STRATFORD.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 13749, 11 September 1908, Page 7

STRATFORD.

(From Our Resident Agent.) September 11. — Mr N. J. King, Independent Liberal candiclate for the House, fired his first shot last night. The Town Hall\ was moderately filled. He gave the Ministry a general certificate of good conjduct and approved of all the policy measures of late yeaTs. If returned, he would be fou'n,d,;giving the Government his . support, . subject to the right of private judgment 1 and to the expressed, wishes of his constituents. Approving to a great extent of party government, •he objected to the system in vogue of .selecting a candidate. Mr King's strong card is the road ing of the back-blocks, and in this matter he certainly, by inference at least, condemns the Government of inertia, although he seems to consider a new era Eas> dawned. He indulged in *no criticism of the sitting member (Mr Symes) beyond the pretty plain statement that there was a better man offering his services to the electors. At the close of an hour's address, listened 1 to with attention, but calling forth no enthusiasm, Mr King answered a few questions with readiness. One concerned the establishment of a separate High School at Stratford, -and called forth an emphatic disapproval as calculated to lower the status of the primary schdol. A similar reception met a question as to applying the Parliamentary franchise to the elections of local bodies. A vote of thanks concluded the proceedings. ' Just prior to Mr King's address, the Mayor made a presentation of an illuminated address of farewell to Mr H. N. Liardet. The souvenir was accompanied by photographs of Stratford ancient and modern, of incidents in her simple but stirring annals. Messrs Ralfe, Fookes, Mountford, King and others spoke wishing Mr Liardet a bright future in his new sphere. Mr Liardet has during the week been farewelled at several institutions with which he has been conducted — the Masonic Lodge, the Hospital Board, the Mounted Rifles, Horticultural Society, and Co-operative Store Company. The annual meeting of the Lowgarth Dairy Company toolf place to-day. Messrs Wright and Gray were elected to the directorate, and Mr Stanford, who has stuck to the factory from iis commencement^ was/ re-elected. iMr Booker is chairman * again. The late chairman (Mr Croot), who is, I regret to say, very seriously ill at a private hospital in Stratford, was accorded a hearty vote of thanks, together with a suitable honorarium.