THE GENERAL ELECTION.

Colonist, Volume LIV, Issue 13278, 1 December 1911, Page 3

THE GENERAL ELECTION.

THE NELSON SEAT,

MR MOFFATT AT THE RINK,

In spite of counter attractions there was a largo attendance at tho Rink lasifc ovoiiing, when Mi- W. J. Moffatt, independotit Liberal candidate, addressed the electors. Mr F. W. j Fairey occupied the chair. The canI didate, on ascending tho platform, was received with prolonged applause. Tho chairman said it gave him great pleasure to preside. Personally he was votii};:, for another candidate, but ho xvfk i!;o dir.ir for Mr Moffatt because ho had been a personal friend i>f Jiis for many years. (Applause.) .Mr .M'nft'att opened by summarising his political views. Ho believed tlie lime hail arrived for local government icfr.rm. Promises had boon made by the Government for 15 years, but they j had not yot been fulfilled. The Prime ! J.• ijjisj-r-r, however, iiad stated recently i:';it tiio i! o;;:;nro was now framed and nniihl Ijo brought down next session. lie thought many of their affairs now administered by the Government should he delegated to local bodies. They had a splendid system of local .^ovcninient in Great Britain, which mi.ifhi; well be followed in this country. If this wns done greater interest would bo taken in public affairs. Oa ri'veral matters he thought the Government should be thanked for their e.Tnrts in the right di- !■:■!■; ion (applause.), and .he j would like to see it extended on similar lines. Ho regretted that iho licensing poll was taken on the same day as the general election, and !'o thought it should be taken at some other time. On this question he stood ;''!(• a ton per front majority as against tlie thrcc-iifths majority. He regretted that a country correspondent had misrepresented him on this point. Uo hr>:i!?ci ho had jnatle himself clear.

''AppinuNfO lie was in favour of givir :;i compulsory military training a fan trial. !];■> did not think it possible to •-'."■'e c-ffect lo all tho provisions of tho Act in New Zealand, and ho beliovea i'!l NcheiKO voulf] have to be modified ''•■Fern it could be carried into effect. i\n <.i'd not t'-iuk it necessary for I.'i'iiishers io li-.ve tho freehold title to 'l.rl'en'.f. their fountrv. Thoy all :; xiv ■■-.! s\ portion of New Zealand—they i>M- ; .;osscd .-L-:.'l),OJO,000 of Crown lands",

