THE ELECTIONS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 342, 31 October 1908, Page 7

THE ELECTIONS.

/* NEWS AND NOTES. CANDIDATES AND THEIR SPEECHES. Mr, Dan O'Connor Brick,' who announced himself as a Government candidate. for;iSelwyn on Mr. Dickie's retirement, and has ad- / dressed several meetings, ha? • ..retired from the contest... Mr. Field, and the "Otaki Mall." . In-.justice to the "Otaki Mail" we publish below its contradiction of Mr. Field's , Tenection on its report of his ManAau .■speech. The- " Otaki Mail '' reported Mr. luekLas having stated that ho was in. fav°ur the honorarium of members .from;.£3op;to .£400.' .-.Wo reprinted this' re-. Portland Mr. Field, attacked us, and/denied that-indeed, ho had said anything of, the'kind > ; :7T*hat.. ho.had • said -quite .-the reverse. Tho . Otaki Mail " of yesterday's date, ■ after outlining these.facts, proceeds as follows:—. This matter has caused much com- .. ' ment throughout the. electorate, and . especially at Mariakau, and as the veracity of our roport has' been called. in question, and our reliability impugned, we; have made full inquiries into tho facts, with the result that the-most'uri- . biased .person must, admit'that our report was absolutely correct.; Our corres- : pofldent'who.supplied us. tho report tells ® .: us he is "perfectly certain that. Mr.-Field, *' in. .his 'Manakau address,, said, he! would support .an increase of the honorarium to £4Qp, and states emphatically that the "',. report suppluid by him, and contradicted. V' by. Mr., Field, was absolutely'correct.' This morning' we. questioned a number of prominent' Manakau townsmen, including' Messrs. A. M'Bain - (who was chair- . roah vof. the meeting- in' question),- C. ' Lindsay, J. H. Andrew, Richard Bevan, and some four or five other reputable re-aidants,'-and the unanimous reply .was to - the effect that our report'was absolutely ... correct. As to Mr. Field's- extraordip- . ary> contradiction ,of his Manakau statements we have nothing to" say. He must explain that to the electors himself. In this 'as in. the past, it has been ; our policy to remain neutral. We . haye. given' full , reports to each candidate; arid treated both with perfect ;im- ' partiality, and we have, no wish.'to make ; political capital of this riiatter..,',lmmediately we' saw Mr.- Field's letter in"The Dominion we • instituted inquiries as to . the voracity of our report: Had we dis- . "covered that .we had made a mistake,' we. would . at once have made ample' apolo-' gies,- but, finding that, beyond" question,"" : o<ir. v report;.was strictly true, we publish ' theffidl details as above in order to. vindicate ourselves from the unmerited'charge against this journal, which was cal- ; ,' culated to seriously prejudice us in the ' eyes of the public."

