THE GENERAL ELECTION

Star (Christchurch), Issue 10299, 2 November 1911, Page 1

THE GENERAL ELECTION

TO-NIGHT'S MEETINGS. Mr W. J. Dickie, Glenroy School. Mr J. H. Blackvvp.ll, Swannnnoa Hall. Mr G. Armstrong, Grcenpark School. Hon D. Buddo, Oddfellows' Hall, Kaiapoi. Mr D. D. Macfa-rlane, Waipara Timber Sheds. Mr C. Cook, Teddington Schwlroom. jir C. H. Elisor. Ternpleton School. Mr G. Forbes, Waisu Hall. Mr C. A. O. Kardv, Wakaiiui School. Mr T. Drunimond, Kaiapoi Factory, Allen Street, 12.15 p.m.

TO-MORROW NIGHT'S MEETINGS. Mr G. Forbes, Waikari Hall. Mr C. A. C. Hardy, Allenton Scoool. Mr W. J. Diclria, Greandale Hall. Mr J-. H. Black well, Cnit Hall. Mr G. Armstrong. Ataf-liua. Ho'.i D. Buddo, Rantrioi-a Institute Hall. Mr G. W. ltusscll, "East Belt Methodist School. Mr C. H. Enaor, Ilarewocd Roan Hall. Mr C. Cook, Governor's Boa" Schoolroom. Mr G. Witty," Upper Kiocarton Schoolroom. Mr D. D. Macfariane, The I'eaks Schoolhouse., CHRISTCH URCH NORTH .SEAT. MR J. E. PETBERICK'S CANDIDATURE. Last evening Mr J. K. Petlierick, who has announced himself as a Liberal candidate for the Christ-church North so&t, opened his campaign in the King's Theatre., whero he addressed a gathering of about 6QO people; Tho candidate's remarks were interrupted by frequent outbursts of laughter, and his replies to interjections were greeted with applause and expressions of amusement. Ho commenced his meeting without a chairman. The candidate, whose appearance on the stago was greeted with cheers and applause, stated tliat ho had entered the contest in order to have a platform from which to reply to the supporters of tho prohibition movement. He added that ho was a supporter of tho Ward Administration. Dealing with tho land question, he seated that the water in Lyttelton and Port Chalmers, though very valuable to the whole of the community 3> was owned by nobody, and he considered that the land should ba in a similar position. He was a leaseholder, although at present he held the Freehold of a property, but- that was so because under the present laws it was cheaper to own than to rent. It was better'to have the leasehold, because a man could not sell his property while drunk. Tlie " Lyttelton Times " had urged that the 999 years leases should bo disposed of, but he thought that they slioukl bo retained as a monument to tho incapacity of the legislature. He considered that in the ballots for sections of land native-born applicants should have the preference over newcomers. Ho urged that tho Government should bo able to " gridiron " the land just as the purchasers of land had done in tho early days. By so doing tho St ato would obtain the benefit of the unearned increment that ati present went to the individual. No one should be allowed to deal in land, air or water, and tho State should oiyi tho land. He Would not favour tile confiscation of tho property of the landowners, but they should be placed under a graduated land tax that in time would lead them to givo up their holdings. A referendum should be taken to fix the limit of tho holding that a man should be permitted to have, but tho referendum should be decided on a three-fifths majority. It should be remembered that u referendum jvas merely an order to Parliament." If such matters were settled on the bare majority a Parliament would bo Unnecessary. " You wouldn't want me," ho continued, amidst applause. " I must say that if you don't want me you would bo foolish to paj r anyone else. I am out, just a? all of them are, for what you are going to pay. I have given up the theatrical business to tako up something better." Mr Petherick then returned to tho Injad question, and stated that tho consumer paid for the taxation on the land wid everything produced by the land. Dealing- with Labour matters, ho urged that a minimum wage of nine shillings per day should bo fixed by statute, and added that the workers should be able to cite the Government before tlie Arbitration Court just as they could cite the individual.

The candidate then proceeded to condemn tho levying of Customs duties. He declared that tho Customs House as a means of raising revenue was an incentive to dishonest trnding. The Customs duty was only a partial boycott under another name, a partial boycott of the work of underpaid men in other countries, whose wages might be reduced by tho loss of business. Tho inventor of a machine to produce boots at 2s 6d a j>air would be hailed as a benefactor, because boots were worn by niore people than those employed 'n tiu'ir manufacture, but if an employer imported Asiatics to do the mine work he would probably be shot, which showed that an inanimate machine was considered of more value than a human being born under a different Hag. ' Ihe candidate then returned to the lane! again, and after reiterating the statement that the consumer n.'i'd for everything produced by the land, 3:e stated that while tho Government advanced money to farmers at 4 and •!& per cent, it did not stop 'money-lender, l ; charging 80 per cent lor a gilt-edged secuiny. A pawnbroker held security net only for the amount lent, hut alio lor the interest.

