THE ELECTION.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIIC, Issue 13731, 22 October 1908, Page 5

THE ELECTION.

THE TIMARU SEAT. MR GEORGE ROLLER'S ADDRESS

Mr George Koller. Political Labour League candidate for she Timaru heat. gave his tirst address to the electors in the Assembly Rooms last night, The hall "was pretty well full, about 2CO being i present, a good meeting for a wet night. The great majority appeared to be working men, a ievr ladies were present . in .;pite of unfavourable weather. Mr T. Hawkey presided, and introduced Mr Koller as. one who had bsen "associated with the League since its iaception, he had adopted the League's platform, and would go to the poll against allcomers. Mr Koller was received with much applause. He began by asking for leniency for any peit-onal shortcoming;;, -a this' was his first appearance as a speaker, but he ariked for no leniency for his views; let them be judged on their merits. He. then read the Political Labour League's ""manifesto/' which urges all workeiii to take a keener interest in politics:—"To gain for the people the fullest political powers, and to promote the collective ownership and control by the people of their land and other means of livelihood : to create a strong and . reliable Labour party in Parliament, a. party that will be absolutely independent of any petisonal allegiance to any jxjlitical deader, other than one chosen from among themselvtti; lo secure 'a proper representation of labour on municipal and other load bodies.". It ■speaks of the failure'of the Liberal party to "give the" workers much needed reform", and explains this by' saying that '"the Liberal party k now. dominated by men, whose economic ih'fensfs are diametrically opposed to the inler'estr, of labour, ami that in tie hands-'of these men, the more radical members of the party are as clay in the hands of the potter.',' * The workers therefore must rely upon Proceeding, Mr Koller argued thnt the workeis did not get a fair share of the wealth.they created, and, of course, labour applied to natural agents, produced all wealtli-. That was very plain. In 1896 the exports of the products of labour were valued at 9.3 millions; in 1906 at 18.0 millions, but the worker got very little of that great increase. The : "housewives knew that wry well, from flu increased cost of Jiving. He quoted Hon. Dr. Findlay on the larger increase of that cost compared, "with-the inercKso'-.-in -wages during the past twelve years, and the Hon. Mr Millars statement Ihat the Arbitration Act had been worked to its limit so. far ats the raising of wages was concerned. Those two .quotations would jtxplain the severance of the Political. Labour | League from the , Liberal Party.' Th> leaders of this'party told themthat lhare was nothing more to be hoped for from ' them. Where had all that increase, of wealth gone? The workers had not got it. It had gone to landed proprietor, speculators, financial institutions, and tile commercial chases. The unimproved •value of land had gone up from 84 '■ millions in 1897 to 149- milliorr, in 1907. a, difference greater than the national debt. But the workens and" users of the land not only gained no benefit from that; they were compelled to pay for it. in increased rents for their home-;, and increased prices for their necessaries, for the shopkeeper must put his increased rents into the price of his goods. That is to say. the people living about made the shop sites, valuable, and then they had to pay that valiio besides. The valuation did not make a. home more useful or a farm more pro-' ductive. but it. made the rents higher; it put money into the pocket of the landlord, and taxed tlie wealth produced by the worker. The commercial institutions got their share of the wealth in big dividtndfl, besides watering' stock, making reserves, and applying other dodgos to conceal their profits. ' They did not