An Invertebrate Government. s ■ "The Government Bay that if Mr. Massey got; into power ho would destroy,, the fine " legislation which the Government had placed upon - tho .Etatute., book. Well, take the' Arbitration . Act;. Could Mr. > Massey do anything >so effectual in the way of destruction than the Government had done in regard to the administration of that Act ?'By a judgment of.'Mr. Justice Cooper, it was found that they could, imprison strikers for the nonpayment of fines, a decision .which was re'versed by one of the ablest- judges in the colony. Mr. Justice Williams. Not content with that ; and.,quite,unable to see the danger of what it was doing, the Government took thrcase to .the Court of Appeal, which reversed". Justice Williams's decision, and gave' the Government':'' power to" imprison.' Ever since . the Act has been "a farce—the Government wis.!toa'timid ( forus'eKHfte power -it-had. It'might-not haye ; been .a wiso provision, -but I hold'that if'is.the.duty of the Goternfaenfc■ - : to-■■ go' through- with ■ any Act. ;it has'.'placed ' upon: the statute,. book.' e-'Mr. • S A. Ri';A£kinsibn : at the Viotoria Hall; -. Provided For. "I'havo contested five.elections.'.v said Mr. Massey.'at Toniukavon Thursday night, "and every .one of: my, opponents' has been provided 'for _by.:tho_. Government. : Two ■ have found their way into the Upper House. ,This is. the'sixth-election, and-I don't-know'-what will happen this time; ;Tke Government says that no: man should,'get into the House un-. less.he-had.'a majority.of the electors.behind : him, but dt: has appointed to the TJpper House, and then to the Executive, a man who has never been able. to get any majority at all.: .1 refer ..to; the Attorney-General!" ''A Sprlntori". v" "Then again- there's Mr: M'Nab, 1 ' said' Mr. A.:,R. Atkinson in .criticising the• Ministry. ■ "You all remember - the, ..beginning of the session t>f 1906, when he nailed-his colours to the'mast over the land 'Bill—that's''whon ho- made his reputation as a statesman. The nails didn't hold, and ever since then he's been , making a'■ reputation as a sprinter- 1 - running as hard as he oan whenever the Bill is, mentioned." . - , . That Alton Speeoh Again.' Mr. J. 0. Taylor .writes from Hurleyville as follows:—I see by'to-day's ,( Hawera Star" that somebody has been trying to make you believe that Mr. Government candidate, has. been misreported as to what took place'iat his Alton meeting. As a matter of fact, "Mr. Major,supplied reports from both - 'Alton and Hurleyvjlfe, & I happen to know. .Therefore, Mr.„ Major reported the 'fact that •-my amendment'of. thanks only was carried as against Mr. James' Gibbs's motion of'thanks and confidence. As soon as Mr. Albert Gibbs, who was bhairman, declared ; that the amendment was carried,' and the applause-which followed had subsided, Mr. Major'rose in a ' white heat, and: stated .that heVstrorigly. re-, sented my coming; from' Hurleyville. to upset the Alton 1 people's meeting;'that it'was the" first time in . his political career, that such' a motion had been earned against him; that 'what had , been done would not be for their good, , and that'they might live to regret their action; that when people' showed that ; they .-"had no confidence in tlie; Government, the Government was apt to-have no 1 confidence.; in them, and to treat thom accordingly.-' Mr. Major continued* in the same - strain, until the meeting would lmvo no. more .of it, and-he was obliged to knock off by proposing. a vote of thanks to the chair.. . the Mei'kle Vote. .. . . \ln reply to a question at his AVoodlands meeting, the Hon. JR. -M'Nab sa.id- the Gov? errimcnt would, not, again introduco.a proposal ito_. give lileikie £5000, states-a- Press' Association telegram. Poetry and Politics. . " Who says politics are becoming vulgarised? We. used to near of the election egg, but tho Wellington North candidates have now begun t« hurl-poetry at each dther. Mr." Herd-, maii, began it with a couplet, and Mr'i Bolton -replied last night' with a quatrain"; "Mr. Herdman has been-quoting Omar Khayyam," ;he exclaimed "I will quote Omar.Khayyam, to«, *nd see how he likes it. . / " 'The moving finger writes, and having writ, Moves on, nor all thy. piety nor-' wit. Can lure it back 'to cancel Jfalf a line. Nor all thy tears wash out'a word'of it.' " And then Mr. Bolton went oil to quote Mr. Herdman's speeches from V The Dominion reports, which, of course, could not bo cancelled nor-washed out. " Immigration—A Suggestion r ; Mr. Hielop, at Willis Street School-last night, said he hoped that/the first thing the new High Commissioner -would do when he went-Home would be tor establish a department which would afford' true information to all who inquired about, tho 'conditions' -'prc--1 Tailing out here, and,' which would • provent those who .were not suited to the conditions from coming to swell; the number of unemployed: Tho remark 1 was received with general-'applause.' «' issue of. writs.'' • .- ■* , . - ti . It is almost cor.tfiin that the writs for tho election will; be issued to-day. lnithat caso, it will; not ho possible to add any >new names to tho rolls,-or take,off any namtls, after today, or' to' graiVt any absent 'Voters I '' permits

Political Matters Only. In opening his address at tlio Willis Street School last evening, Mr. Hislopstated that ho intended to deal with political matters only. Ho was not going to deal'with any-' thing personal, or attempt to malign any-! body. _If he did so, ho would simply bo satisfying tho cravings of a section filled with "petty, splenetic, foolish and' personal motives." It was a miserable trait in their character, and was tho desire only of trivial people, who had not tho boldness of a turkey or tho senso of a mushroom. (Laughter.) He had faced the press of New Zealand—tho overwhelming press—and was not averse to discussing personal matters at t-h© . .proper placo.and tho proper time, but ho was not going to havo the minds of the electors inflamod and their ideas distorted, by these things which stimo people choso-to-bring forI ward. • ■ The Single-Tax Questions. In l his speech at Thorndon last night, Mr. Bolton gavo his answers to the questions put. by the Singe Tax Loague. He declared himself in favour of rating on unimproved values, and the repeal of Section 20 of the Rating on Unimproved Values Act, thereby placing all rates'on the* unimproved value. He did not think tho Act-should be mandatory. ; He was in favour of reducing tho duties on the necessaries of, lifo, and thought tho revenue' could be recouped by economy, of administration, - increase .of the gradua ted land tax, and death duties,.. Public works should be mado financial by "means of a betterment rate on tile, land that was enhanced in value! r Jottings;/ Mr. I). M'Larbn, candidate for Wellington. East, sounded the tocsin at the top of Tara- • naki, Street last .evening with 4 tho aid of a loud-voiced phonograph. The music, which is alleged to sooth the savage breast, soon'attracted a largo crowd, when the .flow of melody ceased, and the mouthpiece of Labour turned on his political record.' A meeting of Mr. Wilford's Upper Hutt committee will be hold at the Town Hall on Monday evening. • "Tho weakness of this party system of Government,is that, wo have too many persons continually attempting' to make the other side appedr ridiculous, and to bring up prejudices with regard to it. We havo too many of Satan's advocates."—The Hon. T. W. Hislop at' Willis Street.' *

