THE WELLINGTON ELECTION.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 11050, 2 March 1898, Page 2

THE WELLINGTON ELECTION.

(Fbou Our Own Corhespondent.)

'.: . i Wellington, Match 1. . Theirs ie a vehemence about the present elec« tibne'ering fever here that denotes mucb nliessiness in the followers of the Government. : Some of these people are frantic even to j incoherence. Mr Kirk (the candidate) and Mr ! A. Coliins (the president of the trades uaions) I.ag*ia.addreß«ed-the wharf labourers yesterday, and the Premier is in erideuee everywhere— sometimes with elector's;'"sometimes with other ... Aliais.teis^anA-somctimes.- alone.- - Mr ■ Duthie .has become a sort of ogre in the eyes of the ' grouudliogg. He ha* been accused of harsh conduct towards ,the_.men in his service, and ■-. some of them are coming forward in the : public press-add giving "instances' of his treat- ; ment of those, in his employment. One of ■ v them writes :," I wiil give you a few. facts an,to Mr Duthie's trealment_(>f, his workmen. Speaking formyse'lfj I-was laid np in the Wellington Hoipitat for some.time- undergoing- an opera--1 sion for hemorrhage of the bowels. My wages i. were seat .home to- mywife- every week the ! whole time I.was laid up. One-of my fellow wOrkmen was laid tip in the hospital for aboufj months with cancer, of which he died. 7 Now;sir,.Mr DuMiie sent his wages (50s)' home - the whole time of his MckueSs. 'This is how Me 1 Dutkie.itreats the working-man." j'; M_r Duthie has i6s*ued gome very instructive | leaflet*. In one paper .he shows: that the | increase,of the neb ; public debt (leaving out ; tho guarantee to (he Bank'of New Zealand) ; within the last six ye«s has :baeu £8,209,016. j That, includes Mr Balance's period of office.-The-iucrease since Mr Seddon has -been at the I head ef tho Governmetit is .£5,408.254-. The 1 spending.pf loan has incesseai from £518.348 in j 1891 t0£1,089,390 in 1896-7: Industries within . ith6.aa.me period baye disappe'iredto'the extent j of 30 and 40 per cent., anil at the last census therei were'l7,soo breadwinners out of . emidajmeni.;: AIL: these figures. are'; authentic and accurate, having been compiled from the Blue Books.» • * .it -'■<■-'■'■■.'■.-:.'..'■•:■■/■ --•'■:--- - Mr Duthie last night made a palpable hit at tbe largest meeting of. electors yet held under cover. He- inkecl the andience to remember1 ,tha(j he was.fighting this battle single-handed. (Ciieersj) There were" barraeliers" there? bat he said he had them.on the hip: He answered mote than s.scorfe of .questions that were p'tit to him. ,'{/V^hai* about,<the. Chinese ?"...'. "If. you" wianfc t°,6*s rid'.ef. them; wijy are, you.working men theirbest_«ustQmerß."-^-(Applanse.) Mr Seddou, ~at-Bffr Kirk's mfeetingj- drew a shocking picture of the lunatic asylums in England; but since he has been in office, s>ys.Mt Duthiej they are worse in New Zealand. -; In coiißequetice of tht scamp work and: material,, the. poor i : lunatic« at Porirua are -obliged .to sleep in damp rooms, "and in. Wellingtbii-90 lunatics more than there ■■ roopi'foifhave'to'b* reeeiveS.v' They sleep m corridors and passages. . Thea again, Mr . Seddon etuffed,,: according _toi :Mr Duthiei the civ^ijß«rvice>with ..incompetent., people !until-i skilfol mtn'felv theyrwera <iegraded.TAn:article on "Tammany." in the ".Nineteenth Century" Feemed like, a' series of - coincidence^ from the "Bo»s systeni'in • New 'S;ork.-^(A Voice f' •' Why don't you provide the remedy ?'') . ''I. want you to put me.Jnto: thei Howe to get at the remedy."—(Loud cheers.) Public money squauderad hi every direction; whole classes were impoverished, workmen were degraded, K wnges,, were ,, towered,,. the , truck , systcni. -j was 'I, enforced . the-C'opv<3tnment, V who vajxld Dpi,, allow, the EgKt.Hourfl- Bi'l to &l)ply to Government; Services tb.»t theymight gwes-6 the Government-Employees;- The Old Age Pensions Bill depended upou money beiujt found to carry it OHt.v Where jras the;.money ?, In the surplus:, But "what had to be' ddise when .theK\:was>o*Bnxglas?'.'''.^axati&ti was gathering ..over', the country like .the. feelers 'of in octopus. ■X" Shame.") ,So it was, aud so it would be go :'lop|r.'*s tile .Working classes' deluded themeelves or *llowed themselves to be deluded-by-persons who lived upsn them, to_ their great loss. The cheers that greeted StriJnJHie' at the conclusion of. the speech' provefl iti great riuce'essi. He is stillthe. fayourite.'C -■■ '- :. .-' '• ,-.-"; The Premier,: Meßsrs Kirk,' A. Coiling, Catroll,.;Le ; Grove,"and others, addressed;.a largo assemblage" of the.! electors it <Ne wtown, but there ,w»» .little jori no .varietyiii the speeches ag compared withthe stock phrases, of electioneer? ing efforts. /Both.candidates received votes of thanks and confidence.; ; ' .:-" » ■ ; - It has transpired ucoii an examination of the Blectbral, Act; of 1896 that no electoral rights ■ can' be' granted-.»fter:. the writ hag once been issued. A large number, of ceamep electors of this : city are how disfranchised upon ; this interpretation Uof;- the law. .Commercial travellers are in the; same position. The disability arises Hinder esectiou 12.■-.. i —• ■-"■< Mt,;HiDdmarAh hag bpenfeid; a lively correspondence with Mr,; Kirk's part^.. He scorns to go on ;their because they ate :th« ■..''•'slates of!Sedd6n."r Thisis important,- seeing,-^ that Mr Hindmarsh is or was president of the Seamen's UhionY- •> y--^ -• '■'■>?. ■.."-■•-• •• ■

(Putt United Pbess Association.)

■WehilNßton. March 1. The Prohibition League carried the following resolution in connection with the city election : " That the league regrets that the unsatisfactory and undemocratic attitude of both candidates towards licensing questions compels it to take no action as a body in the pending byeelection, and accordingly it leaves its membtrs free' as citizens to support the candidate whom, on general grounds, they may prefer." Mr Duthie was nominated for the city election to-day. It is not likely that aay'oue else but Mr Kirk and Mr Duthie will be nominated. Nominations close to-morrow, and the election takes place en the 9th.