THE HELMSMAN.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 799, 23 April 1910, Page 5

THE HELMSMAN.

MR. WADE WILL STICK TO THE -•■.■•■..;.■ SHIP. . ; ; ' By TelegTapli-Prßss Assor.iation-Copyrlihl Sydney, April 22. At a meeting of the State Liberal Reform party, tho Premier (Mr. C. G. Wade) intimated that he was prepared to lead the party at the ensuing elections.- : - . . • He would, he declared, not forsake his supporters at this 'critical moment, and'added that he had never had intention of so doing. [A, report was cabled to the effect that . Mr. Wade would take a puisne judgeship.. He recently visited Now Zealand for the benefit of bis health.] THE INDUSTRIAL DISPUTES ACT. WAS IT A CAUSE OF THE ROUT? . "Wherever:wo went wo were assailed, withjthe.cry of the Coercion Act." This statement by Mr. Cook, Federal Government- Leader—who considers that Mr. Wade's Act ■ has been manufactured 'into a Labour : engine-ol'-war, and has been a big factor in the Federal Government's rout—has attracted considerable . attention. .It is interesting-to quote theviow of the author of the Act, Mr. C. G. Wade, Premier of New South Wales, as given to the "Sydney Morning Herald": "I have no hesitation in saying that the reason assigned: by Labour members, —namely, -. the action of the Government .in-, connection with' the strike—was simply bluff,; and used for the purposo of making some party capital at,the expense: of the' Stato Goyernmenti I. am quite prepared, to .admit, that the gross misrepresentation.'circulated .by. representatives, of' the Labour party mighti have done more harm to the State Government .if they had been'.allowed to My own- experience in every, town, where'; I have tpoken during the last two ; months was that when the plain unvarnished facts wore ex. plained, fully 00 per-cent; of the meeting showed not only approval, but enthusiastic/approval. ; "But any action of .the.. State Government.could -ba/o no. relation to the vote for : thp;Fusidn'Govei>iipient iir this State, , - arid, evcif-assuniiug that it htidan in-' lluenco ;in New.South Wales, it wouldbe' ridiculous to suppose it operated in. every; State in the Commonwealth. Tet wound, as'a matter of fact, tKat there, is an'. increase in the vote recorded for Labour, in all the btatcs.'. .'. ;To • tell the truth; no man can say what is tbo exact explanation of tlus larger Labour vote. '■; 'I'here ' are certainly many questiona operating.in-the minds of electors with regard to tl\e fusion which I am. afraid had tho effect of losing Liberal votes and increasing' tho Labour support., :'"The issues wbic'i will be raised in the State elections uio very different, and tup figures recorded, this week are no criterion'," as to,' the results of - the State general;.election. . The ..present, position, however,' will have..this Avholestme ■advantage—that it will wake. up. many of the apathetic and' indifferent, who did not bother to vote for the Liberal candidate either because they felt' that he was sure to get in without' their assistance, or because he could not possibly get in with their'assistance. There are, unfortunately, too many; of that class who don't realise their privileges and responsibilities, > and .who by-their, inactivity play into the hands of the party they are in their hearts strongly opposed to: Tho cry of public men upon the platformis always ,'Organiso, organise; vote, vote,' till it. becomes, almost, nauseating, •• and 1 experience shows that advice! and even entreaty, frequently fall on, deaf cars. ; • "I have no doubt that with reason-i able attention to the interests of tho State, and with the exercise of the franchise, this Government ; will hold its own at the.'. coming elections. However,; now that the Labour party is-. returned with "a substantial majority, it , will have air opportunity ( of doing some of those great deeds which they ■■ have been promising for tho last 20 years. Election after election being in opposition and far away-from power, they have always outbidden tho Government with promises of what they -would, do when they got , into power, and no doubt the beautiful pictures they have painted of paradise under Labour Government have attracted many votes. Wβ shall now have «n opportunity of seeing how far these ideals are realised in practice, when tho responsibility of practical action and financing is imposed upon the Government. , . .

"I have just noticed," Mr; Wade went on, "a statement made by Mr. Gardiner (a New South Wales Labour candidate, for the Senate), which shows tho deplorable depths to which some politicians aro still prepared to sink for the purpose of misrepresenting our' political oifences. Ho asserted at the Trades • Hall the other night that innocent men wero in,gaol to-, day, who sat in committals. and conferences, :and voted and spoke against the strike. In the first place I challenge Mr. Gardiner to name any man to whom these conditions apply. 1 suppose the usual distortion of facts has led to this statement. Representations certainly were made to the Minister for Justico that certain delegates, who had been convicted for inciting to strike at Newcastle, did, ut a subsequent Etage, use every endea* vour to induce the men on strike to go back and work and accept a wages board. These ■ ovunts took place after the offence for which they were convicted, and those could not purge the offence, but were considered' to bo grounds for mitigation, tmd, in tho cases of thnso men whoijiarf so acted were considered favourably, \nd the huntonces were accordingly reduced. ." "Mr. Gardiner further suggests theso men aro in gaol becauso they darod 'to moot together and carry out the ordinary business of the. union. Ho must know' perfectly well that no attempt had ever been made to. interfere with meetings, large or small, for carrying on tho logi'ti'. mato business of tho union,' and if ho recognises the responsibilities of his position, he should be man enough to stand np and say he had no sympathy with thosq misguided men ivho itrnored peaceful, methods for settling disputes, and endeavoured to make war.upon the conntry. After all, it is a poor cause that has to depend for its strength upon misrepresentation."