hear of a worker-taking a. trip Home, nor of a carpenter riding in a motor cur: that was for the land speculator and the commercial man. The personnel of the Liberal Government indicated that the workers must not expect much sympathy from them. There was Sir Joseph Ward, a prince of commerce; Mr McNab. a big runholder; Mr MeGowan and Mr Fowlds. successful tradeiw; Mr Carroll (would that he had his gift, of eloquence) ; Mi- J. A. Millar, once the champion of the workers, but now seduced from the high principles he once possessed and won the confidence of the workers by ihem, but now ho had gone completely from their ride; and in Mr Hall-Jones they had the last, and from the worker's point of, view, the best of a pietiy medium lot. (Laughter.) The Labour League condemned the borrowing policy of the Government because it had not been a fair deal for the workers. It win? not fair that those who produced no; wealth should get the benefit of the borrowing, and then leave the workers and their children io repay the loans. Another objection to the Government was their extravagance in public buildings—big railway stations, tourist resorts and so on. Mere of nil they objected to the Government's, land policy, and their disgraceful depart'.ire from their proposal of two years ago to rescrvo 17 million acres of Crown lands f»r endowments to old age pension*, education, and then cutting it- down t<» nine millions, and that after uoing about the country saying they would face the country before giving way. They objected to their- immigration (jolicy. (Hcarv hear.) He admitted that New Zealand could not become a great nation without more population, but if there was to be any immigration it should be of suitable- p.'oplc, and not all sorts, such as had been sent ■mt. A great deal would In- said about the ('uftoms reductions and pistal charges and m> on, but. these did not amount to much for the worker's family. The much talked of reduction on sugar would not mean more than 2d a week. As a set off let thtin consider how tlie merchants were allowed to juggle with the food supply. I,a_-t. winter butter could be bought cheaper in London than here, and that was the ca-e with meat to-day. The timlier meri hauls too had rigaed" the limlter maiket. Mr Koller told a story <■{ a Northern Wain>a man, who sent to Sydney mid got Waiioa timber from th. ty cheaper than he could buy it at the mill. They objected to lh<- Government, gagging the civil 'tivint.-. (Hear, henr.s prevent intf llicm fiom takini: part in public ni.-c-tiuys. or bpinii on school eouimitt.es or road bo.irds. Why should not a railway man for in--tame criticise tlie Government (xdii-y, or cv.-n the Opposition. -o long >»■• he flid i.i.t make use of confidential informal ion' It was taking away his rights ax a citizen. ;.\pplau«e.> Tlu'y objected to the ;'o.v. in mt'iii " swvetciiine" (in- civil service. A proiii'M. had been made that, im manic! man in the railuav -eivico should have h-- than £\7A ..'ve.-u-. He . i.w -.Kit m.iiiv of them had tint g«< it v.t.bill he piclier.-d that, They would K-i -t !.-.'« I* ill- .'i.etmii. (A voiir : Thank'. Th—i- ■"•ir the prinieip.il obieei.ii- to the pi", n. Government. IL- Mould w-xt .lilUiiia:- t he policy of I lie Labour 1., ~-a-.-. i"i!-i th v will.] put a .'!<•!• to th.- 'ale o! down" lain!-. It »'J- elilliiliai t" —II th- birthii-hi of all Mie.-e dink' seli'-ia-:i»ns. The one land tentltc -hmild bii l-erl)' ill.ll tight of occupation .njlijci-t to pr:n«l«al t-valuation-, with ..U-ohit'-Tt ot ii v for improvcm nl'. and Mich valllallol" .honld apple to exi'lill^ I ~,.-., oi. ti .ii.fr.- o: •]..- ." -iiii of i't i ■ r . It had bee,, -a:o ) i. .- (l, <•'-!. i f.,,,11- fa!IM-d thrsr 1.,„.i 1..!t-. :!., ■ 1,-., in.i.iri' Th y h.i.i only i» «o i"»nd j <oirh <':.«' tll'llV Wl'il t'l'l! ev'. op t! j •o ■■• Ih.t !h't va» fab-. H M-!i: 1 I ~ ;... - ,ho;,l,l b 1.1 llli'iet 'h- ...uir

