WARDISM'S SYMPATHY WITH LABOUR.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2162, 30 May 1914, Page 4

WARDISM'S SYMPATHY WITH LABOUR.

-— ; >- — o<n of the minibers for Dnnedin City a few, i)nd steie v«jy things t-o say about the inir'Hluetian by Slit Jii«fpir AVajxD of in hereditary title into a eoinm.uiiity siwh as mi have here in Ke'.v Zealand. He considered that tlits had kill'.d Si.fi Joseto Ward for all time in his .pose as a champion of democratic sentiment. Possibly, the member in qiiftstio® .was l'igfit;. An title as a reward for services ror.tkred as a scrviiut. of 1!m: democracy is rftther difTi- • cult for ■ the 'average, c.iti?;cn to raconei.k with liis acscpted id<:« of things. But we are reciined to tlic opinion that the Leader of the Op. ■t3£..sjt.ii39 has stili heavier hrindicap to carry iii his efforts to regain ptso-

i lie confidence. The record of Ms past 1 I failures as a Icurloi- is in itself a !rc-' | roendous handicap, and his inability I |to live up to his political pi.il;;s- ] sions must prove equally clstriittcnfcal j to his prespccfcs. Quite tfeeetttiy we! showed froai official statistics bow j the big estates of tho Dominion in- j drcased. in mantes (hiring Siu 1 Joseph Ward's torn of office and j while fe was valiantly preaching ; closer settlement. Now bis friends are trying to persuade labour that: ha is the devoted champion of the ; working man mid he obligingly ac* ■ cepis the role iuul urges Labour to Tally to tho ''i.iberiil'' can.sjfe which he claims has <k«ie >0 much for It., On top of this strategical move conies the unpleasaFit disefosn'i'C mafce by the Jamks Aixex concerning: the- building of homes fur workers, The AYorkshs' Dwellings Act ttas.; pftssed in 1903 and came ijftto operaMoil in 1908. l)urin-g the six ye.its: in which he held, tho office of Prime. Minister and with his heart throbbing with desire to help tho Working niau and • relieve him ,of tho bunko of lukvy rents, it woiilcl ho expected ihftt Sib Joseph WAn would eagerly seize the great opportunity afforded him of' proving himself tho working naan's friend. Hooey was plentiful, suitable, land to bo, had in abundance. One would have expected in Such circumstances that Workers' Homes would have sprung np like mushrooms. What arc the. actual facte? 1 Between January, 1906, and January, 1012, the magnificent sum of £M 6,622 was spent by the Government in providing workers' dwellings, the number of dwellings <?rcetetl being. 210. Since the tVum Government Was ejected from the Treasury benches the Masses Go\cramcnt< in less than two. years, has erccted 111 workers' dwellings at a dost of £70,606; has put iii hand 8? more.

■at an estimated cost of £11,11!); and has authorised 100 others at a cost of £49,-17n. In six years, therefore, under Sir Joseph Ward, 21.0 workers' dwellings were erected at a cost of £14(5,(502; wherenSi iii less than two yea-i'Si. the Massky Gover'nniefll; has erected or authorised the' crec- . tion of 305 workers' dwellings at a . total cost of £7(51,230. And the : Varilists ask Labour to. believe that they are its friends and the Reform ; Party its enemies.