POLITICAL

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2334, 29 October 1908, Page 2

POLITICAL

ELECT! ON-D A Y li OLID AY

j | Tlic question lias beon raised J whether election clay will b'e a whole j j holiday or a half holiday for the ! shopkeepers. Reference- to isect-ion 12b of . the Legislature Act, 1908 (Consolidated Statutes) shows that it will be a half-holiday for the stores but'not for the factories, and that the hotel bars liuict be closed front 12 noon until 7 p.m. The section reads: —‘‘(l) Subject to the provisions of this section every day-oil which any election takes place shall bo deemed to be a holiday, after mid-day, and it j shall not be lawful to sell intoxicating liquors in any licensed premises within the district between >• the hours of twelve noon, anti seven- in the evening. (2) Where the polling clay at any election is other than the appointed half-holiday under the Shops j and Offices;- Act, It-08, the provisions of the Act- relating to the weekly j half-holiday shall be deemed to re- : for to the polling day in lieu of the , day so appointed, and it shall not j he necessary for any employer to observe vlie clay so appointed in the : week in. which the polling day falls. ■ (8) it shall not be necessary for any , factory to close during any working j hours oil the polling clay,' but the i occupier of the factory shall afford j to each of his employees a reasonable I opportunity to record his vote, and j no reduction shall be-made from the wages of- any such employee in respect ol the time occupied in so recorcl- , bis vote, provided that such time docs not extend over one working ■‘hour.” THE CLUE A TEST TRUST. “Instead of us having to fight l'trusts through, the State -as is done in ' America through president Loose- , veit,” said Air F. ivl. 13. fisher last mgnt, “tile time is coming wiien we | snail have to- light a great trust in cue State itseii ; that vu-1 bo one ol j the great iignrs or the future.” The j State, lie pointed out, w-as paying j at tiie present tune about 8f million j pounds per annum in wages, it was j employing, roughly, some bO,OUU peoit had ctnecciy under its thumb a i uoJic Works expenditure of 21 millions, and in addition it had ail tiie patronage that omy -a Uovernmem could nave. Tiie 80,06 u Government employees influenced, if they diet not control, another 8u,00l) : so that the Government at the liresout time, owing to the nationalisation or such services as railways and < public trusts, were able to produce j an influence upon 60,0ut) people, and tney controlled an expenditure ot six j millions of money. And what was the position:" Un uiie day of the last i election a certain newspaper ieading ~ ..utide, as far as lie could remeinbe? ] the wor-cts, commenced as follows: — i Pet the cavil faervice to-day rcmcm. ( mer wnat the .Government nag-clone < for it, and what the Government is \ going to do in the clays to come." t rt was only necessary' to increase that s spirit to increase tue number of the ' C/tate employees, and tiie amount or t wages paid by me state/and. one-hair i or tne community who were not cm- c pioyees of trie locate wc\idd oventu- l u “o' have to stand by -and see the ) employees of tiie rotate compelling t it to give them what they wanted. ]

IHE TIaIARL CONTECBT

Commenting on political affairs in J.miai'ii, the “X-'ress” expresses regict at tne absence from tiie Dominion of Air. Frank Loiieston, who, had he consented to contest- me seat this tear, would m ail probability have • been elected, “we should in mat case once more have had a Rollesion Jii. Park ament to help m defending the liberties of tiie people against the attacks of the sham Eibeiais on the Government benches. Air. lioiieston, however, is still a young man, and we believe he will 3et rind his way to the House, in Hie meantime, we may congratulate tiie 'iiniaru supporters of tne Opposition on having secured as a candidate Air. W. jD. Campbell, editor or tho ‘Herald.’ There is no opportunism about Air. Campbell’s politics. He is as clear and downright in the expression of Ins views as one could wish, iand he is not the sort of man to sacrifice one iota of his opinions for the sake of catching a few votes, even if his election depended on it. He is new to tiie political platform, but lie has courage and common sense and ideals, and will, we are suro, acquit himself well in the contest.”

JOTTINGS. “Tho man who goes on a platform and makes a brilliant oratorical speech is not often effective in Parilrament,” remarked the Hon. J. A.. Aliidar -at Air Witty’s “social” at Papanui, “because oratory has not much effect on the House. Unless a man is an expert in some branch he is not going to do much good. What ■use is it tor any man who has the power of oratory to go to the House and- think he can convince practical alien- by means of his oratory Y” 'The Minister mentioned that during the fifteen years he had been, in Parliament ho did not believe there had been more than- half a dozen speeches delivered that had influenced one vote. >

Tho Prime Minister said in Christchurch that -lie viewed the prospects of tho coyiing election from one end of tho Dominion to the other with every confidence. “The prospects from tho Government- point of view are distinctly good,” he added.

