GENERAL ELECTION.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume VI, Issue 1788, 6 November 1919, Page 2

GENERAL ELECTION.

EAST CHRISTCHURCH SEAT. ME H. HUNTER'S CAMPAIGN. The Labour candidate for the Christ church East seat, Mr Hiram Hunter •pened his campaign last night at the St. Saviour's Schoolroom, Queen Street. Sydenham. Mr E. E. Langley occupied the chair. Mr Hunter was greeted with ap ylaiise. He stated that this was the third occasion on which he had eon tested the Christchurch East seat for labour, and it was said that "third tries were lucky ones." At any rate lie had proved himself a "trier." He regretted that the bad weather had •prevented a larger audience from attending, but as bad beginnings sometimes made happy endings he might perhaps take it as" a good augury. The Labour Party intended to run its campaign not on'lines of personal abuse, but -tin the lines laid down by the Labour platform. A brief outline of his connection with the Labour movement was given by tie speaker from his first appearance in public life as a member of the Sydenham School Committee to' the present time as a member of the Christchurch City Council. Mr Hunter said that the Reform and Xiiberal Parties represented privilege end monopoly, and were out for the exploitation of the many for the benefit of the few. They were prepared to exploit the workers to the fullest extent that they would stand. They doled out miserable pensions to those who had reached old age and to widows; and soldiers were also not treated in the Tray to which they were entitled. When loans had to be raised, they ■were raised locally at 4i per cent., free «f income tax. By this means the people who had done well and made money out of the War were able to invest their profits in, the loans, and by doing so they were enabled to invest at the expense of the working-

class. A "SNOBOCRACY." New Zealand was supposed to be a democratic country but they found that "the "snoboeraey" was growing up in it. If one looked at Parliament —on the Conservative side there were the .Bt. Hon. W. F. Massey, the Hons. Sir James Allen, Sir Franc-is Bell, Sir Frederic Lang, Sir Walter Buchanan, and Sir William Fraser. The same thing was found on the Liberal side, Sir Joseph Ward, Bart., and other knighted members. As far as the Liberals and Conservatives were concerned they both stood for the same thing, and that was detrimental to the interests of the Dominion. The speaker also referred to the Order of the British Empire decorations. Surely, he said, it was not •wanted to introduce class distinction into the country. "Jack was as good as his master," and every man as good as his neighbour. That was how it should be. The newspapers, which belonged to the landed and wealthy classes, at election time were apt to call the Labour Party candidates "Red Feds" and Bolsheviks. He urged his hearers not to be misled by the editorials. Bolshevism emanated from Russia, where the mass of the working people was uneducated. In New Zealand they were an educated democracy. 'ln a country where everyone had a vote there was no need for revolutions. A change of Government could be accom- : plished by constitutional means. Therer was nothing of the nature of Bolshevism in the Labour Party's platform, ■which stood for representation in accordance with the numerical strength of each party in the country, a very different thing to Bolshevism. X LABOUR'S FIRST PLANK. The first plank in the platform of Labour was the securing of "one vote, ' «ne value," by the adoption of proportional representation. The Labour Party, in this matter, asked the same Tight for other parties as they asked for themselves. The party believed in the initiative, the referendum and the recall. By the ret-all, if constituents •were not satised with the conduct of their member, they could demand his seat. The Labour Party was out for the abolition of the Legislative Council, which it considered was not essential to the well-being of the Dominion; for the removal of the political disabilities imposed on women; and for full civil rights to all State employees, and the removal of the disability of the Second XMvision of the Railway Service. The candidate then read the land platform of the party, and stated that a land policy was put into operation some years ago to break up large estates, but of recent years estates were getting bigger, instead of smaller. Especially was this so in thekSouth Island, ami the effect was to drive the population to the North Isand. It had .also caused alterations in electoral boundaries, causing two seats to be lost for the 13outh Island. It was detrimental to the interests of the people of this island. It spelt stagnation, instead of progress. A bold policy was essential, ami the Labour Party was the only party to put xi bold policy into practice.

