ON RIGHT TRACK.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 299, 18 December 1935, Page 10

ON RIGHT TRACK.

"PARTING OF WAYS."

DOMINION'S PROGRESS.

ME, SAVAGE'S ASSURANCE.

! "It is very difficult under the >' circumstances to find words to express j'my feelings towards you," said Mr. '' Savage in reply. "It conies only once in •] a lifetime. Still, at the same time, - J after haA'ing trod a fairly thorny path, • 1 I find it very difficult to express my '! gratitude towards you. I have lived in • voiir midst for nearly 30 years, and it • seems to be that the older I get the [ i greater are the privileges that come my way. This is the greatest privilege of ( all." I feel that I am among friends." i Long applause followed Mr. Savage's ! opening. One or two speakers had re- ; ferred to difficulties, he said. There were 1 110 difficulties if they could only get the I spirit that overcame all difficulties, i Think what could be done if New ZcaL land could get that spirit into industry. New Zealand was a wonderful country, 1 but perhaps they had made a pretty ■ poor list of governing it. The greatest s thing 011 earth was to serve. He won- • dered sometimes if they would ever ■ understand the real meaning of the word • and be able to put it into operation — ■ to be able to serve each other, to be ' able to carry the spirit that there was in tho hall that night into all walks of life. Since election day he had had more expressions of good will than he 1 had had in the whole of his lifetime, ; but he did not suggest that any of them 1 were insincere. 1 "I believe that we have arrived at the ' parting of the ways and the bulk of tho people" in New Zealand have chosen the right track," declared the Prime Minister amid another burst of applause. "I \ do not sav that because I happen to , bo Prime Minister. I say it because ' the people have at last realised that ' they have been 011 tho wrong track. !. Looking at things socially and economically, they cannot mistake the ways ' to the heights ahead." • Lincoln's Words. 1 The representative of the great American nation had that night referred to the words of a great American when he had said, "Government of the people, by the people, for tho people." Well, now, that was the ideal 'of Labour ill every clime. It was only now that they were beginning to realise what it really meant. The founders of selfgovernment had in their minds not only liberty for themselves but' liberty for the races that were to be. That was tho ideal underlying the movement, underlying the ideas that were given expression to when they spoke about tho great principles of self-government. The .new Government of New Zealand would have the privilege and it would be the duty of that Government to see that the principles of self-government in New. Zealand were moro firmly established than ever before. "We realise the task ahead of us," continued Mr. Savage, "but with the prevailing good will the difficulties are few. All the difficulties are man made. Women played a part, too, in creating difficulties, and they can play a part 211 removing the obstacles. I do not see any great difficulties. Perhaps I am an optimist. The greatest difficulty that has been in the way in the past has bpen ourselves. We have a wonderful country and'we have men aiid women capable of working at anything under the sun.. They can • do anything almost that makes life worfli living, but they have been standing in their own way. They have been unable to combine. But I marvel at the expressions of good will during the few days 4 Joining Hands. Mention had been made' of the Public Service. He did not know how the Government would get on without them and without them he himself would not be able to get very far. Without tlie public he would not get very far. It was only with the assistance, co-opera-tion and good will of the public that anything worth while was possible. Mention had been made of the British Commonwealth. From one end of the country to. the other he had expressed the hope that New Zealand would not only be capable of joining hands and establishing a race of free people, but that they would always be capable of joining hands with their kinsmen overseas. After all, there was big work ahead—to be able to-establish peace on earth. He did not think there was any greater objective for men and women to I address themselves to "than-to-be able to- establish peace 011 earth. , I" "It will be the privilege of the new Government very early in the New Year to begin to implement its programme," said Mr. Savage. "There can be 110 doubt about the wishes of the people. The jeople have placed their brand of approval on the policy that has been given utterance to up and down the country. It remains for the Government to lead the way. I want, in the name of the new Government, in the name of Labour, if I may use the word, to tell you that you have 110 cause whatever to feel any doubt about what is going to happen in the future and when I am speaking to you of Labour, I am leaving no one out. For Common Good. "We are all labourers. I wonder if , wo can co-operate for the common good? I say again with all the sincerity in my composition, there is nothing else in life 1 worth living for. Someone has said 1 that I am an Aucklander; others probably say that I am an Australian, and so on. I am just one of those ordinary - garden varieties of human beings. lam hoping, I am living for the day when the influence of Labour will not only be felt in Auckland, but it will be felt throughout the world."