POLITICAL ADDRESS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 281, 20 August 1908, Page 8

POLITICAL ADDRESS.

MR. A. L. HERDMAN IN CONCERT HALL. TRENCHANT CRITICISM OF GOVERNMENT. WANTED, MORE SELF-RELIANCE. ' Considering the severe weather, there , was a large, attendance in: the Municipal Concert Hall 1 last evening l , when Mr. A. L. Herdman, Opposition. candidate for Welling-' ton,'North',' gave: an election address. Dr. Newman''occupied tiie'ehair. Mr. Herdman received'a closely attentive hearing, and some of liis, most important points, notably his plea for a stronger spirit of self-reliance, with less dependence on the Government, and his advocacy of a Public Service Board, were'.received with most emphatic applause. After speaking for an hour and a half the candidate, answered, a ,large number of questions, and was - accorded a vote of .thanks and confidence by the meeting.

CHAIRMAN'S REMARKS. The Chairman' said that Mr. Herdman was an exceedingly able man, who had studied not, only New Zealand but worldwido politics vory intimately. He had two opponents already announced in the present contest, and if anybody decided later not to stand, it would,not bo Mr. Herdman. There wore many important aspects to political - affairs to-day. There was a prospect of considerable monetary straits, and'financiaranxiety.' Moreover, if it was :good'to .have, si. strong Government it was ;also good, to;'.haye;-.a .strong Opposition. Politics in .this country ; had been for many years ono-sided,. and tho result was that instead '.of thinking for themselves many people were disposed-to say: "I say ditto to Sir Joseph Ward;" Thore.wero very gravo matters coming on that needed criticism and examination, • arid it was tho duty of : every., citizen to. consider theso matters, and'not;,,tb , treat: elections as if they'wera 'airy nothings, ,brit to . put his heart into them.' He'iubmitted'.that they might go a long''way, ,'ah.d| candidate so worthy .of, election^;as, ;Mr. Hordman. ' MR. HERDMAN'S ADDRESS. The candidate, who was received with much applause, expressed his thanks to,the audience for: turning out in such' inclement neither. -They might think it strange that 'he, was-giving';a ; public two or three ihpnthsvXeforo-'tho! election, . but ho was not ,d6'mg soiwithout/consideration. Ho had con-:jsu'jt'ed:-with/a.;numbern<)f ■ ladies' and 'gentlemen who. had offoredrto support him in the contcst, and they ;had;? all • como to the conclusion that ■ as. his.' 'two. opponents. were sharpening 1 their speajMand donning their war-paint-it was high„time for him to take the field. He bad been-told that he was not known! to a large , section (of the public of Wellington, ,and; : therefp;rp;he was present'in tho firstj place-as,an exhibit; lie was there' to ,be in oordor' : , that- tnoy might know ..what manner, 6fj,iman,.he was. Secondly, he !wa^''there.,tp.submit;,his-political creed, as if it* were, a' ; garment- If they; thought, after examination,|that-the,-garment-was: olcl,' that it' did riof, fife or that .it" had: holes in it, then they: shojild■.reject.,it. by all .means, but, if, after'.examination,'- they- 'concluded that' it was'sound anti strong,-, not like' one of: the directoire .costumqs meant to' dazzle the eye at a-,fashionable-,entertainment for a day' and 'tben-'be -'relegated ,to the background, if ,they d^ided, that his-creed was sound and' strong ,and;,,syliplpspme.; aiid' could endure criticism, !.he asked, them; to acoept his creed, and, in doihg-'-sp,- to ; accept him.

