Sidelights

Horowhenua Chronicle, 15 November 1911, Page 2

Sidelights

ON THE ECNIONT ELECTION.

BY A RESIDENT

(Specially written for tho Eoro-

whemio. Chronicle.)

Of all tho contests the Government have fought since lbJl J - when tho Into dohn l3a!laiu ; o as- ■ smnod tho rcuiK of office and nilfurled the Libera:! banner, tnis pro ; mises to, be the- most strenuous ;iii<L most spirited. Snob is the version ■and the description as far as iho 1 F,gnimnt scat i- ; - concerned. Ino interest that ha* been aroused awl the onMiusiasin displayed is unpremlento:! in tlu % history of t/gmont; oil all «idos and in ail places—lll betels, shops, factories, saleyards, or in Hie home— this is the only • absorbing 1-opic of conversation--strikes revolts, and wrecks fall into I insignificance. hvery item in tho papers concerning the doings or sayings of cither cand id ato is eagerly devoured and discussed, and 111 some instances is twisted and distorted to .snit the reader himself. To even hazard a guess, or to express an opinion at this stage of the contest avou d he presumptuous, hut 1 can at least place the position, the feelings and the ideas of the electors before your readers in the hope that they will interest and at the same time carry a slight impression ef the ultimate chances of the two candidates: 'Mr I?. Dive, the Opposition candidate, and the Hon. T. Mackenzie, the. Minister for Agricn'ture, tho Government nominee. To ennhle the position to ho more clearly undeirtood. T must go back to the last election, and follow the chain of events up to the present, j At last el net ion there were four candidates —iwmely, Messrs Wilkinson, Asthury, Wake, and Dive—tho last two heing the Government and Opposition nominees respoctiovly. Under the law which had -just previouslv hec'i placed upon the Sta-

Into. Hook, {lie number of oandidates and the number of votes \>ol- t lev! necessitated n. second ballot, at , which -ttixi following votes were polio;! by the Government and Onposi- 1 Hon nominees respectively; G. P. Wake T5. Dive 2(08: or a majority of 219 ir favour of Dive, who has since represented "TCgmont. MIXTSTTI'RTAL ATTXNTTON. Just pnor to bis leaving for T3ngland. Sir T. G. Ward paid this electorate a visit, only to bo closely followed bv the JTon. T._ Mackonzro. Hie Hon. P. MeKenzio mid the TTon. G. "Fowlds. the former two of the Inst throe named visited the ■ whoV of Mie electorate, whilst the ; remaiivp.ini two confined their visit to two towns onlv. Now, the people, asked, .and naturally. "Why all this interest at th n hands of the Government?" and "What is the menninT of nil this attention and the vorv readv acceptance of flll invitations hv Ministers of tho Grown?" Fnder the lieht of later events these onestions need no eom- ; ment,. othev than to remark that tho assertion "cominc events east <I>ofr shadows before thern" has. in this instance proved true, wnilst j v.nri" who then stated that the G<veminent. was either viewing the land, or wnoinjr the TCsrniont electors have wme justification for the statement. Later, when Mr G. P. j Wake .announced his candidature fur the "Kern ont electorate-. it onlv funded to make the problem more intricat" and to deerien the rjnospon. "What. is |.h object?": But nil this snornA'l to be nnovrored wh-en one of the Ministers allegedly informd a denotation th.nt waited :"vni bim in connection with the fHnniko raihvav that "von expect the n-o-rrnmerit to errant von n railv.*av when von re+nrn men who are 11 nnnosor! fn hnrrowin?." or words as - cniallv direct, or so mnch as to r s -ov n man r,nd ' vrnir vi'hes will recep-o attention. A VTCX'kt) ofepttox. n TKs eleetornte is one of the crrent s d'iiv-ini' feiHi'f's of the dominion, if '1 -mf-. flje and innst, therefore d .-%viioft or a vorv h>rge c enh\ a--; Mi o

