" DRIVEN OFF THE LAND "

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 126, 30 May 1928, Page 11

" DRIVEN OFF THE LAND "

HONOURING , AGREEMENTS MR. SEMPLE'S REPLY (To the Editor.) Sir, —Mr. Ernest A. James, secretary of the Reform League, admits in last .Saturday's "Evening Post" that the Minister of Lands was wrong in his reference to myself siuil my attitude towards industrial agreements, but endeavours to rescue Mr. M'liod from the position he so rashly landed himself in by clouding the issuo with a multitude of irrelevant matters. Mr. Jarnos, however, is .even more glaringly iuaccurato than the Minister, .and launches a mass of fabrications with tho most unbjushing audacity. For instance: — 1; Mr. James says-that the article by Mr. Hickey appeared in tho "Maori-1 land AVorker"-on 7th February, 1913.Tliat statement is not true. No such article appeared' in tho "Maorilaud Worker" on 7th February, 1913. 2. Mr. James says that the article appeared during the prolonged strike of 1913. That statement is untrue. The article did not appear during-any prolonged strike. There was no prolonged strike in February, 1913. ' 3. Mr. James says that when Mr. Hickey's article appeared, the "Maoi\iland Worker." was "under tho editorial control of Mr. H. E. Holland, M.P." That statoment is untrue. Mr. Holland was not' in Now Zealand when the article in question was published. In fact, lie had never set a foot in Nc'w Zealand at the time. ,In attempting, to associate flic Leader of the Opposition witli responsibility for the appearance of the article in question, Mr. James's intention is clear. He endeavours for mean potty party purposes to throw doubt on tho personal integrity of Mr. Holland, whom everybody knows* to' bo a man of tho most upright character, and whoso word is as good as his bond, as the Primo Min--1 ister (the Hon. J. G. Coates) backed up by every member of Parliament, would bo the first to admit. I loave it to your readers to classify the warped nature of tho mind of anyone who would stoop to such questionable methods to blacken a political opponent. Apparently Mr. Jamos has only tho vaguest idea where legitimate political controversy onds and personal honour bogins. I wish to make it clear that never on any occasion have I gxprcssed the slightest sympathy with the sentiments expressed in the article under consideration. In fact, at the very time it, appeared, I stated publicly that any agreement ontorod into by tho Federation of Labour with any section of employers, was as binding upon both parties as if it had been an award of tho Arbitration Court or any other legal tribunal. I have consistently .adhered to that attitude; I have always hold and made it perfectly clear that, unless agreements entered into were honourably observed, thero would be an endto all negotiations Or confidence, and tho result would be chaos and anarchy. I therefore strongly resent any statement, insinuation, or innuendo to the contrary. ■ ■ . ' It is difficult to understand why Mi1;'1 James drags in, .without even' a' pretext of relovancy, the wholly extraneous subject of the Social Democratic Party and its proposed Representation on the International Socialist Bureau, which, by the way, never eventuated, unless it' Was for his historical interest. It certainly has that, and I. thank Mr. James accordingly for raising tlio matter. The President of the Second International at that time was M; Emilo. Viuidcrolde, who was Minister of Justice in the Belgian Cabinet during the war, and held MinratoriaLrnnk in that country right up to the other day. The secretary of the bureau was M. Camjlle Iluysnians, who also held a portfolio, in tho Belgian Cabinot for manyyears. Two members of tlio "bureau, M. Marcel Sembat and M. Jules Gucsdc, joined tho French Cabinet immediately on the outbreak of wnr. Another member, Hcrr Branting, was Prime Minister of Sweden for n long 'period prior to his death. Threo. other Socialistsconnected with the bureau woro Mr. I Arthur Henderson, Mr. George Barnes, "and Mr. J. Clynos, all of whom wove members of the British War Cabinet, and two of whom, Messrs. Henderson and Clynes, held, portfolios in the first British' Labour Government. Yet another member of ,the International Socialist Bureau was Mr. James Ramsay MacDpnakty who has sinco been tho first Labour Prime Minister of Groat-Britain, and the man who has done more for world ponce than any other statesman. Sir Sydney Olivier, now Lord Olivier, Governor of Jamaica, Seerotary of Agriculture in Great Britain ■ and subsequently Secretary of Stato for India in the Labour Ministry, was at tho time a member of tho Fabian Society affiliated to the International Socialist Bureau, as was also the world's greatest dramatist, George ■ Bernard Shaw; one of the world's greatest sociologists, Mr, Sydney Webb; one of the world's greatest novelists, Mr. H. G. Wells; and many others of the world's greatest' figures iv literature, science, find art. ' Two of the buroau's most conspicuous figures were Jean. Jaures, tho brilliant thinker and master orator who was assassinated by the French militarists, and Karl Lcbhcckt, tho courageous opponent of the German war lords, whom the Prussian militarists inurdercd. I can assure Mr. Jamos that I would liavo felt honoured to have been associated in 1913 ..with tho brilliant galaxy of great world statesmen, publicists, writers, and thinkers, a few of whom I have mentioned, who were connected with the International Socialist Bureau in 1913. Mr. James quotes a lot of figures, but completely fails to disprove my assertion that in five yoars, from 1922 to 1927, under the- Reform Government, 115,581 porsons who previously had been employed on farms left the land, and that occurred in Spito of the fact that no less than 84,820 immigrants- had arrived in the Dominion during that per-' iod, and tl^o population had increased from 1,301,251 to 1,437,980, an increase of 136,729. ' ' . Tho figures quoted by Mr. James concerning the increase in tractors, milking machines, and tho use of hydroelectricity hi no way weakens my contention that under Reform administration people are leaving the land. On tho contrary, ;.they endorse it. These figures may prove "the effect of laboursaving machinery in. agricultural and pastoral operations as in the. manufacturing industries, but they ', certainly don't disprove the fact that people are leaving the land rather than going on to it. As a matter of fact, the figures Mr, James quotes are an additional indictment against the Government, because they show that with all tho additional' improvements in agricultural and pastoral methods, with all tho up-to-date equipment now at the disposal of farmers.if they would-be financed to enable them .to obtain same, land settlement is practically at a standstill. Mr. James may be satisfied with the incroaso of machines on the land. I, personally, want to see moro men arid women there, as well as more machines. Mr. James, apparently driven to desperation, seeks a last rofugo in the 1926-27 yield of wheat, oats, barley, maize, and beans, which, I should say, wonld afford him ample cover to hide himself in, and from. which, ho should hesitato to emerge again. This apologist for the Reform Party must bo abso-, lutely bankrupt of argument when ho endeavours to claim credit for tho Coates Government for tho seasons, tho sunshine, tho rainfall, tho soil, tho seed, and the crop. Most pooplo thought