AUCKLAND EAST ELECTION.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXXI, Issue 15331, 14 June 1910, Page 8

AUCKLAND EAST ELECTION.

THE NEW LABOUR PARTY. MR T. E. TAYLOR'S HOPES. A DEFINITE POt-ICY. [From Our Cobrespoxdest.] AUCKLAND, June 13. Auckland is mow in the thick of tho political campaign with regard to tho election of a representative] for Auckland East in the House of Representatives. The election takes place on Thursday next, and the candidates ore putting" forward every endeavour in connection with the campaign. Although neither the Government nor the Opposition has soon fat to select nominees, there are five candidates before the electors. Mr A. M, Myers, who sails under the colours of an Independent Libera!, is a warm favourite, and tnere seems to bo but little doubt tnat he will be the chosen of the people. There are two candidates, however, who may be counted on to give him a fair run. Tnese-are Messrs \V. Kienardson, Prohibition-Protectionist, and George Davis, the. Labour candidate. 'J he other two contestants, Messrs George MTvnight and G. iiill, both have their I'ollowiugs, but they can thus early be reckoned to he out of the light. 'the chance:-, are, however, that with live candidates in the held there will be a second ballot, and if this comes about the real battle will be fought next week. To-night a mass meeting was held in the Choral Hall. Mr Davis delivered an address, but the main feature oi the meeting was Mr T. Er Taylor's speech. Mr Taylor received a splendid reception, and his speech moved tho large audience to frequent outbursts of applause. Mr Taylor began by saying that in this country tnere were too many politicians bowing to the leaders of the two parliamentary parties. it was time that t-iiey had straight-out representatives, lie dealt with tho attitude of the AucKiand papers, and said that the Press of New Zealand were gathering an unwarranted power. The cable columns showed that tho public were led by a stream of.poisoned opinion, and they wero scientifically fed with news of a specified kbid. He was there to say that night that it was far more important to have their own industries than to be bulldozed into making England the workshop of the Empire, hi© asked them to compare what they had heart! from the candidate that night witih the statements of Sir Joseph Ward and Mr Massey. At V.'in.ton Sir Joseph Ward had" delivered a great speech, mainly devoted to what he had done in tho last few years. It had to be remembered that what the Liberal Party had done was forced upon it by the people, the pulpit and the Press, but what policy, had Sir Joseph Ward given utterance to? (A voice: " None.') Ves, the Prime Minister had given no future policy to the people. What, had been the present Administration's policy in regard to the land question? Tho Bill of last year had been dropped and they did not know what the land legislation of next session would be. The Labour Party had lost its vigour. The policy of that party in 1890 had been a vigorous one, but to-day it had dwindled down to nothing. Now it was not a question of policy but of partly, and candidates were- simply asked '.to support the Ministry and hot its principles. Last year Sir Joseph Ward had tried to play up to Mr Massey's freehold cry- ana! had introduced a Land Bill, but no sooner had it come before tho House than it was strangled' and igiiominiously dropped. Ho referred to the Ministry's backdown over the question of water power and over the Knyvett case. There wero only two or three men in the Rouse who were free to Icok after the interests of the masses apart from party dictation and domination. There wero good Liberals in the House, but they had! been sent there manacled and fettered. He had in his hands a pamphlet by an Auckland journalist,- Mr C. E. Reed, giving them an idea what was crushing the manhood and womanhood out of the masses of England. Now was the time to prevent the power of monopoly and wealth getting the same grip of New Zealand. He asked them to regard this as a pitched battle between money on the one hand and men on the mother. Let this be the forerunner of the election of 1911 and tho giving birth to a new national party. Mr Myers's income from his brewery alone was at least £66 per day, £2 16s per hour asleep or awake. (Cries of "Shame" and "I wish I had it.") It was no crime to have that income, but it was a menace to the health and morality of the State to allow any man to possess such wealth- Auckland East had it in its power to create a wave of enthusiasm to bring into life at the elections of 1911 a national party that would represent the masses of the peoplo. Mr Taylor went on to refer to the operations of the Colonial Sugar Company. (A voico: "We are in the grip of that company now.") Last year a proposal was brought- down to assist the establishment of the sugar beet industry in this country. He was in favour of the establishment of such an industry, but not on the lines the Government had suggested. At the present time tho Colonial Sugar Company wero their masters. They fixed their prices and set a tune to which tho grocer had to dance. The grocer in turn had to sot a tune for the public to dance. Sir Joseph Ward proposed voting a subsidy of £50,000 to help a syndicate to develop the sugar beet industry. . That would never do. It would mean tho creation of another monopoly, and before they knew what was happening they would have tho company and the syndicate joining forces, and setting an even merrier tune for the public to dance to. Tho fact that the Auckland tramways were paying £40,000 to an English syndicate was also referred to in scathing terms by Mr Taylor. The amount that the Government proponed voting to tho sugar beet- industry, ho added, should be spent in building up a State industry. A few years ago there had been started a State Fire Insurance Office, and immediately the private companies came down 25 per cent. The five private banks in this country cleared £600,000 per year profit. That represented 4 per cent on 15 millions, and these rive banks had not four millions of their own. The balance on which they made, their profit was the property of the people. Woidd it not be far better to have a State bank making thathuge profit of £600,000 per year? Mr Taylor asked remember that next Thursday was the time to give notice to tho existing parties that they must do the right thing or quit. Tho whole population had to be run as though it was one family, and tho power had to be increased until it superseded private enterprise where such private enterprise was not- being conducted for the good, of the people. This election was being watched by thousands of people from the Bluff to the far north, and they expected to ree it give birth to a Labour Party which would check monopoly and make it easy for men and women to develop their manhood and woinanhocd. (Loud applause.) Mr C. 11. Poole. M.P., said he was present- that evening because he was in favour of the return of a clean, honest man like Mr Davis. Mr D. M'Lnren, M.P., also addressed tho meeting. [Feb Pbess Association.] AUCKLAND. June 13. Mi George Davis, Labour and temperance candidate for Auckland East, addressed a crowded meeting in the Choral Hall to-night. Mr R. French presided, and there were also on the platform Mr C H. Poole. M.P.. Mr T. E. Tavlor. SI.P.. and Mr 0. M'Lnren," M.P. Mr Davis, who had a splendid hearing, and who spoke much better than on a j previous occasion, advocated nationals

