THE NELSON SEAT.

Colonist, Volume LIV, Issue 13277, 30 November 1911, Page 2

THE NELSON SEAT.

MR. HAMPSON AT RICHMOND

CRITICISM OF MR. ATMORE

As on liis previous visit to Richmond, Mr. W. S. Hampson, an Opposition candidate, had very unseasonable weather for his last night s meeting, but nevertheless a very fair number attended at the Oddfellows' Hall; including a good sprinkling of ladies. Mr. J. limit, Mayor of Richmond, took the chair, and briefly introduced the speaker, who was applauded on' taking the platform. Mr. Hampson defended his system of conducting an election campaign single-handed, and without a committee. He did not see why a candidate should hare others to tout for him, a procedure which he considered was not in accord with the spirit of the Ballot Act. Ho was a candidate foi Parliament in tho Opposition interests, and while he was in opposition to the present Government, yet ho was under no bond to any party that was in the House, or might come into it. Nevertheless he was prepared to stand by the platform of the Reform Party which he considered would be a great saving to the taxpayers of the Dominion, and would bring about a better system of government. If returned to Parliament he would try to have the reforms suggested carried out, but lie reserved the right to vote for whom he liked. Party government was a relic of the dark ages and in a democratic country like this they should have got past this stateof legislature. Under the present condition of things ii private member could not bring forward a great question in the House unless he could get the Government to father it. This was wrong, and the initiative should come from the private members of the House, which state of affairs could bi obtained by tho abolition of party, but if abolition was not possible the time had come, in any case, when a change of Government was desirable During the past ten years thenhad been an appalling increase in the taxation of the people, and the Ad ministration had during this tinn been most unsatisfactory. The rate of taxation was higher than an\ other colony, and was only rivalled ii. any instance by Western Australia whore the high taxation was account ed for by the sparsely populated dis tricts. There wero also very grave causes for the belief that departmental expenses had increased especial}; by excessive salaries of highly paic officials. He maintained that the extravagant charges made against th; present Administration was an evil outcrop of party Government and h: would not deal in these. The candi date then enumerated various pro gressive measures passed during tin time the present Government was ii office, but contended that tho progress of the Dominion during the past twenty years had not been due to the good measuros carried through by the Government, but to the phenom cnal run of financial progress, am the natural advantages and advancr of the country. A change in Government would not menu a great chang in policy, but there was tho o'.d adag< which said that a new broom swep clean, and there was certainly a lot of cleaning up required in tho variou; branches of the Government. It war a libel to say that there were no men on the Opposition bonches whr were able to take tho reins of office The Mokau inquiry evidence showed a very discreditable state of tho ad ministration of Native lands, and hibelieved the Government realised thai it had made a technical error in no! throwing the Mokau estate open to tho hungry landless population ol New Zealand. Tho candidate then dealt thoroughly with the land quos tion, advocating, the freehold and receiving applause for his sentiments He supported tho proposal for an independent Public Service Board whic; would remove the railways from political control. During the last ii.< years ho had had a great deal to do with Ministers in connection with back block work, and as secretary v of the Chamber of Commerce, and Ik found that the electors of the JNo.so.i province had nothing to thank tlu Government for, especially with regard to the neglect of tho railwaj line, which if pushed on earlier wouiu have resulted in vast increases to the population. The people in Nelson should rise up en masse, and demanu the immediate completion of the line. He wanted to say a few words as to the locai candidates, from whicli there was a big choice, including two Government men and two Oppositionists. There was another candidate who was holding an anomalous position in the campaign, and the stand ho was taking up was ono which the electors should seriously consider if they were going to put up with. The issue oeforo the electors was: Wero they going to give tho present Governmoni another term of ollico or not, and every candidate should be prepared to answer that question, which was the first one to fall to him if elected to Parliament. It was nonsense to say that he was going to vote only on principle, whicli aU tho candidates did, because the question he had to face might bo the matter of the life of the Government. Tho lirst tiling in a new Parliament was a division on the Address-in-Reply to count the noses to see what strength the Government had. If Mr. Atmore, when he came out, had taken the stand of Independent Oppositionist he (the speaker) would not have been out. So long as he knew that there was an Oppositionist of standing in the field he would have given him the place. Mr Atmore had practically denied that ho was an Oppositionist as a letter to a newspaper in Wellington had proved. He had asked Mr. Masscy when ho was in Wel.ington the question -. Was Mr. Atmoro an Opposition nominee, and was told that his letter to the "Dominion" showed that he evidently was not. Mr. Maginnity had i been unable to undertake the OpposiI tion candidature, so the speaker had come out in that interest. What was Mr. Atmore's position now? He had i criticised tho Government freely, and his address in tho Theat-ro Roya: on the previous evening contained more bitter criticism of the present Administration than did tho present speech rnado by tho speaker. i ret he had avoided the main point when questioned, and would not say definitely what ho would do when the inevitable crucial point was arrived at. If the electors viewed the position as did the speaker they would vote for tho Government nominee if they thought that the Government was worthy of a further term of office, or if not, for the man who would endeavour to bring about a change in the Administration. Tho question of which party ho would support should bo answered by every candidate, and if he refused to mako a definite stand in this matter it was for the electors to say how they would treat an attitude like that. A man who took up that position was asking a privilege of the electors which he had no right to, and one which the speaker certainly did not consider proper. This gentleman (Mr. Atmore) had taken tile field as an Independent Liberal, and so far as could Go judged by the attitudes of Independent Liberals now in Parliament, and from the attitude of tho other Independent Liberal for the Nelson seat, this Independence meant that those candidates would vote for tho Government if its supremacy was endangered. Every candidate on this question should make no secret of his standing as Mr. Atmore did, with regard to the Government going in or out (Applause.) The vital question for the country was whether the Government was worthy of another term of office, or whether it should be turned

Perhaps you live many miles from a doctor, then you cannot Tio better than have a bottle of Martell's Brandy on hand. Prohibition, would prevent this, and you must pay the doctor every time lie prescribes brandy.

out, and he thought the latter was the proper course. (Applause.) Various questions were asked winch the candidate answered to the satisfaction of his interrogators. A vote of thanks to the candidate, for his very able address, mored by Mr. Rose, and seconded by Miss Rogers, was carried by acclamation.

A vote of thanks to the chairman for presiding terminated the meeting.