THE ELECTION CAMPAIGN.

Evening Star, Issue 13099, 4 November 1908, Page 7

THE ELECTION CAMPAIGN.

_ ‘ " . '.VT^T’r'V.'. >IR ISAAC GREEN’S ADDRESSr In tho Howo Street Hall last nighU Mr ® ree . n J candidate for Dunedin’ North, delivered a political address to' a fairly numerous audience. * Cr H. H. S. White presided. He mentioned that Mr Green was in 1872 elected os tho first Mayor of North-east Valley, »n<l had been re-elected three timfa.'i lietides serving on the Council. He had also l>een a member of the Charitable Airf Board, the Rood Board, and other bodies, »nd was a man of wide experience. An encouraging round of applause assured Ylr Green of a friendly hearing; He 6-aid that he was proud to see such 5 large gathering of the electors. Although he had had considerable experience in local mattere, this was only the second time that he had taKpi. the platform in a political campaign. Ihirty-six years ago he had the temerity to offer himself as a candidate for the North Harbor and Blue.skin district in the Provincial Council. Parties were in existence even then. Tho separating oikstion of that day was I he Land-Question,— It took tho shape of squatter versus agriculturist and he ranged himself under that capabto and honorable man Mr Donald Reid- (applause)—m the interest.* of the farming community ns against tho smiattmg interest. Shortly afterwards there was an infiiix of population, and Mr Donald nctcl stood out for the subdivision of the runs for settlement. That 'policy commended itself to his (Ylr Green’s) j lu Dmont. In those days he adverated the. cut'.mg up and the cla.-uilicatirn of the. runs, grazing rig.its, and occupation under the rash or the deferred-payment ‘ system, and tie still held the same views' hi rcgnnl to .he land question.— (Applause.) He was —The First Yl.an to Advocate Free and Compulsory Education'll "' < . ow Zealand. The leading pipers of die tune, referring to his address, ridiculed | his ideas as to education, saving that he : was a young man and that Ids views were I i rude. He ha<l not altered his opinions a** i to eith*r education or the land question i If the constituency did, him the honor of I sending him to Parliament, nothing would ! deter him from advocating the application i mi the present systean of education to Uu‘ I wnoie course, right through to the Univcr- 1 sity.—(Applause.) Ho claimed to he a 1 I abend. Ho had always been a Lilneind but the late Government and he differed an cne question—the land question. Th-> late Government would not icrnenl to the ! disposal, of the waste hinds of the Crown : under freehold tenure. He held that if ; our waste lands were to ho prnperlv occupied we must cater for the class 'of men 1 who would work tho land profitably, and to do this we must have ' i —The Freehold and the Leasehold.— I hut the freehold should be limited in area, i * i want to isee doer Yva-st-CR :ind I Mich-hke unprofitable holdings as they had ! m the Uld Country.—(Hear, hear.)' He" was shaking as a practical man. He In. i I been a landlord and he had been a tenant 1 and he,knew that the freeholder worked, the land to the best advantage, tiiorebv ■ benefiting not onlv himself, but th<' Do- ‘ minion at large. At the same time he was ' aot against the leasehold, because „i:mv : worthy individuals who desired land had! lot tho money to occupy it under freehold enure. He (Mr Green) had gone carefully ! mto the land quesliou. The Government 1 wore now prepared, under the Act of 1907. i to give the fee simple of limited areas to ! any who wished to occupy the waste lands ‘ oi the Grown. —Land Should be Loaded.