Mr G. Laurenson said in Christchurch that he looked forward to- the time when Now Zealand' would cease to borrow. He thought it should at once cease to borrow except for directly reproductive works, such as loans to local- bodies and land settlement, la.nd the limit of the -borrowing should be £1,000,000 a year. Public works should be carried on from revenue, the increased revenue -necessary for the purpose to bo provided by -additional death duties and higher land-tax and income-tax on the big estates and the big incomes. Mr Laurenson put forward a- particularly advanced programme of legislation that he desired to see. carried into law, and he Ava-s accorded a vote of confidence by a crowded and enthusiastic meeting. A Palmerston South .elector put this question to Mr Mitchell last week: “If elected, will you try to 'remove that man of fads, Mr Hogben ” The candidate answered: “I don’t t-hinlc any one can remove hint, kat if i mm m J&w&ttitQyto&Rty.

foyr hours I would give him notice.” The reply was applauded. ' ‘‘There is a tendency in the House at the present/tunc to disregard and disrespect the rights of tho ownefs of property. They are being disregarded' far too much -at the present time, and you want.men in the House wlio will-help to stop that.”—Mr. F. M. 13. Fisher, M.P. “During the past year,” said Mr. Barber, IYLP., at Wellington, “the Dominion has gone -through a very severe crisis, and had it not been for the Advances to Settlers Act and the Advances to Workers Act, probably a 'good deal more would have been heard about it. Had it not been for the existence of tho Advances to -Settlers Department, thousands of people would liovo lost their earnings of years.” A tribute was paid- to Air. Al-a-ssey in Wellington by AL r.F. Ai. 13. Eisner, ALP., who referred to tho consistent plugging and jier tinacity of the Opposition leader, whom he believed xo bo actuated by the highest motives. Though Air. Massey might have some defects as a party leader, lie was always pulling in.ird on the collar, and pulling in what -lie believed to be the right direction. Air. it. 13. Williams, solicitor, who lias been on an extended tour through England and America, has returned to Wellington. Air. Williams, who is the Opposition candidate for the Suburbs electorate, will at once commence his political campaign.

Tho harassed member of Parliament who has to work very hard during an election campaign-alias the mortiiication of losing part of liis usual' honorarium at- that time. Un-

der the Legislature Act members ore not paid £BOO for every year of office; they are merely paid “at tho rate or" £BOO per annum. The honorarium la received in equal men tiny payments, and is caiou.uted from tne clay ix.imeu in tiie writ for the election at which they are returned, until tiie expiry ox dissolution ol tile l'arfu[lnent- lor winch tliey were elected.

tins year Parliament would normally expire on -December 18, but in view of tiie general election it must not oe-allowed to expire normally. its career must be cut short by tiie Governor a set- time before the next poll,

and the dissolution of Parliament will therefore be announced next week. This means tltat members who are not re-elected will lose six week's honorarium, which they would receive in other years—that is, about £B6 in solid cash. With the election taking place on November 17, the now Parliament will commence as from November 21, so that the member who is re-elected will lose only about three weeks’ honorarium for the year, or, roughly, £lB Air. Alajor, of Haw era, wants the people to elect him, if not for his

sake, then for their own—because, as he modestly says, lie might hold a portfolio. . That humble poliuean (says the Wellington “Post”) is even out-portfolioed by a local candidate, who holds up the Jure of a third party, third edition of Liberalism. Ho seems to mean that the old “Left

Wing” will grow more feathers, and that he will be a line bird that will

flap the fine feathers and carry tho country to glory on bis royal eagle back. “ The notion takes memoiy

back three years to the campaign of tho “New Liberals” —the “Stormy Petrels,” as they were called, in 1905. They were Aiessrs T. E. Taylor, G. Lauronson, F. At. B. Fisher, H. D. Bedford, with Air. H. G. Ell in the background. Air. Laurenson. withdrew from the fold before the -day of

the elections, and Alessrs T. -E. Taylor and H. >D. Bedford wero rejected at the polls, but not necessarily because they were “New Liberals.”

There were other forces to account for their defeat. The “New Liber-

Is” Ji.id a few disciples, and they

too, failed to catch sumcient votes for the £BOO a year. The party that was to* work a " bloodless revolution is .now reduced to one, and the one is not Air. Laurenson or Air. Ell. Y'et the “New Liberal” programme which was published in circular form was attractive enough. -It was contended that the administration had grown

rather lax, and that the expenditure needed more careful watching. The people, however, accustomed to the dole system, were nob ready for th ■new doctrine.