THE ELECTIONS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1263, 19 October 1911, Page 7

THE ELECTIONS.

0 , THE HUTT SEAT. SPEECH BY MR. M. J. REARDON. FAILURE OF LIBERALISM. Mr. M. J. Renrdon, Labour candidate for tho Hutt electorate, addressed a crowded audience in St. Augustine's Hall, Petonn, last night. Mr. I'. C. Frocth presided. Mr. Reardon asked for support for the now Labour Parly because Liberalism bad failed in its object. Elected in 1800 to overthrow those who had laid tho foundations of a landed aristocracy, the Liberal party had not only failed (o deal effectively with this ' class, but had strengthened them in their power and ar.oga.nee. Twenty years ago the squatters were warned by an nvonvhclming vote of tho people that the monopoly of vast tracts of country was inimical to tho welfare of tho community. Hero and there an estate had since been seized and settled at enormous ccsf. but the process ol' seizin? served only to increase the wealth of surrounding squatters. The scheme of re-purchase hnd also failed to chick tho re-aggregation. In the same period the party entrusted with tho task of breaking the land monopoly had parted with ten millions of acres of the people's land. Liberals and Labour. Tivonty years ago the community had been shaken to its foundations by industrial war. It brcamc part of the Libera' party's policy to deviso means for minimising these exhausting conditions of toil which created discontent. To-day

tho community was standing on the edge of a quiescent volcano, but the rumblings wero so ominous that it could not bo cxnected that tho impending industrial upheaval could he staved off. Twenty years of Liberalism then had produced nothing. Neither the squatter nor tho speculator in land had been eradicated; tho moneylender had a tighter hold of the primary industries; the middleman and tho monopolist held the prodncor in the hollow of one hand, and the consumer in the.hollow of the ether; and industrial strife was growing in volume and intensity. Two courses were open to the people of New Zealand—they might sutiport tho remnants of a party that had been tried and found wanting, or they might create a .new party, a party pledged to the interests of the com men pople, a parfy that had no vested interests to conrerre as against the common good. It might be possible to show mius page of contemporary history in which reaction was tho inspiring motive of those in authority, bnl in. ercry country there was an ever-gTowing demand for that equality ef opportunity which was the dominant nets of Labour in politics. This equality could best bs achieved by beginning with education. Attendance of. children at school should bo compulsory until the ago of fifteen, and cducath-n should be free in fact as well as in name. Books should bs printed by the Stats and distributed free of cost. If tho child of the poorest parents displayed nny talents, the secondary schools and til! university should covet such a child's presence. And whero the best of a child's mind was for a trade, at least fifteen hours a week of working time should l>o spent in compulsory attendance' at technical schools. Having given children the best education possible, and thus equipped them for tho industrial world, people must see that they bad a right to work. They must make it tho duty of the State to provide against unemployment, aud to see that when employed, tho .worker should not bo working under conditions that would result in race degeneracy. Arbitration Act, Some peoplo believed that tho Arbitration Act was a solution of the problem of Capital versus Labour. He did not think that thoso who devised the scheme ever conceived it to be anything more than a machino for minimising the friction between two hostilo forces. _ If the public could only grasp the magnitude of the injustice which had been heaped on

tho workers by tho Court, they would admit that the workers had been wonderfully patient. (Applause.) When Labour entered a protest against the decisions of Judge Sim they were treated to indignant leading artio'.es by newspapers. Since then tho sacro-sanetity of the Supreme Court had been disturbed somewhat; and Labour now felt that they were permitted to- express opinions that wero some time ago regarded as a menace to tho dignity of tho Supreme Court Bench. They held that if a Judge proved unfitted for the work allotted him, ho should bo removed liko any other Civil Servant. In any case, had tho Government been tho model employer that it should be, tho difficulty as to a minimum award would have been minimised. If tho Government had ret a fair standard, this would have necessitated private employers paying a fair standard wage, if they desired to get the best workmen. The Land. When Labour had achieved all their other objects, they would havo worked in vain if they neglected to take a proper appreciation of the land question. Tho electors wero the trustees of an estate which had to provide the means of life, not alono for tho people of to-day, but for tho nnborn generations. By the land question he din not mean merely the question whether eomo backblocks farmer should occupy pnblic land under leasehold or freehold tenure. Where the doorway leading into & business place on Lambton I, Quay was of more value than a 100-acre farm, it must be apparent that this question of land values was of more grave concern to the dwellers in the town than to thoso in the country. Tho Labour party desired to drivo tile land gambler out of the market, as being as great a national evil as the bookmaker. They | wanted to see the availablo rural land of