— Concerning this matter, it was one thinu ' to say "Put the people on the land." and I another thing for tliose people to lie sue- | ccssful. If we wished them to be successful we must help them in every way. A> : soon as the Government decided to open a i block, surveyore tJiouhl bo instructed to lay ' off the best possible roads with the best 1 possible grades, mu) these roads should b* I formed and metalled; then the hind should I he offered to the public as freehold or lease. I hold, or both conjointly. If we put a man i on land wheat there were no roads formed ' we might as wJ'il put ;l stone round his! neck and pitch Rim into the bay. YVe had ! seen ivretchol fiidlures because of men going on to Lund that was not properly ! opened. iSudl’i rt'en had to carry on their backs everything, that they wanted, and i they wasted tfceit strength, 'their time, and i their substance, and then had to walk oil ' leaving everything, because they were tin- j able to prod lice tho necessaries of life (Hear, hear.) tfh the other "hand, when ' men went on to land that was accessible ' they became producers at once, and not a j :lrag Upon tho vrTKt of the community was pleased to fi'Jid' that the Ward Government had grapvfled with the -Maori laud question, and blocked the areas that the 1 natives could noil profitably occupy, whilst ! tit the same timo carefully guaidiii" the interests of tho Wioris. —Pushing r»i Otago Railways.— He was sorry th/ 4 tho jiresent Government lad not treated vs as wo should be treated i in regard to the construction of railways, j He referred particularly to the Otago Central.—(Applause.) Wo should insist not I only upon ttio Otago Central being pushed on to a payable point— oay to Hawea—inn | •also that the Catlins line and the Rox- I burgh line be gone on with at a fair rate. 1 The electors ought to insist upon obtaining , Irom all candidates a promise to use all I possible means to secure that end. and ; never say die until Otago got that con- I sideration from the Government that was given to the rest of the Dominion -jap- } jdnuse)—and unless the (lovemment showed i that they were sincere in this matter thev 1 must lie hauled over the coals.—(Heir. I hoar.) We could not afford to stand by i and see other districts receiving larce I grants and say nothing. Central Otago; would in time become one of the mainstays of the City. But we must sre that the irrigation and the railway schemes were properly gone on with. —Public Woik?.— le held it was the houmlen duty of the Go- j .-eminent to give the people of Otago a fair < iharo of the money allocated lot public I .vorks in the Dominion. Irrigation in ! Central Otago especially .should he attended S -o It was absolutely ntcesam’ that t'ml, ■ work should be prosecuted vigorously. I Much had been said ot the extravagant ex- 1 aenditure of the present Government on 1 vvoiks such as the Dunedin railway i-tation. i It showed the ivifdom. forethought, and ; rourage of the Government in erecting mch : i _ building that wire a. credit to the Do- i aiinion and to the Government.—(Applause.) j —Customs T;u it?.— | He believed that the Customs Tarilf Act j had assisted the workers. 'Hie reductions 1 in duty had been effected on the mccs.-arirs I of life. All the articles reduced were tho articles tired by the worktis. In justice to I the Government they -hould l ( e’ credited j with having assarted- the workers. If the I Government remained in power it, would be i their duty to further reduce, if possible, the ■ taxation on the necessaries of !.if L .._(An- | plairee.) Defence,— He approved of the iiiereasiug of the subsidy to the. Imperial Navy. The Govern-, merit should do all in their power to entourage volunteering, which was getting to a very low ebb at the present time. Cm- I hss encouragement were given there Was a possibility of volunteering dying n natural i death. Tho only reason for the present : lack of enthusiasm appeared to be that the Government wore not giving sufficient imp- < port, and that consideration volunteers wen- j entitled to. Cadets, in addition to being : propeny trained in tho schools in drill’ , should be encouraged in the nee of riflcis. so i that they could defend tlteifi lives, home*, j and country if occasion arc.se for doing »•> j He was opposed to compulsory militarism. 1 It was better to encourage onthn.viasm than j to drug youths and men into military | training. One volunteer was worth two I pressed men. Referring to that scare called The Yellow Peril, — he considered that the Prime Minister showed wisdom in asking for a grant in connection with the visit of the American X‘ lent to Auckland. If at anv time tho yellow race should invade New Zealand assistance would be given bv our American rousins.—(A Voice: "No, they wouldn’t.") ‘‘ Blood ivai* thicker than water," replied -Mr Gieen, who said that he believed that if

