GENERAL ELECTIONS

Dominion, Volume 16, Issue 21, 19 October 1922, Page 9

GENERAL ELECTIONS

WELLINGTON EAST MR. MONTEITITS CAMPAIGN ADDRESS IN NEW CENTURY HALL Mr., A. L. Monteith, official Labour candidate for Wellington East, opened his campaign at the New Century Hall last night. Mr. H. E. Combs presided over an attendance of about 150 persons. Mr. J. W. Munro, the recently-elect-ed Labour member for Dunedin North, said he had been advised by his election secretary that Dunedin voters were, like hounds straining Bt the leash, waiting to get at the Massey Party. “Why is there all this distrust of the Labour Party?” asked Mr. Munro. "Why do our political opponents apply to us such nonsensical epithets, as Red Fed. and Bolshevist? That is their political stock-in-trade. They have no other ammunition. But we are about to return the majority of members into the next Parliament, and to revolutionise the politics of this country.” - (Hear, hear.) - z Society and the Law of interest. The necessity of paying twelve millions sterling interest every year was the cause of the present economic dislocation, said the speaker. The social system was based on the law of interest, which was working in a mathematical course, whose inevitable result would be to permit the bulk, of the wealth of the State to be. diverted to the hands of a few individuals. The interest bill could only be met from the earnings of those who were doing the useful work of the community, be they manual workers, clerks in the hank, assistants in the counting-house, farmers or business men. The Press could not he blamed for supporting the present system, as they were merely protecting the commercial vogue wh’ch -■ gave rise'to the law of interest. The speaker condemned the hypocrisy of the man who went to church on Sunday, clad in frock coat and wearing B top-hat, who carried the plate round, but (who, on the Monday, endeavoured to comer foodstuffs. He counselled the “gentlemen of the pencil” to publish Labour’s true interpretation of revolution, which was “the alteration of society, almost npsid° down, so that the majority will be able to earn the full return of their industry, and the few will have to work.” "Defeats Are Milestones.” “Defeats are only milestones on the road to victory,” said Mr. Monteith, in applying Mr. Munro’s experiences *s an analogy for Labour'at the forthcoming election. He condemned the attitude towards, public questions of the so-called Liberal Party, which voted sixty times for the Government, and was missing from the division lists thirty times. Enunciating the first plank of the Labour platform—one vote, one value, and proportional representation—the speaker compared city and country electorates nt the last elections. The votes polled in Wellington were: —East, 10.287: South, 8779; Central, 8062; Suburbs, 9232. In the extreme south of the Dominion the votes polled were: Bruce. 5931; Clutha, 5762; Mntanra, 5582; Wallace, 5701; Awarua, 5651. These figures showed how incongruous were the vote values. The fact that the Massey party polled only 36; per cent, of the votes demonstrated the inconsistency of the present system. Vigorously condemning the incidence of the Government’s taxation remission scheme, on the lines. followed in Mr. Holland’s recent policy speech, Mr. Monteith quoted freely from the statistics of private wealth, which bad increased from £285.000.000 to £562.000,000 since the beginning of the war. "Unimproved values had risen by £89.000,000. This accretion \>f private wealth had led Labour to espouse the principle of graduated taxation on wealth with a corifespondinu reduction of the burden on the family income. He condemned the Independent candidates, saying there could be no middle course between loyalty to two conflicting classes —landlord and tenant. Land and Income Tax. The reduction of 10 per cent, in land tax and 5 per cent.' in income tax had given relief to the hard-up Bank of New Zealand, which only paid 18 per cent, dividends, £18,950. It was the same with the other banks and big institutions, such as the Colonial Sugar Refining Company and the Union Steam Ship Co. There were 29,082 persons in the Dominion whose incomes were Under £650, getting a rebate which was almost negligible; 6665 incomes up to £lOOO, ' received £BO9 ; 1158 incomes received £2157 each in rebate; and 397 incomes of £34.536 were to receive rebates of £2250 each. Seven lawyers and doctors in New Zealand, whose incomes last year were £152,000 a year, were to receive rebate of £23,000. The amount of income and land tax to bo levied this year would be £929,000 less. Where was the money to be found, if not by indirect taxation through the Customs, to give relief to the wealthy from the pockets of the poor? It would mean that the worker would bo hard hit to find the money; yet Customs taxation had ' already been increased from 29 to 39 per ■ cent. The Government’s duty was clear from all this: they should place the taxation on the shoulders of those most able to bear it, and relieve the workers of the burden of indirect taxation. The Standard of Living. Coming to the recent cost-of-living pronouncements, Mr. Monteith said the Labour Party stood four-square on the principle’ that the people’s only desire was that the standard of living should be raised. Since.. 1912 it had been falling. The big interests, that cried “goslow” to the worker, regulated by vicious methods the necessities of life. The value of products per productive employee was £564 in 191.1 ; it had now increased to £1174. But, during the same period, wages had fallen from 47 per cent, to 44.5 per cent. .The standard of living had got lower arid lower, corresponding to the amount, workers were manufacturing. Excess of savings bank deposits had fallen from £326,000 to £145,000 in the last year. The speaker condemned the attitude of the Government towards unemployment, and described the sufferings brought on men and their families through want of work. Immigrants,, he said, were being brought into the country to join the ranks of the unemployed. j

