WELLINGTON SUBURBS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1307, 9 December 1911, Page 6

WELLINGTON SUBURBS.

MR. BELL'S CAMPAIGN. Mr. W.'. H. D. Bell, who is Ashling the Suburbs scat in tho licforni interest at ~the:second. ballot, addressed; a meeting in tho r Ma'sonic HaU/Berliarhpore. last night. Mr. \V. Higginbottom presided.

Mr. Bell discussed the reasons why he considered he was entitled to tho support of his own people, and also of those who had voted for Mr. Luke and Mr. Fitzgerald, lie had all along said that tho Reform party was opposed to tho Government because they thought the Government's administration was bad; they were not so much opposed to tho professed ideals of the Government. Government supporters might now reasonably vote in favour of tho Opposition carrying out these same ideals. They would still vote for their own ideals, but they could not vote for the Labour party, with other aims, and with other' remedies for existing evils. Both the Labour party and the Reform party agreed that tho cost of living must be ono of the first things to claim attention. The Labour party said that tho high cost of living was due solely to the presence of trusts. Tho .Reform party, on tho other hand, 6aid that tho high cost of living was principally duo to heavy taxation. Both parties proposed to ' reduce tho cost of living, but they disagreed as to what was tho best way to do it. But the Government' supporters and members agreed that if the cost of living wns to be lessened, taxation must be reduced. Ho did not think tho Government had ever raised the cry that the trusts were the source of tho trouble. The Opposition had not nil through tho fight been opposed to the Labour party, but they did not think the Labour party's platform offered tho best method of solution of tho difficulties besetting New Zealand to-day. Ho agreed with the Labour men that if there wore trusts operating in restraint of trado, a determined effort ought to bo made to put down these trusts, but ho still maintained that tho primary cause of jtho_higli cost of living was high taxation. (Applause.) It was a gross misrepresentation to sav that tho Reform party was in favour of large land holdings. Mr. Massey had said his party was opposed to the aggregation of large estates, and no one bad ever seriously questioned Mr. Masfev's honesty. Ho (Mr. Bell) understood tho party to be opposed to largo holdings, and if the parly wero' not opposed to aggregation he would not bo standing'as a Reform candidate. Traversing the Prime Minister's argument in his manifesto that the best proof that tho Opposition were in favour of land monopoly was shown by the fact' that the Opposition was supported by tho big land - owners, ho said that the argument was absolutely fallacious. It was as absurd to .say that becauso the Prime Minister had a large income he could not bo really interested in the welfare of tho poor working man. Ho (Mr. Bell) did not put forward this latter argument Beriously; it was absolutely wroug.but so was the Prime Minister's. Tho fact that, tho landowners supported the Reform party proved nothing but that they we.ro men of high avcrago common sense. For the first time in M) years tho Reform party had come into its own. The Government had no chance of getting a majority sufficient to carry on, and there was just achaneo of the Opposition getting a working majority. Probably tho Government would bo in suth a position'that there would have to be a general election some time next year, and when that' election canio tho raco would be over. > (Applause.) Mr. Bell was accorded a vote of thanks and confidence,* the motion being carried unanimously on a show of Lauds.