WELLINGTON SUBURBS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1310, 13 December 1911, Page 8

WELLINGTON SUBURBS.

POINTED' QUESTIONS TO MR. MOORE. Mr. I'. T. Moore, I/abour candidate for the Suburbs seat, delivered a short address to about eighty pei-tons in tho open air at Karori'last evening. \ Mr. I'. L. O'Conncll acted as chairman. Mr. Moore thanked the Karon electors for- the support they had given him in tho first ballot. He hoped' that they would renew their support two (lays hence, and that the supporters of the two retired Liberal candidates would take compassion upon him. Itc • said "compassion," not because ho was teniporarily disabled physically, but because Jig represented a young and weak party in this country. Ho could fairly ask them to sympathise with that party and givo it their support in the second ballot. Ho had been condemned for appealing to tho Liberals to support him, but he completely failed to see why he should be condemned. He had set out to earn; his Hag to victory. Finding himself leit in tho contest with Mr. Hell, no other courso was open to him than to appeal for the suoport given in tho first instance to tile Liberal candidates. Tub Dominion - said that this was a somersault, but Mr. Bell was appealing for tho sell'-sp.ino votes, and if it was a somerKinlt en his part surely it was a somer•jj'iil en the part of Mr. Bell- He could £...- •.-(-'i-'n-r for either candidate to do but roi-'a' the Liberals for their support. '(•,- ■■ .V«f:'.p criticism of Tin; Dominion w.i to tho fact that, because ho got it. Ins arneal first, he was likely to get : ■'-.< se votes and win the seat from the .. ...inpn whom they would like to see at '■•> head of tho poll. Labour men wero u«t the reckless wild individuals that ■yviip proclaimed tbem to be. Mr. Moore criticised tho proposals of the Reform party and stated that they would opposo such Labonr proposals as the establishment of a State bnnk, the nationalisation of monopolies, and establishment of mercantile and'financial institutions to control this country'h products. Mr. Moore was asked: "In the event of a ino-coniidenee motion,, Which sido would you vote for, Sir Joseph Ward's or Mr. MaWs?" Mr. Moono raplied that to waa a Labour man. pledged to tho constitution and platform of tho Labour E»rtyv .Thq con-J

stitnition of the party directed that its representatives in .Parliament should, on a question of this sort, meet in caucus and vote as the majority of the caucus directed. It wus. impossible for any Labour* candidate to svy'straight out whether lie would voto for .Sir Joseph Ward or Mr.'. Mnssey. .

A voice: "What is your own opinion?" Mr. Mooro said that if the question wero loft to him, lie would vote against the Government on such, a motion if tho Government had acted in a manner hostilo to the interests of Labour or to tho interests of tho people of this country. "But that is "not straight out," objected tho questioner. "A majority have said through Mr!. Bell that they desire a chance, of Government. If you say straight ont that you would vote," without any caucus or anything, for «. change of Government, you will get votes. "If you don't, you won't If elected you will represent Wellington Suburbs and not tho caucus. Will you vote.straight, out, to get rid of Ward, or not?" (Hear, hear.) Mr. Mooro said the answer ho had given was tho only ono ho could give. A voice: .That means that.you represent the. caucus and not the .Suburbs? Mr. Moore:, I represent tho Labour party. A voice: Then you don't come beforo us with convictions of your own, but only with your party's convictions? Air. Moore: I come before you with the platform, of the, Labour party. ' A voice: Has it not been the curse of Wordism and of part}' politics for members to follow one leader and have no brain-box of their own? Mr; Moore: "Wo vrill decide as a party how wo shall vote." Tho Labour party, ho added, had hot been formed to get any ot.har party into, power, but.to get into' power itself. • A voto 'of thanks and confidence in Mr.'.Mooro. was: carried...almost .unaniMr. Mooro also spoke, at Scatoun, and was accorded a vote of thanks and confidence.