imwihl of ""d cheese Hint hore vrir''fnof"Tod fir export i« enonn'Mis: farther. Hie bulk Hns is roinvvl from i-'iA m'lwnv. v/bieh is situated ivncf*""ll v dii the h"""'1' for a •i 1'!" .'lfcfnnro ; tl'iv iiV'-ir". H>;>|' tl-p -vhf>'" of f.he pro'hicrt for <;.'<lo. eith<'i- in or nut of Hif do"iiiii'.n must i,.. Innlo-l fn th" l-nilwnv : and it li'iq linon sIIOW7I Ill'H' :1 lir r,l>r 'h •'ivini some point 0 11 t.l-r> mii'i line f.!*iinv Vnrmnphv w TllH-noi +li••mtnrli flnvtiiilre, 'Iriw ill Ite tv-o-'1 •>.->« Olid f>r> yi of 41. ( \ l"t01V v im*<- i'tiirir.rr»f] 'tnri'l 11-" T.M' lr >l B'' 1 '"? for fte of +1»a for Hi" •-'»nrnvn'ip/i /. | Hi'S lMv^'lnno_ A SIDELIGHT ON ROAD MAIN'i l-A'AXCi-;. That it will be more clearly seen that the rates are heavy, let nie quote a few figures relative to the cost of maintaining t'fio roads or to bo accurate, a portion of one road only. That portion of the .Main South road, which is situated in tno llawcra County (the length of which is about six and a half miles). During 19084) the amount spent was (jail; 1909-10. .01 oil ; 1910-11, C 93 2; or a total of £2751 for tlvce years ,or at the rate of £918 per annum; or, if the year 1908-9 be eliminated (as very little maintenance was required because the road bad been remottalled the previous year) it leaves the cost per annum at £1220. The road every year requires 2000 yards of metal (according to expert opinion) to keep it in such n state as to stand the continuous heavy_ traffic ; this metal costs 10s per yard, which alone absorbs 01000 per vear. t Thus it will be scon that the council, having to pay such huge amounts, it has to draw from its chief source of revenue deeply; namely, the ratepayers. Another argument urged in favour of this branch line is that it will remove the antiquated and medieval method of raising money for the council to maintain the roads—that of the toll-gates—which is now levied between the different counties. Although t may be said that these tolls do not amount to much per head, yet during the year amount to a good sum to be paid directly by farmers and all who use the road even .a.lthougri they are ratepayers by another count,v. Here again 1 mie-ht; quote statistics.

"During the three years above mentioned for a trifle over) that- the tolls had beei> in existence (up to about the middle of September), the number of items of traffic that paid toll was 102.556, at a cost of Gl9lß 17s Id to the farmer diroct-, nnrl vet it exclude? all vehicles that coin-eyed produce for export, which cost the carriers another £1398 '9.s 9d or a, grand total of 163486 items of traffic at a total cost of £3316 16s lOd over and above the rates

levied by his /own cou .?, ci ,' • . 11 indirectly ill > cost is still to be added as tiio toll:i have to be added to tho freight and cartage fees and this lias to be made up by the sellei of the produce or merchandise who extracts it from the people who, being unable to extract .another quote to .shift it on to another, pays. .Now this see ins to be one of the great questions on which the electors are .standing:, namely, tho OpunaKe ra.ilwav—and those who are tempted M support tho Government for otlie? j reasons hesitate to do so, fearing 'hat is may remain amongst the unulfdled promises; whilst those that ire inclined to lend assistance to tho iMorm party are somewhat afraid "earing that if the Government are returned to power and the electors rare returned the Opposition candi■lmto. the Government will never consent to the railway construction, <>r ask for tho authorisation of the funds with which to build. As was onlv to he exposed, the Minister of Public Works did not include the o|iunake railway in the authorisation list, seeing that the people wouhl give credit t-o the present member for the obtaining of tho vote, which would be a big factor in the coming contest. On the other hand there are many who say that Ihe Government is trying to force the hand of tho electors, or to eajole the people into supporting them, and seeing that there "s a probability of the railway ahead, it will have have some tangible effect: yet tliev are setting up a solid yet n verv determined .and enthusiastic defiance, and are using every effortto obtain honest support for their side. PAROCHIALISM. Wlion T say this seems t-o be one. 'if the great, questions on which the oW-tors a.re standing, it might bo taken as being a verv narrow and nnroehial view of politics, and bhat oenple here have no interests or consideration* outs'de the Egmont electorate; but whilst, there are nnnv that will urge that this is the correct view of the stnfoment, there are some that will admit that it is the best policy to sot your own house in order, before endeavouring +o set 'in order the houses of your loighoburs. Thou it must be rethat ewnomy begins, or >honld begin, at- home, and that it s the first dutv of any person or •"ommunitv to see to it that it uses vlv thoso methods, that whilst Hiev tend to make expenditure in Kho first, instance, which have little "ffoct bevond the snhere of immodi-T-f-n action, vet tornl to render _ the whole comnirnifcv at large a sicnal qoi'vioo Ijv ma kino- transport more .-ivnedit'Oiis and reliable, and at the same time enabling the people to W-nme most. extensive buyers of those article!, which, although considered oerhnps luxuries yet requirnrl l,v the peonlo and made elsewhere. Tlirn the fact must mot be overlooked that bv so economising +1i« are preparing for the betterment of their children in that J-iiwv can partake in higher education and so become men and women that will bv of service to_ their nn'intrv boveud the oommumtv and ,r. mio 0 f the it childhood. Under i-jn'i., hculmfr r must .also deal with om-tbov matter that has aroused r-nnci'lovahle comment, bntll bv the tbomselves, and by the "hv-tnrs. namely, what is commonly known as "A SOUTH TSLAND REJECT." "When it was first announced fcluat the Hon. T. Mackenzie was going to contest the seat, the people who were supporting the Reform Party made much of his having no interest here outside of his party and hi.s politics; saying that the Government wore determined to break up the Tarnnflki quartette in tho Opposition ranks, and if possible secure Eirmont for the Government;. Further, when the hon. gentleman informed a meeting in TClthnm that he'bad chosen this seat because, it being a great dairying centre, it would enable him to make extensive experiments and alterations in i*ho sphere of agriculture, this was failed sand-throwing in tlio eyes tho electors, and they even did not credit the members of the Ministry with havinsr a desire to add a. member from th" South Island to the Vni'th to what is n South _ Island Vinistrv with the exception of "Voxel's Oar rob and two "Unori members. Til is subject was j for a tune most ardontlv contend-

