WESTLAND STRUGGLE

Greymouth Evening Star, 13 November 1928, Page 5

WESTLAND STRUGGLE

GOOD WISHES TO MR. SEDDON

FROM SIR J. WARD

The following telegram has been received by Mr Seddon from Sir Joseph Ward:- —“I feel confident that the United Party will be victorious. I wish you every success. I am sure our friends will return you. at the top of the poll. Good luck. Kind regards.” MR COATES’S BLESSING. The Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates, Prime Minister, is manifesting considerable interest in the Westland pollings tomorrow. In the course of a telegram despatched from Auckland yesterday, afternoon, Mr Coates indicated he was very pleased to learn that the prospects for Mi’ Seddon’s success in the Westland Electorate were very bright. He further expressed the hope that the highest anticipations would be realised. He concluded by thanking friends for the good wishes extended to him personally. Thb interest exhibited by Mr Coates in the Westland contest bears out all that has been said. regarding the desire of the head of the Government to see Mr Seddon sent back to Parliament, a result now apparently assured. •

MR. SEDDON’S MEETINGS Mr. Setldon addressed a well attended meeting yesterday evening at Kahikatea where Mr. John Keller occupied the chair. Mr. • Seddon received a good hearing and at the conclusion of hts address he was accorded a hearty vote of thanks and confidence, on the motion of Miss E. Keller seconded by Mi’. W. Gualter. AT CAMERONS After leaving Kahikatea, Mr,,Seddon proceeded’ to Camerons where he addressed a good attendance of electors. Mr. JaineS Murdoch occupied the chair. Mr, Seddon received a cordial reception and a good hearing. At the conclusion of his address he answered a number of questions. A hearty vote of thanks and confidence was moved by Mr. Cowan and seconded by Mr. A. Dalkie, and carried with applause. ADDRESS TO WATERSIDERS Mr. Seddon addressed the Watersiders’ Union at the Watersiders’ Shed this morning, Mr. C. Fraser, President of the Union presided and introduced the candidate. Before commencing his address, Mr. Seddon expressed regret at the death of Mr. J. Gleeson, which occurred this morning, and he extended his sympathy to the deceased’s relatives. Mr. Seddon first stated that he was a supporter of the party led by Sir

Joseph Ward—the United Party. Sir Joseph Ward had been his father’s lieutenant and was one of the ablest politicians in Australia or New Sledland. His ability was well known. The legislatidn made for the benefit of the workers by his late father, and added to during Sir, Joseph Ward’s regime should not be forgotten at this time. Their legislation had been. so sound that it had been retained by the Reform Party, none having been repealed. , A case he wished to touch on was that Qf the relief works. He had been instrumental in securing relief for the unemployed on the West Coast. He had been asked by some of his war comrades to find work for them when they were out of work. The Government had provided relief works as a temporary measure and had fixed the wages to be paid. A case out of which much capital had been made was that of Ableson, a returned soldier who was working on the Kanieri road. Ableson was in a bad way, almost an invalid, earning about 5/- per day because he was physically unable to earn more. Though the men who were working were not earning stan-

third J wages some single men were earning 12/4 per day, married men 13/2 while in some cases .pay reached up as high as IS/- per day. The present Government was doing its best to meet the position. If the United Party got into power its programme of expansion for New Zealand would mean that there would be employment for all who wanted work at standard wages. Representing a sawmilling constituency he would say he had done his best for the timber industry. He had been one to urge a higher duty on imported timber in order to protect the' New Zealand timbers. This had resulted in a larger export of timber from New Zealand especially , since the embargo on the export Of timber to Australia was lifted. This benefited the watersiders at Greymouth as they wer.e af liberty to earn more money on the wharf. He would endeavour at his meeting this evening to answer all the personal reflections made against him during the campaign. Some hard things had been said. Personally he had refrained from indulging in personalities. If those he was addressing, felt that the United Party’s platform met their needs, then he asked them to assist in returning him to Parliament at tomorrow’s polls. Mr Barrow moved and Mr Kirk seconded that the candidate be accorded a vote of thanks for his address. This was carried unanimousy.

I TO-NIGHT’S MEETING. • ■ Mr T. Seddon will give his final address in the Town Hall this evening at 8 o’clock. Ladies are cordially .invited. Mr T. E. Coates will occupy the chair. MR J. O’BRIEN’S MEETINGS. , Mr J. O’Brien, Labour candidate for Westland, will address the electors of Kaiata to-night (Tuesday) at 6.30. He will deliver his final election speech in the Opera House at 8.15. The Mayor, Mr Greenslade, will take the chair.. TO-MORROW’S POLLS. . ' ADVICE TO ELECTORS. r ftie electors of Westland, in common with the rest of those in the Dominion, will be called upon to-morrow to exercise their privilege of franchise, and to vote at the Parliamentary, election. In the electorate of Westland the matter is easy, as only two candidates, Messrs T. E. Y. Seddon, and James O’Brien are standing. Ample provision has been made for taking the poll in and, around Greymouth, and booths will be .opened tomorrow at all points in proximity to the centres of population. The electors are asked to record their votes as early as possible, in order to prevent any congestion or confusion at the end of the day. A little forethought on the part of those who are free to record their votes, will be an assistance to the Returning Officer and his staff, find will materially assist in permitting the early announcement of results.

The polling booths will be opened at 9 a.m. and will be open until 7 p.m. and votes may be recorded at any time during these hours, which will be observed in every polling booth in every electoral district. Section 119 of the Electoral Act, 1921, provides that every person in a polling booth on the close bf the poll (*7 p.m.), for the purpose bf voting, shall be entitled to receive a ballot paper and record a vote. , No unauthorised person will be 'permitted to remain in the polling booth. No one but the Deputy-Returning Officer is permitted to speak to any voter in a polling booth.

METHOD OF VOTING. As to the method of voting, all a voter requires to do in recording a formal vote, is to strike out the name of the candidate for which he or she does not wish to vote, or, in the case of the licensing poll, to strike out the two issues it is not desired to vote for. Nothing should be written on the ballot paper, as this might render the vote informal. Too much care cannot be given to following the instructions on the ballot paper, which are clear. in every case where a woman has changed her name by marriage, she is entitled to vote in right of her former name as appearing on the roll. Ballot z papers cannot be taken out of the polling booth. Blind or disabled voters will be assisted to vote by the Deputy Returning Officer, and not more than two scrutineers may be present for the purpose of seeing that the voters’ directions iti’e carried out. ABSENT VOTERS. Voters who are' absent from their electorates, and seamen, will be provided bn application to* the Deputy Returning Officer with blank ballot papers on which they can record their votes, which will be sent to the returning officer of the electorate to which they belong. Absent voters in Greymouth to-morrow (Wednesday) are requested by the Returning Officer for the Westland electorate, to record their votes at the Greymouth Courthouse. If this is done it will avoid'congestion at other Idcdl polling booths., ■

NAMES NOT ON THE ROLL. Should it happen that the name of a person who is entitled to vote, has 'been inadvertently omitted from the roll, such person can make the declaration provided, and will then be handed a ballot paper and can record his or her vote. The regulations are so elastic that if any persons whose names are not on the roll can adduce any evidence, at all of thefr right to vote, they will, be accepted and a baP lot paper issued. *