THE GENERAL ELECTION

Star (Christchurch), Issue 10301, 4 November 1911, Page 8

THE GENERAL ELECTION

-•O-X'iaHT'S MEETINGS. . Eon U, B'.iddo, Cust Instimte Hall. ]Mr Cr. W. Forbes, Donieh School. •"'Mr C. A. C. HarUv, Wins"ow School. '„Mr W. J. Dickie, Dunsandel Hall. Mr P. Piowell, Springstoa Hall. •JJr G. Armstrong, Little River Hail. Mr G. Witty, West Melton School. MONDAY'S MEETINGS, ilr J. M'Ccmbs, ucrnor Buckley's Road jidd Canal Iteerve. 'Ms G, Forbes, Hundalao School. Mr C. A. C. .Hardy, Wostorfiold School. '•Mr W, ft. Smith, Queen Street, Burwood. ."' 3h' W. J. Dickie, Alford Forest School. Mr J. H. Bkckwoll, East Eyroton Hall. jMr R. Ilea ton Rhodes, Southbridge Publid' Hall. 'Mr 0. Armstrong, Lndbrooks School. Mr C. H. En,«or, Papanui School. •Mr G. Witty, Burnham Industrial School- ' loom. M.i Hiram Hunter, St Saviour's School, Sydenham.. All meetings -will commence at 8 p.m. unless othorwise stated. THE AVON ELECTORATE. MR RUSSELL'S CANDIDATURE. ,Mr G. W. Russell, M.P., a candidate to represent Avon, addressed a meeting in • tho Methodist Schoolroom, Fitz'gerald Avenue, last evening. Mr J. M. Taylor presided, and about 250 per--1 sons attended. ' " Tho chairman said that it was unnecessary for him to ask for a patient hearing for Mr Russell. In a previous address Mr Russell had clearly defined , his position in regard to political par- • ties. Ho declined to absolutely pledge himself to any party leader, but said that ho would use the judgment that had been given him and would vote •accordingly. During the last session Mr Russell had forced himself to the Very front of the party. When he followed in the wake of big guns like Mr Herdman and Mr Allen it proved that - the Government had confidence in him, as a leader of ehe Liberal Party. In the electorate he had done good' wors ' *f«sr his constituents. The electors had ' "in him a gentleman who served them , well. They had not been so ably represented tor a long time, and it would bo suicidal for them to throw him out uow and to disfranchise themselves by .returning a man who had had no experience in politics. He hoped that electors would not.be so foolish as / 'to return anyone alse. (Applause.) Mr Russell, who was loudly applauded, said that he wished to thanu those ,''Jfaosetit most heartily reception they had given him. 'Ho appeared , before them in a two-fold capacity. In the 'first place, ho was their representative in trie Parliament that would soon = b'e dissolved, and he would give an account of his stewardship. In the jiecond place, he was a candidate once , ,iaore, soliciting tho honour of their votes at the election that would soon be held. The session wa3 of a some- . ,\vhat unusual character. Sir Joseph , (.Ward bad been engaged in England attending, on behah of tho people of Nevy Zealand, trie Coronation of his Majesty the King, and also taking part lii the great conference held in connec-„-;tipn with the Imperial Council. How v. .well Sir Joseph discharged his duties ■ on that occasion was known to all. Ho ' had been pleased to see in an article in a local newspaper that Sir Frederick .Young, whom -the article described as the Grand Old Man of the Empire, ■ speaking on the suggestion that .New ■ Zealand should erect a suitable memorial to the memory of the great Ed- . ward Gibbon ■Walieiield, remarked tnat Sir Joseph Ward was easily the leading and most conspicuous figure at the Imperial Conference. (Applause.) A tribute like that from a gentleman of iftr Frederick Young's standing should be quite satisfactory to the people of J|le\v Zealand. It was an unsolicited lestimony, and it came spontaneously Jrom one who had helped to advance Jfow Zealand for the past fifty or >ixty years, because Sir Frederick, as ?, young man, had taken a very activo part in founding the settlement of Canterbury, (Applause.) In the second ballot contest at the previous election for Avon, an effort ' had been made to change the whole isauo from politics to the question of ■ ' no-license or liquor. He was being re- ■ presented as a man who was opposed , to temperance principles. It had been. Suggested even that he was under the' thumb of the brewers. He had been *lected three years ago on the distinct . . stipulation, in connection with the license question, that, he would stand £©r tho maintenance of the existing filfcthcd of deciding the issue, namely, '■.. that it should bo on the basis of a ■.three-fifths majority. To that 'pledge lie had kept. In the session of 1910, when the House divided on the question, 54 votes were given in favour of ,' .tho three-fifths majority, and 15 against it. Amongst the 54 were Jtearly nil, men of rank in both political ,' parties. If Parliament was elected on the sole issue of the bare majority, . there never would have been in Parliament a Seddon, or a Carroll, or a - 'Massey. In fact, nearly every man of Tank and standing in the whole Parliament would be removed. , In regard to the position in Avon, if no-license was domed, he said that the law was exceedingly drastic, and the position Would De somewhat absurd, as people ,$n one side of the Belt would he able tp make all their purchases, as they Had been accustomed to do, while people in the Avon district would have to go through all the formula set out in ' the Act to obtain liquor for consumption in their own homes. '"Tho country was now asked to detide whether the Liberal Party should continue to govern New Zealand, or whether Mr Massey and his friends should" take the reins. ' The people knew the history of the Liberal Party, ted of Grev, Ballimce and Richard 'John Seddon.- Following him, came Hie present Prime Minister, Sir Joseph -iWai'd, who, although he had his weaknesses, bad shown himself to be a true I" liberal and a true follower and student .. 'at the distinguished leaders who had gone before. , . ■ ,TpAs to finance, it was stated by the , Opposition that tho expenditure had ttfrgely increased since the Liberal i 'Party came into power in 1891, but when he heard talk of that nature he tinted out that the expenditure had i l&reased simply because the country, Hid progressed. In the list of mI creased expenditure, there were many items such as education, railways, and I justice, which members of the Opposii I lion would not dare to out down. ' . "-Speaking in Christchurch. on Septem- '" fcer 26 Mr H. D. Acland, tho leader of She Opposition Party in Chtietchurch, lad stated that while the revenue during the year had only increased by £130,000 the expenditure had gone up tiy £BOO,OOO. As a matter of fact, in 1910-11 the revenue was £10,297,023, Knd'in 1909-10, £9,238,261, showing an increase of £1,058, 762. The expenditure had risen from £8,990,922 m lifxC-10 to £9,343.105 in 1910-11, an increase ot £u52,i83, leaving a benefit to tno countrv of £706,578. Mr Ac- '. laud had probably erred by taking the Bstimate sent down by the Government instead of the actual amounts received jiftd expended. l -The Government had made large remissions on the Customs duty on the peoessaries of" life, and, notwithstanding that the revenue had gone up to £3,027,000. The items from which the duty had been removed in 1899 had returned a revenue of £415,315, and if the duty were chargeable, to-day the revenue would have been £843,945 last year, including £152,000 from kerosene, £240,000 from oil, £125,000 from \- tea, £21,000 from rice, £BB,OOO from \ eotton and linen piece goods. • -It was stated by the Opposition day jtfter day that the Government was borrowing too much. Much had been made of the five million loan, which had been used in the f ollowiiig manner: ■ i—For advances to settlers, £1,675,000; idvances to workers, £325 ; 000; tho Dreadnought, £1,250,000; railway con- > struction, £BOO,OOO, additions to open railway lines. £350,000; land for settlement, £500,000; public works, £IOO,OOO. The members of the Oppo-