A STATE BANK. Labour asked for the immediate establishment of a State bank. The candidate read a paper by Professor T. A. Hunter on the subject of the overissue of paper money. If there were profits the banks took them—if there ■were losses, the people bore the burden. The over-issue Of paper money had been the chief factor in the increased cost of living. The State should enter the business of banking, and render a service to the people at the lowest possible tost. The next proposition was the establishment of State farms for the production of the people's foodstuffs. During the last five years, wheat had been imported from Australia and Canada. Why were they in that position? Because the farmer was able to make more money by the production of butter, cheese, etc. The farmers were not to blame. The majority of them were working for the money-lenders, and were driven to work on the most profitable lines. It was the first duty of the Government to the people to safeguard the health and then the food supply of the people, and, if the supply of wheat was not sufficient, then the Government should grow it. They should also have their own flounnills to grind it. * State-owned shipping sci-

vices were another plank in the Labour platform. During the War the Government had chartered boats from various companies at prices which would have easily paid for the boats. Had the boats been taken over at the commencement of the War, the country would have been saved a tremendous sum of money. WORKERS' COMPENSATION. They also wanted State control of all branches of insurance. The State went into the-insurance business some -years ago, and was able to start on a guarantee of £2OOO. It had since doiie only 10 per cent, of the Insurance business of New Zealand, and yet it had reaped £214,000 in profits. He himself knew the difficulty of getting satisfaction from insurance companies. The workers were continually brow-beaten to persuade them to accept the minimum compensation. Full pay and full medical expenses should be paid to an injured worker, and the cost of this should be paid by the industry in which he is working, or by the State. (Applause.) During the War period taxations had increased greatly, but taxation had not been placed on the strong shoulders. If everyone paid in ratio to his income it would be a fair thing. Heavier taxation should be placed in the land, and the burden removed on some of the necessities of life, which soared up in price on account of Customs and other taxation. The time had arrived when a graduated taxation should be imposed on incomes, aiid relief should be granted at the lower paid end of the ladder, and the matter adjusted by increasing the taxation at the other end. The War Loan at 4i per cent., free of income tax, was an outrage on the people of New Zealand. He thought Sir Joseph Ward's proposal to seize the savings of the people from the Savings Bank, to provide houses for the working man was not a good one. Sir Joseph Ward contended that no working man's rent should exceed one day's wages. The solution of the problem was in the paying of higher wages to the working man. A loan should be raised for build-

ing the houses. VALUE OF THE SOVEREIGN. Speaking on the cost of living, Mr Hunter stated that he considered the Government Statistician's estimate of the purchasing value of a sovereign was too high. A sovereign to-day was worth approximately 10/-. He dwelt on the difficulty of -purchasing boots and soft goods at a reasonable price. He considered the Board of Trade a mere hoax. He could not conceive how Cabinet could imagine that a Board of Trade could deal with profiteering in New Zealand. It would require dozens of boards to do so. Committees would have to be set up by the people to approach profiteering firms and demand to see their invoices. If they waited for the Government to take action, they would wait a long time. Speaking of the cost of clothing—suits ranging from £lO 10/- to £2l—Mr Hunter said that the sooner the Labour Part}' got some control of the woollen mills and manufactured tweed, as was being done in Australia, the better it would be for the working man. (Applause.) The Labour Party advocated that the medical service of the country should be nationalised, and that attention and service should be entirely free. The gei.eral health of the country was a question of vital importance. Pensions should be increased to provide a living at the standard prevailing for those participating. Superannuated civil servants should also receive better treatment, lie hoped the soldier would remember at election time that it was only through the Labour a few Radicals that their pensions were raised from 25/- a week. Labour contended that it was the. duty of the State to find work for all. It was a business proposition for the State. A five-day working-week of $8 hours was another proposition that was going to receive consideration. They asked for the repeal of the Military Service Act. New Zealand had been the only country to conscript married men. The Labour Party stood for a citizen army on a voluntary basis. There was no need to keep up a military caste in New Zealand. The Liberal Party had been too liberal with promises, and tqo barren in fulfilment. At the conclusion of the meeting a vote of confidence in Mr Hunter and thanks for his address was proposed by Mr F". Jenkins. Mr IT. McCaw seconded the motion, which was carried with acclamation. OTHER CONSTITUENCIES. TEMUKA. J'res* Association. TIMABU, November r K Mr C. J. Talbot (Liberal) opened his campaign for the Teniuka seat at Temuka to-night, speaking for a couple of hours. Regarding nationalisation, lie said that coal and local shipping might be nationalised. Employers and employees should be brought together to secure their co-operation. There was much need for improvement in education, and more money must be fouud for salaries to secure the best men and women. As to land, while the Government was subdividing on the one hand,