■ Opposed,, tovtha., Covornmont. , He was" not' standing, as a party politician merely. .' |M. was standing as ono mipb'ised • lie hoped that' throughoulT'i' ) illb Y.'BortwsKi'.for Wellington North, ! i]i ,,r aU f h'iS'.'speeches he- would take .high' ground,'''ftn'd never' descend to anything : paltry, ''but" discuss' all -questions on broad arid wholesomorliries.- - At the present time three candidates for '-'the seat had been announced;"''Two'of them professed allegiance to tho '.Government, and one of them had: beon' acceptcd as the Govornment candidato. He ; was-the only ono who was opposed to the' Government.'-' His • antagonists, however; were his personal friends—it was a curious thing that all three candidates were ■lawyors—arid tie' Hoped that when the contest" was ended they would bo just as good friefids as they wero that day. In contesting tho eeat 4s 1 one opposed to the present Administration, ho had no sympathies with any particular class. He , regarded the position Of: a :moriiber of Parliament and 're- . presentative -'of' the' people' as a position in .which a man should represent all classes of the community, < and if he was returned ho would consider it his duty to represent all classes . .fairly arid justly. Moreover, ho would not''consider that he was representing only Wellington' North} but ho would deem 'it\nis. duty'.to 'consider' the interests of tho Dominion','aS a .'whole, Mere than that, if he' was returned, • and -if. suggestions 1 wero' mado by his opponents in politics which ho considered to be iri'tho best' intorests.of tho country ho .would accept them, and endeavour,'' to the best of his ability, 'to • see that, such proposals were passed, though he' would rather that - they camo from his political friends.' V ; f ! '• ' • ' ■. Too ;Much Legislation. 'How could ono regard the present tone of. public affairs? 'It seemed to him "that at the prosonii'tiiuo there pervaded .throughout the wholo .community a feeling of dissatisfaction and discontent. There was gradually growing throughout tho country a feeling of distrust in the Liberal Administration. Why: should.that bo so? During tho past ten to fifteen years, a, largo volumo of measures had'every year been placed on the statute book; People wore' getting dissatisfied with the constant interference with their rights/ The fact"was that there had been too much legislation. (Applause.) 'There was hardly a section of tho community which was. not touched by legislation. For fifteon years past, tho Legislature..had considered' it to be'its primary , duty to put on tho statute book :as many measures as possible. They seemed 'to think: that, they ought to -bs judged,'by !thb not the quality, of' the legislation enacted.' There .was on tho statute book. at the,. present time a large number of-Acts ' which interfered, not only with private, but also with public rights. So cumbe,rsomo wero the statute books that a committee had been appointed to compile tho various enactments —to put them together in such "a manner that even an ordinary lawyer would be able to .understand them. That was not'the only reason ,why thero was general discontent. • Take,'the "farmer, for instance. He'was in deadly, terror,that the Arbitration Court should call upon him—that had already beon donoxto bo-.a. party to an award. ' ' Even ' the' 1' labouring man—tho man , wh0..'.,/worked " on the wharf— was being' interfered with.- 'Then, in addition, tho merchant was harassed—in fact, ovory class in tho community was being hampored. Would tho result bo tho advancement- of c tho .interests of the peoplo? What would 'bo 'the' ultimate outcome? Tho effect 'of"constant interference'!of the rights of all classes.'was to', restricji,"tho rights of the individual, and to, make the people less self-reliant than they'wjbre in tho past. (Applause.) What .was happening in addition? The public debt had,.reached a higher point than at any other period in tho history of the country; tho interest cliargo and taxation were also : higher'.and—of course, the' Government were not responsible in tho next instance—tho, .rates on properties in the city we're higher than before. Tho tendency nowadays was to borrow " more money and to .increase, tlje',', taxqtiop,, ~ . Tho burden of his, ''song thajj, .eyehing was;that a lino of policy was; required'which''would havo tho effect of granting more. liberty to. tho individual than in tho past. As'a result of constant interference with the rights of the people, business, etc., could not be carried 1 on properly. (Applauso.) Thon the' glory of New Zealand—tho Arbitration Act—had broken down.

. '.Weakening:? Nation. . " That'<vas ; 'ano'th'or; reason for tho prevailing « £ legislation,' and.,

the methods of administration of the Liberal party for the past 16 or 17 years had been in the direction of creating a weak nation. (Applauso.) Was tho nation's back broader and its staturo higher than before? Or was the , tendency in tho direction of creating a race of weaklings? It was the duty of a Government to mould national - character and to _ protect liborty. Olio branch of tho legislation was being so unjustly adniinistered that if the present state of affairs was allowed to go on a very serious position would arise. Anything which' tended to weakon tho nation and restrict the healthy freedom of individual action was harmful. For seventeen years a Liberal Administration had been in power Tho first head of that Administration, Mr. Ballanco, had propounded a self-reliant and non-borrowing policy. His .career was cut short, and tliero succeeded, under another king, a non-self-reliant, much-borrowing policy. "Borrow as much as you can, and trust in Providence" was tho policy of the present Government. The Public Debt. To show how the Liberal party had departed from Mr. Ballance's tenets ho stated that tho public debt had increased sinco his time from £37,343,303 to £63,524,961, an increase of £26,181,000. It was difficult to realise that in a small romoto country like this the public debt should be increased by so many million pounds in seventeen years, and that we'paid every year on the debt about as much as we borrowed. Moreover, when'the Government had such an immense sum to expend every year, it was very difficult to discover some way of reform. Ministers wont l'odiid the country with a chequebook, and metaphorically-speaking they said "How much do you want?" When the amount was stated the cheque was written. It was very hard to bring about reform when tho Administration in power had these advantages. There were various means of securing reforms practised in different countries, but, in _ New Zealand, as in America, the authorities with endless money to spend never did go out of power. In China no glittering statements • were sent out when a bank went insolvent, but short sharp practices wero adopted. What had been tho effect of tho distribution of large sums of money and the giving of billets? The effect had been to convert tho Government into a huge benevolent institution. Excessive rain, snows, hail, fires or drought sent farmers to the Government for succour.

