THE ELECTION CAMPAIGN.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 15090, 12 December 1919, Page 3

THE ELECTION CAMPAIGN.

jl Mil LYSNAR AT TE HAPARA. , j In tho presence of a good numbei of electors at Te Hapara, Mr W. D. Lysnar continued his electioib campaign last evening.. Mr G. K. Moore presided, and m opening said that, he had often had diiferences with Mr Lysnar, but on this occasion he thought he was lhe right man m tho right place. (Applause.) Mr Lysnar said party politics should be done away with at "this juncture, it should be measures, not parties, that should decide members. There were good planks m, the platforms of both parties. It was essential to get new ; members into Parliament who would be j more m touch with the people. Par- • lianient was now ou!;. of touch with the people. The present two chief parties had been a failure when, linked together m the National Government, and they would be more of a failure when operating apart. If he was returned he promised and would undertake to give genuine Labor grievances h : s support. Good, honest labor would a-iways havo his support — (Applause.) — but the extremists never. Sir James , Carroll had said it had taken him quite j 26 years to find out he was no good, j That was an. unfair insinuation for CarI roll to make. He had supported Carroll, and while Carroll was a Cabinet Minister a lot- of good could be got out of him. But during the past years, since the last, election/ Carroll had not got results If he had, ho (Mr Lysnar) would have been satisfied, and would now have been supporting him. Now it was like speaking to the wind trying to get Carroll to do anything, and that was why he now opposed him. In fighting the trusts he had got no support from Carroll. Sir James Carroll had belittled the statement about the offer by the English syndicate to construct a railway to Motu* and Whatatutu on certain fair conditions. Then, there was capital available to do the work m three years. Now m, 18 years, the railway had hardly got to Motu, and the Napier line had only just started. If business and enterprise could have done it the Government could have done it too. Carroll said he did not remember th'r offer. His memory might fail him, but his (the speaker's) memory was good. The late Mr William Cooper also had a great deal to do with the proposal Carroll had taken credit for tho HarW T-nard Bill. His brother" (Mr. F. J. Lysnar), chairman of the Harbor Bo.n»*d. had said Carroll had given little assistance, and beyond a couple of interviews with the lawyers and a visit to the Committee room, he had not done much more Tliere were others m t**e House more worthy of the credit. Mr. Lysnar then went on to reply to Sir J. Carroll's remarks regarding' thGentle Annie quarry, and ' character-sod them as absolutely wrong. Sir Jamo* Carroll contended ' that Mr Lysnar had criticised the method of the conduct of the war. Tlie remarks were idle talk. He had never questioned the conduct of the war, and had always maintained that the statesmen at Home had done everything for the best interests of thp Empire. Lloyd George was the right man, and deserving of great credit. (Applause.) Dealing with tho Validation, of Titles Act and Carroll's part m it. Mr. Lvsnar said he had never said that Carroll had any personal interest m the matter. When the land was put under trustees it paid. Why didn't Carroll make it pay. If he had had the push and energy of the trustees he could have done it. ' But. because of the lack of push on Carroll's part, the progress of this district had been retarded. No district m New Zealand was so backward m railways, roads, electricity, etc., than, this district, and it was all due to the lack of energy of thc member. PUBLIC WORKS. Estimates had been voted timo and again, but never spent fully. Some ot the amounts had never been spent at all. The reason it had not been spent was because the member for Gisborne had not. stood up m tho House and demanded why. The present "taihoa" policy of dealing with native lands was very good for Carroll, Ngata, and the old natives, but it did not mean that the land was being quickly opened up. The,,. Government should pay a *fah price, say 15s, £1, or £1 10s, per acre, instead of offering the natives, after plastering their land with a