CORRESPONDENCE. BAY OF PLENTY ELECTORATE.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 1259, 13 October 1911, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE.

BAY OF PLENTY ELECTORATE.

(To the Editor of the Herald.) Sir,T-r-I attended Mr deLautour 's Te Karaka meeting, during which he attempted to show that the Government is rapidly ruining the cpuntfy, and that tho Reform League (old Conservative party \yith. a new coat, on) is the only salvation. Tho ' candidate .during his speoch -was particularly anxious to gpt into the good, books of the -small m&ri and the worker, but a certain worßet present wjas ; rather a block. Mr deLautour's heaviest guns were trained on to the 6,000,000 (?) acres of native lands which he' says are. left hnsettled, and 'he told us that the -Reform Party are simply spoiling to get a chance to cut these: up for the, small man.- He did not explain wliy his .favored party op posed the Lands f of" Settlement Act •Arhon it was .first brought down by the Government for the purpose of putting the small man on thee land/ and , thus making the many "fine runs in the country carry hundreds of people each iiv. stead of only two or three shepherds $nd a! casual ,'or..-'.bwo. I fancy' I hear hit I deLautour say,' '"Why 'cut ''tip these estates when there wero millions, of 'acres jof lands' idle?" Of course, if tho man with a little cash, wanted land let him go into the bush and the bogs, but don't let him disturb the big landowner ! The Reform League \yill say they are ii* fayqr of cutting up • big estates.. Perhaps sn. But how long have they .felt, that way, and why did they change their view? For the same , reason that ' they changed their views of the Old Age Pensions Act, simply because., they, .found the people wero strongly in favor of these measures, and ir the party wero to retain any prostige at all it had to admit the necessity for them. Mr deLautour also said that the working than was no better off now than he. wns -20 years ago. What nonsense! Ho says the increased cost of living has killed tho effect of higher wages. Well,' wliat about our thousands una thousands of farm laborers? Twenty year.), ago. men in Canterbury got about 16b or lfs 6d, and often' had to "*«qrk from dawn till dark. What are thfcsc sumo men getting now? Why, 255, 30s. aiid 35s a week ! Coat of living -dpes i)pt t'lima in at all, because .lhe" men' were found in tucker then, as they are now. I myself have worked for the past 18 years in Hawke's- Bay, Canterbury, on tho Main Trunk line, and in Poverty Bay, and although I have heard hundreds of speoches from tlie Oppositoin party, I am not by any mean's convinced that they are entitled to the 'votes df the small man and the worker. -^—iL'am, etc., ■'■'■■■ H- T V ;KENNA.