THE GENERAL ELECTIONS.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 11727, 30 November 1905, Page 2

THE GENERAL ELECTIONS.

K3p F. Ht Haselden In the Opera House.

The Opera House was crowded last night, when Mr F. 11. Haselden replied to the Premier's speech. Tho candidate, who delivered a speech of two hours, was accorded an attentive hearing, and was frequently applauded throughout his address. Mr J. H. Kecsing, who presided in the unavoidable absence of the Mayor, said that though opposed to Mr Hasoldon, he had every respect for him and for those who supported him. Not long since it was saii lhat ho was unknown, but it must be admitted he was pretty weil known now, more especially as a fighting man. Mr Hasclden, who on rising was greeted with loud applause, said that although Mr Keesing had said ha was not going to support him, he was not so sure of that, and thought that a good many more would do so. He said he had undertaken to reply to the Premier, though ho was conscious that he was undertaking a big thing. After a reference to the short report which tlio Chronicle gave of the Premier's speech, he r^fprred^io Ministers ol the Crown going round tho country just prior to the election, saying he did not think it was right. There was a great difference in Mr Seddon going round the country and Mr Massey doing so, as Mr Seddon did so at tho public expense, while Mr Masesy paid his own. Mr Seddon, on coming to Wanganui, found six candidates in the field, and he said that if the four Liberals stood the Party must be beaten, and he had put forward a suggestion for two of them to stand down. Mr Seddon had said he could not steal the Opposition policy, as th-cy had none, but reform wns not in iho P'-emier's line, till it w:^S forced from him. Dealing with the

OPPOSITION CANDIDATES.

Mr Seddon had referred to Mr Bossctt in connection with some foreign bird. But in regard to himself (Mr Haselden) ho had said he was standing in unswerving adherence to principle. Thai was most sfciicrou6 of the Premier, and he, in return, would not lake tho gloves off, and would box for points only. Mr Hasolden, said the Premier, had "been in the House a short time, and suddenly left, but he did not say why. The reason was that an elector's njir.e (Williams) had the letters "on" added, and that mistake cost him the election, as he had won by only one vote. Tho Premier got a petition filed against the election, and Sir Robert Stout and Judsjo Williams, who tried the case, said that his conduct had been honourable and straightforward all through; nevertheless, I'C had to pay cosls tliroujrli tlial mistake. Well ho went on with a fresh election, and won lu'nds down, and Mr Seddon renewed his acquaintance i^ith him. (Applause.) And to koop him oui at the no\t eelction, the Government cut up the electorate, and lost him hi* supporters, putting in a large number of cooperative labourers in one division, and Stratford into Pa tea, which he- represented. He lost that election because ho was not known in Stratford, not even so well as the Chronicle knew him now. Mr Ilaselden next dealt with the Criminal Code Amendment Bill, saying that the Premier had made a law he. did not dare carry 'out. The Bill was brought down merely to <?ag Mr Mcikle and Mr Braund. (Applause.) Mr Haselden then criticised Mr Seddon's statements re

THE LAST LOAN,

contending that each .£IOO scrip had realised only £91 15s Bd. while .£50,000 of the public money, drawn from the PuMic Works Fund and the Advances to Pettlers Office, had been used to "bull"' the market. This money had to be returned, an<i tli3 Government had forced the Pos-t Office to accept debentures for them, and it was a fact that there was ,£2,000,000 of Hie public money ontorod on th:> Post Office books in debentures quoted at 94 when they were worth only 88. Not only that, but the Lands Department had used half a million realised from sale of lands as revenue. The Premier thought he had him over the State coal mines, but he contended that the mines had not reduced the price of coal, and ho quoted, on Mr F. Pirani's authority, the prieo of coal by the cwt. in Wellington at 40s a ton. Mi; Ilaselden then referred to the

PUBLIC REVENUES ACT,

and combattod Mr Soddon's statement that the public money could not be spent without being audited, and quoted from the Act in support of his contention, saying that it gave power to over-ride any other Act pascsd by Parliament, and the more Mr St-ddon ( denied it, the deeper ho got into the mire. (Applause.) Before the Act was passed, any vote put on the Estimates had to be spent for its specific purpese only, but imder the Public Revenues Act it could be transferred to any other purpose. Mr Seddon said they could not move a vote once it was on the Estimates, but ho could move anything. (Laughter, and cries of "Good old Dick.") Mr Hoddon was hurt at

THE CO-OPERATIVE MEN

being described as a "voting-machine, but he knew them, and knew what they knew of politics, and also what they knew of tliD scciecy of the ballot-box. Only that alternoon 42 co-operative labourers had landed in Wanganui on their way to the Main 'I rank Railway, to swell the vote for Mr Remington. Mr Seddon had said they would do better than Mr Haselden if elected to Parliament, but he would not let them get there. He even tried to keep Mr Hogan out because he was fearless and independent. (Applause.) Re the %

WORKERS' HOMES.