sition Party did not vote against any of I tho loans proposed by the Government, but after those members had got what they could out of the public money they howlod about the, wickedness of the Go. vernment's borrowing. Tt was often said that the districts returning Opposition members were not as well treated as those represented by Government members in the expenditure of public money, but, added Mr Russell, he had tested the matter in Parliament, and it had been shown that Taranaki, returning four Opposition members, had had £71,000 expended in it last year, while Canterbury, the stronghold of the Liberal Party, only received .£7869. (A Voice: A shame.) It was due to Mr Massey to state that he had not supported the statements made by his junior lieutenants, and had said that there was no complaint as to the distribution, of public works money. Tho Labour Party's platform contained a. plank for the total cessation of borrowing, except for tho completion of public works now in hand and for the repayment of loans. If borrowing were stopped it would lead to the stagnation of the country. There were only two means of raising money for public works.. One was to tax the people and tho other was to do what a sensible Government would do, to borrow, feeling that it could be done with safety,. Ho believed in borrowing. Ho was not going to see tho working people screwed down to pay for railways that would increase the value of lands held by the big landlords. The Government would "have to continue borrowing. If 100 millions were borrowed for the purpose of making railways in the dominion, in fifty years New Zealand would still he behind the times. It should be remembered that tho interest of a large portion of the public debt of eighty-one millions was paid by the people who used the money. The advancos to settlers, to Avorkers, to local bodies and for land settlement were interest-bearing. The Hen J. A. Millar, during a speech on the finances, had shown that the cost of the leans to the dominion was only £367,000 per annum at the present time. Turning to the question of tho issue of State bank notes, he said that it should not be thought that a Government had merely to print slips of paper and pay its debts. Anybody who took that view had no idea of the economic position. If it was such an expedient aiid profitable method of paying debts, England, America and Germany would have adopted it years ago. Continuing, Mr Russell stated that in a speech at Milton on Monday Mr James Allen had referred to charge.3 of misrepresentation brought against him. It hurt Mr Allen's feelings if he was accused of misrepres3ntation. Mr Allen had referred to one or two charges, but he had overlooked one, and it was necessary to remind him. In May last, when speaking at Rivorton,. Mr Allen had used words to imply that Mr Massey could have had a seat in the Cabinet, but he was too honest a man to take it. • The idea was a coalition of tho Liberal and Conservative parties to fight Labour. Sir Joseph Ward, from England, had cabled out his denial, and tho speaker had mentioned it in tho House when Sir Joseph Ward, Mr Massey and Mr Allen had been face to face. It had turned out that some years b'ofore two men had approached Mr Maesey and suggested that it would be a good thing if there was a coalition. The whole thing was a malicious slander intended by Mr Alien to make it appear that Sir Joseph Ward was prepared to sell his party. Tho strength of the Liberal Party and the weakness of the Conservative made it ridiculous to suggest that the Prime Minister would seek a coalition. His opinion was that at the conclusion of the elections it would bo found that Mr Massey was weaker than ever. New Zealand did not.want millionaires, nor any desperately poor people, but as equal a distribution of wealth as possible, with a scattering of the increased facilities and comfort.

