WELLINGTON CENTRAL ELECTION

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 10, 7 October 1918, Page 4

WELLINGTON CENTRAL ELECTION

REFERENCES AT LABOUR RALLY.

' A Labour rally was held in the King's Theatre last night. Mr. A. Parlane presided, and thero was an almost full liouse. Mr. H. Holland, speaking of the Labour victory in Wellington Central, said that what Labour .had doiio.thero they could repeat in.-Wellington''East, they could go into Wellington Suburb's, whero Mr. R. A. Wright sat, and drive tho sitting member out in favour of an honest Labour man; they could tight -Wellington North, and oust Mr. Luke; and they could go to the Hutt Valley and bring the "Minister for War Lectures" to account for his conduct in 1914 and since he became a Minister for Mr. Massey and Sir Joseph Ward. And what they could do in these constituencies they could do throughout the country. When the' Wellington Central campaign was in progress.the daily Press said that a vote- for Mr. Eraser was a vote for Kaiserißm. The fact was that 80 .par cent, of the'men who had gone into the trenches were drawn from the ranks of Labour, and Mr. Fraser ivas the candidate of those men.. In New Plymouth there was an election campaign on. One hundred soldiers in camp were entitled to vote, and they were told that if they wanted to vote they could go up to do so, but would have to pay their own railway fares. If a Minister went up to fight for the Government candidate he would travel free on the railway, and probably in a reserve carriage. A voice: And the soldiers will lose, their week-end leave! , Mr. Holland added that Labour naji now five representatives m the Houße, and one in the Council. Those, six were hut the vanguard, and where the vanguard camped to-day the rear would rest to-morrow., '~,,. , ,„ Mr J. M'Conibs said that not only should the Labour, people take an interest in Parliament elections, outs also in municipal elections. He urged the Labour people of Wellington to prepare for tho next municipal election here, to bo held in April. Mr Semple referred in nautical terms to the Central election. Labour s opponents, ho said, had nothing to offer the people. The Government brought out put him on a political raft, and cast him adrift. He had no propeller, and the wind was not fair, and he naturally got on the rocks. Mr P Fraser ridiculed the idea tnat the Government's defeat in Wellington Cei.tral was due to tho lack of org!The gathering closed with cheers for Labour.- » •