ON THE HUSTINGS

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 70, 16 December 1919, Page 11

ON THE HUSTINGS

WELLINGTON NORTH MR. LUKE AT TINAKORI ROAD. Mr. J. P. Luko (Reform candidate for Wellington North), addressed a mooting of electors in St. Paul's Schoolroom, Tinakori Road, lost evening. Mr. G. Gregory presided. . Mr. Luke submitted that tho Reform Partv was the one best fitted to servo the cause of domocracy in this country. It had proved itself more liberal than the Liberals. The legislation of last session bore testimony to tho fnct. What was wanted to-day was a strong Government: and he believed that the administration of tlio Reform Party, if thnt party wero again returned, would be as clean and holiest as the country could desire. It would also be of great social benefit. He believed' that certain Labour men in tV« Dominion -wero caDable of tsane But ho warned his hearers thafc jje objective of our Labour extremi/itfi "differed little from that of tho l(i : -~ Bolshoviki. The adontion of the StiTv:'- - system would snell disaster to New ZSParid. All but the so-called' workers would bo disfranchised. Any who had built up. a fortune large enough to live on, or vrho, for eiamDlo. had inherited sufficient to enable them to live at ease or devote themselves to public nei'vice, would bs prevented from voting. The whole system .tended to disruption and turmoil. . . . The go-slow policy in the mines could not bo tolerated. The country was not going to put up with such a state of affairs as it had had to bear last 'winter, when women had come to him shivering for the need of coal. The neoole knew what he thought, and men who were responsible for such conditions. » I Applause.) ... He believed in extending the metropolitan areas in-or-der to lessen the cost of administration. . . . Nothing would give a greater imoohis to oroeress in this country than to have tlio savings of the neople extensively invested in the publio worke of tho Dominion Mr. Luko briefly sketched the activities of the Government in renatriation. and he claimed that great credit was due for what had boon accomplished. He believed that the vote of tho oeonle would be on the side of good government, and would show a conviction that the Government In power to-day was the proper one to deal with the problems of reconstruction. (ApDlnuse.) Mr. Luke received a vote of thanks and confidence.

MR. READ'S CAMPAIGN. Mr. J. Read, Labour candidate for Wellington North, addressed a meeting in Sydney Strtot Hall last night, Mr. M. Walsh presiding. Mrs. Catlow spoke for a time to the women in the electorate, emphasising tho need for a party to come into power which was pledged to look after the interests of workers in general. The women understood how prices at present wero operating against them and their families. Mr. Read dealt with publio questions of tho time, recapitulating tho various points which had been mado during tho election. Ho expressed the opinion that the women folk who had to attend to tho expenditure of workers' incomes were fully aware of how little 'he National Government, or the Reform Government, had dono with regard to reduction in tho cost of living. He held that tho workers were in a worse economic position to-day than in 1914 owing to tho excessive prices of commodities, brought about largely by profiteering. It was no oxouso to say it was worse in other parts of the world, as we produced a largo amount of foodstuffs in the Dominion whioh the people ought to havo been able to secure at reasonable prices. His Liberal opponent had stated m his address that he represented all sections of tho community, but the day had passed when a roan could command the support of tho workers by any such general statement. Air, Read stated that as against the profiteer and the one who was taken down he stood for the latter. His Roform ' opponent 6tood for a similar state of things which had obtained during tho last five years, and took pride in tho part he had taken with regard to tlio Government's activities in the period. The time had passed when the electors could afford to allow the "league of the Old Alen" to control the destinies of this country; the thing to do was to get new blood which had propounded a platform which mot the requirements of reconstruction. The platform of the Labour Party met these needs in a democratic and complete manner. Mr. Read proceeded to deal with the platform of tho party. Generally speaking Labour was out to develop the country on progressive lines and placo it in the forefront of the world, instead of lagging behind as it had during the regime of Masseyism and tho National Government. At' the close of the meeting Mr. Read received a vote of thanks and confidence, and cheers wero given for tho Labour Party and the candidate.