Mr Haselden said the Government was to lease houses at low rents, for if they were sold the workers would only sell them again, so there was nothing inconsistent in him (Mr Haselden) advocating tho leasehold for this. But the Bill was hung up, and Mr Seddon granted the freehold just to get it through, and this would destroy the whole sehemc. (Applause.) He twitted Mr Seddon with inconsistency, saying that he had always advocated land nationalisation, which had always peen a failure wherever tried, and had even spoken of the freehold as "immoral." Yet every block of land that was offered by the Government could be bought for cash. That was nothing but political humbug. (Applause.) And finally, only a few weeks ago, in Parliament, the Premier had voted for the freehold in order to get a three-quarters of a million loan, and on the very Jmes .the Opposition objected to 3 viz., to cut up large estates and lease them, giving the right to acquire the freehold. The Premier did not caro which side of the fence he fell on. so long as he fell in the Treasury benches. (Laughter and applause.) Mr Haselden then dealt with the statement that Mr Harding had called the Liberals "dogs, saying he did not believe it, and thought it was only an 'economy of tho truth." But the dog was a noble animal, and if Mr Harding had said so, he probably meant that those who voted against the Government were intelligent men. (Laughter.) As to Mr Massey coming to the penintent stool, that was more a thing that the Premier should do. The latter had stated that the Government had spent millions on roads, but the Public Works figures since the Seddon Government camo

into power showed that 4-} millions was voted for roads and bridges, and only £1.200,000 spent. For railway construction .£3,180,000 was voted in li years, but only .£1,280,000 was spent. Mr Haselden quoted other figures having the same bearing on his contention, the total being ,£12,356,000 voted, and only ,£3,617,000 spent. And yet he came there and snid he had spent millions on roads, and they all had applauded him. (Laughter and applause.) Mr Massey had said that the Government's policy was bribery and bullying. The Premier had said no constituency would suffer if it returned an Opposition member, yet, speaking on the Public Works Estimates, he said tiiat he would not say that other things being 3qual he would not favour those who helped the Government. Did not that 6ound very like a bribe? He quoted other remarks by the Premier which lie contended were to the same effect. Mr Haselden then dealt with the ADVANCES TO SETTLERS OFFICE, saying that the loans offered by the office were nothing like the value of the security offered, quoting a case in support. Tho office was started to help the Crown tenants, yet it bad lent i millions to freeholders, and only .£90,000 to the State tenants. Re th<* Premier's statement of soup kitchens existing in the time of the Atkinson Government, Mr Haselden stated that a soup kitchen was in existence in Wellington now, not assisted by the Government, but run by the Catholic Sisters of Mercy. (Applause.) Regarding the half a. crown a day paid by tho Atkinson Government, the works then were started as relief works. Some interruptions at this point called for the chairman's interposition, and Mr Haselden, continuing, asked how the Government treated its own co-operative labourers. They had 800 men working on the Main Trunk Railwaj, and one morning Mr Hall-Jones found he had no money to pay them with, and without asking Mr Seddon for something from the surplus, sacked them without a day's notice in a cold-blooded and brutal manner. But when the Atkinson Government came into power there was a uetitit <Jf .£5,250,000, and they started to cut down their own salaries, and those of the civil servants. (Applause.) Mr Seddon had characterised large estates as -ie greatest blot on fhe country, forgetting that his own Government owned 9 million acres "of land absolutely unproductive, to say nothing of 7 million acres of native land. That Avas the greatest blot on the face of New Zealand, and it was no blot if a man had 50,000 acres honestly obtained, for he would leave it to his children, and they would further cut it up lor theirs. Why did not the Premier open up all this land with roads? If he even gave it away for nothing it would be good business. The Premier said the reason he voted for the freehold was because there were millions of acres in the North worth nothing, and the tenants* Avere entitled to all their improvements. But what about the improvements on other lands? Were not the tenants entitled to them ? Tho Government had been 14 years putting the Natives Land Purchase Bill through, and as far as Wanganui wais concerned there was not a single road to any of the native lands in the interior. The Fair Rent Bill was a fraud bill, and was only brought down to re-value the leases, yet the Premier said good faith must be kept with the tenants. Mr Seddon was coming to his senses; it would bo wrong to break faith. Mr Seddon also said that he would reduce taxation on the necessaries of life — just before the election. He said he would give a free breakfast table — burgoo and skim milk. (Laughter.) He talked about the