tenure.! Mr Buxton bad said that he could' follow' Mr ■Thorn so far." but nor all the way, because lie went as far as land' nationalisation, wlr'ch meant taking away a man's cottage a l > well r.s a 6000

acre' farm. Really Mr Buxton and 111s friends should hold a funeral service and bitry that dead old lie. No one 'who knew anything believed it. so what was the use of dragging the corpse about. Native lands should be reserved enough to support the natives, and the Crown should buy or otherwise obtain the ro-t for settlement. In cutting up resumed estates or native lands they preferred the making of smaller areas ro secure a greater number of small land users, and not speculators. Ha bcHeved that it would be perfectly easy to nationalise an the land by the issue of land bondis, bearing interest, the bonds to be redeemable at will. Political economists had proved that, over and over again. With i"egard t-o advances to settleis, applications for small sums should have priority over large sums. In the .Labour programme a State Bank had a prominent place—a bank of issue, the only bank to i-sue notes, the quantity to be Tmiled to the ■ amount of public works to be each year. That would be a safeguard against ■"depreciation." the bugbear''of anti-State Bunk politicians. There should be no move borrowing except to redeem loans, and to carry out works in hand. Funds could be provided by increasing the in come t;ts and the death duties. The present Customs duties should nefc be largely reduced until revenue came in from other sources. The "issue of notes for internal use would go a great way towards doing away with borrowing. As to death duties, all in excess of £20.000 should revert to the State, instead of 10 per cent, as now. They would hear that that would be robbing the widow and orphan, but no one ever made £20,000, and that amount would keep a generation at least. The next generation, if necessary, could do as hi.-- hearers had t Hone, go to work and become produeeis of wealth. Another source of revenue would be a tobacco monopoly. In France this was worth a million a year.— (A Voice: What sort of tobacco is it?)— As good as prvate enterprise supplies.— (So, it is not.) —Trade combines should be put down. Where the State gave an industry ,-i bonus by way. of protection, the .State should fix prices. The Labour Party would establish State flourmills. woollen mills, and boot factories. The inquiry into the flour millers' Trust showed ' that the milk were over capitalised, and to make them pay interest they wvre worked short time so that prices would be put up to make bigger profits. It was quite an improper'thing to keep expensive machinery idle, especially flourmilling machinery that could do .=o much. w : th so little labour. The State should set, up and buy two large mills in Canterbury, and producing flour just for profit could fix the price for all New Zealand. He would put an export duty 'cm kauri and white pine, for the kauri would all be cut up in 15 years, and then they would have to import. He would not take the duty off Oregon pine. He believed in co-operative works, and there should be State stores for the camps. The co-operative workers were fleeced by the storekeepers by exorbitant prices, and the storekeepers were fleeced by the workers. State wtoiis would do away with both those things. Tunrng to labour questions, Mr Koller said the Arbitration Act had done a great deal of good by improving the conditions of labour, and if it had not done much to raii-te wages generally, they did not hear much of sweating now. He approved of the amendments made last session, and expected thai (he new conciliation 'council* would be productive of a great deal of good. Arbitration, however. \v;:u only a crutch, a palliative, and would never solve the industrial question. Something should be done to stop victimisation. The Blackball strike was due to seven men being victimised because they joined a Socialist party. When a man was di.-nrssed 1 he ought to have a right to a wriiteu reason for it. (Applause.) He did not approve of the increate of the number required to form a union to 15, as that would prevent many small unions from getting the benefit of the Act. The president of the Arbitration Court should be elected by popular vote. It would be said that an elected pnsident would be biassed in favour of labour. Well, they Maid that of Judge Cooper, and they said Judge Sim was biassed in favour of the employers. It seemed that bias was unavoidable; and if so it would only be fair that the bias should bi in favour of tin- majority. Therefore election would be better 'than Government nomination.