“niree Men For One Job.” “To-daV,” he said in conclusion, “the Government are going to relieve the wealthv bv lowering the standard of living to the worker, and by increased Customs duties. They arc importing immigrants, to create three men for one man’s job. If you let Mr. Massey s partv get into power again, they will continue to do these things, as he will say that the people are behind him. There will perhaps be another “cut in the Civil servants’ salaries. The increase in deaths from cancer and consumption showed that housing conditions were crying out for betterment. The State bank and State-owned shipping would put an end to the exploitation of finance and industry. ihese were the things the Labour Party was pledged to. and, although he was not an orator, his voice and his vote, if he was returned, would go with the I/aboar Party in its campaign to improve

the' social and economic condition of the workers of New Zealand. (Applause.) The meeting was very orderly. Inere were no responses to the invitation to ack tho candidate questions. A vote ot confidence was carried. NOTES AND COMMENTS MR. VIGOR BROWN IS OUT FOR REFORM Mr, J. Vi"or Brown, the sitting member for Napier, has publicly announced his reasons for ranging himself on the side of the Reform Party at the coming elections —as already ii.dicated in The Dominion. “This,” he says, “is no new departure in policy on my part. After my entry into Parliament, I gave a consistent support to Sir Joseph Ward and the Libeial Party. On the retirement of Sir Joseph Ward' from the leadership of Die Liberal Party, I publicly announced that I would not follow the leadership of Mr. Wilford, and I was no* alone amongst Liberals in that attitude. | Since that time, now nearly tliree years ago, I have voted with the Reform Party. I have been encouraged to dcy so by the conviction that the sounder Liberalism is to be found among Mr. Massey’s following. The Liberal Party with which I have recently been associated is not true to brand. Its present policy embraces Socialism of an experimental and dispiriting character, and it is too much inclined to coquette with extreme Labour for party advantage. On the other hand, Mr. Massey has not shown and disposition to repeal the progressive and beneficial' legislation passed by the Seddon and Ward Governments, but on the contrary is extending and broadening it. “For the most part, the present Reform Government is not the Government I formerly opposed. Nearly all rhe old Ministers have retired and have been replaced by younger and mors capable and broader-minded men. ' I have received more consideration from the present Government in the matter of public works in Hawke’s Bay and other matters of public importance than from any other previous Government. I may mention, for example, the Waikaremoana electric scheme, which will go steadily forward towards completion, and the East Coast railway, which is being actively pushed on and will be opened as far as Petane in a frr weeks. “I consider that at the present time petty party differences are of less consequence to the people than the stabilising of our finances, the restoration of that measure of prosperity that would guarantee profitable employment to all who desire it, and the maintenance of a staunch spirit of loyalty to the flag and the throne.” THE LOGICAL THING TO' DO. Commenting on Mr. Vigor Brown’s decision, the Christchurch “Sun” says: “In allying himself with Mr. Massey, the member for Napier is doing the logical thing. For the iast two sessions he, with Mr. Witty, has belonged to no party; he voted when and where he. saw fit. He pledged no’ allegiance to the ‘grand old flag of Liberalism’: