THE GREY SEAT.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 15823, 23 July 1913, Page 8

THE GREY SEAT.

A VIGOROUS CAMPAIGN. BIG REFORM MEETING. MR MILLS AND THE "OCTOPUS." THE SECTARIAN TROUBLE. (Fhosi Gob Spkcial Cobbesponde.vt.) GREYMOUTH, July 22. This .evening Mr Jones and Mr Michel addressed a crowded and highly enthusiastic meeting in tho Opera House. There were a very large number of ladies present, Mr Jones held the platform first while Mr Michel addressed a meeting at Cobden, the, suburb across the Grey. Mr Jones gained a very fine reception, with prolonged ap-

plause. The Mayor (Mr Perkins), who was chairman of Mr Hannan's Election Committee, but who has presided ably and impartially at meetings of all'the candidates said he felt sure that the meeting would not repeat the disorder of the preceding night at the Town Hall,. Those who caused the disturbance at the Town Hall were not residents of Ureymouth.—(Applause.) Mr Jones said that the Liberal party had done good work, but like others it grew old. The party that threw Sir Joseph Ward out was the workers. No ono had taken up Mr Michel's challenge to anyone to prove that he had changed his attitude with regard to any material part of his policy. He denied that the Government stood for the big landowners. It was the small landowners who were behind Mr Maesey. Taranaki eamc behind him first, Hawke's Bay iiearly last, while big-estate Canterbury was still Liberal. There were 175,000 freeholders and leaseholders in New Zealand, which meant (allowing four to each family) a population of 700,000 or nearly the threefourths of the population of New Zealand. Yet they talked about big landowners. With regard to Mr Massey's freehold policy he asked them whether Grevmouth, which suffered tinder a Maori leasehold system, ■would not be benefited by that policy.— (Applause.) The Red Fedorationists in their programme took no account of finance. If they were given charge of things they ■would bring to ruin, and they themselves would bo tho first to leave it. The Government proposed to make harbour boards elective, and some people in Grevmouth did not like it. Workers'

homes, fruit farms, advances to settlers, who needed I putting on their feet, were among the things that the Government had done. The dissensions of the Unity Conference showed that Mr Webb did not represent Labour iif New Zealand. Mr Holland hud said at the Unity Conference that if they aimed at a Labour party like the Australian one that passed a Defencc Act, and ( imprisoned boys, he would say '"To hell with'' the Labour party." Mr Jones quoted Mr

Mills's advice at the Unity Conference

against a Liberal-Labour alliance, yet now i Mr Mills and Mr Webb were saying that they were the true Liberals. After quoting tile Maoriiand Worker against Mr Hainan and the Liberals, he said that the workers' masters were now applying for Liberal votes. Mr Webb insinuated that his liglit with Mr Michel wa6 not a clean fight. But if it was a dirty fight the dirt did not eome from Mr Michel's side—(Applause.) Mr Mills had called the Federation of Labour an octopus, but now the octopus had absorbed Mr Milk. As to the complaint that Mr Michel lived in Hokitika Mr Webb himself lived in Christchurch; although as a single man lie could live anywhere. Mr Webb was a Socialist, and Archbishop Redwood had said that Socialism meant ,the dcetruction of Christianity, the rights of property, and the family. After the. Maritime strike flourishing towns at Stillwater and Dobson had depreciated and declined. Business men in Greymouth had told him that , they would not advance a single penny on Runanga property in that part where the Federation of Lubour was. Would thev

then be so foolish as to hand themselves over to the federation and. to the mercy of strikes?—(Applause.) - Mr Michel, who had a remarkably cordial reception on entering the hall, said it was wrong to blame any candidate or organisation for current rumours. He was sure that no member of his committee had been concerned in these rumours" or in stirring up sectarian strife. He repeated his opinion that an enemy had done this, and that enemy was a supporter of the Federation of Labour. The federation's offic.'al organ, tile Maoriiand Worker, replying to Bishop Grimes, had referred to him as "That man Grimes," and to "mock sacraments." lie knew Mr Hannan was feeling deeply his defeat, but he appealed to them till, including Mr Hannan's supporters and friends, not to allow their votes to be turned on this unfortunate sectarian issue—(Applause.) The' present Government was as Liberal as

any that had been in power. Mr Webb hail challenged him to debate his platform in public, but 'Mr Webb had no platform. According to the press report lie asked them tn return him "to remodel the world." Concerning Sir Arthur Guinness' 6 meeting at Runanga the statement made. to him and repeated by him, that five or sis policemen had to assist Sir Arthur had been challenged. lie repeated his statement, and said that Sir Arthur received a very rough handling by the cultured people at Runanga.

