THE SUBURBS SEAT.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1257, 12 October 1911, Page 7

THE SUBURBS SEAT.

MR. F. T. MOORE'S CAMPAIGN

"LET MASSEY USE THE BBOOM

Mr. F. T. Moore, Labour candidate for the Suburbs seat, addressed an audience of upwards of two hundred electors, in tho Johnsonvillo Parish Hall last niplit. It was an ordorly audience, and Mr. was given an attentive hearing. Mr. W. L. Thompson presided. Mr. Moore began by recounting his long association with Johnsonville institutions, and with the place called by the name to which excoptiou had boon taken recently bv the Town Board. Johnsonville needed change, but not. necessarily a change of name. What the district needed most was a change of Government—change of a Government that had never treated the town otherwise thaa badly.

Any Party but the Government. The maladministration of tho Government was meeting with such resentment in Labour quarters that in any districts where Labour was not represented, Labour would ■ unite with tho Opposition rather than assist in keeping the Government in power. On Monday last, in conversation with Mr. Massey, tho speaker hail informed him that lie was prepared to vote with the Opposition to eject the Government. Labour would vote with Mr. Massey on consideration that if returned to power tho Opposition would hold office as an administrative Government merely, on condition that they would not repeal any of the really Liberal measures on the Statute Book, on condition that they would not introduce legislation that was capitalistic, or in the interests of tho capitalowning classes of the country. A year or two of clean administration this country very badly wanted, , and ho believed that clean administration could bo got from Mr. Massey, whereas it was impossible to get it from tho party that had grown so rich and so fat out of tho game of politics. ,

Native Land Matters. Ha went oil to deal with instances which had come under his notice of undesirable practices on the part of the Government, especially he referred to the acts of Government Maori Land Boards. Privileged persons wero permitted to make tens of thousands of pounds out of the bona fide settlers. Was it right and proper that certain peoplo should be so favoured that they coulsl get possession of huge areas of lands, in spito of the law relating to limitation of area? The fact was that the Native Land Act had been specially drafted, so that the Government of the day could do practically as it liked in connection with Native, land. The Government could consont or refuse to consent as it pleased to any dealing in Maori land. The only way to reform was to send into Parliament men who were going to oppose the continuance of the present Government in office. The Labour party would, in his opinion, be the political party of the future, but in the meantime it would bo too small to take up the reins of Government. ]jy uniting'with Mr. Massey, however, it was possible to transfer the reins of Government into the hands of men who must act cleanly in the few short years for which they would hold them—unless they should prove themselves truly a reform party. He believed in Jlr. Massey as a man. He was too large-hearted a man to do the hard, cruel things which the old Tories delighted in doing, and which the Liberals allowed dealers in land to do in this country.

Monopolies and Speculators. He condomned tho Government's administration of the Lands for Settlement Department. It was outrageous, for l instance, that tho State should buy land at a huge advance on the priee at which it was first offered for sale,'and this bo- : causo a middleman had ooine into the deal. Was it not-moiwtrpus' that an Apt, • beneficent in its purpose, shoil'ld' bo "so' administered as to encourage tho speculator, and load the settler for all time with a price that must burden him? Tho Advances to Workers Act was also a beneficent measure, but in fact it was an aid to the jerry-builder and the land speculator in perpetrating their schemes on the unsuspecting worker. A speculative builder bought an area of land, subdivided it, and put up houses of the cheapest, often of old, timber, painted them, papered them, and then offered them for sale at a price, say, «£l5O more than they oost. Workers came along to buy, and having decided to buy, borrowed practically the whole purchaso money from the' Government. One of tho first planlis of the Labour party was the nationalisation of monopolies, which were year by year increasing in power, and greed, anil avarice. The present Government would never interfere with monopolies'; that was never part of their policy.

Stato Bank and Other Things. .„ He favoured the abolition of land monopoly by such legislation as could effect this purpose. He was opposed to the alienation of Crown lands—was sorry in fact that so many had been alienated already. He was also in favour of currency reform, and ho said that it would be worth fivo millions a year to this country to havo in operation a properly conducted State bank. He declared that Sir Joseph Ward was not sincere in his advocacy of a State note issue. Perhaps this was the reason why Mr. Fowlds had left the Ministry—he must have thought it was "too slippery," 'or "a littlo too tough," for a Government which bad tossed overboard, and denounced Mr. Hogg for advocating' State notes, lo adopt the samo proposal two years later. Perhaps this was what determined him to leave the sinking and disreputable Liberal canos. Mr. Mcere concluded his address by reciting briefly the various planks of the Labour party, whose cause, ho said, was a worthy 'one. "Let us have a change," lie said. "Let us havo these musty cor-

ners clearwl out. Let Massey uso the broom under the eye of Labour." Tho candidate was a-sked some questions, but ho had to listen to a great many addresses on nearly everything under the sun from Mr. Robert Hog? and other members of the audience. Mr. Hogg was still addressing tho meeting when 1 the reporters left to catch a train. A vote of thanks and confidence was accorded to iho candidate, with hearty applause and cheers.