The Government's land policy was to *be found on the Statute Books. Last year, 1,412,000 acres had been taken up, on the optional tenure 131,000 acres, on cash purchaso basis 9000 acres, en pastoral runs 643,000 acres, land settlement on renewable lease 261,000 acres, endowments on renewable lease 91,000 acres, small grazing runs 128,000 acres, pastoral leases 249,000 acres. Mr Massey'sreal complaint was that the Government had no policy to give to the tenants of Crown lands the freehold. Tho tenants had gone on to the Crown lands on the leasehold, and had made fortunes, in some cases, and to give them the freehold now would be a great political steal, except where tho State .uad its fair share of the unearned increment.

The last session had shown that the Liberal Pary had not lost its virility, nor had forsaken its Liberal ideals, and it should be remembered that if Mr Massey was returned to power he would form a ministry of men who had never held portfolios previously. He believed that tho new Parliament's duty would be to overhaul the Customs tariff so as to stimulate local industries, so that they could give employment to the people of the dominion. He was pleased that the Government was going to take up the matter of the iron and oil deposits in New Zealand. Defeated at the polls in 1908, the Opposition during the three sessions just past had made a series of charges reflecting on the members of the House and of the Government. Mr Russell enumerated the charge regarding E. A. Smith and Co., the Hine charges and the Mokau case, explaining them and summing them up with the statement that all the charges, as soon as investigated, had been exploded.