Hi? had noticed that the domestic servants did not enjoy privileges uiideithe Compensation for Accidents Act bi.it that would be rectified if ifc wero mentioned to the Government. Ho was m favour of the totalisator, which was as fair as fan-tan.

Mr Petherick then proceeded to deal with the question of prison reform, and in god that instead oI the Grovernmenb trying to reform prisoners it should punish them, but at the same time make their works reproductive. A bl<>-bod'i"*«d prisoners should bo compelled to work in tuo State coal mines, and the steam colliers to transport the State coal should be_ manned by prisoners. It was not right that big, icjlo vagabonds should he Kept bv the respectable citiof the country. Ihe candidate went on to >\ive his the prohibition question, con<.diau.ng the movement without cuialificat] on.

At the conclusion of the candida te's address Mr E. Smith was eLx-tod chairman, and a largo number rf oue.vtious were asked. In anfnvoring !r- interrogators, Mr Petherick nnnou.uvd 'himself as in favour of a .Iliqht to Work Bill, and as opposed to the mi',- .-ml training scheme, which, he said, should not have been adonted until settled by the referendum. lie was not in favour of grants to denominational schools, but would not •disturb the present arrangements. He would not attempt to reform the Legislative Council, but would do away with it. The Government should certainly establish a State bank. The candiwas asked if ho was standing in tbe interests of the liuiior trade in the hope of improving another candidate's position, and it' that candidate had guaranteed his election expenses. Mr Petherick stated that he was absolutely independent, and had not received any offer from any party or individual.

The meeting concluded with a vote of thanks to the chairman.

MR FOWL.RS AT GREY LINN.

THE "NEW EVANGEL." [Fsou Our COKHKSrON~m.N T, ] AUCKLAND, October 31. 4 Hie ! lon Georgo Fcwlds addressed a largo meeting of the doctors of Grey Lynn to-night. Mr Fowids, who was received with prolonged applause, referred first to his resignation from tuo Ministry. Ho said that his friends approved of his action with practical unanimity, and he had already, both in the House and through the Press, given his reasons pretty fully for the course he took. " 1 was perfectly ■sincere," said Mr Fowids, " when I Etated« in Parliament that I believed the legislation passed by the Ward Government would lie accorded an honoured place by the future historian t of New Zealand. I can also say w»t-h perfect sincerity that the administration of the Government has been, on the whole,, both efficient and honest. At the same time I think that the Government has failed to grasp the spirit of the times in which we live. It has failed to take account of the economic factors which have been at work making the conditions of lifo for the mass of the people, even in years of prosperity, more precarious than it used to be. You will have noticed that the Government proposes to set up a Commission to inquire into the high cost of living, and I suppose to suggest means of meeting the difficulty. It amazes me to hud a Government, or even a man seeking parliamentary honours, confessing or professing that he does not know the causes of this evil, and is una bio to suggest cures that would help towards removing it. I hope during my speech to-night to lay bare some of the causes and suggest cure,?, and I shall be very much surprised if I am unable to convince the most of you that the causes are evident and the_ remedy lying to our hand. It was mainly for the purpose of having a freer hand to deal with such subjects, and thereby give a fillip to the reform forces of the dominion that I resigned from the Ministry. Some of mv friends have asked me why I did not at once start a campaign throughout the country for tho purpose of promulgating my views, and. rallying supporters to my ideals, in view of the approaching general 'election. My reasons for not doing so were of a twofold nature. In the first place there was insufficient time to make a really effective campaign. If I had started such a movement and had gained only meagre results, tho movement would have been discredited. No allowance would have been made for the shortness of time which was available. At the. same time I want to say that even now my resignation has not been barren of results. Fam of opinion that the last Budget presented to Parliament was a more progressive document than it would have been had I not resigned. I am further of opinion that a goodly number of the members who will be elected to the new Parliament will be mora progressive than would have been tho case had I continued to be a member of the Government. ■' "But my second reason is. even .more important. I resigned for the purpose of giving a help to the reform spirit of the country, and not for the purpose of helping the Tory -Reactionaries arrayed under Mr Massey's banner. If I had started oil" on a tearing, raging campaign throughout the country with only a few weeks at my disposal*. my action would to some extent have reflected on tho Government, and might, by dividing the progressive elements, hare helped to return a few more supporters of the Tory leader. As it is, t expect- Mr Masaey to have fewer followers in the next Parliament than lie has had in the Parliament which has just expired. If that is not the result of the election, tho reason will be found in the faulty and absurd electoral system' under which tho elections are beuis* held. lam quite certain that if tne true voice of the people is reflected in the elections his supporters will be fewer. One member of tho House during i>he last session, told -the leader of the Opposition, rather unkindly, perhaps, but with a great deal of truth, that he had ' road board brains.' He and his lieutenants are mighty critics of petty ca £ h, and pastmasters of the art of pin-pricking, but for anything approaching constructive statesmanship, or p. wide outlook on national questions. we have never had in this country such an utterly bankrupt Opposition. If I had for one moment believed that my resignation could by any possibility Live resulted in tho return of a majority of members willing to follow Mr Alassey, I should have felt it my duty to remain where I was. f believe sUc'i a result to be an impossibility. Whist this country wants and must have is a. more progressive Govern man t than the present one, not a more reactionary one." iurtti ' : to his own policy, Air Fowlds saict t!i..i , \s proposals would be to increase the 'd tax by Id in the pound, to remit C-; '< mi taxation on the necessaries Ic e to the extent of half the revenue >. "nised and reduce railway freights tho extent of Jiaif the revenue so raised. There should bo majority rule, not minority rule on the liquor question. A scheme of proportional representation should be used both for national and local elections. The Legislative Council should bo abolished, or two-tbirds of the members elected by the House of Representatives, one-third to be nominated by the Government. The elective Execu-

