LABOUR VETERAN'S DEATH.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 250, 22 October 1935, Page 6

LABOUR VETERAN'S DEATH.

The building of the British Labour Party was the work of many men, and one of the most assiduous in the task was Mr. Arthur Henderson. He himself was the fourth Labour member elected to the House of Commons, and it was due in part to his organising ability that the party in twenty years became strong enough to form His Majesty's Government. But Mr. Henderson had already held Ministerial rank, first in the Coalition, where he was influential in forming the Ministry of Labour, and later in the "War Cabinet. In the first Labour Cabinet he was Home Secretary; in 1929, when Labour returned to office, he was entrusted with the far greater responsibilities of Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. It was the zenith of his political career, for two years later his party in the House of Commons was reduced to a handful of members. But in the meanwhile he had become occupied with the most important work —and the least successful — of his life, the promotion of disarmament. In recognition of what he had already done for the cause he was in 1931 unanimously chosen to preside at the Disarmament Conference, and it was not through lack of effort on his part that the conference failed. The task, as can be seen now, was far beyond tbe powers of any man to accomplish. But who shall say it was not worth attempting?

Mr. Henderson was typical of the solid (some say dull) practical and unoriginal politicians who in England command respect and steady, allegiance. He stood for Labour, but knew little of Socialism. He was as the Poles apart from some of the doctrinaires who occasionally attract notice by fiery speech. It was largely because of the personal | character of such men as he that the electors were persuaded to give the Labour Party | sufficient strength to enable it to claim office.