THE SUBURBS SEAT

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2112, 1 April 1914, Page 9

THE SUBURBS SEAT

OPPOSITION CANDIDATE AT

PORIRUA. A political mooting was held in Porirua last evening by Mr. A. Aislabie, who lias announced himself as a candidate, in the interests of the Opposition Party, for tho Suburbs- seat. Mr. Aislabio is a young man, an dnsuranco agent by profession, who is making his' first essay in politics. His audienco last evening numbered at its maximum thirty persons, including.eight children. Tlie small attendance was in pajt accounted for by tho fact that a dance was in progress at the Mental Hospital. Mr. Aislabje had an almost.uu-. interrupted hearing. Onco, when ho mentioned tho Native- land policy of the Opposition Party, an elector interjected "Mbkau!" and on another occasion exception was taken b.y,the same person to a- statement that Mr: Northcroft and Colonel Gudgeon were incapacitated by age from rendering useful servico at tho Cook Islands, but with these exceptions the candidate had a quiet hearing. Mr. A. Mildenhall acted as chairman. In his address. Mr. Aislabie efab'orated at some length a. contention that tho Government represented a party of privilege, and was , masquerading in borrowed.-Liberal plumes. The abolition of the Second Ballot, ho said, was a clear indication that tho Reform Party was afraid of majority rule. Four distinct parties were soliciting tho votes of the people, and in faco of the fact that there wjere three other parties. whoso views ran "in somewhat similar directions," the Reform Party had disfranchised two-thirds of the.electors in' order to take charge of the Treasury benches; He did. not approve of the Second Ballot, but'other and more effective voting systems were available. In Cbristchurch, ho went onto state, there ' .was practically "an i amalfamation -between the. Liberals and'the labour Party. This, in his opinion, Would lead to a solid amalgamation of the two: parties, in tie interests of the country as a whole. The Government had increased the maximum loan under Advances'to Settlers from' £500 to £1000, no doubt feeling that-this was Jiecessary if small farmers were to be enabled to buy-- the freehold of their land. The Liberal Party had estabt iished on -the land poor men whose incomes to-day ran into four figures. This, lie thought, was sufficient without giving Crown tenants the freehold. The Goyernme'nt, he said,.had not dared during 1 the_ last 18 months to give expression to its Tory principles, but, since it had disfranchised twtf-thirds of the people, , what guarantee was there that it would hot reintroduce the property' vote or withdraw wonien's suffrage? Mr. Aislabie lauded various measures placed upon the Statute Book by the Continuous Ministry. At the close, of his address he invited questions, -but none, were asked from the body of the hall. Answering his chairman, he said that he favoured abolition of local option and reduction of the majority in the National Prohibition poll to 55 per cent. ;The.audience by this time had dwindled to sixteen. adults and three children. A vote of thanks to the candidate and of confidence in the Liberal Party was carried, without dissent ■