M. AITKEN ON DR. FINDLAY.

Evening Post, Volume LXIV, Issue 119, 15 November 1902, Page 6 (Supplement)

M. AITKEN ON DR. FINDLAY.

"THE PHANTOM SHIP." The entrance of another candidate in the Wellington election field in the person of lh\ Findlay was referred to by Mr.' Aitken last night, the new candidate being described as a. man. of considerable ability, and one who should know what he was talking about. " But it did surprise me," said Mr. Aitken, "to see, on taking up the paper this morning, that Dr. Findlay is taking this campaign in a very light and fantastic way. (Applause.) I do not think that the position should be treated in that fashion. (Hear, hear.) I do not think that the thing is so light and airy as Dr. Findlay '\\ ould like to make out. For instance, he compares the ship of State to a. phantom ship. Well, I can assure you, and you do not need my assurance, that there is nothing of the phantom about it. It is a very real ship, which he says or implies is npw going full speed ahead — so fast that the danger is that it might come to grief, and then what would the consequences be? He accuses Messrs. Duthie, Atkinson, and myself, who are standing in opposition to the 'Government — (applause) — of wanting to stop the ship altogether. Well, all I can say is that in my opinion there is a very great danger of going too fast, and there is very great need for keeping, a strict look-out to see that there are no dangers ahead. {Applause.) In drawing on his imagination, and telling us his dream, Dr. Findlay pictured Mr. Duthie as captain of the ship and myself as engineer. ... I wish to emphasise that it seems to me that the present Government has got into such a condition that unless it is going full speed ahead and continues to go full • speed ahead, it has so many people crying out that it cannot stop and cannot slow down, even though it is necessary to slow down. (Loud applause.) Dr. Findlay pictured Mr. Duthie as captain, and in that position he had discharged a good many of the hands. One knows perfectly well that there are a great many men employed on this ship who are not to be found on the ship's articles. (Laughter and applause.) They are taken on as temporary hands, and the fact is that a little while ago the present captain of the ship found he was in some financial, straits and tried to get rid of some of these hands, but they made such a hue and cry, and raised such a, hubbub that the captain was glad 1 to take them into the ship again to keep them- quiet, and there they are still." (Applause.) Dr. Findlay had also tried to poke fun at the combination of those standing in opposition. Well, there was no definite information as to who the three Government men were, but no matter which three was taken out of those standing in the interests of the Government, there would be found a far funnier combination than the one standing for the Opposition. (Laughter and applause, j Returning again to the "phantom" ship, Mr. Aitken did not know what the owners might say by-,and-bye about this going full speed ahead. Were the owners ever consulted, or asked whether they • objected to the employment of all these men <\vith'out them being placed on the articles? Not they. The captain look supreme command — he was more than captain, he was the autocrat and guided and controlled the ship, and the crew had to obey. As long as he was able to show plenty of smoke, and keep a big enough crew about him, he seemed to be able to go at this rapid rate. Let us hope and trust, for the sake of the owners of the ship, that the captain was not going to run to ruin, and. to bring the owners to a much greater mess financially than they had ever been in before. Later in tho evening, Mr. Aitken remarked that Dr. Findlay had apparently practically said that the faster they could borrow 1 the more prosperity they had, the more rapidly development went on, and the quicker they got wealthy. But Dr. Findlay must know that there was reason in borrowing and there must come a time when unreasonable borrowing would lead to very great hardship to the whole community. (Applause.)