THE ELECTORAL CAMPAIGN

Waikato Argus, Volume XXXI, Issue 4852, 13 November 1911, Page 2

THE ELECTORAL CAMPAIGN

The Raglan Seat.

MR J. C. DROMGOOL AT HAMILTON. Mr J. C. Dtomgoul, Ministerial can- , didate for the Raglan scat, addressed l the electors in the Hamilton East' school on Saturday night. Notwithstanding that Saturday evening is an unfavourable time for bolding meetings of any kind, and that very little notice of the fixture had been given, there were about twenty present—quite half of whom were ladies. After candles had been liberally distributed in various parts of the building, Mr Dromgool called upon the meeting tc elect a chairman, and Mr C. Speight, who was voted to the position, briefly introduced the speaker. PERSONAL. Mr Dromgool, in his opening remarks, stated that one of his reasons for coming forward was that the Raglan electorate was a new one, and sumo of Ids friends thought it would not be illfitting that one born and educated in the district should be its first representative, He had lived in the district nearly all his life, and was conversant with its many requirements. Ilia profession, that of a schoolmaster, had prevented him taking an active part in public life; but nevertheless he had taken a keen deep interest in all public affairs. HIS PLATFORM. His first plank was a vigorous public works policy with regard to railways, roads and bridges in the dia- : trict, which would tend to develop a : large tract of virgin country. One 1 railway was already in hand, but-he thought there should be two or three i light lines to act as feeders, and if elected he would leave no stone unI turned to press these claims upon | the Government of the day. He also | advocated the duplication of the j Main Trunk lino from Auckland us | far as Huntly, and a new railway i from Pokeno to Paeroa, which would i tap the fertile Thames Valley and reduce the distance from Auckland to Thames by about 70 miles. These matters must he taken into serious consideration within the next few years, and he would not fail to impress their importance upon the Minister. THE AUCKLAND MEMEBR3. He complained that Auckland members in the past had not done as much as they might have done for Auckland, and if elected he would do his best to weld them into a solid phalanx, in order that the just claims of Auckland would receive the recognition they deserved. (Applause). THE LIBERAL PARTY. He was, he said, a soild Liberal, and believed in equal opportunity for all in every rank of life, and the advancement of education. He stood as the representative of the party which had worked on those principles for the past thirty years. He then went on to deal with the foundation of the Liberal party, and traced its history from the time of Sir Geo. Grey down to the present day, paying a luting tribute to Mr Seddon, whom he described as a humanitarian ol the best type, whoso sole aim in life was the uplifting of the people. (Applause). He referred to the Advances to Settlers and Advances to Work ers, Loans to Local Bodies, anc Railway Superannuation Act, the Teachers’ Superannuation Acts.whicl had done much to alleviate the conditions of the workers. Hi claimed that the policy laid down by the great Liberal leaders of the day had been continued by Sir Josepl Ward, who had also enacted many measures of a humanitarian nature, including the Pensions to Widowi and the Land Settlement Financi Act. which had largely assisted ii the work of close settlement in tin Dominion.

OPPOSITON TACTICS. Dealing with the Opposition he said they had relentlessly opposed all the humanitarian measures he had referred to in and out of season. Their charges of Tarnmanyism they had never been able to justify, and they had adversely affected our borrowing policy by decrying tho credit of IheDominion on the London market an action which as patriotic New Zealanders we ought to resent. He also condemned lire charges against Mr Seddon through his son, Captain Seddon, and also Sir Robert Stout, who was an impartial man well worthy to occupy the high position he held.

FINANCIAL REFORM. There was, he said, no necessity for financial reform as advocated by the Opposition, and he contended that the policy of the Government had been to wipe out tho duties on the necessaries of life. If the Opposition got in they could only reduce the taxation on luxuries, and as the money would have to he raised soinehowjthe burden would have to be placed upon the land. This Opposition plank was only a cry to catch votes. (Applause). EXPENDITURE. He defended the present methods of making grants for public works, and said bo was confident that in the hands of the local bodies they were wisely and judiciously expended. He thought the railway men were shockingly underpaid, and said he thought there should be a reduction in freights. The railways had, he claimed, been well administered, showing a yearly profit of a million, which, in an ordinary business, would be looked upon as a most satisfactory result. He justified the expenditure upon education, anil referred to the concessions which had been granted to tho public in the post and telegraph services.