Mr'. -F.. M. B. Fisher wiir address' the electors' 'in' the Town Hall (large hall) next. Wednesday night. ' ■ ' , '."My speech will at .least havo the merit of originality. It has not been composed for me by ; anybody."—A, much'-applauded remark by Mr. Bolton, v

Mr. Wilford will address the Hutt electors at Silverstream on Monday night. "You are having submitted'to you in this "election the names of certain candidates, and when' you are considering my name you should ask what I have done that'yoji should throw me , out. If you are unable to find anything. I claim that you should re-elect' mo for. this seat."—Mh F. M. F. : Fisher, at Mount Cook.- • . ,

, i I havo never gone back on a promise or pledge that I have made on the public- platforms'—Mr. F; M. B. Fisher challenged his audience last evening to dispute this assertion. There was no reply. Mr. 'Byron Brown will address the Otaki electors at Moonshino Mill on Monday night.■ ■;Mr. F. W. Frankland, candidate for 'Ma'nawatu, will speak at Feilding on Monday. : ' "In financial matters tho situation is not so good,as it ,was, but it-is pretty good, If I am returned,-I will endeavour to, tho, bes.t of my capacity to ensure that a reasonable poli.ey of thrift, and prudence is presented during tho next 1 three years.-"—Mr. F. M. B. Fisher, at Mount Cook. ■: Mr. J. B. Fitzgerald, Liberal-candidate'for Suburbs seqt, .a large. meeting. .of electors .at'. the Town .Hall,. Island Bay, last • evening.' Mr. H. Davies presided. Mr-. .Fitzgerald dealt.(With finance, defence,-and:, the •mpdicai''«K^fn'Jfi^;t)f^l^h ; <jhjldr6iu'" ~A. number' of qucslions'wbra iisked, arid replied to satisfactorily. ', .v, (The meeting of women, electors called for. yesterday afternoon 1 by" Mrs. T. W. Hislop was > largely ' attended:/.;' Committees were formed,- and, arrangements were iriado for "a great deal of work to bo done. . . . . .

"Is it a fact that you are* being run • by a monopolist ?" was a question put to Mr. J. E., Fitzgerald by a prominent Socialist, last evening.' The candidate, stated. that if any person could prove that lip liad received'a penny from anyone in rospect of his candidature ho would resign from the contest and would'give £5.0 to any charity.- ' • 1 WELLINGTON NORTH. MR. BOLTON AT SYDNEY STREET. Mr. F. G. Bolton, a candidate for Wellington North, gave his opening speech in the Sydney Street Schoolroom last night. «• The. room was crowded:- Mr. Isaac Clark presided. ; '. The candidate,'who was applauded on rising,.by way. of suggesting reasons for sending him: to Parliament, said he was a native of Thorndon; and had lived forty years in Wellington. Confidence had been,reposed in him in regard to numerous important commercial undertakings. He was probably a member., of more local bodies than any other man in Wellington, except, the Mayor. He was a member of tho Hospital Trustees, and 'th'e Benevolent Trustees, . Mayor of Eastbourno for three years, being twico returned unopposed, and an elected member of tho Harbour Board. Ho had never abused any of; thesejiositions, and had always spoken his mind. The room in which he was speaking was the one in which he had, received his education. A State scholarship enabled, him to go on to Wellington College, and another subsequently obtained carried , him on further, so that his education was due to his own exertions. . (Applause.) Ho would. not descend to personalities in his campaign. He ■was on terms of friendship with both his opponents. ; " ■■His Position Defined. Tliero had-been too much parochialism in politics, and 'he'intended to devote his attention" mainly to national matters. . City members should regard this as their special duty, b'ccausoi their electorates did not stand in need: of much expenditure of public money, as did many , country districts. Ho intended to keep a 'watchful' eye on expenditure in -tho .• country districts or ' elsewhere. He would give a general support to tho policy of the Government, keeping a. free hand on all minor questions, and all that affected the city and the electorate. Ho was not going-to bo-tied by the leg, aijd .would exerciso his own brains and judgment on all matters outside the policy of the Government as already defined. Ho contended/that his attitude would make him of much moro value to the electorate, the city,' and the country thana blind follower of the Government would be. '...A voice: Come off.the rail!. • His Opponents. , In reply to Mr. Izard's statement that he regretted the issue was not to be a straightout one between two party candidates, Mr. Bolton said'he had yet to learn that any doctor had not tho right to stand for Parlaiinent'in his native iplace.' Moreover, tho. Second -Ballot Act removed any grievance Mr. Izard might have had. Personally,however, ho would advocate the absolute majority system, in preference to the second ballot. Ho believed tho man ho hn.d to fight in this election was Mr. Herdman.. (Applause.) That gentleman a negative critic, and lie shared that function with the Opposition. Reply to Mr. Herdman. Mr. Herdman ha.d said the Government borrowed money to pay interest 011 previous loans. This was a mistake. The money was borrowed for public works, andtho interest was paid out of earnings. The same opponent had urged that tho public service should bo controlled by a non-political board. . But who would appoint tlia.t;. board? Parliament, and the Ministry had a majority in Parliament. Therefore the appointees would, have sin un-' conscious bias in favour of tho Ministry. Mr. Herdman had been very indefinite as ; to the proposed Public Works Board. Ho (Mr. Bolton) did not see why Parliament should part with the control of the public, purse. Out of the 27 millions cf borrowed money mentioned by Mr. Herdman, £](i,500,0(10 was reproductive in that it returned interest equal to the interest paid on it. The remaining;

