“NEW ZEALAND BETRAYED.”

Gisborne Times, Volume XXXV, Issue 3828, 10 May 1913, Page 8

“NEW ZEALAND BETRAYED.”

PROFESSOR W. T. MILLS ON THE

POSITION

AN INTERESTING ADDRESS

THE TEN THOUSAND EX-

PLOTTERS

There can bo no possible doubt that Professor W. T. Mills is an accomplished and entertaining speaker; that he can handle more or less prosaic matter in such a manner that it fairly sparkles with interest. Of this the large audience which gathered "at Whinray’s Hall last evening had thorough exemplification. The Professor’s subject was ‘‘New Zealand As It Is—Betrayed,” and ho punctuated his remarks with happy little Americanisms that were as palatable as the oration of an entertainer, and, to use his own words, “hit hard right home. ’ He has a pleasant sty'e of giving emphasis to a point. Coming to the fact on which ho wished to lay special stress, the organiser stops, and while his face lightens into a broad, infectious smile, be will say, “Did you get a grij) on tl)at ; brother? 'Yes, well, grasp it right hard and follow me.” And so lie delves into views and figures and steers one through the mass with a wealth of illuminations. Mr. J. Hall acted as chairman, and introduced Professor Mills, who, lie said, had proved himself a capable speaker and an ideal organiser. The fruits of Professor Mills’ great work In New Zealand would he known to the workers before long. “I have,” commenced the Professor, “given very nearly two years of my time to New Zealand, and I have been treated with the greatest consideration and the greatest kindness. I have been made to feel at home from the hour of my arrival, and in a few weeks’ time I shall actually file my, naturalisation papers and consider myself cue of you.” It seemed .a most ungracious act to turn round and talk on a subject like that lie was about to discourse on, because it was always ungracious to bring ill-news to anyone, but he felt that must do so in their own interests. Uiie spoke of betrayal only when one of their own was found in the enemy’s camp. He was before them with a most unpleasant task, to tell the people that it was not invaders that they were most to he afraid of, but people who wore already in their midst and were already sharing with them in life.

JAPAN AND NEW ZEALAND

Japan, he pointed out, was not as big as New Zealand, and yet Japan was supporting a larger population. New Zealand might be a country of greater power than Japan, which, country had been what was known as “a lingering iustanc-o of barbarism.” Japan’s ports were opened under the threat of the cannon shot, but her relations with the world had been transformed. She had learned the lessons of the world, and hud become a great industrial factor in the world. How did it happen that Japan had 40,000,000 of population, and yet wo in New Zealand had only 1,000,000, while we belonged to the great sisterhood of the British nation? We had the splendid inheritance of Englishmen. “There is only one reason,” added the Professor, “and that is that something has been wrong at the heart.of things in New Zealand, and until that wrong is righted New Zealand cannot be as free, sweet, clean, and strong as she ought to be, or cannot take her place among the great Powers, and that to which she belongs. Why, 150,000 citizens of the United States became citizens of a single province in Canada in a single summer recently, and that occurred because the province opened the great natural resources and made them available for those who were anxious to make u e of them. Instead of taking heed of her great natural and national resources, New Zealand advertised for people to come from the other end of the world, and when they do come they just earn enough to get their passage money back again.”

ARE OUR SONS GOING? The speaker then touched on a subject which must make one ponder and think. “Your sons go away/' ho said, “and you swap your best for their worst.” The best and brightest of New Zealand’s sons, the intellectual ones, who would be the greatestassets, were going away. The very men who were perfecting this wrong, ho added, would perhaps join them in righting it if they but knew exactly what they were doing. If this was “God’s Own Country,” then we should make a special effort to look after His property. Proceeding, the Professor said that New Zealand had exhaustloss and untouched water-power, probably greater than any other country, and he elaborated on the manifold resources of the Dominion, which were surely worth cultivating and looking after.

EXPLOITERS AND EXPLOITED. Were there any exploiters in New Zealand? No other country had done more than New Zealand in the way of obtaining public ownership of what were monopolies and yet, side by side. New Zealand land was higher in price, in proportion to the population and earning power than any other country in the civilised world. What did lie mean by exploiting? There was no mortal way in which someone could get something for nothing, unless someone got nothing for something—(laughter). Exploiting meant a system by which someone was specially privileged to benefit by the fruits of labor to which ho was not properly entitled. The law of life was, shortly, service for service. For a long time the greatest man was the man who could kill the most, but Jesus of Nazareth gave them a very different conception. “Whosoever is great among you, let him be the servant of all.” Nowadays, the greatest man among us was the man who rendered the greatest service to any among us. The exploiter was he who gave the smaller and compelled the larger service. He went on to point out that figures published by the Reform Government showed that the unimproved value of New Zealand land increased last vear by £15,000,000. The unimprAvod land values were the results of public harbors, public schools, bridges, etc., built at the public expense. New Zealand’s productions were sold as cheap in Britain as in the Dominion, and British products sold here were sold at from one-half to four and a-half times as much as they were sold in Britain. Dealing with cases in point in this regard, the speaker said, “You are beginning to understand now why the New Zealand Merchants’ Association refused to give evidence before the Royal Commission, eh ?” Ten thousand persons in Now Zealand were “getting away” with £25,000,000 a year, produced bv the workers. . It was this 10,000 which was pledged to loyalty, and who controlled the international relations between the other countries and swopped things that did not belong to them Bor things that would be long to them. This 10,000 were the masters who governed the Government which governed New Zealand. Ho was anxious to put out the Government which governed the Government of Massey. Ho was not provoking class strife, but was endeavoring to subdue it. He .was giving bis life in the hope that the spirit of the Bible would be brought to bear in the freezing works, .-the slaughfcAr-house, the market, the farm and everywhere. In New Zealand there was a class war, and the exploited wore not to blame, but The exploiters. The Professor went on to deal with tli© 10,000-exploiters and their wicked ways, and said that eventually they

must either leave New Zealand of load honest lives. On the motion of Messrs G. Bartlett and W. Dudson, tho speaker was accorded a vote or thanks. At Whinray’s Hall at 2.30 p.m. tomorrow,- Prdfessor Mills will lecture on “New Zealand as it shall be—Redeemed.”