POLITICAL TWISTERS.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume I, Issue 206, 18 August 1911, Page 3

POLITICAL TWISTERS.

“THE SLAVES AND TOOLS OF

“CAUCUS.”

Sydney, Aug. 11 The electors of the Cootamundra electorate are surprised at the Government giving Mr Trefle charge of the land policy during the by-elec tion, considering that gentleman's political twistings in the past. Speaking at theDubbo conference of the Farmers and Settlers’ Association as one of the vice-presi-dents of that body in 1904 Mr. Trefle said :—

He strongly affirmed that every

man who went on the land should

make his own bargain mtn lhe Crown, and no power should deprive him of the benefits made

from his selection

A couple of pears later Mr. Trefle signed the Labour pie ! ge of land nationalisation, which designed to take those benefits from the farmers. Then speaking at Breeza last week, the same speaker said there was nothing new in his pronouncement. On July 13, J 898 Mr Trefle wrote in his own paper, Temora, during the campaign between Mr. J. C. Watson and Mr. R. E. O’Connor : — “How about the millstone in

the shape of the Labmn uarty and its caucuses and ol’h r s flidarity rules, which mikes slaves and tools of its members’ Hi; Mr. Watson used his own individual opinions in the interests of the electorate? Mr. Watson

has Jost his individuality, aiK 1 neither thinks nor acts in accordance with the dictates of hrs conscience in politics.”

Again on April 12, 19'H. Mr Trefle wrote as follows while supporting Mr. A. R. Tewksbury against Mr Burgess for Young: — “Each candidate should he asked whether he is in favour of permitting homestead selectors to convert their holdings into .conditional purchases whenever they please. We do not think any reasonable man will oppose such a reform”

To-day Mr. Trefle and Mr. Ifol man are working under the Labour pledge to deny’ that right to every 7 homestead selector.