THE OTAKI SEAT

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 7868, 2 August 1911, Page 1

THE OTAKI SEAT

MR THOMSON’S CANDIDATURE. Mr William Thomson, one time minister of St. Andreev’s Presbyterian Church, Palmerston North, latterly Dpminion . organiser for the New Zealand Licensed Victuallers’ Association, and now farming at Linton, opened his campaign for the Otaki seat at Linton on Monday evening. The candidate described himself as “an Independent Oppositionist,’’ and declared that if ever there was a time in the history of New Zealand, when strong, fearless and independent men were needed they were needed now. Our defence scheme, said the speaker, had risen by leaps and bounds. In 1907 it cost -£330, in 1910 it cost .£650.000, and wo were only at the beginning of things. He would not be at all astonished to seo that in a few years it would be nearly a million. He would fight for free education from tho elementary school to the university, the abolition of school committees and education boards and the election of boards by tho people. Ho was a freeholder, out and out, but would support the leasehold as a stepping-stone to the freehold. He would entirely abolish tho Upper House and have one elected by the people. The necessaries of life should be admitted free and the Civil Service: should bo reformed by cutting down tho salaries of Ministers to start with and the larger ones nest, while those at the bottom should remain. A motion that Mr Thomson was a fit and proper person to represent the Otaki electorate in Parliament was carried.