FACTORS IN THE GENERAL ELECTION.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17826, 7 January 1920, Page 4

FACTORS IN THE GENERAL ELECTION.

TO THE EDITOR. Sin,—Your correspondent Mr S. G. Griffith feels it incumbent upon him to correct some supposed errors in my letter of the 30th ult. The only attempt he makes in this direction is to deny that the P.P.A. is in any sense a religious organisation. Well, I am prepared to admit that it is far from being a religious body, and I only wonder that men supposed to have consecrated their lives to a sacrcd calling can leave their churcheß, and in some cases resign the duties imposed upon them by their church, to engage in a propaganda which Mr Griffith says is not , religious. He eaye the p.P.A. is a political organisation. Opposition to tho supposed concessions granted to children attending private' or sectarian schools is one of the first planks in the circular issued to candidates for their answer. Yet Mr Griffith says the P.P.A. has no concern as to who was responsible for, the passing of the legislation granting free passes on our. railways to children attending euoh schools. If this is so—and Mr Griffith sitys it is— then I would ask him where the politics of his party comes in. It is evidently a poliqy of keeping a political party in power regardless of its legislation. I think, Sir, Mr Griffith must be enveloped in one of hia London fogs. ' ■ To promote the end in view the leaders of the P.P.A. have striven, to create and foster a spirit of sectarian intolerance. _ is only on this assumption that the bitter campaign that led to the defeat of Sir Joseph Ward can be explained. Mr Elliott did not attack his politics, hut : struck hia insidious blow through Sir' Joseph's religious associations.—l am, etc., W. S. Mason. Romohapa, January 3. [Mr Maslin seems to have overlooked a letter from Sir James Allen, appearing in the same issue as the letter from Mr Griffith, in whioh Sir James described as "totally incorrect" Mr Maslin's statement that the* law in force to-day under which children attending private schools are carried free was passed in 1914. —Ed. Q.D.T.]

THE P.P.A. AND THE GENERAL ELECTION. TO THE EDITOB. Sib,—Mr S. G. Griffith stated in one of his letters to you that the . supported Roman Catholio candidates at the General Election. liis statement, was challenged, and ho was asked to say which Roman Catholio candidates the association supported, and he declines txJ give their names, because, "he is riot prepared to advertise the religion of the men we supported." This is very unsatisfactory. I leave this matter to the' judgment of your readers. My information is that the only Roman Catholio candidate supported by the P.P.A." was Mr O'Brien, the Liberal opponent of Mr H. E. Hollandi, and, as tho association, supported Mr O'Brien, it had no reason whatever for - opposing Mr J. Brown in tho Dunedin West election. I am also informed that the association opposed every official Labour candidate, although all these men (as the association very well knew) have proved themselves among the best friends of the principle professed by the association—namely, "equal rights forall, special privileges for none." 1 But tho party supporting these men has. no rich, men among them able to subscribe £1000 cheques for political work. The P.P.A. needed funds to pay the large salaries of certain officials and other large expenses, so it helped to keep in office the representatives of the squatters and capitalists. But what will the P.P.A. get from the Massey Government? Sir James Allen is the most) influential member of that Government and he has treated the Rev. Howard Elliott and his executive with silent contempt. Ho did not even condescend to take any notice of the P.P.A oomraunicatioinfl. So what is the P.P.A. likely to get from the Government?—l ani, etc., JUSTICE. LABOUR'S POLITICAL DOWNFALL. TO THIS EDITOB. Sni,—The 17th December, 1919. will be remembered by the rising generation of tho dominion for the next quarter of .a, century as the day when Labour lost its golden opportunity at the polls, and when Mr Massey, Leader of the Reform Party, saved New Zealand from Queensland politios. I have no doubt that a great number of the electors all over the dominion are dismayed at the political situation and concerning the future prosperity of. the country. No matter what our. political opinions may be, the right man is on tho quarter-deck. Ho has had no deathbed legacy left him as his two predecessors had. He has won his way from the lowest rung of tho ladder to the honourable position ho now holds as Prime Minister. During his term of office he has had more worry than any other Minister had in tho dominion. First and foremost an industrial strike, one of the Liberal Party's legaoy. then the great war. etc. He is the people's mun The fact that in Otago and Southland alone he has got 11. out of the 14 seats speaks volumes for his influence.' Now that he is re-established in power ii is our dpty as . Britons to rise to the occasion, and assist him economically and industrially in maldng New Zealand a 'working man's paradise, or, in other.words, a paradise for all. The next question is, how are wo going to "Edenise our position. My only answer to that would be to call all hands to the pung>. How many a gallant vessel waa saved through ths energetic spirit of its crew while the decks were awash and the ship was on a lee shore. Labour will have to smash Labour, as Bolshevism is jfoing to smash Bolshevism. Twenty-nine years ago official Labour put five members into Parliament, and in those enlightened times only eight official Labour candidates were returned out of 45 candidates put forward by the party .•uid sharing 31.033 votes between them. On the other hand Independent Labour candidates contested five seats, and won three with 18,812 votes. Thorefore jt is "up to" all unions that are not affiliated with the nresent official Labour Party to exclude all extremists from executive positions, ns they were the prinoipal factors of the downfall of Labour. Independent Labour is the only hope for the future. All that is required is a leodsr.—l am, eto., On the Traii,. Dunedin, Jannary ,5.