With roMid to the liquor <|Uestioii. he had always voted for prohibition. (Oh's and much applause.) He did not approve of a bare majority at the local option polk, because of the unren it would occaiiion, but he thought that nine sixteenths would be a sufficient handicap on either side. He believed in the nfeiendum, with init'ative in the hands of the people. That would only !>.» an extension of the local option principle. Suitable' subject* for the icfrivnduni were the altolition of the totalr.-ator and Bihle-in-mliools. He believed in the abolition of the Upper House. (Applause.) There might be as much intell goiue in that House as in the other, but in the long rim it had to be an echo of th." oilier, and it was an expei:r.ive way of i-aying ditto. He Has in favour ot an elective executive; and that uotild get lid of the party system, which now prevent <.-d it member from voting as he jilea'td. lie . favouivd the use of the patliaii'entarj- franchise for ail local elections, and polls on sKiiiutry quest ion-* and water sujiply. The, health of the peo pl.< was of more importance than the ratepayer, pockets. The lnuuieipiilitiew should have power nvhich they had not now) to stipplv such necessaries as coal, milk, etc. llegutding education, he would sinqn>rt the present system, but would male- c.t omlaiy ;ind univei-ity edtiiuitiou • te as well, ami without any competitive M-hol-aisliip examination;--, and he was :n favour of unifotln school books, suppiied l.y the Stale iit cci-\ pritv. He ali-o ajipti.cd if mediciil aiiil dental inspection of smiool children. As to teachers' salati.-, w:nle uiost- of tbem were jrethap.' • ell i:;otie|i off, the sal.nies of tlie low. i" grad.-s s! .n: .1 be raiM-<l. It «.<h beyond hmmhi t) a young niiin to study ami b-.y Im A:-, anc'l tit to he a le.ichei, ~.i,t ti-:t • ■tl'er him iJW a year in a back mvi liv sel-001. Thry must do M.mcthing to -n ■ M-A.r. the best voting m.-ii lo i U ■ putfession. As to immigr.it ion he w.c for keeping oi:„ A'i.itiea allog-.th-r. tllear, heals.i He did not want to :-e a race pi..ldem here sin h :t» they had m the I'liit"! Slate, in Natal, and in the Tiansv.-ial. 'Applau'e- With regard to immigration front Kurope, it t honld be ie K tilatcd ac .Hiding l.i tin- ni-.-dh of the lountry and not con.mh ted in th.- pr-. sew hiipha.-.ard m,iv He favomed ...uipttlsot v nuHtaiv service. All youth- -f 21 .-ho«M hj- i," quite'! to he.oine protieient in the U— of thr liile. ~u-\ all male- tip to .VI should nav,. an annual I.OUI— of tt.lillllie. Th >-,..t- to,, -iiotild a small a;mali.l aiiimuuitioii Coioty. in provide mean- ..• deMi.e ill e,i-c ii'l' M.itntiy were blockaded. He bvltevod in a Slate law bin. an, v. !,■!,• J«<.r prop!- .mild ee- c-i.r.ip law. for I h.-y knew that th. !<• »ejr Jaw vri' till". 'fllotl-il lo etiroUl.lg-' i.ti-.ition 111 older to -r: their picking-, on! of ,:. Th-ie -honld be public def.miei- of p.-.,..!!» a. .it—d of crime. What would tiave h.ipj-etird to t!io-- {Wo lllen 'in tilWot 1"„.,e if thcr had not b-rn (|rv.r!y .! leu.!.-.! Th. v would prok-.hh h:iv. heru nali-.-l 'I Ik ' o e.l h p. lialty -1,0 5 ,i.| i-

abolished;: hanging" never cured anybody of anything. The prison system"' should be reformed and reformation rather, than punishment be aimed at. He did not believe in taking away an old manVj pension because Jie, got drunk. ;rThat : ;'did no good for: it .only made a-j burden on the local;-rates.-A belter .% plan would be to give : the pension through some officer—the secretary of the* Charitable Aid Board say—to be dispensed in orders on storekeepers for necessaries. He did not believe in compulsory vaccination; and Stats farms should ba provided where those discharged ."from consumptive sanatoria could be employed, as it was reported that people were loth to employ them. Mr Kojler concluded has address by saving that he had now given his principal views. He did'not expect much sympathy from the papers. He had not "got. the broad arrow from the one, and politics were not. oozing from his finger tips for the other. His hearers'- must judge for themselves. If they thought, his views were right, and that he was the right man to put them into execution, it was their duty, io return, him; if they thought neither these things, it was equally their duty" to reject him. Mr Koller spoke for about an hour and a half, and eat down amidst much applause. Questions were invited, and many wevo asked, viva voce. and.in.writing. In reply, Mr Roller said that he was ;i native of Xew Zealand, and had ahravs lived in Xew Zealand, except that he spent eighteen montlis in South Africa. There was no necessity for more public buildings in -Timaru at present, but if the question arose in a. practical way, all Government offices .should be brought together. He was decidedly in favour of the abolition of barmaids; behind a bar was no place, for a good woman. (Applause.) Government employees should be paid fortnightly, the credit system was the cmueof the small trader. He would refer to The referendum even question,- affecting the right of a minority, because in a. democracy the voice of tli* majority should Ibe paramount. Afforestation was* a good thing, and he believed it could be very well extended by the* employment of prison labour. Although he believed in- cverv representative being free to vote m>. he pleased, lie had signed the "platform," because while the party system was in force he had to bow to circumstances for ths time being. The second ballot would b? an improvement on the. old > system, but he would prefer some sort of proportional representation. If returned,-and he had to vote on a no-confidence motion, he would vote for the present Government, because they were more "xqueeaable" than the Opposition. He was not, in favour of grants to any denominational schools; nor of Bible teaching in the'(schools. -(Applause.) The cost of living could be reduced. without reducing the Customs, ;n> by State mills and factories producing necerearies. He would like to'see soimparts of Xorton's '"Truth" suppressed, in the interests of morality; but its political parts were very good. Abolition of the totalisator should be by popular vote; if abolished by law, the law might' not gain the end aimed at. He believed in the increased vote for the- Britinh Navy, under present circumstances; but'it wbi> time Xew Zealand had a scheme of coastal defences of her own. Xo, there should b? no class distinction ("fir.st" and "second") in the railway service. He believed in preference to miiomstiv and ««w no retain why railway men should not have the same rules as to overtime pay as other employees. The question whether the State should supply babies' bottles was no poser; of comso it should, ami everything elso. up to motor cars.