' ' i waT “ with the yellow race ever came Ameri- ; I®?! 58 wol, M. found fighting shoulder to "shoulder ’with Britons before they would ■ ! allow the yellow men to walk over our bodies. He was proud that the Govern'merit had treated the American Fleet in the manner tt should bo treated.—(Applause.) , —Conciliation and Arbitration.— It was not to be supposed that he was ns "if. - P cs ted in the provisions of the Conciliation and Arbitration Act as he would have-been had he been a member of Par- ■ lament and had had his scrutinising eye u P°a it. He could safely say, however, that the Act was in the interests of the majority of-the people in New Zeajand 1 whether employers or employees, u 1 1 " ils P rcvc nt strikes, and he held that the Government who placed an Act on Statute Book to prevent strikes did good for the people. More power to those who introduced and passed the Act. Strikes, were the greatest curse over put upon the working classes. Under the Act there was no necessity for strikes. As a practical man, he considered Conciliation preferable to Arbitration. He thought that less time should be wasted in having a dispute decided by the Court. Disputes should be considered without delay if it were necessary to refer disputes to the Arbitration Court. His advice was to keep out of the law courts. Practical and reasonable men and employers should meet and try to adjust disputes without 1 S°i n S *0 the Court. The only objection he had to the Act was the provision for the possibility of imprisonment of those who did not pay their lines inflicted on them for striking, 'they would be imprisoned for contempt of'court. He dhl not approve of that. It belonged to an old age. He hoped that there would bo no cause for imprisonment in the future.— (Applause.) —Old Age Pensions.— He heartily approved of the amendment ol the Ok! Age Pensions Act. Ever since the time of Christ, and that was a long j time ago. there had always been poor 1 people, and if the poor were to be with ns t until the end of the chapter it was onlv j right and wise that the Legislature should make provision for the aged who had not I been able to provide for old age. The j Government s measure deserved the ani proval of every right-thinking individual jin the Dominion. He approved of it 1 heartily.—(Applause.) ! j | —lmmigration. j Though some people considered that the < Government were going a long way out of . their road to assist immigrants, he under- ’ l ,hat assistance was given only to ; kirm laborers and domestic servants. They ; va>ll ‘ needed. and lie approved of such ' assistance. Apart from that, lie was thoroughly opposed to encouragement of immigration, lie did not believe in bringi 'T-t neti.sans, mechanics, and clerks into 1 the Dominion. Our own rising generation j could HU all the vacancies.—(Applause.) 1 —The Monopolies Act.— j He heartily approved of the Suppression ; of Monopolies Act. which had been intro--1 duced on account of the high prices for : flour and potatoes. When prices for such j foodstuffs went beyond the roach of the i consumers it was necessary that such pn>- ; vision to prevent exorbitant prices should Ibe mad* l . When the Act was passed the I price of the 41b loaf was Td. It should ) never cost more than 5.', d in New Zealand, j—(Applause.) " i i —Workers’ Dwellings.— j He considered that the Government had j made a mistake as regards the class of i buildings erected for workers. Buildings ' that could not be leased under 16s or 17s a week were bevnnd the reach of the ordinary working man. Houses that could I be let tor 10s a week should have been I erected. .Such buildings could have been, j erected if much of the unnecessary archi- 1 | tectum had been avoided. Like the bride j who wanted something useful ak a. wedding j present, a workingman did not want an , ornamental house if he desired to live I within his means, bom* plain rooms were , sufficient. The present workers’ thveilj mgs were not used by workers. They were used by men who were drawing £3 :or £4 a week. And the buildings were iin tiny wrong quarter. They should have i been situated out towards YVaitati on the ; one side and Green Island on the other,/ I and concessions given to workers on the | railways at a less rate than that charged |on the tramways to the suburbs. It was . being done in other towns of the Dominion. 