POLITICAL.

Wanganui Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 15992, 8 December 1919, Page 5

POLITICAL.

THE LIBERAL LEADER. HIS ATTTTUDE TO EXTREMISTS. REFORM ALLEGATIONS DENTED. (Per United Press Association.) CHEISTCHUBCH, December 6. In liis address at Leeston last evening Sir Joseph Ward referred to his attitude towards the Labour Party. Ho said he was against the men who wanted direct action, the men. who did not realise the position the Dominion was in today. He wanted to say they would be responsible for bringing about a condition of things in this country incomparably worse than they were before. If the people of this country wanted to prevent the small seeds of Bolshevism from being sown here and growing up and spreading about the country, they must recognise Labour. He was working for the country's good and .appeal ing to tbe moderate section of the community to help. If he were returned as the head of the Gowrnment he would give Labour its fair representation in that Government. It was not only right, but it was a far-seeing thing to do. Mr "W. A. Veitch had been on the footplate when the speaker was Minister of Sailways. -That class of man in the Government of this country would be an antidote against the. sowing of those seeds he had referred to. A nettle must bo grasped. Sir Joseph "Ward pointed out that whenever the extreme section of the Labour Party in the House' levelled any criticism against public men it was generally directed against himself. In two places he had refused to put up candidates, and the representative of that extreme party nould probably get in. He was not disposed to rest under the imputation that he was in league with the extreme party. The people could go to Eraser or Holland and t&ey would find -that he had never spoken to either of them in regard to politics. No agreement had ever been made, and it was a deliberate lie to say that such an agreement had been arranged. THE WANGANUI SEAT. MR. McILVRIDE AT THE OPERA HOUSE. Mr L. Mellv.ride, the Official Labour candidate, addressed a good gathering in the Opera House on Saturday evening in furtherance of his election campaign. Mr E. J. Foster presided, and delivered a short address on the Labour Party's platform. He said the Labour Party should nob be condemned on account of a small coterie of leaders in Parliament. BLe was a veteran of the. Boer War and of the late war. and there were many thousands of returned soldiers who, like him, would stand by tlie Labour Party because of its humanitarian proposals, and ho contended that they could not be counted as disloyalists. Ho blamed the National Government for the way it had treated the returned soldiers.

Mr Mcllvride spoke at length, outlining and explaining the Labour Party’s platform. He defended proportional representation, which lie declared was workable in New Zealand. He reminded his hearers that Mr Cuttle had said that it would allow organised minorities to obtain power. He replied that the party that Mr Cuttle was following had gained office on a minority vote of the people in 1914. Mr Mcllvride dealt fully with Labour’s land proposals, and explained how, by a system of municipal and. State control, the cost of living could be solved, and other burdens upon the workers lifted. He said the party proposed to tax all land on its unimproved value, not some of it only. Referring to community-created values, which, he contended, the people, not the land-owners, should benefit by, be mentioned the instance of the swamp at Castlecliff. This, he said, was valued for rating purposes at £3 per aero, yet it was offered to the Harbour Board at £75. In connection with land values, profiteering, etc., the candidate argued tfyat the extremists were not in the ranks of the Labour Party. A large number of questions were answered by the speaker, principally written ones.

The candidate said he was in favour of raising the age of consent to 18 years, and also of extending the time limit during which an information could be laid for ciriminal assault. He was in favour of women J’s.P., and women jurors sitting on cases affecting women, and was also in favour of the appointment of women police to safeguard their own sex. The candidate favoured the raising of the marriage age to 18 years. He would support the compulsory attendance of apprentices at technical schools in the employers’ time. He was prepared to recommend bonuses to the parents of children, and gratuities to home service men. The Labour ‘Party’s platform made provision for a citizen army, with full pay while on.servicc. The candidate added that if tlie Labour Party were in power every man in the country would bo so satisfied with the, condition of affairs that he would he only too ready and willing to fight for his country. He was opposed to any inspection of convents other than for sanitary or scholastic purposes. Dealing with another question he said that the Official Labour Party had been blamed for the splitting of votes. He denied that this was so, he was the only representative of the official party.. At the conclusion of the meeting a vote of, thanks and confidence in the candidate as the only true representative of Labour in Wanganui was carried unanimously. A vote of thanks to the chair concluded the meeting.

