AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL WORKERS' COLUMN.

Otago Witness, Issue 2686, 6 September 1905, Page 25

AGRICULTURAL A ND PASTORAL WORKERS' COLUMN .

ifOT-ES -AND I " GENERAL -ikFORMA-

" - By Steve Boreeam.

Th 6” writer had the good fortune on Friday -last to meet Mr ,W. H. "Ore, one of -the" three candidates out for,- the -SKtount Ida seat/ .About *27 years ago _T had the good',. luck- to, strike "Mr TJre's camp, in a bend-bf - the ".Upper Wai'takd' Rtver. At that time" 'my, prospects 'in *■ life -were at a -very low ' v jebfa— my liwag,' -which ■ was" arranged on- ',|new v ohum^- style of architecture, .getting, neavief -every yard I . carried - it, and*?my" belt <bucklecL up to fche- -last- hole, my pants still slipping dowoi, — and Mr ITrej with 'his "keen eye for detecting at a 'glance the most pressing needs of the belated swagger wiho happened to strike his camp, ihavtng -invited' me to stay .ior the night, at *■ the "-same time" giving orders to another Ure- to' stoke up. the -nail, tin and cut some chops Virile -he piroo&eded to make a "shake-down,"' 'giving orders to still another "Die "to pull some tussocks for a bed. Everything for my comfort ready, as only a "bullocky" loan get things ready to the' entire satisfaction' of a tired, worn-out, new chum "swagger, and "the "cheerfu' supper done,/ wi 5 serious face" Mr W. H. Ure turned to" me and said', "How do^you feel now?" -Well," I felt then as I' stated) at the. commencement of -fcheS& notes — that I u liad 'struck good When striking his camp . next morning after a good 1 breakfast Mr Ure" ..gave Jne a lesson whioh . has not ?been < forgotten "on -the way to roll up a. swag An J something like swagger fashion, after whioK a few Words of thanks on my part and- , "Don't , mention it" ]on his, we parfedf-T -to explore an unknown district in quest -of work,- and Jbe to the -yoking up of his bullocks. . -•- But this meeting and parting with .-Mr,- Ure. was not to -be the last, for weinet the following year in the came 'p^ace- and , very nearly under the same circumstances,'* aiud have- continued to meet every year -since under varying conditions— sometimes on the bullocky's camp, sometimes ,, on the shearing board, and sometimes, t as' on Friday last, in the city, where" we -could', -without the interference of^ the -boss, give. full freedom to the bent of- our inclinations. However, to dwell no longer on -the. xqps _and downs of the past, the wrestling' bouts'- we have had on the. bullock track," and the "gees" we have Jiad for the -position of "ringer"' •under the eagle eye of Duncan Sutherland, ■we shall- ascertain Mr Ure''s views on the political questions of the day. After a few preliminary-remarks I referred to Mr Ure's candidature,' drawing ' his attention to the faot that the papers had referred to him as an Independent Liberal. He replied that, the papers may be right if they meant foy "Independent" that he was not the chosen of the Naseby Liberal Labour party, but wrong' if -they meant that he was not prepared .to declare 'himself for one of the two recognised political parties. He might, he continued, say -straight out that he was, as he always had been, a supporter of the present Administration, and theref ore .had every ighfto expect the support of the • Mount Ida' electors, amongst whom ie had lured during the last 40 years, haying worked! on the Otago Centpl goldneldfe -over 40 years ago, and resided in the. ever since. In any case he was satisfied that the majority of the electors would, at the ballot box. resent this hole-aid-corner method of selecting a candidate,, especially when the one selected -only, & few years back contested a seat against the present Minister of Lands— surely a much too sudden change for _a- gentleman seeking the honourable position of a member of the House of Representatives. He thought after the experience we have had of the tactics of the New Liberal party that it would be just as well to let them go down to oblivion on a smoother track than they had sprung anto existence. Speaking of the land question, he was in. favour fif the Crown

tenants having the opportunity of reducing the capital value of their holdings down to the lowest figure, say, £1 'per acre. With regard to pastoral lands, 'he would be guided in his actions by the 'wish of the people residing ;n' the vicinity of large" pastoral holdings. To cut up large sheep runs "where large areas were under snow for the greater part of tho year was, in "his opinion, detrimental to making the best use of our pastoral lands. As an instance, he referred to the big snowfalls of recent years. m He was in favour- of assisting squatters"' in " the event of any great loss sustained through heavy falls of snow. He could not understand how" any labour leader or labour orgajisatito'uould take exception to this, seeing the La.bour party is in favour of State Socialism. He had always been an advocate of the working man getting a- fair remuneration for his labour, and thought the Arbitration Court a medium by -which this could ,be secured, if the; -workers, would pay more attention to their- unions instead of letting would-be leaders 'have, things all their own^. way as hitherto. "Of course," saicL Mr Ure, "I am only referring to,', the Tobtmiry unions." He is in favovtr -of capitation to private schools. The Education Act, he said, in its preamble provided for free and secular education. This being so, he Gould see*, no reason why the .mother of a family should not be entitled to receive the capitation for each of , her- children whom she educated out- of "'her own pocket to- pass the standards. Mr Ure continued that the Gathoiicg or any other denomination that educated the children in then* owm sohotfls sp as to pass the standards under the Gtovernment' inspectors were entifled 1 to capitation after -passing each _standard. He conte'nHed tnat*"6iriTy the" veriest of bigots couid -possibly take exception io With ragard' to prohibition and the Bible in schools, the former was in the hands of the electors, and the latter wa9 likely to be; therefore he did not think he had anything to say on these subjects just at present. He might, howevei*, say that shoxild the question of "no license, no liquor" crop up by any accident he would certainly support a clause such as Mr Seddon's famous clause 9. After making an appointment to meet me at the Omarama Station on the third clay after the election, Mr Ure rose with, that broad, characteristic smile on his benevolent countenance, extended his hand, and gave me a parting grip of friendship, the sincerity of which I felt for five minutes after he had gone.