WELLINGTON SOUTH

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1305, 7 December 1911, Page 6

WELLINGTON SOUTH

MR. WEIGHT'S CAMPAIGN. Mr. 1?. A. Wright, Reform candidate for "Wellington South, addressed the last indoors meeting of his campaign ill St. Thomas's flail, last night. There was about 350 people in tho audience. Mr. Wright replied to certain criticisms levelled against him. All tho candidates savo one seemed to be bombarding him of late, and one of the things they had been saving was that tho No-License party, in tho churches and elsewhere, had br*.Mi improperly seeking to influence votes for ham. This he absolutely denied. The No-Licenso party were by no means in agreement in general politics, and tho peoplo in tho churches likewise. He had been accused also of misrepresentation in regard to the Mokau transaction, and especially Mr. M'Nab's sharo in it. Ho had said nothing whatever about .Mr. Jl'Nab, whoso controversy with Air. Massoy was a mere red herring. Tho gravamen of tho charge he had made against the Government was that they had allowed a fino piece of land, which was" actually under offer to them, to slip through their hands, nn<l allowed a privato speculator to mako i!i!5,000 out of it, another to make .£IO,OOO, and now a company had it, and ho[>ed to mako more, fib was not hostile to secular education; ho thought our system a good one. Ho was nor hostile to Labour; he thought he haxl always taken a friendly, practical interest in Labour, and !:o had taken tho side of the low-paid men when, tbu question of increases for Civil Servants wa-s raised in the House. One of the first thiugi a new

• (lovernment must, do in Now Zealand was i lo rciiioTO such Customs duties as »-(,»lil reduce the cost of living. 11m vas in- ; clined to think with Mr. l'owliis that tho Customs taxation in i'c#- Zealand could lie. reduced hv linlt ;i million; nt nnyrato, it could certainly bo reduced 11 'emit : deal. There was a t'oeltnpr of mistrust I ■ abroad in New Zealand abnn: the (Joy- ! eminent. Sufficient information was not supplied by the (javenimuit about the country's financial affairs, and tho only way to remedy this was bv u chaii;-© of Government. (Applause.) 'in or.swr'r to nil interjeetor wlio »nicl: "You belong to tho wrong party," Mr. Wright said that be belonged to the pirtv which at tho moment scorned to him to have tho best chaneo of turning out the Government. I (Applause.) A vote of thanks and confidence was carried with ncclaination. This was only one of six meetings which Mr. Wright addressed in tho course of tho day. He addressed two meetings ol' workers during tho day. In tiw early evening he spoke -i Brooklyn to a large crowd in tho open air, and was accoided a vote of thanks i.n,l confidence, which was carried with cheers. After his meeting in St. Thomas's Hall, ho addressed two .other open-a.ir meeting in Einmett Street and Mansfield Street. ADDRESS BY DR. COUZENS. Dr. Couzcns spoke at three open-air meetings last evening and received excellent hearings., lie spoke on the lines of his former speeches, and said that new members, free from bias and party prejudice, were what was required i'n the next Assembly of the Legislature. Jlo mentioned the following reasons for replacing the present Government.—(l) Because they have refused to givo full information to Parliament concerning financial transactions. (2) Becausc they favour secret tribunals. (3) Because tlieV liavo no fixed land policy. (4) Because they seek their own interests in preterr once to those of the people. (5) Because they use tho public purse to gain political patronage. (6) Because they have lost tho confidence of tho people. His last meeting, held at tho corner of Constable Street and Eiddiford Street, was most enthusiastic. He received a heartyvote of thanks and confidence, and Tvas repeatedly cheered. MR. M'LAREN'S MEETINGS. Mr. D. M'Laren delivered addresses to several large meetings yesterday—at noon in the Post Office Square, in the evening at the corner of the Hospital Road, and later on at Courtenay Place East. He 1 explained his position as a Labour candidate on matters of national policy. Votes of thanks and confidence were passed at all meetings. At the meeting in Courtenay Place, Mr. M'Laren was recalled, after other candidates had spoken, and delivered a second speech, which was closed with hearty cheers for the candidate and for the Labour party. MR BARBER'S MEETING. Mr. W. H. P. Barber Government candidate for the Wellington South seat, addressed threo successful meetings last evening. The first was at the corner of Howard and Crawford Streets, tho second a large meeting in Newtown Library, and the third hundred persons at the foot of Constablo Street. At each meeting Mr. Barber was accorded a vote of thanks and confidence, supplemented by cheers.