THE STRIKE GOVERNMENT CRITICISED

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 78, 2 April 1914, Page 3

THE STRIKE GOVERNMENT CRITICISED

MR. D. J. NATHAN'S SYDNEY INTERVIEW. Mr. D. J. Jfathan, of Wellington, in the course of an interview given to a Daily Telegraph representative in Sydney last week, criticised the action of the Government with regard to the strike and other matters. The remarks were summarised in a brief cable message pub' lished in The Post. We now republish the full text of the interview. Mi 1 . D. J. Nathan stated that the prospects for the present season were remarkably bright. Pastoralists and farmers generally had enjoyed a period of great productiveness and high prices, and, despite the big industrial disturbance towards theend of last year, it was confidently anticipated that the exports for the year ending 31st March would reach the" record total of £25,000,000. Especially satisfactory had been the production of dairy produce, in which he was more particularly interested. This was a good indication of the general prosperity of the Dominion at present. Though moat of the credit for this state of affairs was claimed by the present Government, there was little doubt that it was due mainly to the wise and beneficent policy of the previous Liberal Administrations, which had laid the foundations with their vigorous schemes of land settlement, advances to settlers, sub-division of large estates by means of purchase and the graduated tax, and the encouragement of agricultural and pastoral pursuits in all directions. STRIKE ADROITLY USED. Tho present Massey Government, which was essentially Conservative in instincts and idpa-s, had actually starved by £1,500,000 the Advances to Settlers Office during its period — twenty one months — of administration, and this beneficent institution had been deprived of much of its usefulness. In fact, the whole Governmental finances of the Dominion had reached a highly unsatisfactory 'condition, but the general financial position. was < sound and conservative. Having attained office without the mandate, or verdict of the people the Government had adroitly seized every opportunity to turn public opinion in their favour. Even the recent deplorable strike, which might have been settled by wise and tactful intervention at the outset, or by the legislation which was eventually carried, had been manoeuvred by them for the purpose of gaining a political advantage, and they had -worked matters very successfully— from their own point of view. Instead of grappling wilfi the trouble in its incipient stages, and thereby preventing the widespread ex» tension of the turmoil which so paralysed the industrial and commercial life of the Dominion, the Government allowed matters to drift day by day without making any move. When, howover, the trouble had become sufficiently acute, tho Government descended on tho strikers and crushed them by the overpowering mastery of the law, reinforced by contingents of farmers, whose produce had been lying on tho wharves for weeks. The result fas that the producers and the country population, who detest the tactics of the' Red Federation, applauded the action of the Massey Government, whose prospects for the forthcoming General Election next November are considered good throughout the country districts. The wholo business was a piece of political engineering for party purposes, stage-managed with a sort of Machiavellian finesse. The gravest indictment of the Government was made by the Chief Justice, Sir Robert Stout, who said that the authorities should have been indicted for allowing the mob to take charge, and that the trouble should have been settled in its early stages. THE PRESS. "The Massey Government is making tho same mistake as Napoleon did, in obtaining control of the newspaper press of the Dominion," said Mr. Nathan. "Only two metropolitan newspapers and a few papers in the smaller towii3 remained definitely in opposition to the Government. But Napoleon found that tho papers afterwards turned round on him, and contributed to his downfall. Probably the same thing would .happen to the Conservative Administration in New Zealand. For the Dominion was Liberal at heart, and had long been accustomed to Liberal institutions. Conservatives had opposed the establishment of these institutions tooth and nail in years gone by, but now administered them with a bad grace." By repealing the second ballot, the Government had reverted to the antiquated and discredited system of "top man in." This was a palpable dodge to split the democratic vote. But if Labour would not vote for the Liberalism of Sir Joseph Ward, it wodld certainly not vote for the Conservatism of Mr. Massey. The Labour leaders were too astute to be side-tracked by the tactics of the Government papers. Meanwhile proportional representation had been shelved ; Upper House reform and j amendment to the Customs tariff were other matters upon which the Government had failed to carry out their promises, miii CubinaL was weakened by internal disscnsionis. The Ministry wim by no means, a happy, family, and a spirit i

of discontent at bhe tardiness of the much-heralded "reforms" had crept into the rank and file of the party. _ Speaking generally, the town population and the great mass of the workers were opposed to the Massey Government. In the meantime Sir Joseph Ward, Leader j of the Liberal Oposition, was exceedingly optimistic concerning his party's proBpects, and everything pointed to a j vigorous and highly interesting campaign.