£10,000,000 was indirectly reproductive by • aiding in tho development of the country. As to tho Advances to Settlers offico and •the Post Office Savings Bank, could Mr, Herdman show any instance of improper investments, "or party inlluenco? And was npt tho Advances to Settlers office already ! largely under non-political management. He quoted Mr. Herdman's Town Hall speech to show that ho was in favour of sectarianism in education, and also to show that~he' had said the present means were enough . to check the influx of Chinese. Yet on the samo'day tho usual ten Chinamen came over from Sydney; . Mr. Hcrdnian had said lie was not in favo.ur of rating unimproved values. Wiis° that' liberal and democratic? ; Voices': 1 No! ' ■ The samo'opponent had said at Tinakori Road thtit. ho was in favour of giving the freehold ■ to Crown tonants at the .original value. Was that liberal and. democratic? Voices': No. Various Suggestions. Tho candidate went on to advocate caution in finance, and tho provision of sinking funds, for all loans. Borrowing should go on pru- ■ dently for roads, bridges, and tho main railway lines. He did not favour' thq'expenditure of public works money by local bodies, becauso centralisation was more economical. He held that all proposed public works should be reported on by a non-politi-Cal board, arid Parliament, if tho money was available, would probably authorise tho works they recommended. '-;A Voice: Where would you get the experts ? ' Mr, Bolton : I would have the engineers of tho Public Works Department and Railway Department .engineers, and you .could not get better men. (Applause.) Hq disapproved of the Dominion Day expenditure. He would just as soon tho country had remained, a colony. He also condemned the outlay on entertaining the American Fleet—■. (applause)—tho : Dunedin Railway Station,, and the Midland Railway. Ho advocated; tho application of a betterment rate to all properties increased in value by ; public works. Material and appliances required by the Government should be made as largely as possible within the Dominion. Repairs arid renewals on the railways should be charged to revenue instead of capital. If the railways were not financial they should be made so, even if it involved withdrawing some of the concessions. Ho suggested that the Government should' establish warehouses in London, where, the producer could store his produce with a view to putting it on the market at the most advantageous time. This would not mean spoon-feeding the.producer, but it would enable produced and consumer to come closer together. To Reduce the Cost of tivlng. : What he had to say on the cost of living would be the most important part r of his spec-ch. .Tlie remedy was not to raise wages bin to increase their purchasing power. High r<jnts and increased cost of necessaries'made wages in Wellington really low, though nominally high. The Government should buy land, which "could bo. obtained for. £300 an 'acre on either tho'Hutt or Manawatu railway, and build houses at bedrock cost. With this view ho.advocated the abolition of tho duty on timber and the use of reinforced concrete, for which tho Government should acquire gravel pita. He also thought encouragement should be given to the worker to acquire the freehold of his home. In ordir to reduce the . cost of the necessaries .of life,, he would take off tho duties on the primary products, including flour, if imported from countries where proper labour conditions ..prevailed. The. Government should, bring down" steamer freights, by encouraging, competition; or even ,by rimning. steamers; for itself.. At present the.. public were severely penalised by the monopoly of the Union Company. "The Government'should own the Wellington-Lyttejton;; ferry' service.' (Applause.)' Hc,,corisidored the salaries paid by the Union' Company inadequate. ," There were a;few, big-merchants ivlio were exploiting the copniunitjy and in remitting th'o duties on necessaries, care jnust be taken that they/did not reap "all...the benefit. Cities should .be , compelled to-'institute public markets. " . Immigration.. . , :'''Assisted immigration, should be confined to .farmers .with capital,, farm , labourers,.. and domestic servants. Public appointments should be' ; other things being equal, to New Zealari'ders. and'.those who . had mado New 'Zea|and''vhei.r 'home. (Applause'.).'! On the land qiiestionj'he favoured the. leasehold' -tenure, ,and,,-not. parting \yjth the freehold' of any ,Qrpwh,bands'.-.- The .present right of Or< wn ' tenants to acquire tho freehold at' present' valua'.should be limited to.the next three or five years, .because , the object of the tenants would be to wait until land values fell -low , and' then . they would all warit to acquire' tho freehold together. This would clearly, be against the public • interest. Ho was not in favour of Bible reading in schools. He believed in uniform school books. He favoured tho three-fifths majority in licensing Ho was distinctly against the Chinese being here in any shape or form. (Applause.) He believed the language test would be ineffective, as the Cliinesq would soon got instruction,- and' further measures would be necessary. . The Pubiio Service. His opponent, Mr; Herdman, had reflected upon .tho personnel of tho civil' service, but for his own part he had seen much of the service: and considered the members were competent and hard working, and- tliat 'the servicowas npt overmanned. Tho-law should' bo made fncre clear as to experts}"' Typists and shorthand writers should liavo to pass a • I here should bo a special time reward or. other incentive for passing 'the senior civil service examination. Promotion should be in the hands ,of a noil-political official, beveral minor ,reforms in the service' were also advocated by the candidate. ' Ho also suggested improvements in the pay and conditions of the railway and police service . ahe conclusion of the address was greeted with applause and cheers, and questions Jjfi.ro ■. then _uiv.tod t . but there were none that elicited anything not' expressed in the speech. A vote of thanks and confidence was carried by acclamation.

