WELLINGTON CENTRAL. LABOUR CANDIDATE'S VIEW.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXII, Issue 63, 12 September 1911, Page 2

WELLINGTON CENTRAL. LABOUR CANDIDATE'S VIEW.

Mr. W. T, Young, Labour candidate for Wellington Central addressed a meeting at Mitchelltown Schoolroom last evening. Mr. Chester presided. A strong committee was formed to further Mr. Young's" candidature, and work the whole of tho electorate. Reports to the effect that the canvassing of the district ih the candidate'^ interest were favourable. Mr. Young, among other things, touch» ed on the price of butter. This, he Raid, could Be produced at 9id per lb, and, taking the jjuantity exported for 1910 along with its export value, it worked out at 10.88 per lb. That article—probably superior in quality to that Bold in New Zealand— at Is fid. In the circumstances New Zealand butter could be sold all the summer in New Zealand at lid per lb, and the producer would make the same profit as now, while th© retailers would make 26 per cent profit. Mr. Young _ pointed out that th» liquor question was one of which Labour had a fair knowledge by many bitter trials. It was an evil that Labour was confronted with. He was, then, in favour of the bare majority rule, national and local option. Equal pay should be paid for equal work where women Were em^ ployed in capacities that men had or could occupy. As illustrating what life meant, he cited post office assistants, i where men in receipt of salaries ranging from £160 to £220 per annum were being displaced by female labour at £80 to £90 per annum. He had no desire to displace women. They were entitled to be employed equally with men, but when they were, doing equal work they should be paid Wages equal with men doing such work Would receive. Pensions should ba granted to women who had raised ten or twelve children, and become widowed, if, as was held, every child born represented a money value of £200 to the State. Assistance shoul I be granted by the State, too, in ma« ternity oases. Prisoners ott trial should be defended at the public expense, inasmuch as the Crown obtained the best assistance it could procure to prosecnt© in its behalf. With regard to defence, Mr. Young favoured establishment of treaties of peace for the settlement of international disputes among civilised nations,' but until that time arrived there should be a voluntary defence force, and he advocated that New Zea« fend should enter into negotiations with the. Commonwealth for a navy for Bea defence under joint control of New Zealand and Australia. The Prime Minister had promised, eaid Mr. Youag, at the last election that consideration should be given to a State ferry service between the North and South Islands. This should certainly be established. Buy, the Primfc Minister and his colleagues had been silent on the subject since last election. This ferry eervice wa-8 too important & connection between the Nort hand South Islands to entrust to a monopoly. Furthermore, the fares should now be reduced by 50 pel cent. The candidate was accorded | a vote of thanks and confidence.