FINANCE. Sir Joseph Ward was acknowledged, he said, as being ono of the cleverest financiers in the world at the present day. He had always been looked upon us a sound financier, and when reduced to the verge of bankruptcy in business as well as politically, ho stuck to his guns and paid off the whole of his creditors in full. He defended the Public Debt Extinction Act and deprecated the erron ;- ous statements made by Mr Massey and Mr Allen regarding the sinking fund, which was proof of their utter incapability as financiers. LAND VALUES. Speaking of land values, Mr Dromgool said if the present prosperity was not continued there was every possibility of a slump, in which thousands would be ruined and u financial crisis might arise which would he even worse than that of 1893, when Mr Seddon had to come to the rescue of the Bank of New Zealand, ft was absolutely necessary therefore that they should have a man like Sir Joseph Ward at the head of affairs. THE NATIONAL DEBT. Mo defended the borrowing policy of the Government, and said that S7 per cent, of £40,000,000 borrowed by the present Government was interest earning, leaving only 13 per cent, for the taxpayer to pay interest upon. While tho total national debt amounted to £81,000,000, the assets —our private and public wealth—amounted to £000,000,000 or £700,000,000. LAND TENURE. He declared himself us a staunch freeholder, and said this was tho ono and only standard form of tenure. Ho believed in Crown tenants being allowed or given an opportunity to purchase tho freehold and advocated shorter leases. He thought they should revert to the L.I.P. system with tho right to conveit it to the freehold, but not for a lump sum aa advocated by Mr Massey. He would allow a tenant to acquire the freehold by payment of the small sum of one per *cent. annually for 301 years, which would give him the freehold and tend to do away with the speculative element in connection with tho conversion of the lease. NATIVE LANDS. Referring to the Native land policy of the Government, Mr Dromgool said he thought the present policy of the Government should be extended in the direction of enforcing

the appointment of trustees for every block of land held under Native title, and that instead of the amendment of 1909, allowing the appointment of "assembled native owners,” it should be made compulsory. He advocated a vigorous land settlement policy generally and the prevention of the aggregation of large estates.

TAXATION. Touching on the subject of taxation the speaker thought the burden should be carried by those who benefited most. He denied the existence of a mortgage tax, and said this was only a bogey of the Opposition. FARMERS AND THE GOVERNMENT. He could not understand, he said, why the farmers should be so hostile to the Government, as no other Government had dune half so much to improve the conditions under which they worked; instancing the various Acts, including the Advances to Settlers Act, the Land Settlement Finance Act, the expenditure of thirds, the encouragement given to the dairying industry, the free carriage of lime, and reductions in freights. The high price o£ labour complained of by the farmers was a natural sequence to our general prosperity and, he asked, would they be willing to go hack to the old days when labour was cheap, and butter would not bring more than 4d per lb? The Workers Compensation for Accidents Act was said to press heavily on the farmers, but he characterised ! it as a most necessary prevision for I the protection of both the employers and employees in every sphere of life. | RAILWAY SERVANTS’ GRIEVANCES.