WELLINGTON CENTRAL,

MR. F. M.' B. FISHER'S CANDIDATURE.

It is gratifying *in tho extreme to me-to see such large attendances at my meetings;" said Mr._F. -M. B. Fisher to -his crowded audience in the Mount Cook School-last evening. At every .meeting that . I have had," he continued, "there has been an overilowing attendance, and by sheer force of necessity I'am now compelled to take tho largo Town Hall. If that is not big enough it :has been suggested by some people that wo should try the Basin Reserve."

Mr. Fisher addressed a gathering of eleccrowding two rooms of the school. Few of. the audience in tlio second room could see tho speaker, 1 but lie obtained a most attentive hearing. Mr. Fisher spoke on the lines of previous, addresses. Ho' declared that as an - independent member, ho would not look for political .preferment, but he would take caro that tho people of, his town knew what was going on, and knew the truth, that they at least, had one man in tho House who was not afraid to investigate, and make known, tho result of his investigations. (Applause,).. 1f.,h0.: did that ,ho would rendor his constituents a service that was not being .'rendered by'every "man in tho House at tho present; time. . .• J,»rfply-to a. question, Mr.'Fisher said ho thdugli.t-, that tho .establishment, of a Public .of independent men appointed for five oi;;,seven year's, and ineligible for fur-.' thjer appointment after tlioy had served a certain period,\ would improvo the present condition.br tho sqf.vice, and diminish patron-' ago.,' A hearty vote of thalilcs and confidence was passed with acclamation.

MR. HISLOP AT WILLIS STREET,

J The Hon. T. W. Hislop addressed a crowded meeting in the Willis Street School lait evening. The chairman was Mr. J. Gore. Tho candidate said that some persistent individual had put forward tho question "Aro you a Socialist?— Yes or 110." ; It was impossible in tlieso times, said Mr. Hislop for anyone to answer a question like thatj yes or 110. Ho had had tile pleasure of belonging to a society in Wellington whoso object it was to study Socialism. Those who were at all interested, in. tho subject knew that fully thirty different beliefs and doo-

