The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 1908. MR. DARTON AT PATUTAHI.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2332, 27 October 1908, Page 4

The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 1908. MR. DARTON AT PATUTAHI.

Mr. G. E. Darton,. the modest young gentleman who aspires to change places with the present Native Minister as representative of the Gisborne electorate in. the new Parliament, addressed the electors at Patutahi last evening. The candidate received a most attentive hearing, and thoroughly deserved it, for, whilst not invariably instructive, lie was always interesting. Mr. Darton brings a good deal of energy into his political campaign, and thero is a vigor and forccfulness about his platform methods that effectually keep his audience at attention while ho holds the floor. Moreover, Air. Darton has long since outgrown any stage nervousness he may have at one time possessed, and embellishes his address with quite a display of theatrical intonations and gestures that make it an entertainment. Of course this is not exactly politics, but it is evidently considered as the best method of obtaining the elusive vote and it was quite in keeping with this idea that the candidate concluded his speech with a passionate declamation on a subject that is in no sense a political issue at the present election. However, the enthusiastic applause which greeted his ; eaily fine recitation of Thomas Bracken’s “Vilest Fiend of All” must have satisfied the candidate that in these days of nolicense agitation a suitable panegyric on the evils of the liquor traffic is much more effective than the -most eloquent political peroration coidd possibly be. Mr. Darton, while opposing the Government i with commendable fervor, deemed it wise to twit the Opposition party with its alleged lack of policy. This was scarcely fair, for whilst it is true that that the main duty of the Opposition is to criticise, it is scarcely fair to say of the present Opposition, which has supplied the Government with the inspiration of most of its host measures that it has no policy. Surely Air. Darton must have a lax memory or does not follow political matters closety or ho would have remembered that when, the Leader of the Opposition party was in Gisborne some months back, ho formally and definitely submitted the planks of his policy. On this point Air. Darton disclaimed any sympathy with a policy of destructiveness and utilising an old wooden shed for his simile, declared that would never pull it down until ho could put a better building in its place. To do the candidate justice, he endeavored to be consistent in this respect, and prescribed panaceas for most of our political ills. Unfortunately the remedies read rather worse than the diseases, and one is forced to admit that Mr. Darton was only effective so long as he confined himself to criticism. He presented a trenchant, and telling indictment of the Government’s failure to settle the people on the land, but his remedy of making a graduated tax so extreme in its incidence that to liokl large areas of land under any circumstances would bo unprofitable as in advance of the wildest dreams of the present Alinistcr of Lands even in his most piratical mood. Mr. Darton agrees with Mr. Clayton that the difficulty of tlie laboring classes is Hot so liruch with the amount of wages paid as with the cost of living. Hero again, Air. Darton had his sovereign remedy on hand, and prescribed the removal of £3,000,000 at present paid through tlie tariff, and the tax on land increased to make up the difference. In this way he cunningly shifts tho burden which at present is equally shared by all consumers on to the backs of those who venture to own land. Air. Darton would tax every single acre, and it seems scarcely likely that the settlers of Patutahi will view with equanimity this revolutionary proposal. Land in the towns would also have to bear it® share, and as rents would in all probability move up accordingly tlie medicine prescribed might not, after all, have such a soothing effect as Air. Darton suggests. • Lest there should be any misunderstanding on the point, the candidate hurried to assure his hearers that lie was not a single taxer, and we presume he. would object just as emphatically to being termed a Socialist. In regard to the Public Work? Act Amendment

Mr. Darton ably exposed the iniquity of the Public Works Act Amendment that was recently passed, but hero again, like -a true Socialist, his only remedy ;is to shut out private enterprise entirely. It is all very well foi Air Darton to talk about' the Government being able to take action as well as a. private syndicate, but the hard fact is that the State has its hands quite full in the borrowing line at present, and if the country, has to wait until such time as the Government wil be able to. provide a few millions for tho development of its water-power, it will havo to wait a very long time. It would be far preferable to allow private enterprise to step in in the meantime and assist in ’the fostering of national industries, always providing that proper safeguards are included so that the State can assume possession at the expiration of a certain period under reasonable conditions. Mr Darton includes amongst his ideals tlie time when, this Dominion shall be a great manufacturing country, he did not indicate lio,w this is to be brought about, but we may be pardoned for reminding him that so long as the unions, of which lie is one of the chief local exponents, continue their present policy of restricting production by tlie undue limitation of apprentices, over classification, etc., so long our manufacturing industries will fail to make the progress they should. Air. Darton gave on the whole an excellent address, and proved himself a very able critic, but failed lamentably in liis self-imposed task of supplying a new policy to take the place of thatxwliich he condemned.