POLITICAL POINTS.

Press, Volume L, Issue 15140, 2 December 1914, Page 6

POLITICAL POINTS.

An Opposition paper My*: — "From the manner in which some Reform journals writ* mid many Koiorm candidates epeak, one might suppose that th« fonnere had a monopoly of tbe d«iro to improvo tho-status of tlie echool tcacbors.' Not at all. Nothing could exceed, or oven quite equal, the "Liberals' " desire to improve the teacher's- lot. Tho only trouble with them is that their '"detire ,, did not. betdii until they got out of office. When tho devil was sick, there was not a saint could hold a candle to him.

When a slight financial depression occurred in 1909 th.i Right Hon. Sir J. Ward'retrenched 1041 hands, and cut down tho expenditure of public money by £.306,187. On September 9th, 1910. he submitted a statement- to Parliament indicating; what Departments wore dealt with. This statement- showed that from the Health Department 40 men were dismissed: from Public Works and Minos, l^6; from tho Agricultural Department, 60; from tho Lands Department. 41; and from tho Railways, 600. What would ho have dono if ho had struck a real crisis liko what tho Reform Party did when the war broko out? Tho Reform Party instead of reducing wages and public expenditure had increased both. Tho Railway Department especially, bearing in mind their recent increase in wages of £120.000 a year, should appreciate tho advantages that tbe.y have gained by the Hon. Mr Herries being «it the head of their affairs, instead of Sir Joseph Ward. —Mr Edward Newman, Reform candidate for Rangitikei, speaking at Awahuri.

Tho "North Otago Times" of yesterday printed one of those telegrams, now a daily feature of the Opposition newspapors, in which Sir J. G. Ward is described as having mot with unparalleled enthusiasm at this, that, and the other place. Tho "Times" added to its telegram, however, the following footnote: The above message is not cent out by the Press Association, but was eigncd juat. •'Brown." It may be tho message has reached the wrong office, but it wiis plainly addressed "Times, Oaiuaru." It is interesting to not© that "Brown" is also the name of Sir Joseph Ward's private secretary! ! This footnote telle us more about "Liberalism" and ite prospects than the long telegram to which it is attached.

Nothing can be quite so easy in the world as delivering an attack on the Government. For it does not matter what you say. You may accuse.© the Government of anything you please, provided that you accuse them of something. On November 25th the Wellington newspapers printed reports of speeches by Mr D. McLaren, the Opposition candidate for Wollington East, and Mr Fitzgerald, the Opposition candidate for Wellington Suburbs. Mr McLaren said:— v "Tho Massey Government is retching out witli\ a kind of Kaiserism and trying to get control of all institutions in the country." Mr Fitzgerald said: "Tho Maesey Government ie shirking ite responsibilities by delegating important spheres of administration to irresponsible conrmlesione and boards." More briefly, the Government is tho Government, and that is the grievance of the hungry anti-Reformers.

The main charge of, tho Opposition speakers and writers, relying firmly upon their capacity to abstain from any reference to the legislation of tho past three sessions, is that "every enactment by tho Government bears the stamp of Toryism and reaction." Or, as the "New Zealand Times' , puts it, "future generations" will "execrate 1 " the Reform Parliament as "tho most unprogressivo and reactionary" in our history. So reactionary and "Tory, , , , indeed, has been the Eeform Government's legislation that Sir J. G.. Ward said of it in Auckland last Friday night: Outeido their [tho Govcrnmcnfe'] legislation in connexion with the freehold, every other bit of legislation of tho piesent Government had boen taken from the Liberals.

"The sight of blue uniforms at Re-, form meetings,"• says the Opposition paper, "has ceased to cause surprise to the public" The sound of hoots and animal noises, mado by "Liberals" at B-eform meetings, have also ceased to cause 6iirpriso. Tho police will disappear as soon as the "Liberal" rowdyism, disappears.

"The penal clauses" of the Industrial T>isputes Investigation Act have come in for sorao fresh criticism by iho local organ of tho Opposition. U is alleged" that Mr Herdman said that "he had practically re-enacted tho law passed in England in 1875.;' Mr Herdman was not tho Minister in charge of tho Industrial IHsputes Investigation Bill,and he did riot cay that ho had in that measuro enacted or re-enacted anything*. *

Where did the "penal clauses" of tho Act referred to como from, then—those clauses winch the Opposition and Red Feds condemned for their brutality in forbidding kind-hearted peopJo from giving twopence .to tho aunt of a. "starvintr. striker," or something of the sort? From Sir J. G. Ward's Act of 1908.