ELECTIONS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1259, 16 October 1911, Page 6

ELECTIONS.

"THE VOICE OF THE CHARMER." AND HIS POLICE GUARD. SIR J. FIN DLAY AND A CRITIC. (By Tcleer.-itili.—SDecial Corrcsuondcnt.l Auckland, October 15. A I'arnoll elector, writing to the "Herald," take; execution to (lie. dragooning of elcelion meetings by tho police w-heii-.'ver a Minister happens to be the candidate. Flo savs: "It was verv bad form of Sir John Vindlay to have t'.u; police so ninth in evidence at his meeting on .Monday night. 'They seemed to bo all over the room. liisprelor Cullen was there, two 01' three detectives, and half a dozen uniformed men. Sir John Eindlay must have a very poor opinion of us in Newmarket and R-emuera to think it necessary to surround himself by the police in this way. I went; to the meeting with an open mind, and although the room was crowded it was 011 c of tlio tamest, meetings 1- ever attended. There was 110 enthusiasm whatever. A contemporary says that "practically every hand was put up to support tho vote of thanks and confidence.' It was really nothing of die kind. Being in a position to :ee, I should say that in an audicn;-; of pcihaps 40(1 only about TO or 80 hands were held up." The sane critic caiilintus:—"Sir John Findlay is a good speaker, and ho is fully alive to the ne.vls of Auckland and the far north. The Government; has done a great deal for us, but that i* milling (° what, they are going to do. But iwo questions arose in my mind as lie was T-peaking— (1) He has been five veal's ill tlio Cabinet. Why has 110 wailed until the eve of an election to discover our importance and our needs? <2.1 If the Government has reduced • taxation and done :a much for (he people, why is it so much harder to live Hum it was ten years age? lie says we spend so much more upon luxuries—pianos, furniture, etc.—but men like myself, with a s-inall wape or salary, have difficulty in providing the iiectss.iries of life, not; to speak of the luxiries. The workers of New Zealand aro worse o(T to-day than when the. present Government took olliee, and if wo study our best interests we shall refuse to hear the voicc of the charmer, charm he never so wisely.'' MORE ABOUT PARNELL. Auckland, October 15. , The political situation in the Auckland district is beginning to look interesting, and several candidates will make an active start on their campaigns during the coming week. Meantime all eyes are directed towards Paruell, where, at present, the issue lies between Sir John l'indlay and .Air. E. G. B. Moss, the chosen of the Reform party. Neither Mr. J. S. Dickson nor Mr. Mack, (he Independent and the Labour candidates respectively, have the remotest chance of doing more than making a second ballot likely. There is a growing feeling that, if the Opposition want to win tlio seat, they will require a man in better hcaltli than Mr. Mors is at present. The campaign is certain to be a strenuous one, and Mr. Mos.s may not bo able to stand tlio physical strain. STATE AS EMPLOYER. . Auckland, October 14. "If tho Government wcro a Labour Government iu the true sense, as it claimed to be," said Mr. M. J. Mack, in his campaign speech at Newmarket last night, "it would lio tho model employer in the country. They would set a standard of employment which everyone would admiru and aspiro to copy, but (he present Government was far from such a model employer. There was 110 other class of employment which excluded a man simply because he was a trifle under oft. fiiu. in height, or a lit tie over the agelimit. There was 110 other class of employment .it-hero such a question was asked as: 'Is there any reason why such aud such men should not bo replaced by single men?'" That question, lie. assorted, 110 knew had been asked, and the Government would know that it was true. The proposal was actually made to discharge a aumber of married men and put 011 single men because it would save a shilling a day per head. Whv should Government employees (who of all people in the w;tM should havo had the privilege without asking) have to petition Parliament for a 13hours' week? Mr. Mack delivered a vigorous address, the keynote of which was the. advocacy of tho claims of the working men, and more especially tho married Working uv-i'i v'lli a family, to tho consideration 01 the State. The assertion that the Government did "a lot for the working man" was not well supported by the facts. He quoted tho advances to settlors and to workers in this connection. The amounts lent to settlers were about ten times as great as those granted to town _ workers. Co-operative banks were to bo instituted for the benefit of the farmer, but tho worker would receive no jot of help from any such institution. Remissions had certainly been made in duties 011 certain commodities, such as soda, farinaceous foods, mustard, and the like, the total amount being i!U,712 per annum, but tho Government had also taken 30 per cent, off the duty on imported motor-cars, winch were not much used by working men, and the total amount of that remission was ,€115,705. It had not taken the duty off tobacco, though that would havo saved tho average working smoker .C 2 Bs. c. year. TAURANGA. (By To'.eiraDh—l'rcss Association.! Rotorua, October 11. Mr. Robert King, Liberal candidate for Tauranga, opened his campaign last night. He said 110 would support tho Government, but not servilely. Tho Government should acquire as much as possible Native lands not required by the Maoris and settle tlicni without delay. Ho supported tho freehold, but would voto with the Government on a no-confidence motion, lieeause its general policy must «bc considered.

WELLINGTON SUBURBS, MB. MOORE AT PAHATJTANUI. Mr. F. T. Moore, Labour candidate for tlie Wellington Suburbs seat, addressed tho electors at Pahautanui on Saturday night. Mr. AY. Galloway presided, and, when introducing the candidate, stated that llr. Moore's long commercial experience in connection, with the handling of the products of the land mada him a specially suitable man to represent the country part of Ihc constituency in Parliament. Mr. Moore, in the course of his address, said that lie knew what steps to take in order to protect the grower of sheep and cattle from middle-men, and it was the aims of I.abour to stop exploitation of every form, so that the man on the land, as well as the workers elsewhere, should receive the full value of .their labour. The I.abour policy was to nationalise industries, so that Iho man 011 the land would have a full and assured price for all his useful products, aud the consumer would bo relieved frojn the payment of heavy middle profits. There was no hope of relief from the Liberal Government in these directions. Titles and Imperial grandeur were of no lx°nefit to Iho man on tho land. Labour knew how to protect the fruits of his toil. Areas of land now lying- idle and unproductive wouxl be acquired, subdivided, and improved, ready for profitable occupation, so that tlie competent man. without means, could settle and immediately commence the production of butter and other products, which the Slate, as owner of lluse farms, would market to tlie Ikw'. advantage. A Vote of thanks and confidence was earned. on tlie motion of Mr. \V. Thomp>on, set-ended by Mr. A. Cool;. Mr. AV. 11. T>. Hell, lveferm candidate for Wellington .Suburbs ami Gountrv District. will open his campaign on l'Viday, October -!l, at 'he Parish Hall, Kaivri, at 8 a'clouk, Mr. .lohn Brodic, Independent Liberal candidal-? for Wellington Kast, will ,iddress electors in the Howling Club Pavilion, llatailai, this evening. Mr. Hy-ron Brown, who is standing for the Olaki seat, will address the Tliuiitangi electors at the schoolhouse, lTiinjtangi. at S o'clock this evening. Mr. 1!. Fletcher, Liberal candidate for Wellington Central, will address electors at the Concert Chamber of the Towu Hall ut S o'clock this evening, ,