POLITICAL.

Waikato Times, Issue 12123, 6 November 1911, Page 4

POLITICAL.

THE WAIKATO SEAT. MR H. J. GREENSLADE'S CAMPAIGN. Since! the return of Mr H. J. Greenslade, M.P., from Wellington, he has visited several centres in the electorate and in each case strong committees have been formed with a view to securing his re-election. This afternoon iMr Greenslade was present at the opening of the new bridge over the Waikato river at Hora Hora, and tihis evening he will meet his friends and suppcrlars, at Cambridge.

MR YOUNG'S CAMPAIGN. Mr J. A. Young continues Ms campaign for the Waikato seat, and on Friday addressed the electors at Lichfield, the meeting being preside') over by Mr Rollitt. At the conclusion of the candidate's address he was accorded a vote of thanks and I confidence on the motion of Mr Freeman.

At Waotu on Saturday afternoon Mr Young also spoke and received a compliment similar to that at Licbheld. In the evening the candidate spoke at Putaruru, Mr Peacock presiding, and on the address being ended, a vote of thanks and confidence was carried on the motion of Mr F. Barnett.

BASIL HEWETT AT WAINGARO. (Own Correspondent). WAINGARO, This day. On Saturday night Mr Basil Hewett, the non-party candidate for the Raglan seat, addressed a large and enthusiastic meeting. He was attentively listened to, and at the conclusion was accorded a hearty vote of thanks.

NGARUAWAHIA, This day

Oil Friday night, a large and influential committee of residents of Ngaruawahia and district was formed to further Mr Basil Hewlett's candidature.

MR DROMGOOL AT HUNTLY

Mr J. C. Dromgool, Liberal candi date for the Raglan seat, addressed the electors in an open air meeting at the railway gates, Huntly, on Friday evening. The meeting was by far the largest addressed by any of the candidates during the present campaign, and the candidate was accorded an attentive hearing and an enthusiastic; reception. Hei dealt first with the main plank of his platform which is a vigorous public works policy for the district, including railway duplication as far as Huntly and railway communication wit.h Raglan via Pukemiro amd Awaroa. He congratulated Huntly on the initiation of this public work and said it was now only a matter of vigorous agitation for the railway requirements of the district, including a better passenger service to be fully conceded. Going on to deal with labor questions the candidate declared that he possessed to a fuller extent than any of the five candidates that inside knowledge of labor problems which would qualify him to worthily represent the Huntly workers in Parliament, having been a worker himself from his earliest year and being still, dependent, like the humblest manual worker, upon his own earnings by way of salary. He further urged the claims of Liberalism to the Labour Party's support, and said that those claims did not rest only on the passive Industrial Arbitration Act, but on a long series of useful industrial measures such as the Factories Act, Shops and Offices Acts, Old Age Pensions and reduction of the Customs Tariff. Even the Arbitration Act on which labor was now beginning to turn its back, had not been a failure for it had achieved the objects which at the outset had been set before it, namely, improvement of the rates of wages and the setting up of a fixed standard as between worker and employer. In one respect only had the Act failed, in that outside fluences notably the cost of iiving had intervented to deprive the worker of the full benefit of the measure. The candidate urged the workers to take full advantage of their power at the ballot box and to press forward for amendment of this Act on lines that would recognise the cost of the living and a minimum living wage as basic principles in framing an industrial award. Dealing further with the cost of living the speaker said that perhaps a remedy for this grievance might be found in the

■establishment of co-operative assaciations both for production and distribution, and if necessary, 1-c would support workers' banks on the lines of the farmers' hanks already outlined to aid in the establishment of such co-operative institutions. Referring to Socialism the speaker dealt vMth the several brands oi that doctrine voicing ibis approval of State Socialism, only when applied as an expedient to break-up or check monopolies ; and his entire sympathy with Christian socialism which had for its object the conservation of the rights of the weak, but condemning revolutionary socialism as preached by many social leaders today. The candidates also advocaW the establishment of workmen's homes in Huntly, and the further redress of railway servants' grievances. At the conclusion of an interesting and exhaustive address om labor topics the candidate answered a large number of questions, and successfully ran the gauntlet of a severe heeding from the Socialistic section of his audience.

A CANTERBURY FORECAST. (By Telegraph) CHRISTCHURCH, Saturday. Advices from Ashburton suggest that the Liberals have a very good chance of recovering the seat. There are four candidates in the field, but the candidature of Mr W. S. Maslin (who, in the 1893-6 Parliament, sat as Liberal member for Rangitata) is not taken seriously. The real , contest Will lie between Mr W. Noswortihy (the Sitting Opposition member), Mr John McLachlan (who formerly represented the electorate in the Liberal interests), and Mr John Kennedy (Mayor of Geraldine), who is standing as a supporter of the present Government. It is considered certain that a second ballot will be necessary. The withdrawal of Mr W. J. Wilter (Opposition candidate for the Avon seat) is not expected to influence the result to any appreciable extent, as it was considered highly improbable that in any case he would have Ibeen able to get into the second ballot. Everything points to a severe contest between Mr J. W. Russell and Mr James McCombs, who stands as a Prohibitionist and advanced Radical. Mr Russell should win. There is j much comment on the fact that M? 'Walter retired owing to Ms inability

to support the three-fifths majority and the totalisator as desired bOfi his Opposition supporters. Probably Mr Bud-do: has improved his position a tittle by his first speech, but it is a foregone conclusion that he will have to face a second ballot. He would almost certainly beat Mr Moore, the Opposition candidate in a duel, but hfes position will be precurious if he has to face the Independent candidate, Mr Blackwall. Lata reports from Waitaki indicate l that the Opposition' may possibly win that seat, but the situation is involved, and it is early to prophesy.

POLITICAL HOTCH-POTCH

(To the Editor.)

Sir,—l was interested in Opaqjue's letter. If the political hotch-potch delivered by Mr Young at the Hamilton Town Hall recently, when he faced the free and independent electors of Waikato, is 'to 'be taken as an indication o! bis ideas I of progressive legislation then he truly does not offer much. Full of glaring inconsisteracies and flagrant contradictions, as an exposition of what has been, what is, and what may fote, the whole this was a mass of bristling absurdities. Does Mr Young in his new piebald disguise, imagine that the electors have forgotten the part he player) in ousting Mr Lang from the Waikato seat ? Do they forget that he stumped Tauranga at the last election as a red-hot Governr ment mart against Mr Herries <? Now he has the effrontery to hold out both hands as an alleged non-party candidate, angling for the support of his old Liberal friends en the one side and anticipating the support oI the Opposition on the other. There's an> old saying "Twirt two stools, etc, - ' as Mr Young will probably, discover later on.—Yours truly "OLD OPPOSITION:"