AN EXHAUSTIVE CAMPAIGN.

Mataura Ensign, 7 November 1908, Page 2

AN EXHAUSTIVE CAMPAIGN.

NEW PLYMOUTH, Nov. 6. Some idea of the work 'of campaigning in Taumarunui electorate may , be formed from Mr Jennings' itinerary. Sturting at Wuitaru on October 5, ho has since addressed -12 meetings, and has travelled over 800 miles by train, trap, steam launch, and, for the past live days, on horseback. The candidate has now to undertake the farthest portion of the Taranaki Province before election day, and will have ample opportunity for growling and sympathising with settlers over the condition of the roads.

A CHINAMAN TAKES THE PLATFOHM. 01IJECT10N TO A CANDIDATE'S DRASTIC PROPOSALS. PUB UMITKD FHEBB ASSOCIATION. WELLINGTON, Nov. 7. Much amusement was caused at an election meeting in Newtown last night by ii local Chinaman taking charge ol the proceedings. At one stage the candidate expressed himself in favor of excluding Chinese altogether, upon which "Joe" jumped up and protested, but had to sit down. Later on he got .in innings, and in very good English said: "Government takes his £IOO polltax, and then man comes on platform and wants chuck him out of country. What sort of man is that- 1 " Despite interruptions the Chinese orator managed to jfct in a short, address of his own. He used the word "judicial" once, mid informed the audience that he thought they did not know the meaning of it. The Chinaman's appearance on the platform put the audience in a very uood humor.

WOMEN'S MEETING AT GHEY LYNN. LIVELY PROCEEDINGS. AUCKLAND, Nov. 7. A meeting advertise for women electors only was held in St. George's Hall, Grey Lynn. There was a full house, and three policemen were stationed at the door to prevent the masculine sex entering. Mrs Nicoll, who bad convened the meeting, to express her views on the Tc Oranga Home incident and St. Helen's Hospital, said, in regard to Te Oranga, she did not blame the Minister or the beads of the Department, who did not know what was going on. Tho meeting got into a state of disorder, one woman standing on her seat and demanding to be heard, while 200 were on their feet at one time interjecting.

Mrs Nicoll moved: "That the present matron is not a fit and proper person to hold office, and the meeting call upon the Government to dismiss her." Ky this time nearly the whole audience was standing.

Mrs, Gibson mounted the stage and moved: "That this meeting has every confidence in the Administration." Fully half voted for the amendment and only one or two hands were shown against. Mrs Nicoll, instead of declaring the amendment carried, put her motion, and the voting being about even she declared her motion carried. Cheers were given for Mr Fowlds,.and counter-cheers for Mr Nicholson! CHIPS FROM Mil ANDERSON'S SPKKCH. The Hon. George Fowlds had said that "the arrogant assumption of some farmer bodies who had found their way into the House was most amusing." As if farmers should not find their way into the House as well as anybody else. —(Applause.) "Those members wished to raise all taxation from the land." (A Voice: "Quite right, too.") Mr Anderson: "That is your opinion but not mine, and unless I am very much mistaken during this election the doctors of Mataura will take my view of the case." —(Hear, hoar and applause.) "1 am a freeholder because 1 believe that tho freehold is tho best tenure both for the individual and the State." A Voice: "Have you got a freehold yourself?" "Yes, but I don't think you've got either a freehold or a leasehold, old man."—(Laughter.) Tfie questioner admitted that he was possessed of a "hen run."

"I class Urn individual landlord and the Statu us landlord in the Kami' category. You cannot get the same bcucfits Ironi tho leasehold tenure that yon can from the freehold. Take Kiiglaml."lreland, and Scotland, where we have large freeholds. There you find starvation, poverty ami misery and the people concentrating in the towns. Hut you don't find that in Denmark." A Voice: "No big laud-owners there." "No, that is what 1 say. That. prov< y contention, and the soundness ul my policy."—(Applause.) The graduated land lax is the best method for bursting up largo estates. I thoroughly ajjprove of it." A Vojee: "Masscy don't." "Well, I am not responsible for Mr Massey's opinions, and if you think by electing me as your representative you arc electing one who is going to blindly follow any man I will have changed very much from wjial. I have been throughout my life."—(llear, hear and applause.)