1 | —(-Applause.) ! ! —Simpler Laws Wanted.— } j Local matters were considerably befogged | by puzzling and overlapping Acts that- i , "rrc impossible to administer. Practical I j men should he sent to Parliament. The lawyers there did not seem to help to ; make the legislation plain. The more eon- j , tnsmg the law, the better for these | , gentlemen. There had been an instance j ■ lately in North-east Valley, in the ease of 1 a road, where the Municipal Corporations . Art and the Public Works Act were at ' cross purposes, and legal proceedings had ' to he commenced to determine respective ‘ rights and duties. Again, when the Valiev I propounded a water scheme, a conflict as i j to the necessary notice was found ns be- | tween the Bating .bet and the Regulation |of Local Elections Act, In regard to i | many of our laws von could not get two 1 lawyers to hold the same opinion. The Government should have their Bills pre- i j pared before Parliament was called to- j i getk.ev. The Bills should be submitted to i the House within six weeks or two months, i | then referred to committees of the House i : ana go through the solicitors’ hands, and I I Ibnr. there would he plenty of time for nil ; | the members to consider' them and move 1 I amendments as they thought fit. That : i would save local bodies hundreds of ! j pounds. No member should be allowed to I ‘ introduce a Bill after the House had been j in session tor two months. Members "ot j worn out as the session drew to a close, and measures were run through that were unintelligible, and became a drag upon local bodies. —He Aas Not a Socialist.— He told them that straight out. He was a Liberia!. Socialism, as he understood ii. was equality; the Government to he, the producer and distributer and to displace a!! private individuals in business. This would place the people under the heels of the Government for the time ' being. He did not see how any man of I J srnsri could r.dvonitti Socialism. I here could not be equality of individuals. 1 Men _ were not horn equal', and could not! remain equal. L’hen, there was the ques- ; 1,0:1 of indebtedness. The Dominion owed something like eighty millions. If the Governm-nt took over everything the bur- ; den would, he supposed, ’mean'an extra' 150 millions. What would our creditors I say to that? Socialism was impracticable. ! M- hit ice believed in was to raise the! status of the worker. Now Zealand ' wanted the markets of the world, and the ’ more we prodeed, the better for the '< people. Hi< Qiialitica!ions and Intentions. It elected to Parliament, his long experience with local bodies would enable him to look after the interests of this fair City, so that they would get a share of tile good tilings going. He would insist! on the Government paying compensation i to the Harbor Board for the land the j Government had taken. Some people had | been saying: “Where is Green; is he i afraid?” “Green,” he would tell them,’ “ was never afraid to meet a respectable • audience in his lifetime. ’ He was going through ii if Ii the contest, .V race was 1 never won until it was lost. If sent to j larliamcnt he would work all the time' in the interests of his constituents. “And,” ; said Mr (been, in conclusion. “I promise ’ you that I will be no dumb dog. You will kimu where I am. Yon will hear of me. bo will my associates, f shall work with all energy, and at the end of my term vou will bo able to say : ’Green has done his level best.’”—(Prolonged applause.) —A Vote of Confidence.— After several questions were answered, a vote of thanks to .Mr Green for his able address was moved. Mr H. P. Harvey moved as an amendinent. and Mr f. Richards seconded—- ' I hat Mr (been bo thanked for bis adoiess, ami that this meeting express the opinion that he is the most tit and suitable candidate to represent this electorate in i nrliameiit.—(Applause.) Hm amendment was carried hv a large majority, and the meeting closed with three cheers for Mr Groou.

