WELLINGTON SUBURBS

New Zealand Times, Volume XLV, Issue 10430, 7 November 1919, Page 6

WELLINGTON SUBURBS

MR CEOSICEE V AT MAEANUI. At the Church Hall, Maranui, last night Mr A. W. Croskery, the official Labour candidate for the \V ellington Suburbs electorate, addressed a well attended meeting of electors, Mr C. Foster presided. . Mr Croskery said that during the campaign the usual "parrot cry’ would doub jess be raised in order to try and frighten the electors from supporting the Labour candidates. Ho hoped the people would lend no ear to this cry. but would hear the ease as presented to them, and decide which was the best party to support. He proposed to deal with many of the social problems from the Labour standpoint and pay special attention to the important question of reconstruction. HOUSING PROBLEM. The important matter of housing, he thought, was the most serious problem they had to solve. People at the present time were living under conditions which should not exist. People were being shamefully and shockingly evicxed, and were unable to find a roof under which fo place their wives and families. He severely criticised the repatriation scheme of the Government so far as it applied to returned soldiers. The Government so i'ar as it-applied to returned soldiers. The Government was advancing up to UiIOCO to r(Earned soldier# to purchase homes, which meant at 7 per cent., plus rates, that the unfortunate man "as loaded with a liability of 30s to 3os per week for the next 36 years. An ordinary working man could not carry on and keep solvent' under such conditions. In New South Wales, he would mention for purposes of comparison, the Government had managed to provide houses for the soldiers and the people at 12s Cd per week as against 80s in New Zealand. No working man could afford to be stuldlef. with such a crushing rent. M hat t he Labour party proposed to do to settle this great question of housing was to entirely eliminate the private exploiter from the business, and by State sawmills ■to cheapen the cost of timber, and by State cement works. State > rlc } nnd -State joinery works, and the pur chase in large quantities of all the neccssarv requirements, to build houses by the State for the people. The speaker referred to the housing proposals of the Wellington City Council, and said that body had signally failed to achieve satisfactory, results; for one thing they had advertised for carpenters at 2s per hourfind in the same paper a firm of bmkiin# contractors was cnlHnp for carpenters at 3s Tier hour. Under such conditions was it likelv that any substantial, progress would bo made with the municipal housin'' scheme. (Applause.) Mr Croskery maintained that there ample evidence that a timber "ring existed in New Zealand, in support of his contention said that New Zealand timber was being sold m Now South Wales at a price which was 8s per 100 feet less than the New Zealand price. Ho said no effort was being made by ..the Government to restrain the pernicious influence or restrict the ramifications of this ring. THE LAND QUESTION. Dealing with the land question. Mr Croskery spoke of the large areas held by quite a few wealthy landowners. He quoted figures from the reports of the Government Statistician to prove that in the Hawke’s Bay district, where the land was of good quality, Glßl men owned 4,570,233 acres; in Taranaki, vvhere the land’ was more intensely cultivated C 261 men owned 1,705,800 acres. Tt would .he seen that in the Hawke’s Bay district 1650 men had under their control nearly as much land as the G2Bl men in the Taranaki district. He quoted the figures relating to Wellington where 10,002 men owned 4,700,085 acres—in other words 6181 men in the Hawke’s Bay district owned ncarlv as much land as the 10,002 men in Hie .Wellington district. He spoke of the evils of land aggregation, and said the land question was of paramount importance to New Zealand. He pointed out some "startling facts and figures” relating to land aggregation which had been going on in New Zear«ul, particularly since the Massey Government had come into power. He quoted Independent papers, and farmers on this question and said it was significant that such people should have directed their attention to a matter whieh the Labour party had made one of the principal rdanks of its platform—the abolition of land aggregation. There had boon profifeerinpr in land, and larß’o nstates which paid land tax to the Government on ,£35 per acre, sold the land both to the ‘Government and the public at figures from .£6O to .£BO to ,£IOO per acre. The whole policy of the Government had gone on to the benefit of the large landholders and to the great disadvantage of the community ns a whole. EDUCATION. On the question of education the Lahour Party stood out for free, secular, and compulsory education from ' the kindergarten to the university, free and uniform school books, and the proper equipment of all schools with appliances for physicnltnre. The education system in New’ Zealand was in a slate of absolute chaos and nothing had been done hr the Education Department, in which the Government was responsible, to remedy such a lamentable condition of affairs. They found that the teachers were shock:eg’y underpaid with the result that ilic hast brains of the community J absolutely n-fu-cd to lake up teaching as