Speaking of the Otekaike case, Mr Anderson said they would, if they went hack a number of years, be able to recall such a scene as this: Two little boys are playing marbles and one its losing. If ho is strong enough he grabs the marbles and runs away, saying, "I'm not playing." That was exactly what occurred with regard to the Otekaike case. The Minister said: "I'm not playing," and tried to start afresh. After detailing the history of the case and the. unanimous verditt of all the Supremo Court judges, Mr Anderson concluded: "Here we have justice meted out by party politicians and justice as meted out by the Appeal Court."—(Applause.) "The Hon. Mr Paul's views and mine are diametrically opposed to each other, but he is a man of outstanding ability and is a proper person to ue there (in the Legislative Council) as a representative of the workers. But of the last batch he is out in a class by himself, the others Bre there simply because they have been faithful servants to the party in power. This, I need hardljr assure you, is entirely wrong in principle and undemocratic." "We do not want to import tradesmen and clerks to this country, hut men who are prepared to go and work on the land, and if they bring out capital with them so much the better. Those are tho stamp of immigrants we want: not city and towndwellers, of which class we have more than a fair share already."—(Applause.) "AVe owo a tremendous amount of money to the foreign bond-owner, and have to pay away a tremendous amount of money in interest on that amount We must be careful of what we spend and how we spend it, and must contine ourselves strictly to the necessities of tho country such as roading our lands, and railways, and other public utilities. We should not spend it lavishly on luxurious buildings such us the Duuediu railway station and other buildings I could name, which are out of proportion to tho needs of the country."—(Applause) "A great deal of money has been squandered on the Lawrence-Roxburgh lint. —a line which will never Womc reproductive. I know the country, and know what I am talking about. On tho other hand, we have up the Waikaka Valley and on through Moa Flat land on both sides of the track which would bring in adequate returns, but in tho case of the Lawrenoc-llox-burgh lino yon have nothing but gorges at one end and at the other a few cases of fruit and a few bales of wool."—(Applause.)

THE TWO Mt-NABS. (<itv Lynn is not Ilio only eoustilnoney in which n Minister is having tu light hard for a seat, says tho ClifiKt('hiiif'h 'Press.' Down in Mataura Mr MeNab is meeting unexpected and unwelcome opposition. The fight centres on tho land legislation, for whieh Mr Mo.Nab, as Minister, was responsible, and against which Mr McNah, as private member a your or two previously, would have fought as keenly as anyone. He now professes not lo know oxacllv what, people, mean when they stylo 't|i.inse|\.-:i freeholders or I'.i •• holder.., but ho knew iu K'O >, !»»'! would not have been offended then if anvono had described him as a free holder. Three years ago Mr McNah believed that fiiiito enough money had been spent iu buying land for division, and that in order tg obviate tiw awes-

sity of borrowing for that purpose, set. tiers should be enabled to buy the fret. hold, the receipts from this source being used to purchase more estates. The chief difficulty between the policy advocated by the 'Press' and Mr McNab'a views w»:) that, more democratic than tho coming .'o mister, we favored the limitation of area so Mb to prevent the re-aggregation of large estates. Mr McNab did not believe in this. But us soon as he entered the Cabinet room his principles disappeared. He fathered h Lund Hill in which the freehold found no place at all, and then, when he. saw that the measure had no chaneo of becoming law he brought in another bill tinder which the right to the freehold is severely limited while Land lor Settlement tenants—the ineu who, in his pre-Ministerial days, he claimed should be, allowed to purchase the freehold—cannot get it at all. IJy his trimming on this question, one of deep importance to a comtminitv of farmers such as the Mataura electorate, Mr McNab has forfeited the confidence of large numbers of his former supporters. He is opposed by a candidate who holds the political' faith, so far as the land question is concerned, which Mr McNab himself mice held. The policy of Mr McNab three years ago, as a Southern pa|tcr points out, is the policy of his opponent to-day, "and about as direct • contradiction of tho policy of Mr McNab of to-day as can possibly bo imagined." The electors, therefore, who voted for Mr McNab in 1905 on account of his view* on this laud question cannot consistently vote for linn this year, now that ho has abandoned those views.

Mr Malcolm met the elect ors at Hiiipulii on Tuesday evening in the schoolbouso. Mr A. J. Webb presiding. His siteech was on tho Muoa of his published address, uud he received a vote of thanks and confidence from a good audience. After the meeting two petitions were prepared and signed—one for ietephonic connection and tho other for the "cutting up" of Conical HUls estate. When the Stale was prejurcd to go to the extent of allowing it* tenants to pay !H) jar cent, of the capital value lie failed to see why the lessee should not bo allowed to pay off the while amount and obtain Ins freehold titlo He favored that course.—Mr A. Mar. > tin at Arthur's Point.