proclamation, prohibiting private dealing. Is 6d to 2s 6d an acre, and then waiting for the native to get hard up and thus force him to sell. By the present method tho land was only obtained m, driblets and the native did not get a fair doal. Mr. Lysnar went on to quote the blocks that comprised part of his estimate. Voice: Half of that will do me. (Laughter.) Mr. Lysnar: Half of a block would do you. Why don't they open it up? Voice : No railway. Another voice : Jimmy Carroll doesn't know about it. Mr. Lysnar then touched on the Urewera Country, and instanced the great tracts of land there suitable for settlement. Voice ; Good place for returned soldiers, Mr. Lysnar : Yes a very good place for active young returned soldiers. Mr. Lysnar proceeded to quote the list of lands available for settlement prepared by the various local bodies and the Progressive League, signed by Mr. W. G. Sherratt, a strong Carroll supporter, and some 1200 others that had been sent to the Government with a request that something be done to open up theso lands. Mr. H. deLautour (who had just entered tho room) : They /don't claim 4,000,000 acres; no sane man would. Mr. Lysnar (quoting from the peti- ! tion) : There is between four and five million acres of landi, etc. Continuing, he said that the petition gave him a good ground with liis own figuresfor saying what he had. Getting hack again to the Validation of Titles Act, Mr. Lysnar said it was supposed to be a means of assisting natives and giving them an income. He mentioned cases where natives had told Him they had never drawn a penny from their lands m 20 years, and vthese lands wore held by the Carroll- Wi Bere trust. He had told the natives they would not get anything until they got the Carroll-Wi Pere crowd but. Mr. Ngata, said Mr. Lysnar, had taken a hall m the district to assist Carroll and he (Mr Lysnar) was going into that hall to havo something to say about Ngata. Voipe. : lie might havo something to BBy about ypu. Mr. Lyßn'arj No doubt ho will. Voice : Too right, he will. (Laughter.) Mr. Lysnar proceeded to deal at length with tbe. cost of living and ' tbe causes of the present high rate. In the matter of hides the farmers were not getting properly paid fp.r-rr- — Voice : Tlieir' own hide. (_aughter.) Mr. Lysnar ; Apd tlie tanner* —^ Voice : Ha wont round th© world m tho ark — Tanner. And the tanner, continued Mr. Lysnar, was reaping the benefit. When tbe • Government commandeered the hidea from tho farmens they should have fixed the price of boqts, bnt they did not. (Applause.) Now, continued Mr. Lysnar, let me say a word about butter— (laughter) — and the cliairman knows something about butter. If any industiy was entitled to all the fruits of their labor it was tho dairy industry, and the action of the Government m commandeering the butter at tho prico they did was wrong. Tlie* action of tho Government m paying £35.000. compensation to dairy farmers did not meet tho loss of the dairy farmers. The retailers at Home made 8d a lb on New Zealand butter, which was absolutely unfair to the farmers. Voice : What's the retailer going to pay wben the commandeer is lifted ? Mr Lysnar said that was a fair question, and he replied at length, remarking that retail prices could go down 50 per cent, and yet the farmers could get 50 per cent. moro. Voice : That's like Paddy and the riiwr, isn't it. (Laughter.) > Mr Lyshar was proceeding further, but remarked!, "I get wound up oft that question, it's so important. j

I "Voice : When are you gcing to wind Jimmy up? j Mr Lysnar : I've tried to *, I'm tired. I'm liko the Maori — I'm tired of it, and that's why 1 came out. Mr Lysnar then referred to a statement, by Sir Joseph Ward that the huilding" of 6000 houses would relieve 1 ihe cost of living. That, said the can- : didiite, was absurd, and would not over-, ' enme the great menace of the trusts • which last year had made a net profit of ; rough: v JG22.CCO.CCO. while gross hand-i lin^r b y the Ooverninent was about £18.