:.'■").(V'O.'iOO of endowment lands, and | C;i'i..''•"!■ ),(')00 of lauds for settlement and i >..::* wiuili fi.'rhtiny for. The revcmio ;'' i. ;i; '1 all of them, and it did not j ..;:;;•<:■ individual ownership to imj ''!!:■> u">iii v. irh a military spirit. He j ;' ■<•-, p'T~;i .'-'i elective Legislative- Coun- | f i!. !'.!!(! it I'M Oil be done by the sys- - mv; ~f jir'i;'irtional representation.! [ I!'!- >'i:!>';!i<m of national annuities i v ;..■; ;-;nju ; ti be an important one in ::'«;> i:'v:i I'a: nnn'ont, and the Prime ! ?''i:n.ter proposed to extend them. ; !'rv, i:,ion !kvl been made for State I K'.M'vavits. and while the Government ;■:■;! dir;ie l';i-; the people should also j'v.'.v the •:■■:■:•■■? ojipo: Utilities. With | the ('O-opeivition of friendly societies V.l 'i.l not iliink they would have any diSiicsilty in i}<<\r.v; tlii;;. (Applause.) He "•.".; piitixiiod that they could get over ■•!,'■ .nHirnity that was being oxperi-<.MK-ed with the medical men, and if lYic.'id!/ N'lfiol'k's wore used as offices ■■'■>r Liie ad:iiini.si:i'ation of the fund :ilhl il-i'v co-operated with tho Govcrn•i'l'Mt the system could be managed '.risfncloiily. He favoured setting --'■:'<* ]■!:■:!■; for endowments to prt>- •■ !■'•■ :'. ;• isifi.ro unfiirtuiiatcly situated ■• ' !i:.'. !!" tavourcd tho extension ■■'■ ; ■;'!'iv.-r.s <m tlie bettermt'iit sys-i-'i-1.. ■:•• l;!ioin'?rl putting the rail- :::;■!; r!;l'.'iiii'h i!r country and putting tlio s'.-tiltrs on each side of the lino. :' •■•■.,!■! 1 Im'.v the land along tho line '■>■ i'■■: •• n mi! v.;'.". laid. (Applause.) He ' ••:.■.'■•:."ic-d tlt;it ell new townships ■ !■:• >.;'•-1 !)y t!o progress of the rail- ; v.T.y :';lio!'.]rl be tho projiei'tv of thd i ■'■'.■:':■■. 'ir.'.'y r.lioiild lie let on the i \:\v .-"!-i.-.'!'.i Ifiiiivo, and the revenue paid ' i'lif) tin* K.iK.iy funds in order to i - -!i■ ■;> i. -_-*i fn■ i.'ilits and fares. (Ap- : !.lm:.i".) !'e strongly approved of the I water pov/er scheme of the Govern■''■•Mt. and they had done the right thin,'-; in nationalising tho industry. He ;:!yo favoured the nationalisation of tLo- in;i and nil industries. He favoured the destruction of monopoli"■-, ti-:: i,:. :i!id combines. (Loud ap- [ nl;:i:-'.'.) Ju reg.ird to the oil indus--1 : :•;■ -i was not so long ago that the i '■'"'.•;•:■;! :>vyM remitted the duty on ; kerosene, and to-day it was not any ■ clieaper. .I'enzine had advanced in ; i^u't. '! in.--:' industries should be na i ti'ii;ali:i?d to prevent such things hap- ; i>r-ai!i;4. Iht- people of New Zealand ' ■ :■;■•• rot iK^.oUteil by the reduction of ' .i'!!y on Millar, and this Trust would j l;:ivi' to it" dealt with. Referring to I t'i" cost of living, it was proposed by | Mi" (government to set up a Royal I Commission. A Royal Commission i '■•::;] been 5.;.-t up in America to enquire ■ i:;i") (he same question, and tho ma- | '.oi-lty fr,ij!i'l that the cliief causes wera I i'K-rea:^d cost of production by reaj !i;n of higher land values and wages, shiitiiif; of population from food proI l i:r-iji;r f"!'i!-o : -; to food consuming centfes, iniuii.L'i'iition to food consuming "ort'vj, etf. Tlie minority report } ;\i ■ nimii-d ih'1 iiui-e'ic;od cost of living d> r.iriii', trusts, combines, and monoi'"!ii."i, and incre.TFcd money supplies. I v! w;:s fiatistied. tlie economic causes •;;' i!;c cost of living in this country f'lv.ld lie easily ascertained. Ho bo'ii;v'.'d in an olectivo executive as v.cairt.vl the party system, but ho ■..i.;!•.;;! them to distinctly understand '.hat on the question of a no-confidence ;"iii(in he would vote for the Government ;;;-; isgainst the present Opposition 'Purt.v. (Loud applause.) Sir V.'m. Stca.iicl had advocated an clec- ■ ivi; executive for many years, and had nearly seueceoded in getting it ■'■'.;><}■? law. The Government had decided to asfi.-t. workers to get homes, md lie favoured the scheme. But the ;.'"ico of land would alfect tho scheme. ! !.i Nekon the price of land was lar--.-.ely deterininctl by the operations of hstid syndicates. (Applause.) Tho M'lu.vno was a furtherance of the work :inw bi'inj; (lone by building societies, "idy that the terms were being made r-asior by the Government. In regard to tho Customs taxation another candidate, had stated that it was a most iniquitous tax, but ho did not suggest any ivinetly. The time was not far dis-r.-isit when tho re would bo an alteration in the incidence of taxation. They ■■vero bound to have a protective tariif of sonic kind to protect industries, but he favoured the remission of duties on food and clothing. He be'ievud in increasing tho graduated •aid tax, but the Opposition Party as I i whole were opposed to it, although

r^iic members supported it. He endorsed Sir J. G. Ward's proposal to nut a tax of 2o per cent on all estates of over- ,CIOO,OOO in value, and if thi.t did not have tho desired effect he wovh] further increase it. Thoy were ius;tihod in taxing the largo landowners-, for the purpose of breaking up the estate.?. He denied that becaiibi. !i^ was a leaseholder ho wanted to tpko away the small freeholds. Did tiu-y think ho cuuld do it? —It was too ridiculous to talk about. He. had

1 *.)"•( i 1 \ n -^thcr candidate, i h i 11 b"c i referred to as in -m il Io ltmitic Tho founder i ' h1 1 t 'nio was Mr Wm. p 'in Mi i i nt Lands in tho J n<-m fin in out Sir John Mc--1 ii( !f i f I! i! 'lice and tho Hon A IV 1) i R (it present Diic toi oi the vli iol of Economics, Lon- ) ( i Ml >. 1 oilers. The New r i4n U 7 "*ri i s ti' was a leasehold i i r Ma* ihe^ all ''amiable 1 unties? ' This same candidate \ r>i kl 'd' il! then endowments. He quit pippirod to tako a refornhi i o tl i rji stion of whether thoy i k! "in vi mig Crown lands t t r t '"ci(d to Parliament ho null iliocite t lcftrendum being i ' i I lik c mduHto compared himii lut'i the hto Alt T. E. Taylor. Did b1 ti d foi tlie same principles. f(u « o ) l!o hid tried to persm It tlirt peopk of Nelson that lie

When mother is sick you give her MarteH's Brandy; when'daddy's not v oil jou_ give him Martell's; if Prohibition is in force you1- must pay the factor instead.