A Huge Benevolent Institution. The Government, whoso proper functions were to pass 'laws for- tho protection of the individual and lifting up of tho national life, was converted into a huge benevolent institution to which rich and poor alike flow for assistance when somo unfortunate , national calamity overtook them. ■Under this system the position of a Minister of the Crown must bo very unfortunate. Wherever;ho went ho was assailed by a deputation and asked for some gift. Tho idea had grown up that a Minister was a sort of itinerant dispenser of prize packets. Ho had "only to be approached in a gentlo manner and with a hint that any gift would be. rewarded with.votes for tho applicant to obtain his'desire. And this idea had been sedulously cultivated. Tho young men who would vote . for . the first time at tho next elections; wero pnly five years old, when the Liboral Administration, came into, power, and these principles had'been instilled into thorn throughout that period. It was al,ways clear thatif behaved themselves' they might obtain positions, as inspectors of noxious, weeds.or-something else of the kind. Tho tendency, ,of this policy had been- to form a race, of invertebrate men' and . women. He contrasted the generation so. brought up with ,tho self-reliant of'this country. The old' spirit of self-reliance was giving place to a disposition 'to rely on a.' benevolent Government in power. ■ The new spirit was bad, and ho thought that it ,was high time that serious peoplo should declare that they were opposed to it and determined to see that tho system was altered; If it was not alterod, what would,happen in the future? Had tho.systom he had outlined tended to mako them strong ■ ■ against - great ■ difficulties that might aViser : t 'He' ,l held f !that : it' ; 'had, riot. An invertebrate race might be. tho product of. an invertebrate legislature. Tho Administration which was at present in power was weak, and was .afraid to face difficulties when they aroso. So long as tho sea: was calm everything had gone along smoothly, but when ,a' storm occurred it had been found wanting. He would put before his hearers two instances which showed beyond doubt that the Administration had failed miserably in its duty in facing important positions. In the first place, he would remind them of the Land Bill which was introduced during the 1907 session. When it was brought ,down, tho Hon. Mr. M'Nab said that tho Government was going to stick to its guns; if tho Bill fell they,would fall .with it. Eventually >the Government found that there was strong opposition throughout the country to the Bill. What did they do then? The members of tho Government had fled to their warren •like rabbits before tho sound of''the gun. (Applause.) .

Arbitration Act. Funk had also been shown by the Govornment in a greater.degree in respect to tho enforcement of tho provisions of the Arbitration Act. Ho would like to mention at tho outset that he was not in favour of imprisonment for.; breach of an award. A worker should always possess tho right to sell his labour at a fair price. It was the inherent right of a worker to say that he would not work unless ho got the prico ho considered his labour was-worth. His personal opinion was that tho Arbitration Court had always had •an unconscious bias in favour of tho working man. (A voitio: Rot!), The, Court and tho Act had stood only as long as things were' prosperous, and so long as the Court could grant everything that the worker desired. A day came, however, when tho Court decided that certain demands of tho workers could not bo conceded. Then tho workers decided to defy the Court. That day occurred during the-past eighteen months. From the date :of tho introduction of the Act the worker waß in possession of a double-barrelled gun—the right , barrel being the power to say to tho employer that if thoir claims were not acceded to' they would go to the Court, and tho left barrel, which was kept in the background, tho power to striko. On the other hand, when an award went against an employer the power to enforce the provisions of the award was effective, because if ho disobeyed an order to pay a fine his goods and property could bo distrained upon. What happened when tho workers refused to pay a fino imposed upon therii? The Government were afraid to enforce tho penal clauses of the Act, because thoy wero afraid of losing votes. (Applause.) With respect, to tho recent tramways strike at Auckland, the Government had assisted tho workers to ovado the provisions of tho Act by appointing a special tribunal to hear the dispute. Why was tho Act not enforced? The bakers had since struck and nothing had been done.

