THE BY-ELECTION.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CVI, Issue 12541, 1 July 1901, Page 5

THE BY-ELECTION.

A meeting of Mr Charles Taylor s Executive Committee was held da Saturday evening at the Trades Hall. Mr J. hTCuD loch presiding. Reports were received assuring Mr Taylor of strong .support. A series of meetings was arranged' for throughout the electorate. Mr Taylor’s first public meeting will be announced on Tuesday. Meetings of the friends and supporters of Mr G , J. Smith will be held at the Druids’ Hall,Sydenham, to-night, at. SelWyn Street schoolroom to-morrow night, and at the Waltham Road schoolroom on Wednesday night. " ■ ■'..' ' . / • TO TEE EDITOR. Sir,—Allow me to thank “Honour to whom Honour is Due " for the information supplied with regard to the,claims of Mr W. Hoban cn the electors of Christchurch. Those who are familiar with that gentleman’!’. career, I have aso doubt, will faei that his good services have been fully and ably 'enumerated. Mi Hoban’s claims on the workers appear to bo confined to services rendered ten or twelve .years ago. At that time the workers began, to assert themselves, and there were many who aspired to fame and, position ready to champion their cause. Leaders in the cause of unionism bad an easy and pleasant task at the time of the maritime strike as compand with a few years later. Mr Hoban’s chief virtue ia that he assisted in organising, and was afterward* connected with the Society of Railway. Servants. Ha was honoured by bring made its president,, and in that capacity made certain representations to the Government, While not wishing to discredit or detract from Mr Hoban’s labours, the formation, of the Society of Railway Servants, or the necessity for Eucj|, can scarcely be compared to work done by other organiser#, on behalf of workers under private employers. Though this Society may bo numerically strong, it cannot be pitted against the twenty odd union# effiliated_ to the Trode-si and Laliour Council, But, ■after all, this Society has not announced Mr Hoban as its nominee 5 in fact, some of its members have signified their intention of supparting Mr Charles Taylor.

If Mr Hoban haa toe interest* of tha ■makers at heart, os “ Honour to Whom Honour is Due” asserts, then.- be should allow them to decide a® to who they will put forward £is a candidate, and not seek to conflict the issues and split the votes. The little I knew previously of Mr Hoban was that, he had) contested a Parliament tary election in 1893, wa* seventh on, the poll with a total of 2058, and that atothcb : tiiho he was considered to be a supporter of State aid to Catholic schools. Mr Taylor has only consented to contest the election after being' strongly urged to do t so by his fellow-workers. Can the same be said of Mr Hoban? The former gentleman belongs to a class which is represented by half a dozen members in the House; the latter to a class—lawyers— l who have in the past almost dominated politics, more’a the pity, to the workers’ ideas. With regard to the claims of Mr Charles Taylor, to my knowledge, ' he' has been selected twice ioy the workers as their nominee ; he occupied 1 a very creditable position on the poll at last general election; he has been president and secretary of the Trades and Labour Council, and is at present too workers’ representative on the Conciliation Board. He has been an assiduous worker in the cause of unionism, and, once haying put his hand to the plough, he has not yet turned hack.—l am, eta., YAXLEY.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —In your notes herein yon state. I am standing in the publicans’ interest. Will you kindly correct this assertion, os I am standing in no particular interest? My views and opinions I will express as soon as possible after the writ has been issued. There is one thing positive—l am a supporter of .the present Administration, and no rail-sitter.—l am, etc,, N June 29. W. HOBAN.