-; OC-C COO. Through the Government's inaction against the, trusts the people ' were losing millions of pounds, whi'.ej the trusts were growins daily fatter. • 1 Tin- speaker referred to (he operations! of Ve=-tv Bros., which, he contended, were detrimental to the best_ interests of the countiy, and any Minister who passed a transfer of any freezing works 'o such a. big concern was not doing his duty to the country. "Time !" on lied a voice. "Yes," said Mr Lysnar, "I'll gallop a bit. ladies and gent-lemon." Voice: Like Desert Gold. Proceeding at a rapid pace, Mr Lysnar* then cave his views on returned solilovs- problems, roads, hydro-electricity, railways, finance, and education. His iv marks were similar to those at his previous meetings, and salient points were received with applause. When terminating, Mr Lysnar said anything he had said about his opponent, S'r James Carroll, had been said m retaliation for what Sir James, and those who had taken him under their wing had said. He hoped that nothing would be said that would prevent them shaking hands after the election, no matter what the result was. If elected be was sure the two leaders of the parties m the House would not he pleased to see him. because they knew he would expos© anything wrotiig. The Hon. Mr Mac Donald had said one man m Parliament could do nothhisr, but one man, if be nut the fa c's clearly and properly before them, could do quite a lot. Voice : You keep on going — you'll get the Government whipp*'n_. (Laughter.^ Mr H. deLautour.- asked a. lengthy question about farmers, selling to the meat companies controlled by the trusts or bi_ enterprises, and contended that farmers were not fools. Mr Lysnar replied that only a smal l portion of the farmers wero selling to the Government. The big trusts could pay tho money out. and the poor farmer? oould net wait. Now the Government g.ave out a percentage after six weeks' storage, and the poor farmer had 'o pay wages, etc.. al! the time. When the Government offered to pay cash the troists said, "No. you w'll affect us," and the Government stopped, thus asking the trusts. Mr deLautour : I have come here with purpose Mr Lvsnar: To help Jimmy Carrol 1 when you opposed him before. Mr deLautour : Yes, because he's a. he* ter man than you. Voices : Sit down, hoots, yells, and cries of "No." Mr deLautour, when the noise had subsided, asked, "Ts it a fact that yon ''esisted the wool commandeer, and arr ! still- i'o3'.sting tho meat, commandeer? How would the country have fared if all tho farmers had acted like you did, Mr Lysnar rjave the same reason a,<* at his previous meeting for Tr's action regarding tho commandeer, nnd said he had done- so because th« Government was allowing the benefits from the commandeer to go to the manufacturer. If the wool had gone into the. open marked clothing, etc., would have foeen cheaper, as there would have been competition, and the farmer and the consumer would have benefited. During the wav he had given all his wool, and il was only when the war ceased that he resisted the Government's action, be*. , cause they refused to stop profiteering.. Mr deLautour : You haven't answered ray question. Voices : "You don't live ia- lhe West end. Go back to town." Another elector asked how the oandi- ' date would vote on a no-confidence motion. Mr Lysnar rop'ied that he would back the party that had the soundest measures for combatting trusts, cost of liv■*nr etc.. and the party he could trust. If his vote would cause an election he would not hesitate to u.se it that wav as an Independent Parliament^ was wanted with no' parties at all. Voice: There must bo a leader, even wi f h sheep. Mr Lysnar : Well, then, get fresh ones. Would he aocept n seat m the Cabinet if there was a Labor member? was an- < othor question, ( Mr Lysnar : Yes. A Labor man would ' not affe'ot it. Quest ; oner : Then you must be going to vote for Ward ; he's offered that. Mr Lysnar: There is labor and labor. The questioner, was proceeding to ask further questions, when a woman chip^ ped m with "Oh. shut up." (Laughter.) Would he be m favor of addressing electors after each session? was another interrogation. ' Mr Lysnar: Yes. "Then you would have 'to take a ball ' foi* a week .said the enquirer. Mr deLautour : Is it a fact — ■ . Mr Lvsnar : Now, you touch Bornethin? — bides and a pound of butter. Mr deLautour (facetiously) : It is not a faot that hiides lo*se weight m tanning? Mr Lysnar: Hides lose weight m tanntoig the same before the war as now. Voices,: He's wild, because he ' got beaten. Why didn't you stand, Harry. Mr Lysnar : Sour grapes, Mr deLautour : Yqu/11 meet the same fate as me. Yqice ; Did they call you scallyway, Harry? Mr deLautour: Tliey did; my hide's is tlrck at Lysnar's. Tnterjectors then, made reference to Johnny Heeney, and expressed sorrow if Mr deLautour got wet through coming up to ask the questions. Mr T. Morrison, m movng a vote of thanks and confidence — (Voice: "Don't be silly.") — said fhey had greatly appreciated the address, and' had 'heard tho echo df the enemy's big guns, but they had scored a miss. Mr T. MoKinlev seconded the motion, which was carried, A woman's volee : Sing out, "No," Harry. (Laughter). Mr. de Lautour and others : No ! A hearty" vote of thanks to the chairman was proposed by tho candidate, and carried with acclamation,

There was a lar?e attendance at the Abercom Hall, Whataupoko, laßt night, : when the electors were addressed by Sir James Carroll... The chair ,was occupied by Mr MoUat, ; "whb briefly pointed out tHe' great issues now involved m reconstruction work after the war. \ Sir James Carroll, who was; received w'.th warm- applause, ©aid that they were at the turn - of. the great wheel when self should be put' aside m the interests of country, emoire. arid' ftair. (Applansc.) In many of the- essenti-i's the address followed prev : ous lines. Re- : girding the other ■ candidates- he sa ; d ho Avas sorry that it had been deexited^ necessary* by some, that Imported intelf'-; genoe should be brought here to seek to represent the y (\istr'H -' ' oh "which r it, seemed a reflection. He did not que"-' tion the grounds bn which he stood. - He did not -.-blame Jpm; , he blamed'^ those who brought.- .him here. (Applause, and voice : Yes,: only a few. The men "to shape the destinies of our- country, were Xthe Newi Zealand born, or those Afho bad oome, and reared fannT'es. here and had 1 beeri" assfMiiated Avith the country's 7 progress.: They d ; d not want; the* man of yesjier-; day to com<v to the d ; stric.t.: .they, Ayere! tryin? to develop, telling rthem they; 4-ou'd do it better— "that we, who have, come from abroad-, tested on the anvil of law and order J we who. hava been against all your principles of ;*maint**in^ ing the old flag arid security of'empire.;thereby our OAvn safety, can do better, "i He did not think they wanted thnt.^ (Applause). A^-to., Mr *Ly_nar'. i bow.- d'd; he seek their f avpi* ?„ He told . them of* how he bad been..- a .foremost light m connection Avith big eriterprises, which* redounded to his 7, credit*-i rid also toy bis profit. (Applause and laughter)^ Tlie Chairman and other citizens cou.3< tell them.hpwU many, beneficent works in' the pubic interest- Mr Lysnar had been; connected w r th,.. of the ' benefits that flowed from his .great pen : us. ' (Laugh> ter) ; They' kriiew. .he had . told them of an inexhaustible quarry — . (laugh ter)~-« and had opposed Ithe tramway theretol because he wanted, to .brings the metff| m m a shaker. (Voice: Straker. waggons. — 'Laughter). He had "a, very epi' tcrprising bra-n, and because oft bis many efforts desired to . excej , *!n other?' lands, m the word, not only m ou€ d : Btr : ct. (Laughter).. It ws>s, "drily faiii that, he should reo'v to Mr Lysnar. ,who ; had a great imnprnt'on. (Voice : What! about the 4,000 000 aores?) He. batf diecovered a myth. They need not go' to scientific men; to solver - probi_ms.; when they had Mr Lysnar ;bere. . He had set out to d stover the kumii' (Laughter). He had not succeeded^ (Voice: He thought-.be did:— LaughXj r ter.) He even ventured to auTgest tha*. the moa was a'ive. (Laughter)., Someone" with an hallucination ; was suppose^ t& have seen a moa, and Mr Lysnar wrotg to say that the moa 'was st'il a'.'Ve, o| if not alive now that'- it had only die* yesterday. (Laughter). Regarding hi| enterprises— (Vo cc : What -about, butf ter?>— he charged!- a .pekiny a pokind more for Kia Ora butter, and yet talked of the profiteer. : (Laughter)',! He was going to .sweep out the profiteers. (Voice: What aboat the woo*?); He was cornering.,' wool to-day. Was at for the good of the people (Voices":" No.) For the exigencies bf the war? (Voice: No.) 'If others Had, taken up that attitude. how* would the Imperial Government haAre found clothes for our soldier boys? When .the call to serve the Empire was* being responded to he said they were riot gri'ng _q commanV deer his wool. (Voice : He only wanted another bob a pound.) He refused tp: let it go. (Voice': Are you > trying to draw a comparison betAveen^ him artdBrindle?) 