I ‘ THE CITY SEATS. ( Mr A. !R. Barclay (Dunedin North) spoke , at tins Baptist Ghnrcb, Opolio, last night. I Mr Lumb was in the chair, and the hall j was crowded to the doors. The candidate j dealt at some length with the accusation | made by Mr J. C. Thomson against the | workers of deliberately cheating their emi ployers by limiting their output, and-con-cluded by asking for the support'of' hit I hearers on the ground of his political rej cord, _ his capacity for the work, and hi A ; principles. A vote of thanks to Mr Bar- | clay and confidence in him as a representativo was carried unanimously’on the rho- | tion of Mr Smith, seconded by YlrC'rore, : with hearty and genuine applause. Mr Barclay's main meeting will be held in. the Howe Street Hall to-night. | Mr J. Yl'Donald (Dunedin Central) addressed a crowded meeting in tho Prcsby- ' terian Church Hall, Mornington, last evening. Tho Mayor of Mormngton (Mr Le j t/ren) presided. The candidate, who re- ' ceivcd an excellent hearing, dealt .with the Land Question, and showed that the interests of the dwellers of cities were closely allied to those of tho fanners*. The modern (rend of Socialism was also gone into, to the evident satisfaction of the audience. In answer to a question, Mr M'Donald said lie was in favor of stipendiary magistrates being granted the power to use their own discretion regarding anomalies and hardships under the Old Age Pensions Act, the magistrates to deal with these applications according to the spirit, and not the letter, of the Act. He thought that it was a scandalous thing that these applications should not he dealt with at once, but held over until an opportunity occurred to ventilate them in Parliament, and to make political capital out of them. Mr Morris moved a hearty vote of thank* and confidence, which was seconded by Mr Connell and carried unanimously. Mr M'Dnnnld was accorded three cheers by a large number of electors as he left tho hall. " Mr \V. Fleming (Dunedin South) addressed a. crowded meeting in the Caversham Hull last night. Mr J. Wilson occupied the chair. The candidate dealt with closer rcttlcment, irrigation m Central Otago, the high cost of living, and the betterment of the masses. No motion was proposed at the conclusion of the meeting, Mr Fleming saying that he preferred to allow the electors to give vent to their views at the ballot-box. A crowded and ’ enthusiastic gathering of supporters mot -Mr Arnold at the Walker Street -Mission Hall last evening.-' The reports handed in were of an exceedingly satisfactory character, causing the candidate to remark that in Walker street, as in other parts of the electorate, he had never before had such large bodies,of determined and earnest workers on his committees. Mr Arnold will address the electors of South Ward at St. Andrew's Hall. Walker street, to-morrow evening. . Mr T. K. Sidcy (Dunedin South) addressed a representative attendance of St. Clair residents at the Gymnasium last evening. Mr J. 8.. Waters occupied the chair. Mr Sidcy dealt with a large number of questions, including .several.matters ot local interest, and was accorded a unanimous vote of thanks and confidence on t.ho motion of .Mr Baskett, seconded bv Mr Booth. CHALAiERS,. Ylr E. G. Allen addressed a fairlydiUontkd nn cl ing of the . electors at Evansdale . on Monday afternoon. The chair was occupied by Mr J. H. Rnchfort. At the close of an address of an hour's duration questions of local interest were asked and answered satisfactorily; 'A Vote of (hanks and confidence in tile candidate was carried unanimously, bn the (notion of' Mr MTnnes, seconded -by Mr Roehfort. jun.' this of the hugest political meetings that ever took place al Bead lit. was addressed on .Monthly night by Mr K. G. Allen. The seating accommodation of the? schoolroom; was inadequate, a ml'numbers had to stand’ in the passage. Amongst the. audience were a great many ladies. Mr Miller presided. Mr Allen briefly'-referred'Jo'-ihe financial condition of the Dominion, and to some of the legislation of Inert' fieuTeii.' He spbkhbf the necessity of the Government doing all they could to encourage' the dairying industry, which he thought would sedn stipern sede in the value of exports 'that ' of wool or meat; ’ A very large number of questions wore asked and promptly an-" ewtred, A vote of thanks for the address ofTd lonfidonee in Mr Allen was proponed by M r John Allen and'' seconded by 'Mr Fob y, and carried practically with unanimity. :' ' ■ THE TAIEIU SEAT. At Woodsido on Saturday night , Mr Mackenzie made the following .remarks;-—, To-night f have