Changes of Opinion. When difficulties first aroso, tho AttorneyGeneral was asked whether men could bo imprisoned for not paying tho fines. . Up to this time, Now Zealand had been regarded as a workers' paradiso, and also a capitalists' paradise, whore peace and calm reigned, and there was never any disturbance in tho industrial world. With groat gleo, tho Att'ornoyGenoral. intimated to tho public that tho Arbitration Act had not broken down, that tho penal provisions could bo enforced, and tho men- who refused to pay their fines could bo imprisoned.. Ho stated that tho law was perfectly clear to that effect. This was Dr. Findlay's opinion on March 9, 1907. The Government, through their mouthpiece, tho Attor-ney-General, intimated then their determination to onforco tho law. But what had they done since? The Premier had on inoro than one occasion, at tho beginning of tlieso difficulties, declared that the law must bo enforced. Oil July 17, 1907, the AttorneyGeneral, speaking in the Legislative Council, said that strikes must bo prevented, and if. they could not do it othorwiso, ho thought that thoy should do it by imprisonment. Ho also stated that " if men revolt against tho civil laws of the country you havo tho harsh method of the Riot Act," and that ho admired tho men who would toll tho labour peoplo of the colony " that strikes must cease, and bo made to cease by whatever penalty will effeot that purpose." Yet there worn tho Donniston, Blackball, iVYelliiigtoH bakers', and • sther,

cases as ovidonco that tlio law had nover been onforced. The Attorney-General had spoken of recourse to tho Riot Act. Just think of the Attorney-General, down on tho reclaimed land, with angry faco and gleaming eyes, on a white horse, with the Ileretaunga Mounted Rifles behind him, and a collection of striking bakers in front of him—what would he havo done? Ho would have told tho strikers that they had not gono far enough in demanding an increase of wages, _ but that tlicy ought to havo asked their employers for 75 per cent, of their profits _to share among themselves. The Act was still inoperative, and a condition of injustico was the result of its inequitable bearing on tho employer and not upon tho worker. Tho worker could treat the Act as waste-paper, and tear it to pieces. Tho Premier • had stated on April 12 last, at Kaitangata, • that tho law must bo obeyed, and if either side disrespected it, no.ono need stop in and ask tho Gorernment to help. Yet he had also said that if tho men implicated were to ask that tho gaols should bo thrown open for their admission lie would givo instructions that the gaols should bo securely locked, and the men kept out. Mr. Ilerdman wished to know what' constitutional right a Premier had, in any British community, to 6ay that the gaol doors should bo looked against anyone who had broken tho law. If ho could do this in tho case of one offence he could do it in a caso of petty theft. Mr. Ilerdman contrasted Dr. Findlay's definition in the Blackball case, "that a striker who is striking is not a striker," and his quesat Wpnganui, "what purpose could be served by keeping a useless thunderbolt on the statute book," with his previous statements that the law could bo enforced. The position was now farcical. Against the inaction of the New Zealand Government in regard to strikes Mr. Ilerdman contrasted tho strong position taken up by Mr. Wade, Premier of New South Wales, which brought tho Sydney tramways strike to' a speedy close. Mr. Wade had said: "The Government must maintain the law as laid down. It must do that as long as it can. If tho majority of the people declares itself to he of a different opinion it will then be time enough for tho Govornment to make way for another Administration." He thought that in this country, though he did not believe in tho_ principle of tho Arbitration Act at all, if tho Administration had been composed of men who. possessed courage and decision to faco these labour difficulties, there would not have been the' industrial chaos of the present timo. The New Zealand Administration had shown itself weak and chicken-heartcd in tho crisis, because it was afraid of losing votes.

