THE ELECTIONS.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 217, 17 October 1914, Page 12

THE ELECTIONS.

NEWS AND NOTES. At the Veterans' Hall last evening Mr L. M. Isitt, M.P., met his election committee and a number of his friends, there being a large and enthusiastic attendance, and the reports of the committee were considered very satisfactory. In a brief speech ]V£r Isitt stated his position on various political questions, and said that he would issue a manifesto to his constituents in' the near future. He would address the electors at "the earliest opportunity after the House rose. A number of names were added to the various committees. , The supporters Of Mr G. R. Whiting, Labour candidate fo"r Christchurch South, met in the Presbyterian Schoolroom, Barrington Street, Spreydon,' on Thursday* ' evening, % Mr. T. H/ '.Thomas , presiding. After candidate 'had given a short address the. meeting unanimouslv decided to form itself-into a committee to work in Mr Whiting's interests. Mr David Jones, Reform candidate for the Kaiapoi seat, will address the electors at the Rangiora Institute Hall on Monday, at the East Oxford Hall on Wednesday, at the Cust Town Hall on Wednesday, and at the Ohoka Town Hall on Friday next. Mr H. D. Acland opens the Reform campaign for Avon on Monday evening in the Methodist Schoolroom, Richmond, at 8 o'clock. Mr Joseph Hamlet, candidate for Selwyn, speaks at Hororata on Tuesday, at 8 p.m. Mr W. A. Banks, Reform candidate for HUrunui, speaks at Hawarden on Monday. Mr George Sheat meets the electors at Greendale Orange Hall to-night at 8 o 'clock. A well-attended meeting of the supporters of M. H. F. Toogood was held in the Reform League's rooms last evening. committees were formed, and these will get to work on the electorate next .week. Mr Toogood will address a women's meeting on Wednesday afternoon at St. Matthew's Schoolroom. POLITICAL UNITY. To the Editor of THE SUN. Sir,—lt is a common practice of the i Press of this country to belittle, the efforts made by Labour to unite its forces on the industrial and political fields of activity, as though the editors of the respective journals were the particular t'riends of the proletariat and wished to hely> him to perfect his schemes to obtain emancipation instead of enemies, magnifying as they do any little shortcomings incidental to any great movement into serious divisions. , [We cannot fathom Mr Hunter's meaning, 'and we have not ventured to amend his phraseology lest we should be accused of distorting it. —Ed. The Sun.] However, there are reasons for any such divisions in the ranks of Labour, which are directly attributable to the evils of the system under which we are living, which compels men to subordinate principles to their economic necessity of retaining a job to earn their bread and I) utter. However, these reasons do not exist to anything like the same extent amongst the people known as Reformers.: Reform politicians are usually well endowed with this world's goods, and are given credit t'or being more "class conscious" than the .proletariat. Why, then, is there such an exhibition of lack of unity in the political arena, amongst the supporters of the Massey Government? I think it would be more appropriate for you and your fellow-journalists just now to put your own house in order—to remove the beams from your own eye ere you attempt to remove the mote from the eye of Labour. In the Bay of Islands, in Qtaki, and coming nearer home in Selwyfl, as well as -in many other constituences, we have truly exhilarating examples of Reform unity. It pleases me, and re-

minds me of the old adage,'' When rogues fall out honest men come into their own.'' ' 1 The writing is on the wall,'' and the vote of no-confidence so lightheai'tedly tendered to Mr George Sheat, the Government candidate, by the farmers of Rakaia, is merely ah earnest of what is in store for Mr Massey and his Be-', form Party when the electors of the Dominion ; visit the ballot-box in December. —I am, etc., HIRAM HUNTER. Trades Hall, October 14.