FIRE INSURANCE business, but it would be like the Accident Insurance business, which had cut down .rates, and in six months had put them up six times higher than before. They had voted .£3OOO for the Parapava Road, and all they had for it was two miles of mud. He had not a word to say against the co-operative men, but he was against the system. The men should be allowed to form small parties and tender for the work. (Applause.) Mr Haselden ridiculed the Premier's proposal to give half the freehold of their cottages _to wives, which was only to catch the ladies' votes, and which, anyhow, he only had in contemplation. (Laughter. 1 * Mr Seddon stated recently in Wellington that the Government had a million and a halt, and still the money was rolling in, but the fact was that the Government had not a shilling to call its own. (A voice — How do you know?) Well, he did know. And yet the Government proposed to borrow another four millions, and said it was going to launch a bold scheme, giving everyone a pension at 60, and if it paid, giving it at 55. If they went on long enough, they would get it at six months. (Laughter.) Mr Seddon said the Opposition had no policy. He (Mr Haselden} said the Government hail no policy, only a system of sticking- to the Treasury benches. The Opposition never suggested such a thing as doing away with the leasehold, they wanted to see the country opened up. And how could anyone support a candidate who favoured the Government measures, and then said he would vote against them? The Opposition wanted reform in education, an elective Upper House, reform in th€ co-operative system, a clearing out of the native land muddle, and public accounts properly kept and audited. The Opposition wanted the Criminal Code Amendment Act repealed, the removal of gags on the press, the Civil Service Act amended, the Customs duties revised, and magistrates made independent of the Government. (Applause.) To sum up. the Opposition wanted political purity and honest administration. Mr ITaselden then reviewed the scandals which he alleged the Government had been guilty of, going on. to deal with trusts and combines. There were two trusts in^ New Zealand, he said, one was a company trust, and the other was Rocke-

feller's kerosene trust, and when the duty was taken off ' kerosene, Rockefeller's agents put tiie price up and made iillo,ooo out of us in six months. The other monopoly was the Seddon Government. Mr Haselden then condemned the Government s <slu.eat£on. policy, with regard to the relations of the Government to Education Boards and scholarships. He denied that he wa3 opposed to Old Age Pensions, and admitted that the old people must be provided for. The Government, ho admitted, had done good, because they could not help it, with the Op];osition there to help them. (Laughter and "Prove it.") After criticising the Government's policy of railway construction, which he said was slow, and only resulted in unfinished lines, Mr' Haselden referred to the

PUBLIC DEBT. which he said had increased enormously under tho present Government, and meant that every child born in this country was born with an overdraft of<£6S 11s 5d round his neck. (Laughter.) Mr Haselden then asked for his hearers' support, and in doing so he pointed out a prevalent mistake that voting for No-license meant voting for fl Prohibition candidate. Prohibition was safe with him, and he was satisfied with the law as it stood, but if they carried it, they must not tempt people to break the law. (Aj>plause.) Mr Haselden concluded by asking his hearers to pledge their vote to no one, but to vote for the man they thought would do his .best for them, who would work for political honesty, and do what ho could to make New Zealand a land they would be proud to live in. (Loud and continued applause.)

QUESTIONS.

In answer to qiiestions Mr Haselden said that he believed the Atkinson Government found a deficit of ,£520,000, and by rctrench-nent left office with .£170,000 in the Treasury; the proposed reduction in Customs duties was a Government dodge to catch votes ; he did not think ]t right for the Government to increase the railway men's wages just before the election, and thought the Government would fall in over it; he did not favour reducing the duty on tobacco before that on the necessaries of life; the "voucher incident" was no disgrace to the Opj>osition, for they would not touch it with a 40-foot pole, and it was only men like Mr Fisher who would do it; he did not want any Japs or Chinese in the country; he favoured the railway line being shortened from Turakina to Wanganui, with branch lines to the interior, tapping the Central Line; he favoured a license to ehoot imported game, but not a prohibitive one ; he favoured men over 65 years of age being exempted from Arbitration Court awards, in order to give them a better chance of making a living ; he would not allow a Chinaman in New Zealand : he did not believe in gambling, but thought it better to retain the totalisator as a lessed evil than the bookmaker and tho spieler; he favoured a limit to tho area of land to be held by one individual, but thought the time had not yet arrived when it was necessary; he would support a Civil Servants' Superannuation Bill ; he favoured a reasonable advance in ilie s«ilarics of Post Office officers and telegraph operators; he thought a traffic bridge was absolutely necessary, at Arairoho.

On the motion of Mr Pine, seconded by Mr AY. E. Morgan, a harty vote of thanks to Mr Haselden was carried amid loud and prolonged applause, and the meeting closed with a vots of thanks to the chair.