trines wero hold by Socialists. To those who wanted an answer to tho question, he would recommend tho study of tho autobiography of John Stuart Mill, llis idea was summed up ill a word: Tho care of every individual member of society is tho care ,of society as an organism. (Applause.) That was tho doctrine to which he had adhered ever siuco he had been a politician. He belonged to the evolutionary school, which took every opportunity to help that community in every possible way. (Applause.) Jlr. Hislop went 011 to deal with the stringency of tho money .market,'; stating that tho Dominion ought'to appeal to tho London money market in order to got money hero to do away with tho present stringency. There was no reason to look at. the future of the Dominion with dismay; they should bo buoyed up by high hopes.' In "tho matter of the railway accounts, Jlr. Hislop advocated tho fixing ol rates 011 the railways 011 a reasonable basis, and this would nearly pay tho interest. Ho further advocated the encouragement of a more popular use of tho railways. This was tho more enlightened policy, and tlio one which was most likely to provo in the interests of the Dominion as a whole. Speak-' ing on the land question,, tho candidate said that when the Native lands wero opened up, it ought to bo tho policy of tho Govornment to see that tho lands were occupied, and that there was oncouragement given to those who were willing' to go into the back-blocks to cultivate tho land. There was littlo doubt that they would find sufficient, in our own. community to do -this.- If not, then it was soon ' enough to encourage people to come from the Homo country. (Applause.) In tho past there had been a,'want of breadth of vision on ■such matters as the Conciliation and Arbitration 1 Act. It was necessary to comeback to a reasonable frame of mind and look at those .subjects from tlio point of view of what was good for tho whole community. In the first Hush of introduction anyipiecoof machinery might not fulfil the whole purpose intended for it. No industrial or conciliation step -would fulfil its purposefully until r both sides recognised that it was for tho good of tho whole of the peoplo. Ho trusted that when Parliament again met it would bb free from those unfortunate occurrences which brought sucli diro distress to tho' community. When asked for an opinion on the defence question, Jlr. Hislop said tho boys ought to be trained, and the country should try to continue to train them after tliey had' left school, for a time at all events. With regard to the defences generally he thought that the forts on.the sea coasts should be put into an up-to-date condition.! As to tho volunteer system, whether it was either costly or foolish, as tho questioner suggested, he'was not in a position to. say, but, instead of throwing ridicule upon tho system, they "should encourage tho volunteers to continuo to olfer their services. Until tho volunteer system was proved a failure, he wtfuld not favour compulsory service, for he was very loth to advocate compulsion of any kind. He would like to see the gaol removed to the country, so that the prisoners would not be required to march up tho city streets every morning. Ho would hot.favour an increase in the graduated land tax in the immediate futuro.

A vote of thanks and , confidence was carried amid cheers.

WELLINGTON EAST. . Jlr. A. R. Atkinson, addressing an orderly meeting: at' the - Victoria Hall -last evening, referred in trenchant terms to tho evils of party government. Ho reminded his audience of-, an-'iAct' which gave: certain powers to public-'bodies in respect l to contracts,. but wl\ich, 'by some means or other, omitted the Wellington. Harbour Board.- Seeking to remedy-i tho- defect, lie. (then a ■ member), knowing that the Government wished to have the ! credit-. l of> any. 'amendments' made, :ap-. prcached the Jlinister, who resented, his propositidn. The >thing was fought-.out for two and a':'lialf> hours, and-tho hole was, patched up as ! far-: as the . Harbour Board was concerned. 'But' holes were left in other :places dimply because .they;, w.ould not accept™ simple .amendment that would have covered " everything.-.-iDurin" the supper ad" journment' that intervened;- hofapprliaclied a member? 7 highly respected in politics, about the matter.' -• ..The '••latter '• admitted^that it was iot' arguable, yet when that< member Went-'back into the flou'so : lie"voted-' for the 'Government', and-against his (Jlr,. Atkinson's) amendment. 1 ' ''I stared, but [ho didn't ■'^-ho'd"becn : at it-for yearsV. Yet in private •life that man-wiis' as' honest a'one as you could meet, a man you "coiild lend ii fiver or irtore to. for- a month and be quite'store you Would get it." The speaker noxt referred to the tactics that were.'being used against Mr. Fowlds' in Auckland, ' especially tho bringing' up of the To Oranga, case. It appeared to him that in politics any stick would do to beat a do", and the dirtier the stick and the cleaner the- dog the better effect it had«with some people. He hoped that Mr Fowlds would come triumphant out of the fight ho Was having in Auckland, where he was being so malignantly and injustly attacked. (Applause.) Jlr. Atkinson condemned the despotic power given to Ministers under the system which .arrogated the power of Parliament to individuals, drawing attention to the final clause' in many-Bills which states that the Governor has power to make regulations. Tho excuso is that Bills often had minor defects that could be rectified in the regulations, .which was quite possible wlien a Bill of 200 clauses had to be drafted in 24 hours.' But he argued that with a whole year to think over things such a state of things should not exist. There one had weakness and despotism . combined. The manner in. which'the-Hon. Jlr. Millar had put the Tariff Bill through was highly commended, and ,praiso was given the Prime Minister for tho Gaming and Lotteries Bill, which was a good piece of legislation, except for the clause which provided,for the licensing of bookmakers. This 110 stigmatised as "the one foul blot" 111 the Bill. If elected he would endeavour to have the clause rescinded and also to abolish the totalisator. He mentioned that if Jlr. Fowlds was returned, the Jlinister was prepared to knock both the bookmaker and the totalisator out. The candidate also dealt with the Second Ballot Bill, and severely criticised tho Defence Department on the basis of its last annual report.

