THE GENERAL ELECTION.

Mataura Ensign, 28 October 1908, Page 4

THE GENERAL ELECTION.

THE PREMIER IN AWARUA. Sir Joseph Ward had a busy day on Monday, when he addressed no fewer than six meetings. In the morning and afternoon he addressed his constituents at Greenhills, Wo o dend, West Plains, Wallacetown, and Kyal Bush, and in the evening n t Winton. At each centre votes of thanks to Sir Joseph and confidence in the Government were carried unanimously. Yesterday Sir Joseph Ward spent another busy day motoring to town from Winton, and calling at different places, at all of which ho was cordially received. At night he delivered a speech at Waikiwi, in which he covered ground already traversed. In regard to immigration, he said men who satisfied the High Commissioner that they possessed enough money and other attributes to make them desirable settlers were assisted to the extent of a grant of £4 towards their passage money to New Zealand, but there was nothing in the nature of canvas'sing for immigrants. We were falling short in the matter of population, and had to keep up the standard. He thought that at certain tliines of the year, particularly in the winter months, immigration should be restricted. He was entirely against taking any of the unemployed from any neighboring country. ASHBURT.ON NOTES. ASHBURTON, October 27. Messrs Joseph Ivess and Daniel O'Connor Brick, who have announced themselves as Liberal candidates for the Selwyii seat, owing to Mr W. J. Dickie's retirement, addressed meetings at Motbven and Chcrtsey respectively to-night. Mr Ivess expressed himself as a strong Government supporter and in complete agreement with their policy, except on the land question. While believing in the lands for settlement policy, he was in favor of the optional system. Mr Brick said he was a wholehearted supporter of the present administration, no favored an elective executive, the institution of a Statu bank, and a three-fifths majority at the local option poll. Mr Henry Davis has retired from the contest for the Ashburton seat. MP. SIDEY'S CAMPAIGN. DUNEDIN, October 27. Mr T. K. Sidey, M.P., candidate for Dunedin South, opened his campaign to-night. Ho supported the Government policy and urged that Labor and Liberal representatives should work together and avoid the Three-Party system. He was accorded a vote of thanks and confidence. A CANDID GOVERNMENT SUPPORTER, DUNEDIN, October 27. Mr J. McDonald, speaking to-night as a candidate for Dunedin Central, - announced himself a supporter of the present Government, but retained independence with regard to measures he conceived were not for the good . of the people. He would support , the Ward Government to about 95 , per cent. He advocated the speedy completion of the Otago Central raill way, and said the irrigation policy was of no use unless the railway was : completed at the same time to pro- , vide facilities of carriage of increas- ■ ed produce. The Government should make a stipulation with regard to j immligrants that they should be farm laborers, and be made to work a certain number of years on farms before migrating to the- towns. He was an enthusiastic advocate of . greater encouragement of volunteering and a firm believer in the system - of leasehold. Ho agreed generally : with the Government's land policy, but admitted that the administra- ■ tion was sometimes bad. He concluded by stating that the cost of living should bo reduced so as to ■ give the wage-earner an opportunity of providing for contingencies. He received a unanimous vote of thanks and confidence.

CLIPPINGS FROM RECENT SHEECHtS. There is a tendency in the House ;il lue present time to disregard and disrespect the rights of the owners of property. They are being disregarded far 100 much at the present time, and vou irant men in the -House who will help to stop that."—Mr F. si. Al. Fisher, -VI.P.

"Would you be in Invor of a reduction of 10 per cent, of salary iu the case of all persons engaged by the Governa.ent earning .ioUU a .year anl over?'' M. Fishermb bmbmljhiiumbhtmbhmmb was a novel question put to Mr F. M. Li. Fisher. Mr Fisher did not think ..hat much economy would be effected .11 that way, and ho thought that in many cases the State did not pay its employees enough. If it ever came to •au:l> a point, tie would sooner reduce ihe salaries of Cabinet Ministers than that of heads of Departments. -Mr A. K. Atkinson, in his speech at eVcllington the other night, ironically suggested a few additions that might .lave been made to the "gag" clause of the Second Ballot Bill. For instance:

"Xo c.iticlilata shall appear in the street ■.vithous a permit from a rabbit inspector; his clothes shall be branded with the broad arrow and the letter C m a conspicuous place. Every candidate shall wear a dog chain'of such sr.:c and pattern as the Governor-in-Council may prescribe Any candidate iound speaking to more than two electors at the same time, unloss in the presence of a police constable, a justice of the peace, or a rabbit inspector, shall he deemed to be an idle and disorderly i'ci'.von, and shall be liable to a term of imprisonment not exceeding six months."

Commenting on political affairs ii j'imaru, 'The Press' expresses regret al iiie absence from the Dominion of Mi

L'Tank Eolloston, who, had he consented to contest the seat this year, would m all probability hare been elected. "Wo should in that case once more have had a liolleston in Parliament to help in defending the liberties of the :c : nle against the attacks of the sham liberals 011 the Government benches Mi- liollesEoii, however, is still a voung man, and we believe ho will vet find his

way to the House, hi the meantime, we may congratulate the Timaru sunporters of the Opposition on having sc.-v.red as a candidate Mr YV. IX

Ccnipboll, the editor of the 'Herald.' There is no opportunism about Mr Campbell's politics. He is as clear and !.'_i'.vnright 111 the expression of his >K'iv-: as one could wish, and lie is not f'.e r::it of man to sacrifice one iota of Ms opinions for the sake of catching a I •■■*•.- votes, even if his election depended ;') d. He is new to the political platiorm, hut he has {•mirage and common reuse and ideals, and will, we are sure, ■.•(■( pill himself well in the contest."

"instead of us having to fight trusts through the State as is done in America through President iioosovolt," sa''d Mr i'\ M. B. Fisher at Wellington on Friday night, "the time is coming when we shall have to fight a great trust in die State itself: that will be one of the great fights in the future." The State, he pointed out, was paving at the present time about ill million pounds ner

annum in wages. It was enudoving, roughly, some ;;i),()30 people. If had directly mdor its thumb a Public Viorks expenditure of 2* millions, and in addition i. had all the patronage that only a Covornmciit could have the 30,(100 government employees influenced, if they did not control, another 30,000, so (hat the Government at the present tnr.e, 0 ,, v j, 1f , | 0 the nationalisation of sneli services as railways and public ir<»A;s, V ,- VV( . a ble to produce an lnllucnoc oeoii 00,000 people, ami tn-v eontrfclle.-l an expenditure of six millions of mom v. And what was (he On the day of the last election a certain newspaper leading article, as far as he could remember the words, commenced as I'olJows — "Let the Civil Service to-dav remember what the Govonimeul has done for it, and what the (invoriirmiil is eoing to do for if in the davs to conic,'' ]"{ was only necessary to increase that spirit to increase the number of the State employees, and the amount of WRges paid by the State, and one-half

of the community who were not employees of the State would eventually have to stand by and see the employees of the State compelling it to give them what they wanted.