Mr. J. E., Fitzgerald, Liberal candidate for the Suburbs seat, addressed a meeting of the electors at Horokiwi on Saturday night. The candidate touched -principally on questions of agricultural policy, and received an attentive hearing, being tendered a hearty vote of thanks and confidence at the close. Mr.' Fitfcgerald speaks at St. Thomas's Hall, Newtown, this evening. MASTERTOM. (BT TILEGRiPn.— SriCUl CORRESPONDENT.) Mr. A. W. Hogg, M.P., addressed the electors' at Eketahuna on Thursday evening his speech being on lines similar to that delivered in Mwterton. In dealing with.

bank reform, Mr. Hogg said that when the tido of depression swept over the land, and when everybody was experiencing bad times, banks wore accumulating wealth. Those institutions, with the amount they carried forward and their reserve funds, wcro practically paying their shareholders a dividend, of 40 per cent. He opined that tho Bank of New Zealand would m a few years be transformed into a State bank. Mr. Hogg said one big objection to the freehold tenure was withdrawn by tho limitation of area contained in tho new Land Bill. No questions were asked, and tho speaker was accorded a hearty vote of thanks and confidence and of renewed confidence in the Government. LABOUR CANDIDATES. MR. M'LAREN ON CLASS REPRESENTATION. Mr. D. M'Laren, Labour candidate for. Wellington East, climbed into. a, portable pulpit in Mercer Street on Saturday night to address the crowd on " Class Representation." He resented the phrase in which a newspaper had described him as a candidate of a class. He contended that such language might be applied to any. candidate, because it was impossible for a' man not to be drawn from some class. The Labour party here and everywhere else had its doors wide open to men of all classes, so long as they were prepared to uphold its principles. Labour parties had done much to democratise the Government to the advantage of the whole community. Class legislation and class prejudice were firmly entrenched in this country, and it was not by going to the Arbitration

Court, but only by sending a strong Labour party to Parliament that the workers could get justice. Speaking of his own candidature, he said he was informed that lady canvassers, who were going round the electorate ostensibly in the interests of No-License, were also canvassing for Mr. Atkinson —and this after the No-License party had made special efforts to obtain the sympathy and. support of labour. He would advise the electors to strike out the top line oil both the licensing and parliamentary voting papers, but he strongly objected to the mixing of the two issues. Mr. W. T. Young, the Wellington Suburbs Labour candidate, then mounted the pulpit and declared that all the proposals of the present Government wero adverse to the workers. The Government really representee! the commercial classes, all the Ministers being interested in commerce. Ho went on to criticiso unfavourably the Government's policy in regard to industrial arbitration. Both candidates received a quiet hearing. Mr. M'Laren also spoke in the open air at Courtenay Place. OTAKI. . (from oue special correspondent.) . Shannon, October 24. Mr. W. H. Field, M.P., addressed a large audience in tho Town Hall on Friday night on the, lines of his speech at Otaki. In criticising his opponent, Mr. Brown, he said it was difficult to determino to what political party he belonged. Judging by his Otaki speech, Mr. Brown was a follower of Mr: Massoy, but again, at Weraroa, one would think he was a Labour candidate. It was almost impossible to criticise Mr. Brown, as so far he had had no public record, and Mr. Field had to confino himself to criticising his opponent's utterances. Mr. Field replied I to Mr. Brown's statement that £20,000 had Lboen. placed on tho supplementary estimates

for the Otaki electorate at the last election, of which sum only a small proportion had been expended, reading correspondence from tho Minister of Roads and the three local bodies concorned to prove that the money had been expended. He denied that advances had ever been mado to settlors or workers through his representation and as a means of gaining votes. Referring, to the national debt, Mr. Field said that this debt had increased by £28,000,000, but the real increaso was only about one-third of that amount. The rate of interest for loans had gone down 17 per cent, since the Ballance Government. Ho believed that tho duty on flour, potatoes, etc., should bo automatically removed whenever tho price of such staples rose too high. Referring to land 'matters, Mr. Field said he had always been a limited freeholder, and always would be. He entirely disagreed with Mr. Brown's contention that honorariums should be done away with or reduced, as such a condition would fall very hard on a poor but honourably ambitious M.P. At the same time, ho did not think • honorariums should bo increased during tho present depression at any rate. He disapproved of the dairy regulations being introduced at the end of the session, and said they would probably, be revised when Parliament assembled again. He denied that ho had ever said that a flax-hand should not get- more than 6s. per day. Tho Government, he was sure, would be fair to local bodies over the acquisition of the Manawatu railway. There would be a very much improved time-table, and ; traffic would be increased ten times. Mr. Field said, in conclusion, that , there had .been no doubt too much legislation, and considered it would be a good thing for tho country if no further legislative measures were passed for