'Were isorry to see that a small eee t. on of .workers were disloyal but could they' wonder at some workers asking quest oris wheii they, saw thfe commandeer disregarded n fths way? Mr Lysnar said he oxght to'- get more, and that the laAv^was'' ultra vires., Su|> r posing other prodfce;\S/ had, -taken' that stand where aV'ou d . our soldier boys" have been? He was the aujfocrajt,. Democracy meant: regru d for the interests' of the masses*. ./jVpicie: -Not the Masiseys.—Laughter). •* "■ Tie .was trying to massage them, but it was • camouflag^. One day ho was an Independent; another day a Masseyite— he was the great Panjandrum. ; (Laagbter). He woud have them bel.eve that he could not on.y make and unmake Mayors-^, why, ,n his phantasmagoria, he- believ^ he could : make and Unmake Premiers. (La_gh.er) He could pat Mas*ey or Ward t out, and ,wouidi want to run Parliament. (Laughter). He, Vould make the sparks fly, ¥nd they 7 knew whit Job said about the .sparki. flying upX wards. (Laughter): After some mote banter, Sir- James said -that he was sorry to have to go Into the parochia B:de of thin;-©, instead- of the h.gher ideals, but that was tri 6 only ground that Mr Lysnar "would tackle him ori;* He would like /them to have a meeting on the platform, "taking, say ha_f an hour each, and thresh things out. Re-' garding the point _iT to 4,000,000- acres of . M-e land, Sir James. said there were only tMXX),OOQ .acres m the whole area away up to the Bay of Plenty. The statement riiade by Mr Lysnar was a\i extraA-aganza— bluff; If *he could show there Avas the 4,OQO,OC\> acres as stated he (Sir James) would resign. He challenged him to^prod'uee at once the list he -a:d he had supplied to, the Harbor r T_i. -^ I 8? Jame8 V rentuted to assert that h« had not supplied such'a Ust obtained froto* records, but that "it was on.y. a bald- declaration.- If Kfri Lysn*r did not ,prod*ace it he (Sir James) would ask for it. There waS very little Native land- left m his electorate outside fche k»ingas for settlement; and all under production and paying rates. Mr X-ysnar kept changing Jus ground frora' th© four millions. (Voice : If he won't" produce a map, mil you do co?) -Yei, h© wouid have a map prepared givihi fau information aa to tfie areas. (Applause.) The heater, went' on to s*t torth the record of Liberaiiam, and pa,d tr-outes to Sir George Grey, John -Barlance, R chard Seddon, and > Sir Joseph Ward, and declared that the latter was one of the ..greatest financiers we had' i><WO,OOO,(M) facing them they must do 1 their best, and clpaer setfeement, .witi •mor© producers, was required. He. went on to speafe on hues, previously fohowed, and m regard to requirements such as roads, railways and hydio-e.ectric.ty aJ parties Xshou.d join to posh things ahead; He conciudeo by say.ng that; hewou.d be proud to cont nue serving under the grand old Liberal flag. (Warm applause.) * A few questions were asked and sat* factonly answered, including a coup.c by Air Peterson, as to pushng on with an outer harbor— one thing on which he agreed .with Mr Lysnar-nand radway and other public works. ;. The Cha.rman said , that' he was onfc of the deputaton that went to Wellington m. oennection'with the Harbor Bil_, and thou^it it right to say that Sir James Carroll was too modest on that point. He had been of great assistaiue to theEft m getting the BL thrcfugh. T. '■ XX 7, m reply Xto' a' question "What about Lysiar?'' -S.r tfajflfcrCarrolF said th»t Mr P, J.. Lysnar Was Chairman of the Board and Had done all he could Ito help matters. . •* v.Regarding grants, Sir James Carroll said it was -a v way._the Reformers had of placing sums on the estimates, »ueh as m regard to tffSTPolt offioe, and leaymg them unspent.' X^rfou cou/d not seize the money froni the r A han<tß ; — even Mi Lysnar co_ld j(iot, now lie .on the Reform side— (la-ughterl-^and ■• it WaJB very hard to do so when one was on the wrong side of the fence. (Laughter.) A motion of thanks and continued confidence m Sir- James Carroll was corned unanimously, with. , Applause,' the mover being Mr. A. Hi • Grant, and the seconder Mr,. Ai D.Grant. i. : '...■■ ■ . "'X