Mr.G. W. Russell’s excuse for re-entering the arena. The truth is that the ‘grand old flag’ no longer exists; at least it ' most assuredly is not tho rather tattered banner which folds itself so disconsolately over the equally discansofato heads of Mr. Wilford’s forlorn hope. We do not mean to suggest that Liberalism has had its day. What has happened is that we have in office an Administration which has been liberalised by long experience. Tho party die-hards would have us believe that Mr. Wilford and his scanty following possess a monopoly of Liberal principles. It is a preposterous and transparently false doeftrine.” \ WELLINGTON! SOUTH. About 100 ladies and gentlemen assembled at the Newtown Library to form Mr. G. Mitchell’s election committee. Mr. Mitchell briefly addressed the gathering, dealing with land settlement, housing problem and superannuation, and gave a brief outline of a child sustenance scheme which he had brought before ParliamentSpeaking’ of pledges, Mr. Mitchell stated ho would give no party pledge, but would vote against any party which relied for political existence on extreme Labour. At the conclusion the following motion waa passed unanimously-.—“ That a hearty vote of thanks bo accorded Mr. Mitehell for his able address, and tha.t 11118 meev ing pledges itself to do all in its power ’to secure hia return” A strong committee was formed. THE WESTLAND SEAT. At a special meeting of the Westland Miners’ Union nominations pere received 1 f or candidature for the Weotland electorate for the PariiaDientevy' ejections on behalf of Messrs. F. L. Ihirley ajid James O’Bnen. Mr. Turley withdrew hia nomination, and it was unanimously resolved Mr. O’Brien should exmtert the seat in Labour’s interests. Mr. O Brien the present time manager of the “Grey River Argus,” the Labour paper published at Greymouth. THE LIBERALS AND THE REDS. The Christchurch “Press” would like to know when tho Liberal Party, or anyone entitled to speak for it, has said that it would not'take office with the assistance of the Reds. lhat is pieciscly what the Liberal Party will not say. The Liberal leaders and the Liberal newspapers burst daily wi-n indignation at xho conclusion which everyone has been obliged to draw fiom their steadfast refusal to disavow anv intention of getting into office if they "1 th aS T st of the Reds, but they do not—they will not—take the only course whicn will acquit thorn of such an intention. Jtejs it is to help them out rt their dilemma that Mr. G. W. Rus "’ l has emerged from retirement to contest the Avon seat. “ARTIFICIAL RESUSCITATION;” “I shall enter tho contest with strong hopes of enco mere bringing Avon under the banner of tne grand old Liberal Party,” raid the Hon. G. W. Russell, when interviewed regarding his decision to stand as a. straigh - out Liberal candidate for the Avon seat. —“Lyttelton Times. DUNEDIN CENTRAL. Mr. W. S. Maslin, who has had a long experience in local and general politics, and who represented Kangitata in a previous Parliament-, will contest Dunedin Central as an pendent • Liberal-Labour candidate, states tho “Otago Daily rimes. THE WALLACE SEAT. Mr. Ralph McDonald, schoolmaster at Otautau, will be the official Liberal and Labour candidate for Map ace a t the forthcoming general election against Mr. A. Hamilton Urn sitting member, states the Otago Daily “Western Star” announces that Mr. J. C. Thomson has decided not io be a candidate for Wallace at the forthcoming election. t LOCAL MEETINGS. Mr T. W. McDonald, Independent candidate for Wellington East will address electors, at the Oriental Bay Kiosk this evening. Mr W. H. Field will meet his supporters at Moore’s Hall, Johnsonville, on Friday evening.