PRESS OPINIONS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 121, 14 February 1908, Page 5

PRESS OPINIONS.

THE PREMIER'S SPEECH. It was, of course, natural that in the first important public utterance since tho eloso of last session Sir Joseph Ward should devote some timo to referring to tho principal measures that were passed last year. As wo . dealt with them in detail at the time, wo have no intention of following the Premier through his eulogy of each and every one of them. ' Wo must demur again to his suggestion that the only way of preventing tlie "cnd-of-the-session" rush is tor Parliament to_nicet earlier and sit for a longer period than is now tho custom. Tho session is quite long enough as it is, and tho cxtrcmo difficulty, of T.'l'.ich Sir Joseph complained, in getting measures passed in tho earlier part of it would disappear if tho Government would bring down their Bills and let tho llouso get- to work on them, instead of keeping them back until tho last few weeks. We have no fault, however, to find with his description of tho chango in tho land and income tax law as "a remarkablo picco of legislation." It is all that. Wo can also agreo with him, though probably not in tho senso ho would choose, that its valuo will be better understood in years to come. ...

Only, three policy measures for next session wero referred to by Sir Joseph Ward. Ono of t-heso is to provide superannuation for employees of municipalities and other local bodies, and a system of annuities for the general public, tho latter to be. worked through the insuranco offices carrying on business in New Zealand. Tho recent provision of superannuation for all branches of tho public servico has undoubtedly created a-'desire on the part of many not employed in. that service to enjoy somo similar means of providing for old age, and general interest will bo felt in the proposed measure. 'It Will bo remembered that Mr. Scddon brought down a schemo of national annuities, which was not persevered with. Tlie handicap suffered by settlers, especially in tho back blocks, in tho North Island, through lack of roads, is so generally rccognised that tho Premier's proposal to devote a largo sum annually for fivo years to carrying out an ext-ensivo schomo of roading, will bo largely approved. Everything, of course, 'depends upon how tho money is spent, but if it is applied according to tho needs of tho various districts, it,will removo one of tho greatest existing drawbacks to settlement. The proposal to cut out the Chinese market gardener by employing prison- labour to raiso vegetables for tho four cities, is a case of misdirected good intention; Tho idea of compelling prisoners to do work which, besides being useful for the men themselves, would provido their Wives and dependents with somo money, is excellent so far as it goes. But.in its present shapo we believe it is quito impracticable, and if it wero not so it would certainly inflict hardships upon a largo number of white market-gardeners. The Chinainan has not such a monopoly as Sir Joseph Ward, thinks. In Christchurch, for instance, there aro a number of men of our own raco who mako a living by'raising vegetables. In places whero tho bulk of the trado is in-the hands of Chinamen tho remedy rests with the public, who, as.it is, too often show a prefcrenco for tho Chinaman, and thus help to white man out of the 1 business. Wo believe lin tho principlo of putting prisoners to healthy and useful labour, but it would bo manifestly unfair if the. .wllito market-gardeners had to compete with prison labour as well as' with Chinamen, and that would tho final result of Sir Joseph Ward's proposal, if it wero ever carried into effect.—Christchurch "Press."

Tho most interesting portion, of tho speech delivered. last Friday night, at Auckland by Sir. Joseph Ward was undoubtedly that • in which ho expounded tho aims of tho Government with regard to social legislation and endeavoured to define the position of his party in: its relation to thoso Whom he described as revolutionary Socialists. Tho. claim,that thoro maybe Liberals in Parliament. oil tho side other than: that upon which lie himself sits is apparently resented by tho Primo Minister, it is, ho contends, a perversion of tho true meaning of Liberalism ■to'apply the term to. the political views that, aro held by tho members of tho Opposition. Ihis ; is, however, ,a singular and amusing contention from a deader of a party which is so much indebted as the present Ivlinistry is to tho Opposition for tho policy it has espoused. And it is not robbed of its peculiarity by tho explanation tho Primo .Minister has offered concerning tho creed of tho Government. Tho promotion of the prosperity of tho people and the protection ■of tlicir material interests by and through tho courageous and careful extension of State action along prudeiit, lines represent an aim with which the Opposition may bo in as hearty sympathy as any Ministerialist is. • • Wo-dcclino to believe that ; thero aro -thoso-in r*ow Zealand "who," as Sir Joseph ,)Yard says, "distrust all State actions, who 'want unlimited freedom from all forms of State activity and State restriction and who want -unrestrained competition/ 1 Such a class simply does not exist here. What is demanded by thoso whom tho Prime Ministermay probably havo had in his mind is that tho State should procccd cautiously about tho extension of its activities, that it should test every advanco in tlid light of experience, and that it should be prepared to recede from | any position which is proved to bo untenable. Every extension of State enterprise is logi- | timato in their opinion which gives tho individual increased scopo and a better chance of realising, himself. Such forms of State enterpnso aro tho Post Oifico and tlio State railways. ' And, generally speaking, it should be a sino qua noil beforo an extension 'of tho functions of tho State is sanctioned that tho service proposed to bo performed is ono that can be accomplished by tho, Stato, more successfully than by private out/orpriso It is t not very, easy to follow Sir Joseph Ward in his dissertation' upon tho. subject of tho cost of living in New Zealand. But certainly his involved argumont, which is designed to show that the increaso. in tlio cost js not duo to tlio operation of the arbitration law, carries no conviction. In reality ho argues in a circle. If wages havo risen, ho says, prices havo risen, also. Further, if prices havo risen wages havo risen also. That is, of course, irrefutable, but it is worthless as.an argument in support of tho proposition advanced by thoTrimo Minister. Tho experionco of tho public'is, as a matter of fact, of more value! in assisting to the formation of a sound conclusion on tho matter than any amount of elaborate theorising is. And no doubt exists in tlio minds of the community i that the operation of tho Industrial Con- , ciliation and Arbitration Act has been ail important factor in increasing tho cost of living in -New Zealand. When, moreover Sir Joseph Ward assorts that the increaso in wages has been so material as to meet the increase in prices ho states what is in direct I conflict" witli accepted belief on'the point.— "Otago Daily Times." s

. Upon tho text of "revolutionary Socialism, Sir Joseph Ward made a strenuous attack upon the agitation which is disrupting his party and driving together tho moderates of the entire Dominion. The general , exposition of his attitude towards legislative action in a progressive community will be accepted as satisfactory by the great bulk of the community, and we can only regret that, undor tho pressure of sectional intluenco, ho so frequently tonds. to depart from, tho statesman-liko path lio outlines. Every good citizen must wish, with his wholo heart, to alleviato conditions which may press hardly upon his fellow-moil, and to assist the .progressive movement which seeks to raise all and to lower none. It is those rash and ill-advised ~ 'oposals, lightly conceived and recklessly "..vocated, which threaten to disintegrate 'mty, which excite tho alarm and compel 'if. l antagonism of thoughtful citizens. If r Joseph has tho courage of his opinior t ..J carries-into practical politics his c ■' <ken condemnation of foolish and . impr ll schemes, ho may loso tho doul't! il i ort of "revolutionary" advocates, out; ' will gain tho co-operation of all that i. I', , in (ho community. He cannot possibly o everybody; for;oven his plan for tho i. . ment of prison labour, in vegetable gii-ov. ''I not be appreciated by the Chinese But he can, if he choospJs, relievo tho country from an everpresent fear of rash and confiscatory legislation, and restore politics to the normal and natural slate wherein men who equally desire the progress and prosperity of the country diflor as to ways and moans.—"New y.pninnd Herald.'*