Constructive Propesals. Having criticised tho legislation and administration of tho Liberal GOTernment he would now givo his own opinion _ regarding tho arbitration law. In his opinion compulsory arbitration was a failure. He believed that tho wise men who. took an .interest. in public affairs when the Bill was originally passed thought that tho Act would ultimately fail when put to tho test. It would be absolutely impossible to patch ■up tho present Act. The Attorney-General had proposed a scheme_ for giving workers an exertion wage as against the needs wage. He (the speaker) had not gone into the -matter exhaustively but it seemed to him that the proposal was impracticable. Imprisonment for refusing to work under certain conditions appeared to him to be repugnant. What should supersede tho Act ? ■ Ho thought that a ' special tribunal, consisting of, say, three representatives of the 'employers, three of the workers and a pre-' sident like, say, Mr. Justice Sim, should bo 'set up to adjust industrial disputes. If :-it. happened that the parties could not then agree'then it * seemed -to"- him that the, only thing left .was for. the . men to strike- if they wished to ■do so. If his proposals were adopted strikes might not bo prevented, but good results would -undoubtedly accruo. He knew that the opinions to which he had given expression might be unpopular to numbers of peoplo, but they wore in his belief rational suggestions. (Applause.) Curiously enough, the scheme which ho had outlined seemed to harmonise.,with a suggestion mado by Mr. D. M'Laron recently. Public Scrvice Beard. For some years he had, held that one great ovil which existed in the country should bo done away with. Department after Department had been created by the Government, and the result was that tho public service had grown so rapidily that it had now reached such enormous dimensions' as to be practically uncontrollable. When ho represented a constituency in tho South his life wa3 made miserablo by innumerable requests to supplicate Ministers-on behalf of applicants for positions in tho public service. Hefelt that tho time of Ministers would be better employed looking aftejr : the production of careful and wise legislation. It would bs in the general interests of the community if the whole service were cut completely adrift from Ministerial control. In 1904 he introduced a Bill to effect that reform. Objection was taken by tho lato Mr. -Seddon to its introduction on tho ground that .a member could not introduce a Bill which involved tho question of tho voting of public moneys. In tho ond his object was defeated. So long as people got into tho service as a reward for political service tho number of specially competent public servants would be limited; jn fact, the best men would not bo. obtained. If an independent-Board wero set up it would help to purify the public life all rouiid from top to bottom of the service. Tho savings banks, Advances to Settlors Department, and the railways should bo placod under the control of non-political Boards. On a future occasion he would malco an analysis of the financial methods of the Government. If a Public Service' Board were established, politics would be better and purer, and it would lead to a higher national life. . "Tha. Surplus." Finally, Mr. Herdman spoke of tho Government's persistent " surplus." At the end of every year the Colonial Treasurer reported, as a proof of careful finances! that thero was a surplus of £800,000 or £900,000. But this largo " surplus" was obtained by a refined process of bleeding the people. Tho Colonial Treasurer would show his skill as a financier much, better if ho would so regulate his expenditure and revenue as to live on a small revenue and reduco taxation. Assuming that tho population of Now Zealand was 200,000 familios, a reduction of taxation in any year to the extent of £800,000 would bo at the rate of £4 a year per family. Why was not that reduction made ? The public wore contributing to tho so-called surplus by means of taxation. Thore had been a great' outcry lately against tho increased cost of living, and the quickest and most certain way of relieving .this difficulty would bo reduction of taxation. He thought that with the completion of the Main Trunk Line, and completion to Clyde of the Otago Central lino, the difficulties in tho way of this would not bo so Great as thoy had been in tho past, and the Government should seriously consider tho question of genuinoly reducing taxation to make tho cost of living cheaper.

THANKS AND CONFIDENCE. After tho, speaker had replied to a numbor of questions, Mr. H. H. Seatou moved a vote of thanks and confidence to tho candidate. Tho motion was carried, with a few interjections of dissent.

It was a most serious mistake when the encouragement of immigration by passagewarrants, which allowed persons in Australia to bring out relatives or friends at reduced rates, was discontinued. Certain it. is, our population will not increaso adequately unless wo "hustlo" for it, and it is time that wo loft off talking and did something.— "Australasian."

Georges Hackenschmidt, the famous wrestler, was lying seriously ill in Juno in a private hospital at Aix-la-Chapollo. Ho has undergone an operation to his knee, and for thrco nights morphia had to bo administered to obtain relief from the excruciating pain. A subsequent operation left two fingers' on his loft hand paralysed. Writing to tho "Manchester Sporting Chronicle," Hackenschmidt said:—"l feel a iittle better to-day, only I cannot get back tho use of two fingers on my left hand. Since tho operation they are quite dead. ■ As soon as I am out of bed I will havo electrical treatment. I only hopo I shall not have paralysis of my triceps."

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