-I pn<l resisted bv the two parties, but has now fortunately almost pns-'-•"d int" nlilivirui to 'live wflv to a move r"]<>hn:(;?Mc- question, that of THIS LAND QUESTION.

This, I think, is the. other great question at issue among tbo electors of Egmont, which is the greatest dairying electorate in the dominion; it contains two companies that are by -far two largest dairy companies in New Zealand, if not'in Australasia—T. refer to respectively the Kaupokanui .Dairy Company and the T. L. Joll Company. Limit-on Now, there aro in Taranaki i>l,7]B acres of native land under lease to Europeans, and 19,298 acres still held by the Maoris. 1 am una.blc to obtain the acreage under lease or held by the .Maoris in the electoral district of Kgmont, mainly because tho electorate has recently been altered somewhat, and the figures I have would probably be incorrect. However, the great bulk of the native laud leased to Europeans in tho Eg-

munt district is under the twenty-

one years lease with right of renewal after the property has been reassessed by the Valuation Department; but under the present law in lorce concerning these West Coast leases, cannot ue purchased out-' rignt, or in other words cannot be convci tod into freehold property, in many oi' these cases tho leases expire m tluet years from the present time, and it is only natural chat the foiiner should want to

,uivc the law so amended as to remove Wie embargo and allow him to purchase the property. But at iViiat priceP Aii, here's the rub! and this is the bone of contention uiur wuieii tlic two political parties

aic a:mi owr \\moJL the c-n;cto>t> Uio iiKtui/U. 'iliose lea.se-ii-oKiCi.s fl'joL 1 iV'<i.-A: expires in tiluee

yea Cii aiu ueinaiiClniy lor the original ve.itie, puis .-A) iinicii tor improvements, waion uiey are willing to couceue, wniist tauso tiiat iiave either the freenold or leasehold from one JMiropean are asking that til© native. jeasoiioiders he -made to pay the present value, saying tlmt it is unfair for the natives to be placed niuler the penalty oi' the original value, because he is a native, and that if a man buys a farm from another which is freehold, 'lie lias to pay the present value, which is assessed by the owner and which is regulated by the demand for farm lands, the present high prices ruling, and the quality. On tlie other hand these native leaseholders warmly retaliate by asking "why the natives should re-cive the oresent prices ruling when be has done nothing to merit it save only sitting in the sun and going to the local hall to-receive his half-yearly

rent paid by the district official? and, further, that whilst the native has boon enjoying the life of ease, comfort and pleasure the lessee lias been toiling and improving the property of tlio native; lastly, he .says that v.-i-'or the present system the law is simply creating a Maori or Black aristocracy in this country, which is ruination to the Maori himself and fostering oxtravaganoo and waste amongst tlieir ranks. That the present Government professes to bo the small man's friend and that they are anxious t.o settle them on the land, thev*, through a clause inserted in the Native Land Act (which says that the amount of iland to be acquired by one person shall be limited to 3000 acres) allows a. Land speculator, a syndicate, and a public company with an exMinister of Lands at its head to do that which the. law forbids, and purchase 53.000 acres of native land and each of the first two to make a huge profit for which the settlers will have to pay to the company, with probably another lingo profit added. Does this, tlio commentators ask, look like being a friend of the small farmer, and if this is a sample of their interest in the small fanners, can they wonder if people here decline. the services that seems to give such pleasure to the Hon. T. Mackrzie. the Minister for Agriculture on polling day? (To be continued.)