Jlr. Atkinson was accorded a hearty vote of thanks and confidence.

Mr.- D. Jl'Laren addressed an open-air meeting at the corner of Tasnian and Taranaki Streets last evening. Ho pointed out in reference to the financial position of the colony that, taking the Premier's statement as correct to tho effect that the private wealth of the country had doubled since 1891, it was a very good reason why the country should begin to depend on its own resources and place a limitation on public borrowing. If it was practicable for the Ballanco Government in 1891 to limit public borrowing as was done, then it should bo more practicable now when the country was so much more wealthy. AVith respect to representation of Labour in Parliamont, the candidate emphasised, tho fact that they (the workers) could not secure a return of any candidates, in country districts, and if tho people'did not return Labour candidates in the cities, then tho industrial masses would be entirely without representation. With rospect to the Conciliation and Arbitration Act Amendment Act, tho candidate strongly dissented from tlio repressive features of that measure, particularly tho clause relating to public services- which provided for imprisonment'' to follow summary conviction, as such was an amendment of the Conspiracy Act under cover of dealing with matters of industrial arbitration. Tho English method of relying more 011 reason and conciliation than tho element of legal forco was, in his judgment, more expressive of time statesmanship. There would undoubtedly be changes in the coming Parliament, as there wrfs need for them. The Wellington mombers in the last Parliament could be presented ill the following form —Jlr. Barber was tho man who presented a timepiece to Wellington South and had been marking time over since: Jlr. Izard is ho who wont out in search of daylight, and lias not yet returned; Mr. Aitken wooed a flirt (the public) and found her fickle, and, therefore, like a wise mail, retired. , Mr. Fisher, was the Don Quixote of political purity, who seemed to bo better pleased to catch a follow mortal in the wrong than help one in the right. Jlr. Jl'Laren was accorded a vote of thanks and .confidence,, to which were added olieors.

WELLINGTON SOUTH. Mr. AV. Forbes addressed a crowded houso at St. Thomas's Hail, Newtown, last evening. Mr. Hunt was voted to tlio chair. The candidate, who was received with applause, spoke for over an hour, dwelling chiefly on the land question. Cutting'the land up into small holdings, quick and easy transport to our cities, tlio bringing of the producer and the consumer shoulder to shoulder, were advocated, as were imprisonment without tlio option of a lino for the slv grog-seller, and the abolition of the barmaid. On every question of the day the majority ruled, and why, asked tlio candidate, should it not rule 011 the liquor question? Ho was not in favour of the immigration policy of the present Government. It was assisting and decoying pooplo to the country while there were thousands here that wanted assisting. If returned he would see that the pooplo that are in 'New Zealand were prosperous beforo money was spent in assisting outsiders. Jlr.' Forbes held that tho mothers of the race should get tlio old ago pensions at 60 instead of 65. He wanted to see tho paid agitator abolished, and tho two classes of workers, tho man that worked for himself and tho man that worked for another, brought shoulder to shoulder. Mr. Forbes held that a party man was not a true representative. Wo wanted men with ail independent spirit, men who would fight for the welfare of the nation. In reply to the question, "If a vote of no confidence in tho Ward Ministry was put, what sido .would you take?" _ He answered: "Not tho Ward Ministry's sido." (Loud applause.) The candidate was accorded a vote of thanks. Ho said 110 preferred that the vote of confidence should bo reserved for tho day of the poll.