a profession. Schools were shockingly overcrowded, teachers were .asked to teach classes so large that they could not do justice either to themselves or the children. At the Lyall Bay School children were being taught in the corridors , while a room in a church hall half a | mile from the school had to he leased to I accommodate the children. The lack of I a decent system of education in New I Zealand had. been responsible for the I mushroom growth of a very large nnmj her of private schools and had also penalised many parents and seriously hampered many children. TENSIONS. On the question of pensions he roundly condemned the present administration for its lack of practical sympathy. The amounts granted wore not nearly ns high as they should he; it was generally recognised by all decent people that'when a wife lost her husband she should not bo cast on the mercy of the Slate per medium of the Charitable Aid Board to enable her to eke out a miserable existence. In Australia much more liberal pensioas were paid, and in the interests of the people the Government should be compelled to take notion and do justice to ' a deserving class of people. PROFITEERING. Regarding the evils of (profiteering, which he declared was rampant in- the Dominion, Air Croskery said the position ns to coal was a disgrace to Now Zealand. He maintained that the i#olits made by the private coal dealers were out of all proportion to the price at which State coal could be purchn;. cd. While the latter could be purchas ed at 2s to 2s 2d per owt, the private coal dealers charged as high as 3s lid per owt. which worked out at .£2 3s Id per ton for State coal and A 3 10s per ton for coal purchased from the private coal owrjgrs, a difference of dll 6s 8d per ton. He spoke of the exorbitant freights charged for coal, and said New Zealand was making a present to private enterprise of .£1 6s 8d per ton on every ton of coal sold. The Labour Tarty proposed to eliminate such avenues'of exploitation by State coal mines. State ships, and State deliveries. OTHER MATTERb. Air Croskery proceeded to deal with the cost of foot! problem, and referre* to the high cost of living in all departments—meat, sugar, flour, boots, clothing. etc. He maintained that no attempt had been made by the Govern ment to cope with the existing evils On all sides the people were being shamefully exploited and robbed, and the Government had taken .no slops to prevent it. He advocated State steamers and generally the intervention of the State on behalf and in the interests of the people. Referring to the political actions of the member for the district, the speaker 'claimed that he had not served the district as ho should have done. He had always been found on the side of the men who could well look after themselves—the wealthy classes. (Applause.) Several questions were put to the candidate and answered. He did not favour State aid to any private school. At the conclusion of his address a vote of thanks to. and _ confidence in Mr Croskerv, and expressing the opinion that he" was a fit and proper person to represent the constituency in iarliament, was unanimously earned. WELLINGTON CENTRAL NEW LIBERAL CANDIDATE. At a meeting of Liberals of Wellington Central held at the Liberal Party’s rooms yesterday, MT J. J.MlGrath, who had been announced as the Liberal candidate for the constituency, explained that it would be impossible for him to go to the poll as his medical advisers had forbidden him to do so. Air ATGrath has never properly recovered from the effects of the strain of the work he did during the epidemic. Ho informed his supporters that it was the disappointment of hig life to retire from the contest. *iir I*. Tirani, however, had been invited by - a number of electors to take his place and had consented to stand as a supporter of the Liberal Party. Mr Pirani’s candidature was unanimously endorsed by the meeting. The' meeting passed a resolution regretting Mr ATGrath's retirement, and all present formed themselves into a committee to further Mr Pirnni’s campaign i A meeting of friends and supporters of Air H. Oakley Browne, Liberal candidate for Wellington North, was held in the Liberal Party's rooms, Winder’s Buildings, last evening. Mr F. W. Manton presided over a large and enthusiastic gathering. Mr Browne gave a brief outline of his views upon public questions and those present formed themselves into an organisation to work in furtherance of his candidature and later on to form committees in all parts of the electorate. Air Len. McKenzie has been asked to stand in the liberal interests for the Wellington East seat. IT© 1© considering the matter and will give an answer shortly. MEETINGS ELSEWHERE Press Association. HASTINGS, November 6. Mr Gilbert , McKay, Liberal candidate for Hawke’s Bay, addressed a largo meeting at Hastings last night. Ho stared that his platform was that of Ballanco and Secldon. Every effort should be made to put suitable returned soldiers on the land at reasonable prices, near the rail and markets, intense farming and closer settlement was necessary for increased production, vo pay off the war debt. He said he wanted to see the linking up of the primary, secondary, and technical schools wun the university. TAUMARUNUX, November 6. F. W- Shortland addressed electors here last night. There was a small attendance. A vote of thanks was passed. WANGANUI, November C. The political fires were burning in and around Wanganui to-night. Briga-dier-G-eneral M/eldrum, Liberal candidate for Raugitikei,. spoke at Wanganui East, and Air Lewis Alollvrido, official Labour candidate for Wanganui, spoke at the Opera House. Each had a good meeting. Air W. J. Cutlo, who opened Ilia Wanganui campaign last week, announced himself as a supporter of sane Labour, and said that an a test vole between Mr Alassoy and Sir Josepn v Ward he would support Mr Massey every time. NAPIER, November 6. Air F. C. Evans, the selected Labour candidate Sot the Napier seat, opened his campaign in the Alunicipal Theatre last><iigljt before a crowded audience. Ho received quite an attentive hearing, and was accorded a vote of thanks and confidence. His speech was on familiar Labour lines, and embraced such topics as the cost of living and the Union Company. The candidate has signed the pledge of the East Coast Development League to push on the railway and Waiknrcraoana scheme. CHRISTCHURCH, November 6. Air >}. J. Howard, Labour candidate for Christchurch South, opened his campaign to-night at the. King’s Theatre before a crowded audience. The Hon. J. T. Paul was chairman. A vote of thanks and confidence was passed at the conclusion of the meeting. THE PROBABLE DATE No announcement has yet been made as to the date of the general elections, but it is understood that they will bo held in the second week in December.