received several ■ luolscap. pages of a speech delivered by Mr J. T. •lolinson containing refcre-iKa's' Iff'myself, my to: respondent adding-".Unit J would probably have something to' say in-reply to Mr Johnson’s criticisms regarding my ■speech. ’ [ do not intend departing from my usual practice. I have gone through many campaigns, .and ■ 1 have , always treated my co-rivals’ for parliamentary honors with courtesy and, tficir opinions with respect. I take it that Avhat the electors desire is not Mr Johnson's views on my political deliverances, nor mv opinions on Ylr Johnson's political views. (Hear, hear.) Nothing annoys an intelligent audience more than one candidate "going for ’ another. Not only does-.such a course do no good, font The tendency is entirely in another direction. What "the electors desire is to obtain a grasp of thp candidates own ideas on the.great problems of the day, and. his qualifications,to’ deal with them, and' then that, they , (the elector.-) be left to decide for themselves m lavor of the man thev deem most able to represent" them in 'Parliament.—(Applause.) 1 THE BRUC E SEAT. Election m a tiers in Bruce have practically ice.t all interest, and apparently Mr James Allen is going to have another’three years' term. The Government suppoiters were sorely hurt over Mr Loudon's breakdown in health, and numerous were the expressions as they realised that the main hope <,f winning the seat was lost through whM some of them termed “darned hat'd luc.v. Ylr Allen has been very energetic, •red has made a pretty complete tour of . electorate.- Mr A. W. Tvndall is also gmng along quietly, and will'have a hotter umnev of. being amongst the electors now ’that tlie school is closed for spring holidays. 1 he School Committee have granted him a few days’ leave of absence in addium to the holidays. Mr Tyndall is <mt"f good support up in the Lawrence •n' l ot the electorate, but I don’t think the people are inclined to take him seriousli down here. One thing certain; he - go to the poll. So as to ensure an < ernon. however, it is rumored that Mr ■ ‘ ot Dunedin, will stand in the 110 irbHic..i "anse at nu hour's notice.-•HUto-.i correspondent. JHE AUCKLAND CAMPAIGN. .'■Tcior (; T ge Fo ' vl,ls addressed tho K-rv i i ( ~ r' T' - r ;.vnn at Richmond, ami ro"bre £lPf) t f"' 1 , h V' ,{Klt ' last wock 10 7 -bICO to a local public object if it could m provcii that the late Mr Seddon had ever refused j'ermieeion for the cutting of tin- r-HG hair at To Grange. It had V„ n complained by his opponent-, that (he public .•cord., nere not available for a ucarch in G.i> connection. It was not usual, he said or Government records to be thrown open ■ or fuch,purposes, but ho would be pleaded co waive that if the 'Herald' or bis oppo‘ uent gave a guarantee to find £IOO in the event of their statement not being proved So soon as thev did that, he would bo prepared to give the most favorable consideration to an application for access to the records,—(Applause and cheers.) In referV* , e ," f Hie Education Amendment Act, he .-aid that it must be admitted that to some extent the phrascoiogy ot the Act was not so definite .as it might have been. He repeated his remarks ae to the benefits of the measure, and m regard to the point that had been raised as to the commencement of tlm minimum salary, he said that ho would mve tlio whole position reported upon bv Hie Crown Law Officers before he made a pronouncement. This little inisunderstandl';N °bscured the brightness that fud otlierwise been cast ujion the Act and coming at election time it was onlv natural that the Opposition Press and plat-

form .orators. should' make the most of It. 1 A vote of confidence was passed. | Ylr Robert 1 hompson, who is ojpposing Ylr C. H. Poole for Auckland West, addressed a, rowdy meeting at Pousonby. He said Ylr Poole had made a statement that Ire (Ylr Thompson),' when member for. Ylaredeii, had voted against certain moa- | sures ;n the House. Pie challenged Mr 1 . Poole to prove his etatements, and said that, if proof were forthcoming he would give £SO. to any 'charitable institution. The proceedings were of a disorderly nature, and on one occasion the police had to interfere, WITH THE GLOVES OFF. Ylr T. E. Taylor was in rare fighting form on Monday, and lie broke a lance ■with the editor of the ‘Press.’ Tho Latter bail accused him of avoiding reference to licensing in his opening speech. “Fancy' . any man,” retorted Ylr Taylor, “being mad enough to ask me To waste even a minute on the licensing question. If there is any one subject on which my opinions are known, it is in regard to licensing. • • . Y r ou could not please a man like i The editor of the ‘Press,’ if you tried for 1 a week.” Referring to Dr Findlay's advo- j cacy of a “needs” and an “exertion” I wtige, Ylr Taylor cited it as another illus- ■ tration of class legislation, for it was onlv < intended to apply to the workers. He i denied that the workers of the Dominion i had ever resorted to systematic restriction of the output. Dr Findlay never meant the ‘exertion” wage to apply to editors or lawyers. The editor of 'the ‘Press’ i might possibly induce the Arbitration i Court to fix what wage should bo paid to i himself, m order to meet his absolute ] needs, and then his salary would be increased, according to the common sense displayed in the articles he wrote. No, Dr Findlay's proposal was absolutely ridiculous. ____________ c PROPORTIONAL- REPRESENTATION. 1 [Special to the Star.] CHRISTCHURCH. November 4. c Ylr Yl‘Combs, addressing the electors of 1 Christchurch East, said that proportional i representation was theoretically sound i from the viewpoint both of representation ' and of majority rule, and seeing that both 1 the Government and the Opposition papers 1 favored it. he thought that tho expori- r meat should be applied to the Upper ( House. He advocated a Parliament consisting of a single Chamber of 120 mem- £ bars, of whom 80 should be returned under i the present single electorate system, but on an absolute majority basis,' the other ■4O by proportional representation. The North and fiouth Islands should form separate constituencies for this purpose. Ylr H. Okey. tlio Opposition candidate for laianaki, addressed his first meeting in 1 New Plymouth last night ■ He criticised j the tactics of tho Minister in connection with the consideration of the dairy re (, ulation* in the House, but said the pin-pricks had been removed, and the regulations now only aimed at ensuring clean milk. He supported the Premier in'declaring to call ' a halt in legislation, and said tile whole * session could lie devoted to perfecting the c native legislation and local u'overnment ' measures. A vote of thunks and contldenco was passed. f Ylr J. _ Mahoney. Labor candidate lor ' 'Tunam, in addressing tho electors,, said I that lie had no sect, league, or party be- ' hind him. and in that reuse was forlorn. ‘ ■He did not belieye either in the Govern- 1 ment or the Opposition, as both belonged ( to the wealthy class and would not give legislation in the. interests of the masses. 1 If returned he would he one of a third or ( independent party. He was accorded a * : vote of thanks. The audience hardly took ! him seriously. . - ■ i .Mr W. T. Wood addressed the. electors 1 of Palmerston, North last evening. The 1 attendance was very large, and the candi- i! dale received a good hearing. !■ Ylr Darion. a candidate foe the Gisborne * seat, addressed the electors on Monday I night., , He criticised, both the Government . iujd the Opposition, expressed himself in “ favor of p, heavier Graduated Lund Tax, 1 and a? .poniiniou Local Option vote. He ■ spoke strongly in favor-of Prohibition. 1 • .Speaking at Palmerston .North .on YIon : day the-,Leader ot the’ Opposition repudi- L ated the suggestion tligt, members of the i Opposition were, not in sympathy with tho 1 workers. Ho received a- hearty vote of c thanks, . . .. ; ... • .< -Mr W-, Richardson, a candidate for Auck- 4 land Last, opened his campaign on Monday. I addressing a crowded meeting. He spoke * ■strongly, against . the • liquor traffic, and ■expressed himself in, favor ■of the Free- { hold. A- unanimous, vote of thanks arid 1 confidence war ..passed. The numbers of names on the Welling- 1 ton City electoral rolls are:—Wellington ' North, 10,300.: Wellington South, 9,200; t Wellington Central, 9,305; Wellington 1 East, 8,640 ; Suburbs, 8,640. t Despite the keenness of the fight in his 1 own electorate, the Hon. G. Fowlds has £ accepted an invitation to a social and to ' deliver an,.address at Dargaville on No- < Aomtier 9. and to address a public meetino 1 at Ilelcnsville the following night. ** t Tho fight for the Hawke’s Bay seat is be- 6 coming .very exciting. The candidates are i talking themselves hearse, and (says a P.A. ' Mire) public opinion is at a less’to' arrive at : a forecast of the ultimate result. ' In consequence of the last day for (ho < nominations falling on November 9, nhen ' •telegraph.offices are usually shut, iustruc- £ turns have been given that all etaliens 6 nocc.nsaiy sluill open again at 5 p.m. and 1 remain open till the returning officers arc 1 clear. . ‘ j