MR MILLAR AT ROSLYN

Evening Star, Issue 13099, 4 November 1908, Page 8

MR MILLAR AT ROSLYN

A SPLENDID MEETING. DISCOMFITED INTERRUPTERS. ’ The spacious Wakari Drill Hall in the Kaikorai Valley was taxed to its utmost holding capacity Inst, night when Mr Millar gave an election address to the electors of Dunedin West. The lion, gentleman spoke for an hour and a-half, mostly on the lines of his previous night’s speech in the Garrison Hall. Among the new matter introduced was a vigorous defence of the Government against the charge of lavish expenditure on public buildings. He reminded the audience of the ‘fact that the Government had initiated the policy of establishing sinking funds to provide for. the redemption of non-reproductiyc loans. The Hard Government had during their drort tenure of office paid olf £300.000 out )f £700,000 worth of Treasury hills,—(Applause.) He also affirmed that the now ,ariff had brought about the establishment of fresh industries in the Dominion, providing more employment for our [leoplo.(Applause.) All this time Mr Millar had 1 icon accorded a splendid hearing, not an interruption of any kind being made, oven when he dealt at length with the Arbitration Act and the industrial problem. Hid last subject was the Government's immigration policy- He stated that there was some 1 misconception regarding this. Out of one hatch of 760 immigrants only 145 had been assisted by the Government, and of these sixty were children under twelve years old. At no time had the Government helped to bring out more than 2.5C0 immigrants in any one year, and the assistance given by the Government was £4 a head towards their passage-money. A sum of £IO.OOO would bring out 2.500 immigrants, and wo could do with them. This was Aho signal for some dozen or more of his audience standing at the back to make themselves heaul. “ What rot.” shout'd one young man. I “What about tho.-e tint aie here?” bawled another. Mr Millar, amid the din created, was understood to say that Dime was no lack of employment for ilcsc willing to work. A Voice: It's not true. 1 was out. eleven weeks. Another Voice : What about the twentyfive men who went to the Labor Moreau this morrting for the woik you promised them last night'.' “Yes, I was one of those.” shouted another man. "What ahom them;” Mr Millar: My intonnation is that not a man went to the Labor Department this morning wanting work that could not get it. Some of them would not take it. This provoked renewed interrupt ion, amid which one of those at the luck shouted contemptuously : " Yes, to go away to work in the country.” The Chairman (Mr A. Matheson, Mayor of Roslyn) called for order, which was promptTy restored, and alter Mr Millar had concluded his speech with a. telling peroration, followed by loud applause, the chairman invited questions, stipulating that these must not be of a personal nature. After Mr (Millar had answered a couple, dating that he would vote against the abolition of the dnty on Hour, and explaining the (Monopolies Prevention Ait of last year, which provided for a temporary reduction or removal of the duty irt exceptional circumstances, the clement at the hack of the hall again took a hand, n verting to the unemployed question. Mr Raff (who made himself prominent as seconder of (Mr Mac.Mamis's amendment the previous night at the Garrison Hall) stepped forward irrto the aisle and said : 1 ‘ I want to ask Mr Millar what he meant by saying last night that there were no unemployed in Dunedin, and then saying that he would find employment for twentyworkers to-day? Twenty-five men went along to the Government Bureau, and they tried to put them off by sending them to Waikaia, where it would cost lis to 14s 6d to get there, and £5 for a camp outfit. The experience of nearly every man has been that ho is sacked before he has been there a day or two. Does he think that because he is a Minister he can crawl over the workers as much as he likes?”—(Uproar.) Mr Millar : I said yesterday on the platform that there was work to he got at the Labor Bureau. I did not know where the work was. —(A Voice ; Blame, someone slse.) Nineteen men offered this morning, »nd they were offered work at Waikaia, »nd ako at Shiel’s quarry, which is just gut of Dunedin. A Voice ; It is not true ; one man was offered a job there. Mr Millar : 1 can only offer the work available. I can't bring‘w ork to a man’s door. A Voice : Why do yon get immigrants to cut down wages and help the moneyed class ?—(Uproar.) Mr 3. Keogh, an elderly man. rose near the front, and addressed Mr Millar thus : You said that only two men out of twentyseven wanted to go to Waikaia. Two of them had worked there previously, and they would not take it on again/ The other twenty-five knew nothing at all about Shiel’s quarry. -Mr Raff ; Why was not (Mr Millar man enough to put the amendment last night when the chairman would not do it ? The speaker went on to say that the Labor party had accepted the challenge (Mr Millar threw down to the workers some time ago. Mr (Millar ; I never threw down a challenge to the Labor party, but to the rorolutionary Socialists.—(Lend applause.) ['here are only fourteen days more in vhich yon can settle it, and yon can't assist, because yon are not an elector in this district.—(Renewed applause and laughter.) The point to he settled is whether you want a revolutionary .Socialist to run things or whether you want mvself. —(Applause.) Mr Raff again advanced to the plat- ■ orm, shouting : “ Are yon aware Mr Millar ?” but was greeted with cries Df ‘‘Shut up” from all over the hall. The Chairman ; I ask the meeting whether it is right and proper that a. yonng man from another district (Interruption.) Mr Raff ; He is afraid to answer me. (Cries of “ Sit down,” and hoots.) The section at the hack then fr ave “three cheers for Mnnrn.” which were answered with loud counter-cheers for Mr Millar. Order being restored. Mr Millar, in reply to a question as to whether ho favored the establishment of a retail market, said it was a question for the municipal authorities, not for the Government.—(Applause.) Mr Davey moved that the meeting accord Mr Millar hearty thanks and express confidence in him as representative of Dunedin West. This was seconded. | The Chairman : Is there any amendment ? The only response to this was a call for three cheers for Monro 1 rout the section at the back. The Chairman put the motion, rallin" for a show of hands. The result was a forest of waving arms for the “aves” and about a dozen held np for the “noes.” The motion was then declared carried, amid enthusiasm.