In regard to the sale of the Mokau Estate, he said that if Mr Massey advocated that the Government should settle the estate, why should it not go into the Hawke's Bay distriot and settle some of the magnificent estates tb.ere, which were just as badlv in need of settlement. He strongly deprecated the charges made in Wellington by MiBed, an Opposition candidate, in regard to alleged "pickings" at tho High Commissioner's office. The history of the Liberal Party showed that a large number of measures had been passed for the benefit of the masses, and he asked what need there was for the cry amongst some workers that the Liberal Government should be turned out of office. He did not think that a Judge pf the Supreme Court was the best President of the Arbitration Court, but he had nothing but absolute contempt for those Creatures who went about the country trying to foment mischief and create trouble. As to the defence scheme, he said that it had come to stay. (Applause and cries of "No, no.") He regretted that the scheme was forced on the country. (A Voice: "Why did yoli vote for it ") He had realised that there were only four or five members in the House who were with him, and be was not such a fool as to delay the House in those circumstances. It had been decided that the age limit of training should be twenty-two, only one year from the limit he had tried to establish. New Zealand was an insular country. In time it would become a naval nation, not a military one, and the bulk of the expenditure should he in the direction or helping the Navy of the Mother Country rather than in creating a large army to meet the enemy which, ho hoped, would novella nd on these shores. (Applause.) In reply to questions, he said that he did not believe very much in proportional representation. It was impracticable to repeal the defence scheme, but it had been modified so that the compulsory clauses should apply only to youths from fourteen to eighteen 'years. A vote of thanks and renewed confidence was moved by Mr L. W. Ormandy and seconded by Mr R. S. Ward, and was carried with only a few dissentients. THE RICCARTON SEAT. MR G. WITTY AT THE RICCARTON SCHOOL. Mr G. Witty, member for Riccarton, who is contesting the seat at the corn-

ing election, opened his campaign at tho Riccarton School last evening. Tho attendance was large, tho schoolroom being crowded. Mr 11. Manhire occupied the chair, and briefly introduced the speaker.

Mr Witty first expressed his deep regret that Mr Massey had been incapacitated temporarily from taking part in the election campaign. The speaker went on to say that on this occasion ho had three opponents, all of whom opposed the present Government. Ho would stand as a Liberal, and would please himself how he voted, save on a no-confidence motion, when he would vote for the Government and stick to his party. There were those who said that party government was wrong. The system certainly had its defects, but what could they put in its place? Under the party system the country had political leaders, and without leaders of some kind Parliament would be in a state of chaos. Two of his opponents represented Labour, while a third might be taken to represent capital. The srjeaker considered ho was midway between these two factions.

Ho went on to refer to the strenuous nature of the work of the past session, particularly in committee. The past year had been productive of important measures. He described the provisions of tho Mental Defectives Bill and the Military Pensions Bill, the amendments to the Old Age Pensions Act, and the proposals for the payment of pensions to widows with dependents. The nained measure would cost about £55,000 annually, but it marked an advance in humanitarian legislation on anything hitherto attempted. Tho amendments to the Workers' Compensation Act removed certain anomalies effecting domestic servants, the reform being promoted by Mr L. M. Isitt. The provisions for death and gift duties had been amended because it was found that the duties were being evaded. It was quite right that death duties should be imposed. There was the,case of the Murchison Estate, on which £31,000 of duty had to be paid. In that case only £IOOO was bequeathed in New Zealand, all the rest going to connections of tho deceased in Scotland. Amendments had also been made to the Arbitration Act. All this legislation was of a humanitarian character, and tended to uplift the people. Among the unsuccessful Bills was one providing for bonuses ranging from £1 to 25s per ton on iron, steel and fencing wire manufactured in New Zealand. Another Bill proposed that tho State should issue notes to all banks trading in this country. The loss of the 3 per cent payment to the Stat© made by the banks at present would bo amply compensated for by the profit accruing from lost notes. Another proposal was to establish Farmers' cooperative banks. A Bill to amend the Land for Settlements Act proposed to remove the provision that the Government must pay 10 per cent above valuations up to £50,000 and 5 per cent above that sum when land was taken compulsorily for closer settlement purposes. Another Bill proposed to improve the classification of Civil servants and to give school teachers a right of appeal against transfer. The Town-planning Bill was another proposal which, if carried into law, would tend to prevent tho creation of slums. The Bill had a chance until the Minister in charge proposed that the operation of the Act should be dependent entirely upon the Minister, to whom application was made ky a municipality. The Minister was to have power to alter or veto any such proposal. Mr Witty had opposed that proposal.

