POLITICAL.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2325, 19 October 1908, Page 7

POLITICAL.

ELECTION NOTES.

THE CABINET VACANCY

A feature of interest in connection ivith tihe Cabinet vacancy (says the Auckland “Herald”) 5 S the fact that the iportfoilio of 4i.aihv.hySj which is to be relinquished by Mr Hallcarries 'an additional £3OO, a jjfeur.m salary. It is thus a “plum” f m connection with which the question ‘of seniority may crop up. • '-Tlio Hon. Jas. M’Gowau—assuming that he does not retire from the -Ministry,, as has been suggested rin some quarters —may he considered as having tlio best claim on this specially-salaried portfolio.; In any case, whatever happens, it is .probable that .there will bo a general readjustment of a great number of the portfolios. A correspondent who is usually well informed on .political matters writes -V-’ to the “Dominion” discrediting tho idea that /Mr Laurenson is likely, to secure the .portfolio -to bo rendered vacant by the retirement of Mr Hall,Tones. “Neither‘Mr .Laurenson nor any other Canterbury member,”-he •writes, “will succeed Mr Hall-Joneg, but should Mr T. Mackenzie be elected the .portfolio will be given to him. Mr ' Mackenzie is undoubtedly the best man for the' position ill the ranks of the Liberal party—he is a sound, practical man, of much ..experience, and a good speaker—a man in marked contrast in every' respect 'l*s to a number of the theoretical political squibs who aspire to tho position.”. Our correspondent (adds the “Dominion”) does not appear to regard the fact that already three members of the Cabinet —Sir Joseph Ward and Messrs Millar and M £ Nab —hail from tihe far south as a serious handicap to Mr Mackenzie. Possibly a greater handicap, however, is the fact that lxis connection with the,Government party has been of such brief duration.

SPEECHES SUPPLIED FROM ■ jL, WELLINGTON. -4wjr in the course of his address at Pukekohe Mr Massey, in dealing with the speech of the Government candidate for Eden, naid all the new candidates had been supplied from Wellington with speeches, and he .produced a coj:>y which bad been secured by him. This same speech bad been delivered, by 'a number of tho candidates already.

A CURIOSITY. There is a Mr Dickie contesting the

iSelwyn seat, and if boldness of fancy is appreciated in the district, Mr C. PQl'" A. C. Hardy is as good as. defeated already. “Mr Dickie submitted,” so runs a report of a recent meeting, “that the state of the finances constituted one of the strongest claims of the Liberal party to the confidence not only of the people o c .this Dominion, but also that of the whole commercial world” ! ! ANOTHER CURIOSITY.

A good -second to Mr Dickie would appear to he Mr Frankland, one of the candidates for the -Manawatu seat. Speaking last week lie dealt with labor matters, and declared that “unbridled competition must be checked.” Moreover, “regulations for a fair wage must be upheld, supplemented by other modes of State interference with the anarchic forces oif supply and demand.” Mr. Frankomitted*to say whether :he fav-->ors legislation that will -interfere with the brutal force of .gravity that makes -people .fall down and sprain their ankles.

THE .-LOAN BURDEN

'Hie gross public debt on March 31 jifc last was £66,453,897, an increase for the year of £2,274,557 —a good load, he considered for a million people to have to carry. This year it was proposed to add to this amount a further two and a quarter millions. The net inde/btiklness per head -was £69. The increase in the interest hill last year was £52,512, which brought the total interest charges up to £3,175,443 per annum. Could t-lie country go on at this rate ? The interest bill of the country for every man, woman, and child was £2 8s 2d., which meant for a family of four, roughly, £l2 year in interest. —Mr J. Hunter, at Masterton.

TIMAR.U CANDIDATES

From present- indications (states the Timaru “Post”), the number of candidates in the field for parliamentary ’honors will be larger than for some years past. At the elections •both of 1889 and 1902 there were three candidates for the Timaru seat, and in 1805 there were five. This year there is a probability that there will bo as many as seven candidates. They are as follow: —Mr .James > Craigie (.Liberal), Mr F. J. Itolleston (Oppositionist), Hon. J. Anstey (Liberal), Mr G. Keller, (Laborite), Air J. Mahoney (Independent Libex ral), Mr A. Beck (Independent Liberal), and Mr F. H. Smith (Oppositionist.) The first meeting- held to further (Mr Craigie’s candidature .included several influential memtere, among them the chairman of Mr Hall-Jones’s committee. A number of members of that committee have telegraphed to the Government, asking that tbe Hon. J. Anstey should be selected as the Government candidate for tbe Timaru seat. Mr Maik honey announces that he will go to '"the poll as an Independent in the Liberal -and Labor interests. Mr Ivoller is the chosen of the Political Labor League, and Mr Beck, who states that he-will “probably” come forward, expresses a, desire to see a young man returned as representative of Timaru. The younger generation will have to bear tbe burden of the country’s debt, \and he considers that it is only fair that they should he represented by. one of themselves. Great interest is felt (throughout -«j£i Canterbury in. the question whether' r Mr Frank J. Ttollestpn will consent to stand for Timaru (says a Christchurch writer), the fine fight ihe put up. against the Hon. W. Hall-Jones three years. *ago being still remembered. (Before leaving England on his return to New Zealand'Mr Itolleston cabled that he would not contest the seat again, but his friends have cabled to Suez to catch him on fc-is way out, ‘'advising him of the altered condition of affairs, and -asking him to allow himself to be nominated. The Timaru “Herald” evidently fears that Mr Bolloston will again decline on the ground that ho would be too late in the field. “It is really distressing,” it says, “that the gentleman who contested the election ' three years ago with such satisfactory results- should • -bo at the other side of tho ’ world just when his - . prpseu(?P„.in' Tiroan* might he of go