some considerable time. Ins cauuiuavu. swered a number of questions, and was accorded a vote of confidence. Mr. Mitchell was in the chair. WAIRARAPA. (from ode special correspondent.) Creytown, October 24. Mr. Buchanan addressed the Greytown burgesses in the Town Hall on Friday evening, when the Mayor (Mr. D. P. Loasby) took the chair. There were a good number present, notwithstanding the rain that set in. Mr. Buchanan referred to the. Minister for Lands' speech at Carterton that night, and said the Minister had > blundered with the Land Bill and with the dairy . regulations. The Minister was, he said, dilating on the dairy regulations that, night at Carterton from' the vast knowledgo he had stored up while practising as a lawyer. The speaker then criticised the Land Bill as regards freehold and leasehold tenures. Ho would fight for the option of the freehold, although giving settlors a leasehold, if wanted, with the abovo option. Ho asserted that the countryman paid taxes on £70 out of the £100, and tho cities only paid on £50. The proposed extension of the Parliamentary franchise to local bodies' elections was condemned as too ■ Socialistic. The speaker contrasted the running of the Manawatu railway as compared with tho Government lines, the first, having to pay local taxes, and yet paying 6 por cent., while the Government, running free, could only pay 3 por cent. Mr. Buchanan condemned the compulsory arbitration system, and ridiculed the Shearers Bill. Moro- was paid in Customs than before the new tariff was passed. Ho regretted tho loss to the Agricultural Department, of Mr. Gilruth. Tho l)oiniuion could do better without the Hon. Mr. M'iS'ab than without Mr, Gilruth. The

Gaming Act was passed without being wanted. Ho never opposed the old age pension scheme,. but ho advocated all beneficiaries contributing towards a special fund. Mr. Buchanan concluded his address amid loud applause. On the. motion of Mr. Geo. Steven, seconded by Mr. F. Best, a vote of thanks was proposed and unanimously carried. (FROM ODE SrECIiL CORRESPONDENT.) Masterton, October 24. Sir. Hornsby addressed a large meeting of electors, in Martinborough on Thursday night, the chair being occupied' by -Mr. M. Ross, chairman of the Town Board. In the course of his address the candidate referred to the great help which had been given farmers through the Advances to Settlers Department, and also to the proposed Martinborough railway, .in which he detailed a scheme for the immediate construction of the line. At the conclusion of his address the speaker was accorded a vote of . thanks, while a vote of continued confidence was added'in the Government. ' RANCITIKEI. • RESOLUTION BY FARMERS' UNION.. (BY TELEGEATII —PRESS ASSOCIATION.) Hunterville, October 25. At a representative meeting of the Hunterville branch of the Farmers' Union, the following resolution was passed:—"This branch, haying received Mr. R. W. Smith's replies to questions submitted by the oxecutivo to be put to candidates, consider them on the wholo satisfactory,' and Would impress upon the farming community the absolute neoes-

sity of standing shoulder to shoulder, and loyally and consistently supporting Mr. Smith as the candidate who has pledged himself to support our interests." LYTTELTON. (Bf —PFESS ASSOCIATION iChrlstohuroh, October 25. Mr. Geo. Laurenson, who is standing again for Lyttelton, opened his campaign at Yi'oolston last nightj when he addressed a crowded meeting of, electors. He was accorded an enthusiastic reception, and at the close of his address received a vote of thanks and confidence. Mr. TV. J. Dickie, Liberal candidate for Selwyn, has. retired from the contest on account of shortness of notice of the General Election preventing him getting round the district.