It was said that New Zealand was being ruined by a policy of reckless and extravagant borrowing. It was a sufficient reply to that assertion to analyse the expenditure which had been made of loan moneys. The gross debt of the dominion was £31,000,000 odd, but the sinking fund amounted to £1.240,739. and the net debt was £79,837.388. Of this amount £2,357,000 had been spent on the Maori war, a war for which the Libera! administration Tas in no way responsible, but which was largely caused by the greed of grasping land-grabbers. (Applause.) A sum <;i £2,783,727 had been spent on defence, most of it prior to 1891, and on forts which a few years afterwards were declared to be not worth the stone used in their construction. Railways had cost £25.602,448, and the railways paid more than their interest and could he sold for £30,000.000 to-mor-row, ft was never unwise to borrow money for necessary works which paid interest. The man who borrowed money to build a castle to live in was foolish, but the man who borrowed money to profitably improve a farm was wise. A larsto sum had been spent on roads and bridges, which, because they improved the value of the land they served, were indirectly profitable. Bridges, also, meant saving annually lives which might have beon lost at dangerous fords. Public buildings accounted for £5,240,000. and tho interest on this sum was less than the rental which would have to be paid by the Government for similar accommodation, so that the expenditure v-as quite justifiable-. Telephones and telegraph lines had cost £662r000, harbours and lighthouses £873,683, and immigration £2,463.002. of which last sum the present Government had only spent £74,000. The expenditure on all tneso objects was, in the speaker's opinion, well justified. Ho was an immigrant himself, and he was not ashamed of it. Lands for settlement had consumed £6,303,485, and thousands of people had been settled on tho land who could not have got there otherwise. Every penny of the money so spent was reproductive. Government advances to settlers amounted to £(-;.074,935. and this money, as well as benefiting the people, was entirely reproductive. The Opposition, when these advances were started, said that they were starting pawnshop. Even if they were, it had proved a grand thing for this dominion. (ApTilaiwe.) Government advances to settlers amounted to £964,765, and he Would have liked to ,?-ee a lot more advanced in the same way. This sum was entirely reproductive. The expenditure on Bniik of New Zealand shares was £500,000. This-expenditure, and the guarantee of £2,000,000.. had saved the country from financial disaster. Tho shares were now paying 15 per cent, and it was a great pity the Government did not take over all the shares. A sum of £462,166 was sunk in New Zealand consols, which paid a small interest, and £2,461.167 was expended on Native -land purchases, the money being reproductive. Tourist and health resorts had absorbed £131,507, and these advertised the dominion while providing for the holiday recreation of New Zealanders themselves. Loans to local bodies amounted to £4,882.000, most of which was intersstboaring, thoudi the State lost about £l6 in "every £IOO. State fire insurance cost £2000,' and it had done good duty in bringing down insurance rates all round. " A sum of £BOO,OOO was set aside in reserve securities, and it was interest-bearing. It provided for any financial emergency which might temporarily place the Government in difficulties' An expenditure of £400,000 had been made on scenery preservation, a very worthy object, and £9,000.000 odd had been spent on raising and converting loans and discharging provincial liabilities.

Prior to 1891 the total debt was £36,000.000 odd. and of that amount only £19,020,000 was interest-bearing. It cost £7;i95,300 to raise that £38,000,000, and the £42,000,000 borrowed since had only cost about £2,000.000 to raise. Out of that latter £42.000,000. £36,000,000 was interestbearing. It had been said that Sir Joseph Ward was the " wizard of finance." but tho remark, though it might be witty, was quite untrue. Sir Joseph Ward had not an equal as a financier in any colonial administration. The development of the country could not he continued without borrowed money, and the sinking fund provision ensured that all borrowed money would bo repaid in seventy-five years. The Opposition had voted . against the sinking fund-

