WELLINGTON CENTRAL.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXII, Issue 119, 16 November 1911, Page 3

WELLINGTON CENTRAL.

ME W. T. YOUNG'S CANDIDATURE. Mr. W. T. Young, Labour candidate for the Central seat, addressed between fifty and sixty electors at the Torystreet Mission Hall, last evening. Mr. W. Merritt occupied the chair. The candidate read the Labour platform, and dealt with its planks. He challenged any of his rivals to produce such a series of planks. He proceeded to deal with the bread-and-butter question, and added that nothing could be hoped for from either of the present parties. If there was a change of Government to-morrow from Liberalism to Toryism, or vice veisa, the people could never seek the solution of the problem from either section, because their vested' interests in private . enterprise was too great to give the relief he demanded for tho benefit of the workers. What was the use of increases of pay if the prices of food went up ac-. cordingly ? " The only way of solving the problem was the nationalisation of private enterprise. (Hear., hear.) The only safe remedy was to return men to Parliament who would carry out such a plank. (Hear, hear.) Dealing with the butter question, the speaker said if it could be sold at 1* Id per lb in London, the price should not exceed ll£d in Wellington. (Hear, hear.) It was ] not the producer who bled the people; it was the middleman. The speaker was out to exterminate the middleman. The people should have a State butter factory to turn out a superior article, and much cheaper than the present price. 1 Touching ou State collieries, he said that many thousands of pounds were spent bj the Government in freight, which should 1 be avoided by the purchase of two vessels. This would ul- J timatelj reduce the price to the con* aumers, but he did not expeci anything to be done by either of the- present parties. In his* opinion the WellingtonLyttelton ferry service should be State controlled. The speaker reacT a letter from Mr. H. F. Allen, secretary of the Ironmasters' Association, asking* if he were in favour of protection, of che iron industry. In reply, Mr. Young declared himself in favour of applying the principle of the new protection to the iron industry, so that the benefits resulting from the additional taxation shall bo equally distributed' between manufacturers and consumers, with the condition that the Ironmasters' 'Association co-operate with the Labour Party towards the nationalisation, of the iron ores of Jfew Zealand. The speaker gave a lengthy explana- j tion of workers' compensation and recent amendments. In reply to questions, the candidate said ho was not in favour of wages boards. A hearty vote of thanks and conn- ! dence was carried.