ME CUTTLE AT GLASGOW STREET. Mr Cuttle addressed a political meeting at Glasgow Street (St. Andrew's Hall) on Saturday , night, Mi G. Holland presiding- Mr Cuttle spoke on the lines of his previous addresses, and at the conclusion of hie speech he was accorded a very hearty vote of thanks. —> —i MR McILTEIDE’S CANDIDATURE. Mr Peter Fraser, Labour M.P. for Wellington Central, is advertised to speak on behalf of Lewis Mcllvride, the official Labour candidate, in the Opera “House to-night at 8 o’clock. Lewis Mcllvride, the official Labour candidate, is advertised to speak in Aramoho A.B.C. Hall to-night at 8. THE MASTERTON SEAT, MASTERTON, December 8. Messrs G. E. Sykes, A. McLeod, W. B. Mattheson and C. HWms have been nominated for the Maeterton seat.

PATEA SEAT,

Mi MORRISON AT MAXWELLTOWN.

On Saturday night, Mr W. Morrisim, the Liberal candidate for the Patoa seat, addressed tilie electors at Maxwell town, Mr Marshall presiding- over a crowded attendance. Mr Morrison, who received an enthusiastic hearing, dealt at length with State shipping and coal mine matters. Dealing with the butter fat levy he said that although Reformers j tried to saddle Mr W. D. S. Macdonald with the blame, the levy was approved by Cabinet, and all members would have to share the responsibility for it. Ho said that when Sir Joseph Ward became Finance Minister in the National Cabinet there was only a surplus of ■£”72,000, hut before h© resigned the surplus was £15,000,000. It was this sur-.. pins which enabled the Maascy Government to pay the levy. Mr Morrison was accorded a hearty vote of thanks. On Wednesday evening, at 8 o’clock, Mr Morrison will speak on St. John’s Hill, at the residence of Mr McMillan. THE WATTOMO SHAT. MR JENNINGS DOING- WELL. (Special to “Herald.”) • ONPGARUE, December 8. In. the new electorate of Waitomo, great interest is being taken, notwithstanding that settlers are busy shearing, ploughing, or dairying. Mr Jennings, the sitting member, and Mr Wilson, an ex-Member of the House, address many meetings, as there are eighty polling places. The Rev. Broom, who was the official Labour candidate, has retired from the contest, and another candidate for official Labour been announced, but there is a diversity of opinion over the matter. The secretary of the Labour Party and others arc resigning their positions, and they have publiAed letters in the local papers giving their reasons. The sitting member has had good receptions since the campaign started. THE NOMINATIONS, WANGANUI SEAT. To-day is nomination day in connection with the general election. The following have been nominated 1 for the Wanganui seat; AV. A. Vcitck (sitting -member), nominated by Messrs T. B. Williams, L. E. Bassett, Jas, Aitken, N. Meuli, T. P. Itowliug, S. A. Jarrett, C. E. Holmes, J. J. Delos, P, Carter, W, EL Bott, A. E. Halligan and Chaa. Sharpe. AV. J. Outtle (Reform), nominated by Messrs D. J. MoFarlane, A. R. Whitehead, Goo. P. Holland, Mrs M. G. Sidcieils, Mrs E. 11. Stested and Mr A. B. Emmett. Lewi,s McHvride (Official Labour), nominated by Messrs Ja,s. Salt, J. AV. Gibson, J. P. McGrath, AV. Palmer, T. Palmer and J. Townsend. HAAVEEA, December S. Nominations for Patea:—Messrs G. V. Pearce, AV. D. Powdrcll* W, Morrison, and P. B. Fitzbcrbert. POXTON, December 8, Nominations for the Manawatu: — Alfred Chase Hillicr, serntoher (Shannon) Labour ; Edward Newman, farmer (Marton), Reform. GISBORNE, December 8. Nomination for Gisborne.—Mr Thomas Brindle.