Asked whether ho bclieral in tb» freehold, Mr A. 11. Atkimton said that he liked a freehold for hiinsclf, but had grave doubts wlicther the leasehold was lot good enough for other peopledaughter.) "Are you in favor of a Ux on •lachelors, the pmcoetlit to be applied to wbsidies on married couple* with large families)"' was a question put to Mr Lang at Oiielmnga. "I have always iieeu opiKMMsd to the single Ux," was the ready response. Mr Massey told hit Carterton audi■nce a little atory about Sir George I Urey. It wag when the Albert Hark «t I.Auckland was made. The great proconsul met a little girl walking there. I'hey got into conversation, and Sir George remarked that tb« nark lie. longed to all the people. "Then, Sir George," aaid the little maiden, "I should like you to shew me my niece," "There spoke, hiunan nature," oonimented Mr Massey. When the numborH go up where will the supporter* of leasehold be t (asks [Hie Auckland 'Herald'). Apart from <ny consideration of party tlie majority >l the candidates standing for constituencies in Auckland province am pledged to the optional tenure, and it scorns that Auckland is going to return a pretty solid freehold section to tlie House. Throughout the Dominion, ludging by the election speeches, the candidates supporting freehold are in <\ majority, so that if land legislation crops up during the next.Parliament it will lie rather interesting to watch developments. In his Silverslream address on MonJay evening, Mr Willord amused his itidicnce somewhat by giving a deieription of an emigrant wlio had been 1 rafted on to a farm uiwn arrival of a recent Home boat. The man said he ?nuld milk, and the boss left him, bucket in hand, in the cow-yard while '«■ proceeded to a distant shed with * .-iew to harnessing a horse. A little later the new hand came over to him a woebegone specimen, clothes torn, eyo swollen, ear torn, nose broken, etc. Asked what had hap)iciicd. he replied lolcfully: "It's no use, 1 can't get her >u her back nohow." Mr Malcolm, M.1».. on the Moiklo w, case:—The Government promised to pav ' i--m\ lo Mr J. .1. Mcitfc for wrongful •lii|iriMiiinieiit. In view of the fact, that ilr Mciklc had already been paid a HiiiMif money lor which he had given a eeeipl in full satisfaction ol his claims, \vh proposal was a Kiir|iriHing ojio. There was another aspect of tlie cas» ■ which had prompted him to tote against Hie proposal. It was practically* re'•ogniseil princiiile tlint cniii|M.<nit»tion was not granted to a man wrongfully inprisoncd unless it. could bo shown that the Government was responsible tor tho wrong verdict, in casts siuiilw to Moikle's the Government had offered io compensation. Only last session an old man named John FrecWv, who. uiwl been wrongfully imprisoned eu a ■bargo of cattlc-stealiua and after-, wards released, pctitkuied l'ailiamctit •o allow liim the uiuouut ol the old age •elision, which at present he could not •litain owing to the fact that he had lieeu imprisoned. That was all; ttttd tho tamo Kstimates that proposed to giv» tloikle 1.5000, in addition to sums «1> ■eady received, propositi Ui give KreeHxly the niaguicnent sum of £!». Hio Government thereby laid itself open U» 'ho charge of giving to clamor what it would not give to modest innocence. Mr George .lames Anderson, of Gore, •oiirnnlist, was this morning nominated : lor Mataura, his sponsors being J. A. : i<Wbos. A. A. Scott, and l>r J. K. j 'logers, Gore; Marian K. Stewart, Kd•vard Gardiner, and Violet liowdeii, Mataura; Klini driver* Smith, Tuturau ; Geo. Telfer, Greenhill, Mataura ; ind Mary Ann Smith, Mataura. Nomination papers from other districts are not yet to hand. Mr Wui. Kraser had an exoelleut 'meeting at Haniioekbttrn last night. [ and received a unanimous vote of thanks and confidence.

It was rumored in Gore this morning that in consequence of the headway being made by Mr Anderson, .and especially because of the splendid meeting he had at Gore last night, Mr McNab's friends have wired to Sir Joaeph Ward asking him to "come over and help us." "Can the candidate explain something about the dairy 'wrigKle'-itioiisP" is the cow-man's rather apt question at our political meetings. "^ A Duuediu message states that Mr Joseph Mosley, County chairman, is definitely out for Bruce and will receive? the support of the Liberal and No* license parties.