sation of the land, the bare majority vote on the licensing question, full rights of Civil servants, equal opportunities of education, agricultural education in farming districts and the referendum. He advocated the abolition of the Cppor House. He contended that tho Cabinet should be chosen by Parliament. He advocated among other things State ownership of monopolies, statutory preference to-Union-ists, tho right to work. State hank with the sole right to note issue, and appointments in tho Defence Forces to be made only according to merit. Mr Poole protested against tho return to Parliament of Mr Myers, who stood for the most- brutal and .degrading monopoly tho world had over known. and he thought that the statement made by Mr Myers that he was not in favour of no-license was a challenge to the intelligence <rf the community, and he thought that savage and brutal acknowledgment, would be resented by the electors on Thursday next. The candidate received a vote of confidence. SPEECH BY MR MYERS. [Per Pre."s Association-.] AUCKLAND. June. 13. Mr Myers addressed a largely attended meeting at Newton to-night. He traversed the Hues of his previous speeches and replied at some length to attacks that had been made upon him in regard to Ids connection with the "Trade." He said that he was proud to be a brewer, and that he had done more for temperance in Auckland than, a great many prohibitionists had done. He had temperance men on his committee, and who would no doubt rote no-licouse when the next local option poll came round. The matter was in the hands of tho people and there it .should remain. Ho also defended his action in regard to the municipal works inaugurated during the time that be had been Mayor. Referring to the question of southern influence, he said that they could not even have an election in Auckland without an attempt being made to bring southern influence to bear, this remark being understood to have reference to Mr T. E. Taylor's presence in Auckland. A vote of thanks to, and confidence in, Mr Myers was passed'.