much value .to bis ' supporters- and to bis own political prospects, for on this occasion, Mr .Rolie.ston’s prospects of success '"would haYe been 'infinitely brighter than, they were when lie entered the lists .against tho Hon. W. Hall-J ones. Instead of a politician, fortified by years of experience in public -affairs, ho .would have had to meet an opponent as now to the game as he was himself when be commenced bis campaign for the last election. Further than that, Mr. Rollestcn would not have found himself battling with tlio enormous influence of the late Mr. Seddon’s maria. Even if Mr. ''Hall-Tones liad rem-ained"/in politics he would probably have, found it a very different thing to carry to victory the colors of Sir Joseph' Ward instead of those of Mr. Seddorr. With both Mr. Seddon and Mr. Hall-Jones out of the way, and the undemocratic record of the Ward Ministry to provide him with ammunition, a good Opposition candidate whose personal reputation would command the 1 respect of. the public, and whose platform address would ensure him an attentive hearing, would have, at least, a fighting chance.” The last.'sentence is much too cautious. Mr. Rolleston had more than a fighting chance in 1905. This year he- would have had at least an even-money chance.

THE “NO-LICENSE” QUESTION. Mr. Moss, -an Independent candidate for Parnell, in giving his views on the liquor question, said:—“l am a no-license man. (Applause.) I voted for no-license ever since there was a chance given in 1593 of bashing the top line. - (Applause.) I am nob a Prohibitionist. I wish I were, but I am not prepared to give up the pleasure I derive from alcohol for the benefit of those weaker than myself. I .vote no-license for two reasons. Firstly, that ‘tied-houso’ liquor is not good enough for me, and secondly that the concentration of the liquor trade in the hands of two or three is a menace to the community. (Applause.) It" enables them to -interfere in courts of justice too much. Freo house or no house is the issue I put- to myself. Prohibition i& a moral movement, and has nothing to do with no-lieense. No one will prevent you from taking bad meat if you want to, but you won’t be allowed to sell it. Efforts have been made time after time to have the bribery and corrupt ion. cl a use applied to the -local option polls as well as the Parliamentary elections. I tried to get it in several times. I even succeeded in getting it in the Bill once, but the then. Prime Minister recommitted the Bill, and had the clause struck out. The law against bribery should be applicable to the local option poll as well as the Parliamentary elections- A friend of the candidate cannot even hire a vehicle without the risk of there being a charge of bribery, but the ‘trade’ can get every vehicle in town for the election day, and you could not hire a cab now for the next election day. I tried to make it illegal for any man connected with the brewery trade to own an hotel. The clause I proposed was thrown out like a disorderly man is thrown out of a bar.” ' THE WAIRARAPA SEAT.

The contest for the Wairarapa seat is exciting much interest. Both candidates are working strenuously, and neither is likely to lose any chance of scoring a win. ~ Mr. Bucktnan has an advantage, inasmuch as Mr. Hornsby has just come through a session as a supporter of the Government which has shown itself to; be quite out of touch with the farming community and .its requirements. The refusal of the Government to consider the interests of the- district in the matter of establishing an experiment farm is also keenly resented, and must have an effect on the result of the election. Mr. Hornsby possesses a gift of “tickling the ears” of the electors, and this gift, useful enough when things are going smoothly, is not so effective when there are signs of trouble ahead, tnd the need for sound common sense and practical business judgment is greater than the need for a glib tongue and pleasing platitudes. “HITTING BELOW THE BELT.” Some indignation lias been caused in tiie . Wairarapa by a. somewhat scurrilous attack which, has been made upon Mr, Buchanan, a candidate for the Wairarapa seat, by an anonymous correspondent through Times,” /a journal which has just announced itself as a. supporter of the Ministerial candidate. In his letter the anonymous writer takes lull advantage of his anonymity, and endeavors to spitefully belittle the* O/p----the columns of the Masterton “Daily position candidate with innuendo and suggestion. The nastiness of personal prejudice is so apparent, however, that the bitter attack is likely to recoil upon "the head of the author and those associated - with him.