AUCKLAND EAST SEAT

Otago Witness, Issue 2934, 8 June 1910, Page 40

AUCKLAND EAST SEAT

AUCKLAND, May 31. Rev. Joseph Clark intimated this afternoon that he wpuld be unable to accept the invitation of the' meeting of supporters of the Opposition to become the party’s candidate for Auckland East byeelection. The party may now decide not to nominate anyone against the other candidates —Messrs A. M. Myers (Independent), W. Richardson (Prohibitionist and Protectionist), and M‘Knight (Labour). NOMINATION'S CLOSE ON THE Btii. WELLINGTON, June 6. The election of a member of the House of Representatives as the representative of Auckland East, vice the late Mr F. E. Baume, will be held on Thursday, 16th inst. Nominations will be received up till Wednesday, Bth inst. LABOUR PARTY’S DIFFERENCES. AUCKLAND, June 6. A serious split has occurred in the Labour party in connection with the choice of a candidate for the Auckland East seat, Mr Geo. M'Knight was definitely chosen as the party’s candidate at a mass meeting held in the Choral Hall on May 30. The decision was not so unanimous as it might have been, and, further, although prior to the ballot those present pledged themselves to be bound by the decision, faction has since been working persistently against Mr M‘Knight’s candidature. It appears that in this connection certain charges were made and answered, and that although efforts were made to smooth over the difficulty, ho satisfactory solution was arrived at. Matters came to a climax on Saturday, when it was decided to ask Mr M‘Knight to withdraw in favour of Mr G. Davis. The former, however, declined to accede to the request, whereupon it was resolved to run Mr Davie as the Labour party’s nominee. There are now, therefore, two Labour candidates in the field, both of whom claim the official support of their party. At a meeting of the Central Committee the following resolution was passed : —“ That owing entirely to the fact of the personal convictions of the selected Labour candidate, Mr G. M‘Knight, being in conflict with an important plank of the Dominion Labour party’s programme, we have regretfully to request Mr M‘Knight to retire from the present contest, with our assurance that we repudiate any reflections which may be cast upon his personal character, and extend to him our symthis decision being .arrived at wholly on the ground that the party’s interest must take precedence over all personal considerations.” Mr M‘Knight declared that he had not departed from any plank of the party’s platform. He also declared that if the Central Committee touched any of the £SO subscribed for his candidature there would be trouble. SPEECH BY MR MYERS. AUCKLAND, June 6. Mr Arthur M. Myers, who is contesting the Auckland East seat as an Independent Liberal, opened, his campaign tonight, when he addressed a largelyattended meeting of electors. He commended the measures passed by the. Liberal party in the past, but, whilst giving a general support to this policy, he wished it to be understood clearly that he was not in the strict sense a party man. Be believed that the time was opportune for putting patriotism before party, but he wanted them to understand equally clearly that he was a Liberal. One salient feature of Liberalism in New Zealand had been the extent to which it had increased the responsibilities of the Government by multiplying the functions and powers of the State. There w r ere still many people who firmly believed that it was a bad thing for a country or its people for the State to undertake anything that could possibly be done by private enterprise or to interfere in any way with the unrestricted course of free competition. It was because the founders of our Liberalism saw the evils that must inevitably arise from so-called “ free competition” where the Government refused to interfere on behalf of the wageearners that it made its first experiments in industrial legislation. The result had in a large degree justified the nrediction.

—(Applause.) He declared himself ill favour of the option of the freehold in regard to the disposal of the Crown lands, and he thought that the present tenants should have the right to the freehold, subject to certain conditions. He was not in favour of the alienation of the fee simple of any portion of the national endowment, and he also thought that the freehold of all land taken under the Lands for Settlement x\ct should remain vested in the State. He urged a more vigorous rjohcv in regard to the opening up of Native lands. He was in favour of Protection. He thought that every effort should be made towards eliminating political influence in appointments to the civil service. He advocated a more, equitable treatment of the North Island in the -expenditure on railways, and said that there was serious need for co-operation amongst the districts of the North Island to secure justice. It might be admitted, he said, that railways which failed to pay interest on the capital might sometimes be justified as a national undertaking and indispensable for the development of the country, but that was altogether a different thing from admitting that lines which did not pay and were not likely to pay should be pushed on while lines through, country which appeared likely to give a good return and where other railways were already paying handsomely should be neglected and delayed.—(Applause.) Now that the tide of population and trade had turned so strongly to the north it was clearly a waste to go on spending money on railways in the South Island in anything like the same proportion as in the North.—("Hear, hear.") He strongly supported the new defence scheme, and was also in favour of an elective Legislative Council. If elected he would always support Liberalism to the best of his judgment, but that did not necessarily mean that he would always support the Government. He wished to make it quite clear that so long as the Government maintained what he regarded, as a Liberal policy and introduced. Liberal measures he would support it, but otherwise he held himself free to act as he thought best for the interests of the country and his constituents. —(Applause.) He had had some experience of public life and commercial and financial affairs on a large scale. He believed thoroughly in democratic liberalism, and was prepared! to support all reasonable, moderate, and pi'ogressive measures based upon Liberal principles, but he was not prepared to vote for faddist or extremist legislation without exercising his own discretion about it. He was accorded a hearty vote of thanks and confidence. MR RICHARDSON'S CANDIDATURE. AUCKLAND, June 6. _ Mr Richardson, another of the candidates, addressed an open air meeting. He said he was first a Prohibitionist and secondly a Protectionist. This combination, he thought, entitled him to come before the electors as a true . Labour candidate. He was opposed to the Ward Administration, because it was working; hand-in-glove with the Liquor party, and! it did not strive for the welfare of the masses, and was working against the interests of Auckland.