The grievances of railway servants i was next touched upon. He thought j the demand of the railway labourer for Is a day more than the ordinary labourer only a fair one, and if i elected it would he his first duty to j endeavour to bring this about. The : Government had met them half way in the matter, and he hoped to see the extra 6d a day gianted at an early date. He thought the Railway Superannuation Act should be brought into lino with the Teachers’ Superannuation Act. and generally expressed himself in sympathy with the whole of the grievances of the railway men, which should he remedied as speedily as possible. THE CIVIL SERVICE. He was opposed to the appointment of a Civil Service Board as suggested by the Opposition, which could only prove to he a conservative institution. There was less dissatisfaction amongst the Civil Service at the present time than at any previous period, and he defended the Government against the charges of patronage in the matter of appointments. THE EDUCATION BOARD. Speaking of the Education Board, the speaker said it was a ccnservath e institution, and had not treated him as fairly as it might have done. Provided the efficiency of the school was not interfered with he saw no reason why lie should not take an interest in political affairs, but instead of encouraging him it had endeavoured to place obstacles in his way. THE GAMBLING QUESTION. As far as the gamiding question was concerned he would be inclined to support Mr Jennings’ Amendment Act, should it be reintroduced into the House. He was not opposed to the totalisator; but thought a percentage of the revenue derived therefrom should bo devoted to the support of Agricultural and Pastoral Associations, and the encouragement of horse breeding. COMPULSORY TRAINING. He also supported the Defence Act, but said he thought it should contain a conscience clause in order to allow Quakers and others to render certain services to the State in return for being relieved of military duty. CONCLUSION. In conclusion the speaker said ho did not think Mr Massey was the right man to guide the destinies of the Dominion, and the people would he wise to leave the control of New Zealand in the hands of tried men who had always worked on broad, humanitarian lines for the betterment and uplifting of the people as a whole. Mr Dromgool resumed his seat amidst applause. QUESTIONS. In reply to questions the candidate said he was an out and out freeholder and in favour of all forms of tenure that would lead to the acquisition of tho freehold. Ho was not in favour of one Minister one portfolio. He was opposed to any farther effort to simplify and codify the law as this had recentlv been done in a most satisfactory manner. He explained the disparity between the amounts voted yearly and the amount expended as being due to various causes. It was partly due to the difficulty experienced in obtaining an adequate supply of labour and partly to the lethargy of members, who were content with promises and did not see the business through. In this connection he complimented the member for Waikato on the results which had attended his labours. He not only obtained promises but made it his business to see that the goods were delivered. (Applause). Mr Dromgool refused to state who was the author of the voucher charges, and said he would leave it to his audience to supply tho reason Cor not doing so. (Applause). The same questioner then asked: Was it not the late Mr T. E. Taylor? Mr Dromgool: I refuse to answer that question or discuss the matter in any way. (Applause). On the motion of Mr P. Kelly, seconded by Mr J. Burke, a vote of thanks to and confidence in Mr Dromgool was carried by acclamation.

MK R. F. BOLLARD AT TAUW HARE. Mr R. F. Bollard, Reform Party candidate for the Raglan seat, addressed a large and enthusiastic audience at Tauwhnre on Saturday night, a number of ladies being present. On the motion of Mr Chapman, seconded by Mr Ramsay, the speaker was accorded a vole of thanks and confidence. MR R. P. BOLLARD AT CLAUDELANDS. Mr R. F. Bollard will address the electors of Raglan in the Church of Christ, Claudelands, tomorrow evening at eight o’clock. Colonel Bell, Opposition candidate for the Raglan seat, will address the electors in the Town Hull, Hamilton, on Thursday evening.

The Waikato Seat,

MR GREENSLADE AT PIRONGIA. Mr H. J. Greenslade, M.P., again a candidate for the Waikato electorate, addressed a meeting here on Saturday evening last. There was a gcod attendance, including a number of ladies. Mr W. H. James was called to the chair, and introduced Mr Greenslado, remarking that he had not hitherto seen eye to eye with the candidate, but he was sure ho would have an impartial hearing, which was one of the good things which was caused by votes to the ladies, so many of whom were present that night. Mr Greenslado then addressed the meeting for some one and a half hour on similar lines as his Kihikihi address, and was frequently applauded. At the conclusion of the address questions were asked by Messrs W. Mackay, Bogus, and others, and satisfactorily replied to. Mr Chas. McCallum, sen., proposed a vote of thanks to Mr Greenslade for his address and confidence in him to represent them in Parliament. Mr A. W. Jones briefly seconded the motion, which was carried unanimously. A vote of thanks was pissed to the chairman, with cheers for tire candidate. MR J,- A. YOUNG AT PUKERIMU. Mr J. A. Young, non-party candidate for Waikato, addressed a big house at Pukerirnu on Saturday

night. Mr J. S. Fisher occupied the chair. The candidate received a good hearing, and at the close of his address several questions wore asked and answered satisfactorily. On the motion of Mr R. Fisher, jun., seconded by Mr McDonald, a vote of thanks and confidence was carried without dissent amid enthusiasm. Mr Young will address the electors at Kotorangi tonight, and at Moana Vale tomorrow.

By Telegraph.— Press Association. INVERCARGILL, This Day. Sir J. G. Ward addressed 700 people at Bluff. Re dealt at length with the Opposition criticism, and also with the need for defence in view of the rapid strides by the military forces of China and Japan. He hoped the defence scheme would be given a fair trial. Sir Joseph was accorded a vote of thanks and confidence.