ELECTION NOTES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15770, 19 November 1914, Page 6

ELECTION NOTES.

"WHO BROUGHT IT IN?"

Ay mterjector win attempted to score off Mr. Dickson at Remuera on Tuesda night in regard to the authorship 0 Ui« compulsory military training SVst Z soon found that he had "caught a' Ta" tar." "Who brought it in?" as ed a voice at the back of the hall when the candi dale commenced a reference to the subject. Mr. Dickson pointed out that in the session prior to that in v.-hi-h Sir J oseph Ward introduced his Defence Bill ")[' Mawey, as Lead,, of ie Opposition moved a motion ii the Reuse affirming the desirableness ot compulsory training The inquisitive one wished to know whether '..his was not subsequent to S'Joseph Ward tokinj the matter , ln '„, , . , ' • u l'i and he received the prompt rep!'.-, " v., ; » «. nor.''

Mr. Dickson thnw further ! ; At upon -'• I upon the question In qniiin- Tern a :>■.»« h delivered at Feildinj by Sir Joseph Ward on October 21, i:©i. ai.,i, eicht months before Mr. Massey ~.,■■, L , motion The present Opposition Lead--: then said that "a system of compulsory military training in arms would m.an \] ti . creation of the nucleus of 3 system ,< militarism which the country uuijiit no; t. tolerate. We might to recognise, and v., did, that we had a great deal to do in the matter .; interna] defence which mum be done seriously, and on practical i nes. But uiiat would his hearers say if -~, attempt was made by h-i.-lali..n to dr.ve down the throats of the people ~.0 -,st*m tha , n..-i . whoever their position. , ;! „uld hare to leave their cailhgs to be, .-me military men in the ordinan sens" of the term—to have such a system as existed in some of the Continental countries? The people 0 j New Zealand would not ai>-v =;ich , system to grow up." The elector's thirst for information appeared to b° satisfied, and he incontinently subsided.

A GOVERNMENT SURRENDER. 'I he fact is that the. introduction 0 [ universal training by the Ward Government was not as is now being represented a spontaneous act of pat not: but a surrender to public opinion. When Mr. Hughes and other Labour Ministers in Australia were conducting an active propaganda in favour of universal trainin", Sir Joseph Ward and Lis Ministers were talking of the impossibility of " 'Conscription. " and using just such arguments as -.1' Joseph Ward used in the Feilding speech, quoted by Mr. Dickson. In April, 1903. Mr. McNab, then Minister for Defence, was the guest ,of the National Defence League at a dinner in Wellington. He then said, "It is not the rtlicy of the Government to have compulsory military service. The league :s just beginning its propaganda work, and though some members of the organisation might think that right at the beginning it would be very nice to capture the Government of the country, I would lika to point out that the capture of the Government will be the last great victory you will win." The victory was. won; the Government surrendered within 13 months, and. strangely enough, Mr. McNab, who in the interval had lost his seat and his portfolio, and who was thus free to express Ills personal convictions, assisted materially to carry the entrenchments.

ALLOCATION OF PORTFOLIOS. A correspondent who signs himself " Facts " writes protesting against the 1 allocation of portfolios in the Massey j Cabinet. He says:—"The position is ■ that these portfolios are held by no less | than six North Island members, as ] against three South Island members. Is ! this a fair adjustment'? According to j your logic, the North Island, having the I larger population, should have more mem- ' bers in the Cabinet, but surely the popuI lation of the North Island as compared | with the South is not such as entitles it to a two-to-one majority." These can hardly be described as the facts. One of the six North Island Ministers is Dr. ! Pomare, who in Parliament and in the I Cabinet represents the Maori race. The < Ministers directly representing European J constituencies number seven: four of them 1 represent North Island constituencies, and ! three represent South Island constituencies. The-.e is also in the Legislative Council the Hon. F. H. D. Bell, who may fairly be regarded as strengthening the North Island representation. The population of the North Island gives it 42 members in the House of Representatives, against 34 for the Sonth Island. Mr. Massey had a party of 41. exclusive of Independents, from which to choose his Ministers. Thirty of the party represent North Island constituencies, and only 11 come from the South Island. In the circumstances the South Island has a strong representation in the Cabinet.

WHEN FRIENDS FALL OUT. Much entertainment is being given to the electors of Parnell by the domestic squabbles of the Opposition supporters. As the first claimant, Mr. Sullivan apparently anticipated that he would receive the. party nomination so quietly resigned by Mr. Brings, and certainly lie did not expect a rival application by Mr. Gleeson. The possibility of friendly negotiations between the two parties seems remote, and as the principal parties are young Irishmen with a liberal measure of confidence., further developments in the contest between them may add an unexpected interest to tho contest in ParaslL LAND AGGREGATION". The exploded charge that the Reform Government's land legislation has resulted in tho aggregation of land into large estates is again being brought forward to serve electioneering ends. This was on* of the earliest attacks re .-.do by the Opposition on Mr. Mas-vy's policy, if the interval between the 1912 and IJI3 sessions of Parliament the country rang with stories of aggregation in the Mangaweka district It was stated th.it aggregation had been encouraged by the freehold legislation of 1912," and that land agents were going round with their pockets lined with cold to tempt the small settlers t.. fill out to the large landowners. In the session '-;' 1913 tho allegations w.-re referred t.> the Lands Committee, ami the result , :' fill exhaustive inquiry was that all the charges were completely refuted by the evidence. Even the Opposition members r " '•'° committee did not maintain, whet! .t came to a vote, that there had U'Cii any aggregation duo to '.!-» i!-'.-flio!j l--;i--lation o. the previous ye;- - hey professed *° find some evident •:' a;;nu-a:io:i. but admitted that such sales :,, 'cad been effected were sales of f-eehoids »* affected by the limitation pr< n :>ions ot tho Land Acts or by she land legislation of 1912. The charge that aggregation had been rampant «as not supported i>>' a single member of the committee. In the interval Mr, Masscy hi, made '* more difficult than ever to e.iher squire or hold large estates.