The Star. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3, 1896.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5737, 3 December 1896, Page 2

The Star. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3, 1896.

Labour and Liberal electors. To-morrow there devolves upon you the privilege and the duty of assisting in moulding the destinies of this country. Take heed what you do, for the issues at the present juncture are of tremendous importance. Eeniember the selfish greed that characterised the Conservative Administration, and contrast therewith the legislative results that have been achieved during the past six years — the whole system of taxation altered so as to make the wealthier people bear a fairer share of the burden; the liberalising of the land laws to enable persons of small means to obtain holdings and make homes for themselves; the many ways in which the agricultural and pastoral industries have been helped; the conferring of the franchise upon women ; the beneficent labour laws ; the protection of family homes against cruel seizure ; the simplification of the criminal laws ;. the advancement of education— these things, and many more. Labour and Liberal electors, what are you going to do about it ? Look about you and note what desperate efforts the Conservatives are making to secure the return of men whose principal pledge is to use every means to destroy the Liberal Government ; men who have not scrupled to make the most profuse promises of Liberalism in order to trap the unwary. In Christchurch, and in all the electorates round about, the most contemptible dodges have been resorted to for the purpose of " capturing " seats. Be vigilant, and be wise. Vote only for the candidates who are out-and-out supporters of the present Government, and who will work heart and soul in carrying on the reforms that have been so well begun. Eeject faddists, reject extremists. Vote in Christcimrch, for such men as Collins, Cullen and Marciel. Vote in Lyttelton for John Joyce. Vote in Avon for Tanner, Vote in Biccarton for Russell. Vote in Kaiapoi for Buddo. We need not go further afield; the principle applies all along the line. Labour and Liberal electors, vote, to-morrow, for advancement, not for stagnation. There has, probably, never been a more glaringly dishonest electioneering trick than the suppression, by the Prohibitionist members of the Progressive Liberal Association, of the report of a committee of that body on the Burnham Industrial School. What are the facts ? A number of charges of the most serious nature were made against the management of the school in a publication recognised as the organ of the Prohibitionist candidates for Parliament, and especially of Mr T. E. Taylor. The charges were repeated and emphasised on Prohibitionist platforms, and in letters to the Progressive Liberal Association. That Association appointed a committee of five members to visit the institution and report. More than a fortnight ago three members of the committee, two of them belonging to tho prohibition party, went to tho school, spent a day there, and ascertained that the charges wero utterly unfounded. Thoy drew up a report to that effect, and presented it to a mooting of tho Association. Fortunately for tho interests of truth and justice, as it turned out, they did more. They wrote entries in the visitors' book at tho school, expressing their gratification at what they had seen, and ono of them, Mr Ballinger, added "the charges aro entirely unfounded * * and we shall take tho first opportunity of pnblicly contradicting the same."

The other two niembers of the committee assented to this, but such a course, though imperatively demanded by every consideration of right and justice, did not suit tho prohibitionists, who, seemingly, constitute tho majority of the Association. Perceiving that such an emphatic refutation- of tho charges would, if published before the general election, injure tho chances of tho candidate who had bcon so assiduous in disseminating them, they deliberately suppressed the report, on tho flimsy pretext that it was inadvisable to mako it public until the two mombors of tho committee who had not visited tho school should havo had their say. A more ridiculous pretext for an unjust action was nover invented. It must bo obvious to anyone not blinded by partisan projudico that tho real object of these advocates of political purity was to prevent tho public from realising how gross and unfounded wero the allegations made by tho prohibitionist loader, and how utterly unsuited for a representative of the people tho man who could promulgate such statements must bo. Now, however, tho electors must not only realise this, but must rocogniso also what an evil thing it would bo for the colony, or any part of ij;, to como undor the domination of people who, for party piu*poses, could be guilty not only of deliberately suppressing tlio truth, but of allowing innocent persons

to remain under the stigma of a gross and baseless charge. The Hon W. Eolleston wrote to us yesterday afternoon, complaining that a paragraph relative to the reduction of the payment of school teachers from the working average to the strict average "was scandalously and notoriously untrue," and declaring that it could not have emanated from a school teacher. We gave the letter instant insertion, not having time to look the matter up. What we now have to say is this : Tlie school teachers have better memories than Mr Eolleston, and they have a vivid recollection of two facts : First, that the salaries of the teachers were reduced in the beginning of 1883 ; and, next, that the working average principle was returned to by the Hon W. P. Eeeves on July 1, 1893. The school teachers have good memories. They are neither likely to forget the Conservative reduction of 1888, nor to lose sight of the fact that their best interests have been studied by tlie Liberal party.