the country divided among the people in a way that would increaso tho products of tho soil, and so increaso tho general prosperity. Ho also had something to say about referendum, specially to far as it concerned that Dreadnought gift, and tho compulsory military training law. He thought that at least tho pooplo ought lo havo been allowed to state their mindson the military training scheme. lie also had quite a deal to say about the contemplated schcme to hand over to tho Tanpo Totara Timber Company a vast tract of country in tho contro of the North Island, and other concessions with it. He noticed amongst othor things that Mr. F. G. Dalzieli, tho business partner of the man who was Sir Joseph Ward's right hand, was chairman of directors. Ho thought the proposal a bad one for the country, and one that did not deserve half the consideration it was receiving from the committee which was inquiring into it. In conclusion ho urged the Hntt electors to support tho proposals of the Labour party without special regard to the candidate that put them forward. (Applause.) The candidate was a.sked only a few question-*. He declarer! hiniielf in favour of State notes. He was in favour of a bare majority carrying tho day on all questions including the liquor question submitted to the people by way of referendum. A vote of thanks and confidenco was accorded to the candidate on tho motion of Mr. S. Newland seconded by Mr. H. Ryder. The vote was carried unanimous-1 Jy, with acclamation. ' SUBURBS SEAT. MR- W. H. D. BELL AT KARORI. Air. W. H. D. Bell, Opposition candidate for the Suburbs seat, is to open his campaign at tho Parochial TTall, Karori, to-morrow evening. Enthusiastic committee meetings, attended by electors from Piimmerton to Miramar,"havo been held, and the candidate intends to push on at once with an activo canvass of tho wholo district. Mr. Bell promises to. make his address at Karori to-morrow evening interesting. MB. FITZGERALD AT OHARIT7. Mr. J. E. l-'itzgorald. Liberal candidate for the Wellington Suburbs' seat, addressed a well-attended meeting at Ohariu Valley last evening. Air. S. Bryant was in the chair. The candidate dealt with various political topics, making special reference to the land question, jle advocated increasing the graduated land tax, and thus forcing land into the market. He received an attentive hearing, and, at the conclusion of the address, was accordcd a vote of thanks and confidence. Mr. F. G. Bolton writes under yesterday's date: "In your condensed report

nccessarv for a party man to make sacrifices on matters of detail, but lie got his return in other ways, tor everything way p. matter of compromise in polities nowadays.' I did not. say that a party man got is is return in other ways, nor did I say that everything in polities was a compromise nowadays. \\ lint 1 did say was that so long as the general principles of the party wero adhered to, one had to sink one's dillerenecs at times on questions of detail, as polities, like, eierithing clso in life, was a matter of compromise on other than vital questions. I shall bu pleased if you will have this correction mnde, in what was otherwise ail exceedingly fair report." Mr. D. M'Laren, M.P., will address tho electors of Wellington Kast at O'Dennell's Hall, Kilbirnic, at 8 o clock this evening. Mr. F. Moore, Labour candidato for Wellington Suburbs, will address electors at tho Hall, Ngahauranga, this ovening at 8 o'clock. Mr. C. A. W. Monckton, Reform candidate for the Otaki electorate, will address the electors at Waikanao on I'i'iday, October 20. Proceedings begin at 8 p.m. Mr K. W. Shortt, Opposition candidate for tho Hutt electorate, will address tho electors at Taila this evening at We eh s Th" address will bo given at Welch's Hall. Mr .T E. Fitzgerald, Liberal candidate, will address the electors of the Wellington Suburbs and Country electorate at Maranui at S p.m. on I-ridav. October '-0, in the Church Hall, Tainui Terrace. Dr. \. K. Newman, Reform candidate, will address the electors of Wellington East in tihe Victoria Hall on Iriday eveuing at B'o'clock. PALMERSTON. ADDRESS BY MB. W. THOMSON. (By Telecranh.-rrcss Association.) P.aimersion, October 18. The election campaign opened hero tonight, when Mr. Win. Thompson, Independent Oppositionist, addressed electors, he stated that the old Tory party was done with, but said that there y.ero many kinds of Liberals, adding that it the bite Mr. Seddon could srMiid one day in Now Zealand to-day he v.-ould spend it in denouncing what his successor had done. Ho attacked the magi-tracy, clMming that u was dependent on Iho will of tho Government. Ho also denounced tho defence scheme as '"conscription," and said that bet'-to very long it would be costing (eh country a million. He claimed that while we wore building forts wo had not a gun in tho country llir.t. would fire three or four, mile--, lie opposed Prohibition, but said that the lime was coining when they would drivo the tied hcn?e and the brewers' monopolv out of tho country, and bring in a Fair Rent Bill to apply to hotels. On the education question he advocated full tuition—primary, secondary, an:! university. At the conclusion he was accorded a rote of thanks. LABOUR MAN RETIRES. (By Teletrrupl..-Presg Asportation.) Wcstport, October 18. Mr. John Dowj-ray, who was announced a.s n. Labour candidate for the Buller div has retired from the contest owing to his duties on the Mines Commission taking up his time for six weeks.