An Interrupter: I drove Sir Arthur out and he bad a good meeting.

Mr Michel: Hour Grey Star said that "he had one of the most disgraceful meetings un tiie West Coast. Mr Armstrong, a member of the executive of the Federation ot Labour, had challenged- his statement aixmt the lack of an itemised balance sheet of the £37,000 contributed in strike levies. It was true that a balance sheet had been audited and published. The items were in globo and the unions had been unable to obtain detailed information. With regard to tile six messengers they had heard so much about, the Hon. Mr Massey had stated that everyone of the retired messengers had been offered reinstatement or a pension, and in every case they had taken the pension. It pa.d them well to do so. The statements made on this subject- by. Lady Guinness, Mr Herdman, and himself were entirely correct. He upheld the Government's policy towards the Waihi strikers and | the offenders against the Defence Act. The law must be upheld.—(Applause.) He hoped that the g'reat majority of Mr Hannan's friends would vote on Thursday for progi ess, and not. for the destruction of social, religious, and industrial life.

In reply to questions Mr Michel said that lie had a good meeting when he visited Runanga.

Mr Armstrong asked a question about the Federation of Labour balance sheet, - and Mr Michel re'icatcd his statement reported above.

Mr Armstrong stated that a balance sheet had been sent to every union or association in Australasia thit had contributed to the fund, and no complaint had been received from a single member.

Mr Michel repeated that- there were presidents of unions who were dissatisfied with the meagre particulars given. - He asked why the federation, instead of keeping the men idle, did not- expend the £37,010 in opening a coal mine to keep them employed. Were they afraid that that mean work? Mr Armstrong replied that the strike was iorccd on the workers, and that they .raised the money to support the women and children. As to raising money for enterprises workers ill Australasia had hundreas of thousands invested in co-operative undertakings. Mr Michel: A large port-ion of the £37,000 must have been used to!.keep the agitators and the executive going, A Voice: Prove it. Mr Michel: What's keeping you?—(Applause.) What- is keeping Mcssrs'Webb and Semplo and Mills'and' all the rest'of "them? —(Applause.) ~ Mr Armstrong: Messrs Semple, Mills, and the others arc elected by thousands of men—men who would not employ MiMichel to clean their boots.—(Much hooting.) Who pay 3 Mr Jones? It is Mr Massey. • Mr Michel: Mr Jones is a farmer at Ikamatua.—(Much cheering.) Again, in reply to another question, Mr Michel said that he had never been a member of an Orange .lodge in his h'fe. Ail inaudible question was isked about the Dean Carew s story. Mr Michel stated that the statement implied by the questioner was absolutely uijtrue. During this campaign he had never spoken to any clergyman o! a Christian Church and had not asked anyone to do so. He regretted that their respected Dean had been dragged into this controversy. He had 'not had the pleasure of talking with Dean Carew since the campaign began. Asked whether lie was in favour of the Government reappointing the defeated Opposition candidate (Mr Hannan) to the post of Crown Solicitor at Greymouth, Mr Michel replied: " If Mr Hannan will accept the position I will be very disgusted with the Government if it does not offer it to him." Mr Michel said that largely owing to the Reefton strike the Consolidated Goldfields Company of Reefton, in which probably many widows had scares, had not paid a dividend for two years. A Voice: Quite right, too. Mr Michel: Yes, that's the spirit of the federation. Never mind the widows. Mr Jones, in acknowledging the cheers, expressed the utmost oonfidence that

IMr Michel would, win. A couplo of days ago be fell doubtful, but that day he I had noted signs of certain victory. i The meeting concluded with cheers for Mr Michol, Mr Joacs, and the chairman.

Mr M'Nab'6 advice to Mr Webb to go in and win causes Mr Miohel to comment 011 tlie anomaly that one of our greatest landowners (although a Liberal) is backing a Socialist. Which, he asks, 'is the lion and which is the lamb?