With regard to future railway construction, the Government should either acquire land beforehand along the track of tho railway, or should apply the betterment system. The railway had put £1.000,000 in the pockets of the squatters on the other side of the Wainu. Dealing with present methods of acquiring and settling land, Jlr YVitty said there was a profit, on Cheviot at present of £63,000. It would not he long before Cheviot paid for itself, and it was better tho State should hold the land than private landlords. The leader of the Opposition proposed to sell educational endowments. There was no reason on earth why they should part with those endowments. The people of Christchurch might as well be asked to part with Hagley Park. The Opposition twitted the Government with departing from John Ballance's policy. Ae a matter of fact the times had moved, since Ballance was alive. The Conservatives used to call Ballance one of the seven devils of Socialism. Now they hailed his memory as that of a saint. The Liberal Administration had accomplished a great many reforms never dreamed of in the time of John Ballance. Tho Opposition had mado frequent and wild charges of bribery and corruption against the Liberal Administration. Nothing had come of all these charges. The "Bun Tuck " charges came to nothing, and the Hi no charges only landed a poor guileless Maori weighing 22 stone into trouble. Dealing with land purchase, Mr Witty said that if the Government wanted to buy land it had to pay a very high price for it. Mr Massey said he would make the Government pay three times its value if it wanted-to buy his land. Yet he wanted the State to sell its land, and to sell the land of the Maoris, to all comers at "' original " values. The Opposition said everyone wanted the freehold, but the facts seemed to point to another conclusion. Out of 5549 holders of O.R.P. holdings, only 1185 had acquired the freehold, while only 208 L.I.P. holders had taken advantage of the provision that they should pay off the purchase money. The vast disproportion between the number of applicants at ballot and the number of successful applicants showed that there was a very keen demand for leasehold land. . There were 13,000,000 acres of land in New Zealand at prosent in the hands of a small group of 113 large landholders. It would be far better if that land was supporting 13,000 farmers. Yet the Opposition clamoured that Maori lands should be thrown open, though 4,000,000 out of tho 7,000,000 acres of Maori land was unfit for farming purposes. The Government had a duty to perform to the Maoris, and it had no intention of allowing any more big tracts of land to change hands for a ridiculously small consideration.

_ Ihe political parties of the dnv were the Reform Party, which stood for political stagnation; the Labour Party, which stood for impracticable ideals; and the Liberal Party, which stood for progress in practical and sensible lines. In regard to military training, the speaker said lie thought the present syt-tem of military training was wrong. He proposed that the school children should bo given more physical and less mo.ntal training, and that the Volunteer movement should be so encouraged as to ensure that New Zealand should have an efficient and sufficient defence force in the time of emergency. The gift of a Dreadnought to Britain was made at a time of nati ma! crisis. Its immense moral effect was its justification. The cost per head to the people of New Zealand was only Is lid per annum. The Asiatic nations lived within a week's sail of Australia, and it was necessary for Britain to maintain a strong fleet in the Eastern Pacific New Zealand must not grumble at tho cost of naval protection. (Applause.) Japan was borrowing £40,000,000 in seven vears for defence purposes. New Zealand's Dreadnought offer absorbed only £1,250,000 from the recent £5,000,000 loan.

In reply to questions, Mr Witty said he believed in both women and men receiving equal pay for equal work. He considered the mother should have equal rights with the father as guardian of her children. He was opposed to the bare majority on tho licensing issue, and favoured the retention of the three-fifths majority. If the local option issue was abolished, he would be prepared to support the 55 per cent majority on the dominion prohibition issue. He opposed the abolition of the totalisator, considering the machine the cleanest and fairest way of conducting inevitable betting. Tho matter of bringing farm labourers under an Arbitration Court award was a matter for the Arbitration Court. It was outside politics altogether. Ho considered that it was quite fair that Civil servants who were heads of departments should be debarred from contesting parliamentary seats, but he would support the removal of the present disabilities regarding membership of public bodies from Civil servants who were not heads of departments. His support or opposition of a. proposal for an elective upper house would depend on the method of election proposed. On the motion of Mr C. Marsh a vote of thanks and confidence in tho candidate was carried unanimously, amidst prolonged applause.