MR. MASON'S CAMPAIGN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19299, 12 April 1926, Page 12

MR. MASON'S CAMPAIGN.

DESIRE TO BE OPPOSITION

LABOUR PARTY'S AMBITION.

Three meetings were addressed on Saturday by Mr. H. CI. R. Mason, Labour candidate for the Eden scat. Mr. Mason spoko at the Huia dam in the morning and at the Te Atatu school and at the corner of Fruitvale and Great North Roads in the evening. Addressing about 30 electors at the last-named meeting, the candidate said he hardly thought it necessary to enlarge upon tho present political situation, which was too simple to call for amplification. On the one hand was a Government whose majority was quite large enough, and which was in fact of such a size as to enable it to do practically what it pleased. This was not good for tho country, and the speaker urged his listeners to give greater power to Labour in order that it might block the very worst of tho Government's measures, which, after all, was everything it could hope to do in the coming session. He urged that Labour should bo made tho official Opposition, as the Liberals, or Nationalists, had shown they could not always be relied upon. They were apt to side with tho Government in many things, and reallv showed no signs of having a definite policy of their own. The candidate criticised the Government's policy and past actions along the lines of his previous addresses. In conclusion ho called upon tho electors to exercise their votes, and keep before thorn tho lesson of tho Lyttelton and Westland contests in connection with tho marking Chevalier Handicap Cocoacnt is alleged to of every possible ballot paper. Referring to the question of immigration in tho course of his remarks at To Atatu, Mr. Mason said an influx of people into the Dominion for work upon the farms was foolish in tho light of statistics, which showed that tho population directly maintained by tho land was decreasing. There were over 3000 fewer people employed in all capacities on the land than there were two years ago, which, ho thought, showed the fallacy of bringing more farm labourers into tho country.