CORRESPONDENCE.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XLIX, Issue 12600, 14 September 1905, Page 7

CORRESPONDENCE.

THE LIBERAL AND LABOUR FEDERATION.

To the Editor. Sir,—One does not need to be a Sherlock Holmes to discover the source of your report of the meeting to form a branch of tho Liberal and Labour Federation. With regard to the meeting it&eli, it is a matter for congratulation that? tho tactics of the supporters of one candidate were so completely foiled. Ihe chairman's action in refusing to accept a motion intended to wreck the meeting received the'approval of all who study the interests of the Liberal party ajid desire to see the party united. Mr. Williams' confession that under his secretaryship tho old Federation had become ■altogether torpid, reflects little credit on tho energy of the old executive. There is, however, good hope that th 3 Federation is entering en a new and prosperous career in Wangaimi. Of course it is to the interest of tho Opposition to foment dissension in Iho Liberal camp. The Wangaiiui Lib-«:fal.-5 } however, aro not to ho caught with chaff, and will bo found presenting r. united front to the enemy.—l am, ttc.

LIBERAL

To the Editor

Sir,—lf you will allow me a little spa co I think I will be able to show you that your attack on. Mr. Culver, in this morning's paper, was not altogether justified. Perhaps if the "Liberal" (?) wlio supplied you with a report of the meeting had told you a little more ! about what took place you would not have written as you did. I do not think ili reflects at all discreditably upon Mr. . Culver to believe that he was unaware that thero was a branch of the Liberal and Labour Federation existing in Wangs nui. Ho has got the whole colony to look after, a vast amount of correspondence to attend to, and a great deal oi? hard work and travel in ccraHection with his work. How could he bo dxpected to remember that a branch which wan formed years ago, but which has nerei' sinco been heard.of, was still in existence? Was it has fault that the branch was allowed to become the wreck it is? Surely not. I think your criticism would have been in better taste if ib had been applied to Mr. T. B. Williams instead of to Mr. Culver. I take it that.it is the duty of the local secretary to keep the general secretary posted. It wo had bad a live secretary our Federation would have been kepb alive, meetings would have been held, and in alt probability unauthorised outsiders would have bean prevented from imperilling the seat of the member in whom i believo the great majority "of tho party still havo confidence, and who hao certaiuly not done anything to justify n preference for either of the socalled Liberals who are now opposing, him. This, at least, is the opinion of ONE OF THE OLD LIBERALS. Wanganui, September 13. l'.S:—May I ask you, in passing, if it wa'i Mr. Williams who supplied your report? [It was certainly not Mr.' Williams who supplied our report, nor can we see that "Ono of the Old Liberals" has the slightest reason for his suggestion. Ah for tho statement that we blamed tho wrong man, we beg to differ. We hold no brief for Mr. Williams, but we contend that the general .secretary of the Federation ought to have known that tho local branch was still in existence. But there, the trouble is not ours.—Eel. "Chronicle.]

, v , To the Editor. ; ;?«^iJ^^|Sincs you.;have seen fit to pub-, tilisllf'a reptpifij&f^the.'jßfo.ceedhigs a* ,'Mxi' Cutyer^j.m4^^g^4l >tmdk you^ tkight, ■in Justico' p'feo, vshall I gay, the better jcl^ssi'of Liberals, give publicity to the real cause for the failure of the meeting. That cause was t;he attempt of an ambitious, but, I venture- to say, unrecognised Liberal candidate to pack and capture the meeting. It is said, and I suppose Mr. Gatenby can tell us whether or riot it is true, that he actually "whipped up" his supporters by circular and telephone, and that his intention in so doing was to get a vote, that would damage Mr. Willis. As your own report indicates, Mr. Gatenby was completely outwitted (not that I think it requires much to do that), and he and hia followers were completely and effectually gagged, just as completely and effectually as he will be relegated to the background if he is foolish enough to persist in going to the poll. Why does ho object to Rule 19? Is it becauso ho is frightened to have his own iv-irao submitted to the Wellington executive? And. why did ho not consult the local party before presuming to announce himself a.<; a Liberal candidate? Was it because he knew he had no chance of bein,?; accepted by the Libera!',1 of Watiganui? Perhaps he will be good enough to tell us. He can take it from mo that ho has got to do one of two things, either stand down before the poll or be put down by the people, as ho most assuredly will bs if he persists in assisting to split the Liberal vote—l am, etc., A GENUINE LIBERAL.

STATE CONTROL

To the Editor,

Sit-—A clause eihojild be inserted in our Licensing Act allowing. State control or the opening of Government liquor saloons in any no-license electorate w'hieh may revert back to continuance, or license, at the coming poll. These depots could be -under the dual control of the State, and local control, like our public schools. . The following figures -represent the number of extra votes required to ©am-y no-license at the 1902 poll:—Taranaki required 620 extra votes to get the three-fifths majority; Egmont, 645; Hawena, 444; and Patea, 501. The result of our .experiments in liquor legislation ia watched with keen interest in the Australian States.—l <am, etc.

J. PEARSON 134, Cuba Street. Wellington.

September 12th, 1905