TAUMARUNUI CONTEST.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14809, 12 October 1911, Page 9

TAUMARUNUI CONTEST.

MR. WILSON AT T£ „ KUITI. ;[fsom ora own coebesfondent.] . i ~ ; , , Te Kura,-Wednesday. M i C. K. Wilson, the accepted official candidate of tie Opposition party for the : Taumarunui electorate, addressed a public meeting in To Kuiti "last. evening. The meeting was one of the largest of ite kind Ever held in - Te Kuiti. The candidate received an excellent hearing. Mr. J. Boddie (Mayor) presided.. , ■ V•-*On rising, Mr. Wilson -was received with rounds of applause, and stated that he was an ; out-and-out Oppositionist, and f supported the party of reform and progrep, "< although he reserved his right to criticise . any measure which he thought fit. V Mr. iMaesey, he said., was - the ■ most . liberal- > minded man in • Parliament Mr. Wilson . then proceeded to-review the proposal of the State note issue, , which, when Mr. Hogg retired from the Ministry, was classi- ' fied by the Prime Minister , as one Of Mr. • Hogg's wild schemes. Yet the very same ■' idea was r brought down in the last r-r'i Financial Statement. The resignation of the * Hon. George Fowlda was also dealt with by the speaker, who said that Mr. Fowlds had had to forsake his party because he did . not approve of their principles. ■ , , . -■ The question of native lands, continued Mr.- Wilson, , was a very vital one to the Dominion, and there was no other place in the country where it reflected greater than in the Taumarunni electorate. There were huge areas locked up, and lying waste from one end of the North Island to the other. The Maori had had consideration in the past, and fair play,; but the turning point had arrived. The system of taihea would ■.: no . longer be tolerated. ; The position at -■ present was that settlers in the back blocks were enhancing the value • of •'unoccupied ? lands, and for that reason he believed m the compulsory acquisition of these lands. The Maoris themselves acknowledged that they were being humbugged by the present r Jaw. Mr. Wilson contended that in order to settle the native lands in the district the Native Land • Court should be settled in the King Country. The present procedure was that the Court came to Te Kuiti, and staved only a few days, leaving much work undone, and therefore considerable delay and annoyance were experienced. There ■was no doubt but that it was Sir James Carroll's great 'Object . to delay the settlement of these lands, in order that they ( might be enhanced in value by the industry- and hard work of poineer settlers. - In 1905 an area of 285,525 acres was vested < in the Maori Land Board, of which 64,000 acres only had, been -settled. In 1907 328,000. more acres were vested in the Board, and only 4000 acres were occupied. With, regard to the native towns of Te Kuiti and Taumarunui -he advocated that they should be acquired at once •' from the natives at a fair value. The treatment which back block settlers in the King Country were receiving from the . Public Works Department was a disgrace to the country. They had been put on the land ander false pretences, and roads which' had been promised them bad never been made. He had never seen such' existing conditions as regards roads as in the King Country. If these towns were to grow they, must stand by the people in the back country. He advocated a Public Works Board, which should be controlled by a number of competent men, who could have an estimate taken of all the roads in the countiy, and then v those most necessary could be dealt with. •. ■ - v , ■„.. On the land settlement auction Air. Wilson declared himself ae a freeholder. Dealing with the railways he favoured the pushing on of the construction of the main lines, to be followed afterwards with feeders. He thought that concessions should be made to settlers travelog, and that tourists and natives attending tangis should pay the full price. In contusion, the speaker urged the meeting to strike a blow for the back blocks settler, the back-. bone of the country. •. (Prolonged., apPl On e the motion of Sir. K. M. Somerville . a vote of thanks and confidence to the candidate was carried - unanimously. _ ■ . ' : Mr. W. Fookes, another candidate, announced at the conclusion', of > the • meeting that ha tad decided to stand his ground.. k

' . CAMPAIGN NOTES. : 4 Mr. J. Savage, Socialist candidate for Auckland Central, will give an address this evening in the Federal Hall Mr. J. B. Morton, candidate for Manukau, - speaks at the Epsom Public Hall tonight. Mr. E. A. Craig will preside. +1 Win. -D Ullcan lias decided to contest the Raglan seat as Ministerial candidate and is commencing his campaign at Raglan on the 21st instant. • Mr. IV; J. Speight will address the I'jden electors at the Avondale Public Hall this evening. Mr. J. Potter, chairman of the Avondale Road Board, will preside. Mr. Joseph McCluggage, Liberal candidate for Stratford, gave his first address in Stratford on Tuesday night, defending the Government * policy. The mooting recorded a vote of thanks and confidence, and renewed confidence in tho Administration. ;

A meeting of the friends and supporters of Mr. Ewen W. Alison, jun., contesting the Waitemata seat as an Independent candidate, was held at Devonport last evening, and was largely attended. Mr. Robert Graham occupied'the chair. The several committees reported good progress, and it was arranged that Sir. Alison should ad-, dress the electors of Devonport in the Post Hall on Wednesday, the 18th inst. The Mayor of Devonport (Mr. Wm. Handley) will preside.

Sir John Findlay met his committees and a number of other supporters, to a total number of about 100, at Newmarket last night, and briefly addressed them before leaving for Wellington. He was given a very interested hearing and an enthusiastic send-off. He will return when the session closes, in a fortnight or thereabouts, _ and his first address thereafter, will be given at Newmarket. He visited the Jubilee Institute for the Blind at Parnell yesterday and gave 'a short political address.-..

Mr. Alex. Harris, the Opposition candidate for Waitemata, addressed a wellattended meeting in the Northcoto Hall, Northcote, last night. The Mayor (Mr. Cadness) occupied the chair. The address was on similar linee to those delivered elsewhere throughout the electorate. The candidate was well received, and his address was punctuated with applause. A large number of questions were satisfactorily answered, and the candidate was accorded *a vote of thanks■, and - confidence on the motion of Mr. M. Parrish, seconded by Mr. F. T. Jeffrey. An amendment by Messrs. W. Watkins and J. F. Jackson, of thanks only, only received the support of three electors.