MR WEBB'S CAMPAIGN. ADDRESS BY MR MILLS. (Fbom Ogb Special Cobbespondkkt.) G-itKyMOUTiri, July 22. Mr Mills addressed a largo meeting iu the Town .Hall to-night, he descrinea Mr Michel's statement about the balance, sheet ot the federation ot Labour as an infamous misrepresentation, and quoted from the auditor's report. He empnasised the brakes on striking imposed by the Unity Conlerence. He denied the statement that the conference dwindled to 175 members. It was said that he was receiving JJJ.2 a week lor .his services. He would not argue that point, but he would Bay that Mr Michel would be glad to pay him ±1100 a week to spuaK for nim. For 40 years he ,had been through taking the side of the unaer-ciog. After describing how he severed his connection with the Voice of Labour, he sa:d thai Mr Sempie did not know him then and condemned him for the company he kept while on that paper. He did not blame Mr Sempie for that. The Social Democrat party was not against religion. Religion was a personal matter. They asked lor support for Mr Webb, not oil personal or sectarian grounds, but because of his platform. He compared the opposing side to a yellow dog. They would for a monopolistic pocket-picking Government.

THE SECTARIAN QUESTION. PRESB COMMENT. . (Fhoii Oob Own Cobbespondent.) WELLINGTON, July 22. A rumour that Mr Michel's supporters had approached the head of the Greymoutn Roman 'Catholic Church (Dean Carew) with the object of. inducing him to change the Catholic vote from Mr Webb to Mr Michel formed the subject of a question at Mr Michel's meeting at Grevmouth last night', which is reported by the special correspondent of the Evening Post.

Mr O'Donnell (the questioner) asked: Are you aware that two prominent members of your committee went' to a well-known clergyman and asked him to try to get his congregation to pledge itself not to vote for a Socialist! Mr Michel asked for names. Mr O'Donnell said he could prove that Mr Michel met the two members noar the post office and learned the answer. . Mr Michel: Names. Mr O'Donnell: Jeffries and Ward, of Arahura. Mr Jeffries came forward on the stage and said that as far as lie was concerned it was a deliberate lie. He was a poor man, but he would give £50 to any charitablo -institution if the statement could be proved. The insinuation seemed to be that lie approached Dean Carcw. He was quite prepared that Dean Carew should come forward and decide for or afiairfet him.

Mr O'Donnell: I might have made a mistake about the name, but there was certainly one. Mr Michel declared that he had had no private conversation with any clergyman 01 any church with regard to the election since he entered the contest. He did not th'nk any member of his committee had had such a conversation, He denied that he had ever had to apologise to a clergyman in Ross.

The Evening Post's correspondent, in re' ferring to the sectarian issue, says "there is no doubt that a number of mischievous stories and insinuations; some of them based on religion and sonic on character, have been in circulation in this electorate. There is also no doubt that Mr Hannan has been the victim of many of these, but U6 it is within the capacity of aty- irresponsible to invent a 6fory and start it upon its course a candidate would seem to have 110 power to stop this sort of thing. In almost every religion there are bigots who will refuse to voto for a candidate because he is not of their religious colour. There is also no limit to the stupidity of eome of the slanderers. . . . The wise saying that language was given to man to enable him to conceal his thoughts : ti cepcciaHy tnie just now in the Grey. This is largely due i'o the mixing of the sectarian with the political issue, and to the eroescutting of business interests and personal feelings. There is a general atmosphere of suspicion which on* will not be sorry to get away from."

A STATEMENT QUESTIONED. (Fiiom Ock Own Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, July 22. The light at Grey is attracting a good deal of attention in the Wellington papers. To-day's New Zealand Times has very long reports of the meetings held there under the heading, " Battle at Grey." A reference in one of the reports to Mr Jones was the subject this afternoon of a question in the House.

Mr T. E. Y. Seddon gave notice to ask what authority the Reform organiser had to make the following statement as re-ported-in one of the local'papers:*—" Mr Jones again thanked the. living examples of federation amongst the audience for supporting his arguments so visibly. He said that under it the Government, which was spending a huge sum opening mines at Runanga and at the Otira tunnel, would not be justified in going on with these undertakings if a Labour candidate were returned." "What paper?" was asked when this was read out'. "The New Zealand Times," replied a voice. " I don't- believe a word of it," declared .Mr Massey amidst laughter. "But you don't know Mr Jones." retorted Mr Russell.