WHAT OUR "SPECIALS" SAY.

Evening Star, Issue 13102, 7 November 1908, Page 8

WHAT OUR "SPECIALS" SAY.

THE LABOR SPLIT. CHRISTCHURCH, November 7. In connection with the vote of confidence acorded Mr H, G. Ell last night, Mr A. Avery made an emphatic protest' against the attitude of a section of the Labor party towards the Liberal Government. “ I am not a member of any political organisation,” he said, “ but I do study the politics of the country, and I have done so from the time of the Maritime Strike in 1890, when I was driven into a soup kitchen to get something to eat. In those days we worked at breaking stones. Married men received 3s 6d a day, single men 2s 6d. One of the first men to come forward and fight in the cause of Labor in those days was our friend Mr Ell, and when I hear people stand on candle boxes and denounce Liberalism and the Liberal Government I feel like going away and being ill. I have a family of boys and girls, and I know that present conditions in the Labor field are infinitely better than they were fifteen or twenty years ago. Look up ‘ Hansard ’ and you will find that in every division Mr Ell has voted in the best interest of the people, old and young. What do the supporters of these candle-box orators want? We should remember what has been done in the past, and stick to the man who has been proved. We want to stick to the Liberal Government, for they have fought the good fight.” NO COALITION WANTED. CHRISTCHURCH, November 7. “There is no fear of any■ coalition in the House of Representatives, and that fact should be understood,” said Mr H. G. Ell last evening. “The Opposition,on account of their extreme weakness, are trying to bring about a coalition, but if anything of that kind were to take place it would drive a number of men holding the views I hold straight into the Opposition. We must do all that we possibly can to guard against the possibility of an'v coalition taking place, and to strengthen the Liberal-Labor party in the House by the election of good urogressive supporters.” THE WESTLAND DUEL. HOKITIKA, November 7. The two candidates for the Westland seat are carrying on a strenuous campaign. Both are working very hard. Mr Seddon has now completed his tour of the northern district, where he has had a very gratifying reception. A large portion of new territory has just been added to the Westland constituency in that quarter, so the candidates have broken fresh ground. Mr Michel is now engaged in following up Mr Seddon, thus having the advantage of two speeches, including the last say. Mr Seddon opened his campaign in the middle district last with a highly successful meeting at Stafford, where his father first entered local politics. His reception was very hearty and sincere. It was quite evident that he stands in good favor in that locality. Mr Michel has had good meetings up north, his audiences being enthusiastic, so that as far as meetings go the two candidates stand on fairly even ground The impression, however, is Wav Mr Seddon will get a silent vote, which is always an important element hi every election. It will be impossibly for him to visit South Westland, where his opponent toured during the session, but his absence is not likely to affect his popularity in that quarter. * From present appearances Mr Seddon will get good majorities in the northern and southern parts of the electorate, while Mr Michel is expected to lead, as he did before, in the central districts. The roll has boon considerably augmented ■since the bye-election in 1906, when Mr Seddon had a majority of 726. In the interval Mr Michel has worked unceasingly and has had a large number of new names placed on the rolls. Not only has the majority of 725, which is a big deficit, to be wiped out, but in the new district now included in the Westland electorate Mr Seddon will have a substantial lead, and it appears hopeless to expect that Mr Michel can overtake his vigorous young opponent, who has made great strides in his platform delivery. The Michel party, however, are very sanguine of success. Hope was their sheet anchor on the previous occasion, though it refused to hold when the strain came. Taking all the circumstances into account, it does not appear at all likely that Mr Seddon will be displaced. GREY AND BULLER. HOKItIkAv November 7. Mr James Kerr, of the ‘ Grey River Argus,’ is giving Mr Guinness a good run, but he cannot expect to beat that veteran politican. Mr Colvin is considered to be quite safe for the Duller, though Mr Munro is proving a formidable opponent. Licensing matters in all three electorates remain absolutely dormant, no interest whatever being taken in the approaching Local Option poll. Another correspondent says that great activity is being shown in the contest for the Buffer seat, and that the supporters of Mr Colvin and Mr Munro are both confident of being able to return their man. THE OUTLOOK IN SOUTHLAND. INVERCARGILL, November 7. Local Option matters have not. altered a great deal during the past week in Invercarpill itself, where the interest in this question is being overshadowed by a growing interest in the contest for tho parliamentary scat. The Thomsoniaa achicvc-

mcnt in obtaining a list' of we lnaMbreff electors, who staid that No-Homee has militated against the business of theiown and has not helped -Übe temperance cause, has been received with mixed feelings. The Liquor party consider it a great “ tup ” at the Prohibitionists and their list of one hundred names, but- many unbiased citizens, looking calmly at the lists, consider that about SO per cent, of this list it “ standard ” and 75 per cent, of the original No-license one, so that it is a case of fifty against seventy-fire. One interesting feature about, the present list is the large number of butchers and small grocers it contains.

The Prohibition party have been j»ring their attention lately to the townships, in ; the' Awarua electorate, where the close- ’ ness of the contest at the coming poll is 1 already very evident. When one talks I Local Option in Awarna it is invariably 1 .a see-saw argument, in wliich the advocates of the success of either party are convinced that their cause will be on top on the 17th inst. Sir Joseph Ward's opponent _ for the Awarna seat has very decided views on the Liqnor question, and in his speech at Waikiwi last night ho hauled the majority of the Southland candidates over the coals for being afraid of expressing their opinions. Personally he was an anti-Prolubitionist, and he was prepared to fight against the Ko-Ucense party to a finish. The present system was one of espionage, and he could not see ' any sense in it. Another point he was strong on Was that once No-bemse or License was carried it should ho final, or for ten years at least, because it was ridi- ' c ilous bringing up the question every three years, Os it had a bad effect on matters that were perhaps of considerably more importance. He could honestly say fW. ho had never had two weeks’ holiday in his life, and that he had never spent half a crown in a chemist’s shop.—(Applause. I Consequently ho thought that he was entitled to have a drink.—(Hear, hear.) Mr ! Morrises remarks appeared to be greatly ] appreciated by the hundred or so present i at his meeting. • It is currently reported that the Bluff < lumpers are about to follow in the foot- ' steps of their Port Chalmers brethren at 1 the election, and demand threepennv beers instead of the prewsnt sixpennv artide. It is generally admitted that the organisation of the No-licouso party in Awarua is much in advance of any of their previous ; efforts, and overshadow* those of the oppo- 1 site partv. In Wallace there is nothing to chronicle, and the Prohibition effort® do not contain 1 too much “heart.” The general imoresp’° n . it will be a most unexpected nuke should No-license carried. At the conclusion of Sir Joseph Ward's opponent’s address the candidate (Mr W. A. Morris) was accorded a vote of thanks for his address, and he thanked them for their good wishes, remarking incidentally t-hat "he would rather have a vote of thanks than a vote of thanks and confidence, because such a vote was ‘ all bunkum.’ He would rather have their confidence at the ballot box.” — (Laughter.)