t Xo more' questions, offering. Mr Toy© moved- a hearty vote of thanks to Mr Kollor for his capital address (he did not der.irc an expression of confidence- till polling day), and the vote was carried-by acclamation.

Mr Koller. in replying, said he hoped to acquit himself, with more credit to liimi-clf awl his cause the next time lie appeared, and the meeting ended at 10.10 p.m. .

Owing to an error, Mr M<m)in*t> election notices were omitted from yesterday's papers. >fr Maslin will «|wn bis electoral campaign at C?eraldinv thi«, evening. On Monday evening a large number of electors assembled at the schoolroom, Orari, to hear MrNo,sworthy, who i-poke on the ."ante lined as at Ashburton, and was listened to with intense interest throughout, and at the, class?' of his- addn*.v received a hearty vote of thanks, on the motion of Mr fioo. O'Neill, seconded hv Mr Bladder, file MMial vote of thank's to tile chairman brought the proceeding." to a close.

At- Tcmiikii on Tni.i-.dny.. .John Gillespie, registrar of ckctor*. applir<l to Mr C A. Wvay. S.M.. to have 110 names struck off the Oeraldinr electoral roll, lie gave evidence* to the effect thai the requirements of the Act had h-eh complied with, and further that 11 names bail been struck out by irantfcr. His Woi,,hip allowed that a farther "13 names be struck off, the remaining 67 to rcn-ain mi the rtdl moant'me. this being due to the Postal Department's mm -return of registered letters.

Mr T. Buxton addri-jht'd the electors of tteraldiiif at Pleasant Point on Tltewiay < vetting. There was a g(w«d attendant", and Mr J. Crawford occupied the chair. Mr Buxton'*, address wth, on the nam" lines as hb» speech' at Temilka. In reply (o 'lUMtioisis. Mr Buxton said he wa.s not in favour of taking the duty off Hour, as i:» would l.e a stew re' bloie" to the farmers and workers of Canterbury, He thought 7*. a day fair pay for day labourer. He had always voted for the Liberal p..rtv. and was not a memh»r of Mr Jeffries committee at last election. H- thought a Ik-Itvi- system than workers" lionifi. was advance.- to worker, for building bruiis. Mr A. Chisiiolm aoked if the »MUiii>-nh made by the Rec. Mr Liddle n |>,,„- ( drunkenness j n Teniuka wjs c,,,,-.-,-!. \[,. Hnxlon wild its the time w,i« not m-ii-tioned he could not fay. but h • had se'ii a good deal of drunken,.is in Temuka. bn', would not say it wns a drunken place. He i-aid he would be in favour of th" (.inming Act of Hire- v<ars ago. |(. would net Mippoti "no lie-"ns-. no Honor." He mis in favour of bringing th- Woike., Accommodation A. t into fone. lb- would not be in favour of eirluding fat in workerfroni th- Aibitraiittn A>-' : tin y « -re not excluded a: prsricnt. -He ~,-„' , lo( ;l | ie . bev, rin the smsle tax. Mr .\. Agnew IM-opcsed a heart*- vote ..f (hanks tu Mr lilillo!) for his ;.ddivs.-. This *•„,„ , f .;. u ,t.. ( i l>y Mr J. Douglas and canied.