was as good a man. (Laughter.) Did he stand for the same politics as the Hon G. Fowlds. (Voices Not a bit of it.) The Hon G. Fowlds stood for tho people having a share of land values. There were seventy ' 'amiable lunatics" standing on the leasehold ticket, including a number of Opposition members. So far as he could learn that candidate was the only one who wae prepared to sell all their endowments. Even Mr Massev shuffled the question v Mr Massey would buy land near towns and lease it to workers— and he was a freeholder! He gave this candidate credit for having the courage to go the whole hog. (Laughtor.) None of the others would do it. From tho national endowments ov«m £600,000 was now being received; from educational endowments £1512 Ss lOd; from lands reserved sinco i!)')(i .C(sfi.:j27 6s Pd: and for land reservo prior to 1907 £67,839 12s 6d. ..ere tiie people prepared to sacrir fice these endowments. No.—lt could be left to the common sense of the i>ooplo to deal with a man who would sell the national endowments. It leaseholders could get £1000 or more for their leases, did it not show that they v/ero valuable. (Voice: Yes.) Leases could bo bought and sold like freehold, and it was absolutely ridiculous to say that leases were not saleable. He had made other candidates talk on the land question, and if it had not been for him there would not have been any life in the election. They had returned a leaseholder for 18 years, and were going to do it again. (Applause.) . From a common sense and business point of view the leasehold was the proper tenure. In regard to the statement that a certain candidate was getting a block vote in the Sounds, Mr Moffatt said that according to the report supplied there wore 64 people present at one place, and the total population was only 40. Ho had received a letter that day from a friend of his in the Sounds stating that ho (Mr Moffatt) was going to get all the votes in tho Bay he lived in. Vet another candidate was going to get a block vote in the Sounds! He had road where the people "warmly endorsed" the other candidate's views on the land question. Ho believed when the returns came in from the country they would find that ho (Mr Moffatt) would get a substantial vote. In regard to the newspapers one paper did not send a reporter to the meeting, but made up the report from the morning paper. This nowspaper would bo surprised if Mr Moffatt won the election. Ho hail not had anything to do with the Government —he was standing there on his own merits. He did not have a newspaper supporting him, but if ho wanted the support of a certain newspaper it appeared to him that a candidate had to do what Mr John Graham had done —hit it hard. Then they would fawn to him. The other candidate thought it was a good move and he had done it. Now that newspaper was fawning to him. (Applause.) Ho believed his work in Parliament would be sufficient to return him next election without the support of that newspaper. In a report appearing in that nowspaper of a country meeting ho was reported to have said that lie favoured the salo of lands alongside the railway linej and the three-fifths majority on the licensing question. These views were so entirely different to what he had been stating that he thought an enquiry might have been made before tho report was inserted. In regard to the other candidate, he thought Mr Hampson had been justified in saying what he did about him. He could only say "ditto." The attitude of certain Oppositionists in this campaign was remarkable. Thoy had two straight out Opposition candidates in tho hold, yet they wore supporting an Independent. Why did they not support the real McKay—the straight out Oppositionist? (A voice: So they are.) Government supporters were also supporting him, while another gentleman had told him that he was going to support that candidate because ho was going to vote against the Government. He (Mr Moffatt) did not think any Oppositionists were going to vote for liim. Mr Moffatt said that an Opposition candidate who had spoken at a meeting in the Sounds after he had spoken, had admitted that if all the national lands were sole* it was probable there- would be private leaseholds. In that case a law should be passed compelling landlords to sell to their tenants. If this could not be done the only other remedy was the single tax. Another candidate would reduce the Customs tax, and if they followed him up they would land him on to the single tax. In conclusion he said he did not intend to indulge in personalities—so far the candidates had not indulged in personalities, and he hoped it would remain so until the end, and that when tho fight was over the candidate would bo able to shake hands and bo friends. Ho was a worker, and ho stood for the worker every time. He was one of them and his sympathies were with them. The other candidate was bidding for the workers' vote—was he their friend? No. He was the friend of land syndicates (Applause.) and they were the enemy of the workers. Ho (Mr Moffatt) had also tho farmers' support, and ali interests were represented on his nomination paper. Mr Moffatt referred to what he had done in local politics, and resumed his seat amidst great enthusiasm.

In reply to questions Mr Moffatt said if the contract system in underground workings was detrimental to tho best interests of the workers ho would support tho wage system as against the contract system. He favoured a minimum wage of 9s a day for railway men, and would favour railway men having full political rights; generally speaking he thought the Railway Appeal Board's decision should bo final j he favoured railway employees having outside assistance in cases of inquiry he favoured a 48 hours' week for railway employees, and superannuation for tho widows and families of railway men. He would be in favour of a conscience clause in military training, provided the persons gave some equivalent to the State in some other direction. ti» did not know that the labour laws had driven capital out of the country. If land values were brought down he did not think they would need an Arbitration Act. He did not know that the labour legislation had hampered industries in the Dominion. He believed if the laws of to-day were properly administered there Mould not be any industrial unrest. He did not see why a man should have to reside three days in a place before ho could marry a girl, and he did not see why a marriage could not be celebrated at any time of the day.

Mr J. N. Easdalo moved a hearty vote of thanks to Mr Moffatt, who ho said had a thorough grasp of polities, and confidence in him as a fit and proper person to represent them in. Parliament. This was seconded bj Mr A. Karsten and earned by acclamation, without dissent.

A vote of thanks to the chair terminated tho meeting.