Mr. C. H. Chapman, Labour candidate.for Wellington South, addressed about 0110 hundred electors of the Brooklyn district at Fullford's Hall last, evening. Mr. Robinson presided. In the courso cf his remarks, Mr. Chapman complained that our legislators, in their endeavours to imitate English methods, had gone so far that two classes had been crcatod —tlio very rich and the very poor. Sir Joseph Ward had stated that they should call <1 halt' in legislation; the Hon. J. A. Millar was of opinion that tlio limit had been reached; while Mr. Massey had declared that.they were going too fast. What differeuco was there in the sentiments of all three? Neither tho Govornment nor the Opposition had seriously attempted tho solution of tlio problem of unimproved values, which increased wealth and added to the cost of living. The country was fortunate in having the franchise for women; their influence at the ballot was a factor in tho solution of the ovils of' intemperance, and tho raising of the moral tone of tho community. It would be well for tho Mother Country wero tho British Government to follow the example of New Zealand. The candidate declared himself an ardent supporter of the cause of Labour. A vote of thanks and confidence wa.s carried at the closo of tho meeting. WELLINGTON SUBURBS. Mr. J. W. Braithwaito spoke to a crowded audience in the : Kaiwarra Hall last night, Mr. Tom Fitzgerald presiding. The meeting was a lively one, interjections being frequent. A vote of thanks and confidence was moved by Mr. Burrows, seconded by Mr. Taylor, and carried unanimously. Mr. W. T. Young, the Labour candidate for Wellington Suburbs, addressed tho electors at tho Tea Kiosk, Seatoun, last night, Mr. G. Lightfoot presiding. Mr. l'oung advocated an amendment of tho Tramways Act so as to provide for a uniform examination of all motorinen before a competent Government board. He also urged the periodical Govornment inspection of'brakes and other equipments. The law should be altered so as-'to .make; it clear in every Order-in-Coun-cil authorising ,tho running of cars that it should be; optional with the local authority to run ,the cars 011 Good Friday and Christmas Day. Mr. Young received an attentive hearing; and was accorded a unanimous vote of thanks and confidence. ; THE HUTT. ; MR. WILFORD'S MEETING. .About 500 people were turned away from the Town Hall, Lower Hutt, last evening. Mr.' Wilford lia.d a most enthusiastic meeting. _ The Mayor, Mr. T. A. 'Petorkinj who presided, said that Mr. Wilford had proved himself to be a sterling' member, and 0116 that tlio district might well bo proud of. lie had to thank Mr. Wilford for assistance givon him in very many ways. . The address was on the lines of tho speech delivered a.t Petono. When Mr. Wilford had finished, two well-known residents, one a Socialist and one a Single-taxer, asked several questions, in the answering of which. Mr. Wilford proved himself more than equal to the occasion. The electors had a merry timo. At the conclusion, a vote of thanks and continued confidence was moved by Mr. C. W. Brown, J.P., and seconded by Mr. J. Brassel. In carrying tho vote, three cheers were given for Mr. Wilford, and three 'more for his wife, who was also present. THE PRIME MINISTER. SPEECH AT TEMUKA. (BT TELEGttAril—l'K ESS ASSOCIATION.) Temuka, October 30. ; Tho Primo Minister, accompanied by Lady Ward, arrived at Temuka by the through express from Invercargill, and immediately proceeded to the Drill Hal), whore he addressed 0110 of the largest and most enthusiastic'public meetings ever held in Temuka, tlio reception being most hearty. He devoted most of his speech to a reply to Opposition criticism. He dealt seriatim with tho thirteen -planks of tho Opposition platform/ H-: mentioned that he .had that day received a message from Natal stating that the Assembly had put a Land and Income Tax Bill through committee almost identical with the New Zealand Bill. He also dealt with a number of other subjects. At tile conclusion ho was heartily applauded, and was accorded a hearty vote of thanks for his able address, and a vote of confidence in tho present Government was carried unanimously amid applause and cheers. THE LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION. (BY TELEGIIAI'H—PUK.SS ASSOCIATION'.) Timaru, October 30. Jlr.'Jlassoy addressed a crowded meeting in the Theatro Royal to-night, and found his .audience attentive and sympathetic. No new ground was broken. A large number of questions wero answered. In regard- to .teachers' salaries, he said he was very much surprised to learn ■ of the interpretation which the Department had put upon' tho Act. OROtIA. (BY TELEGRAM—rKESS ASSOCIATION'.) Feilding, October 30. A meeting of delegates of tho various branches of tho Farmers' Union was held hero to-day to consider tho answers to questions submitted to the three candidates for the Oroua seat —Messrs. Pleasants (Government), Gutlirio (Opposition), and Hornblow (Independent).. All the candidates answered tho questions in the affirmative, Mr. Pleasants adding as regards preference Customs duties that they should be for revenue purposes and not inimical to existing local industries. The meeting decided not to choose between the candidates, but to keep the questions as a check 011 candidates. TO-NIGHT'S MEETINGS. Addresses to electors advertised for this evening aro as follow:— Wellington South. —Mr. C. 11. Chapman, open-air, Newtown, 7.30 o'clock. Wellington South.—Jlr. R. A".. Wright, • corner of Wilson and Riddiford Strcots, 8 o'clock. Wellington Suburbs.—Mr. F. T. Moore, Bcrhampore, 8 o'clock. Wellington Suburbs. —Mr. J. W. Braithwaito, schoolroom, Makara, 8 o'clock. Wellington Suburbs.—Jlr. J. I'. Luke, . Horokiwi, 8 o'clock. The Hutt.—Jlr. It. W. Short, schoolroom, Epuni. 8 o'clock. Otaki. —Mr. Field, school, Reikorangi, 8 • o'clock. Wellington F/ast. —Mr. D. M'Laren, Jfercer Street, 8 o'clock. Wellington Suburbs.—Jlr. J. E. Fitzgerald, (im Ihe beach, Jlaranui, 2.30 o'clock this kuuiiujuil.