tiva would naturally follow- these two reforms. " &urely such a platform is not so elaborate or r.o drastic as to frighten anyone," ntlrlcrl Mr FoAvld?, and yet I thin!: that it will be more potent for tho improvement of social conditions than any of the- legislation we have passed during the past fifteen yerra. I halicvo that the great cur,so of polities at the present day is tha multitude of fantastic schemes being brought forward, which their authors must know can only act as palliatives to the r.o res of the body politic, and which divert public attention from the more fundamental, and permanent measures which are urgently required. The problem we have to face and solve today is this: How is is that after many years of abounding national expansion and prosperity the condition, of the wago-earner is not relatively better,, hut is worse than it was ten or fifteen years ago? I think it Avouid bo an insult to your intelligence if I wero to war,to time in demonstrating tha fact that the oo.';fc of living, including'rent, has increased at a faster rate than tho vise of wages daring tho past fifteen years."

Mr Fovrlds proceeded to analyse th& causes of the conditions he had mentioned. He paid that cheap money, a good thing in itself had raised the price of land, to an inordinate level. During the larfc nineteen years the unimproved vahio of freehold land in New Zealand bad risen by £92,502,000, according to Government valuations, which were nearly SO per cent under market values. A.-tnn'ly a sum of nearly £l-30.000,000 had been put into tho pockets of tho landowners in the form of unearned increment, and in addition tho people had found the enormous sums which had been spent in public Avorks and services that had assisted to increase the v«!ues. It was quite, certain that the increased laud value created by the public Avorks expenditure. had been at least equal- to pound for pound. But the landOAvners Avho had pocketed tho increased

value created by the expenditure of borrowed money had not been called upon to pay tho interest and sinking fund on the money so borrowed and spent. The pooplo not only paid tho interest and sinking fund on tho borrowed money, principally through Customs taxation, but found an annual, contribution of £OOO,OOO to £BOO,OOO froni_ the Consolidated Fund to the Publio Works Fund to augment still further tne value of the landlord's property. "Yet you still continue to wonder why you are hard up," added Mr Fowlds, ' and if you wait patiently yon will get a Royal Commission to toil you why tho cost of living has increased faster than the increase of wages. Tf the Commission is correctly selected it will probably tell yon that if a higher protective duty is imposed on iron manufactures and on boots and sheas, then the cost of living will be reduced, and perhaps you may believe them."

Mr Fowkls explained in further detail why he wanted a proportion of taxation moved from the Customs to land. He made emphatic demand for tho hare majority on tho liquor question. Turning to tho Legislative Council, ho said that very little exception could bo taken to the appointments that had been made by the Ward Government, and to-day the average ability and integrity of tho members of the Legislative Council was at least as high as it was in tho House of Representatives. At tho same time he considered that a second chamber was a relic of feudal barbarism, and ought to be abolished. Better results could bo obtained at a. very much smaller cost by increasing the staff of the Crown Law Office, with provision that Sills should bo sent- back to tho Legislative Assembly for the reconsideration of defects discovered after revision by tho Crown law officers. The ex-Minister explained at some length the. other planks of .his platform. " I know that mv proposals will be jeered at by the representatives of wealth and privilege, both on tho platform and in tho Press," he said in conclusion. " Tliat result lias no terrors for me. The people of New Zealand have a splendid opportunity to strike a blow for freedom and justice, and I call upon them to rise in their might and help to herald the dawn of a- new day of human emancipation. Both you and I will bo reviled by those who belong to tho House of ' Have,' but to be helpers in securing justice to the great multitude of 'Have-nots'— those who are compelled to be ' Have nots' and who must remain ' Havenots ' under present social conditions —is surely a privilege worth fighting for, nay more, a privilege, if need bo, worth dying for, politically or otherwise."

The candidate, who was given a most appreciative hearing, rooeived a hearty veto of thanks and renewed confidence.