MINISTRY AND LABOR.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLIV, Issue 255, 4 November 1910, Page 6

MINISTRY AND LABOR.

WHAT HAS THE WARD GOVERN-

MENT DONE?

A WORKING MAN'S QUERY

AN INSTRUCTIVE REPLY

"What has the Ward Government done for labor?" esked a workingman correspondent of a member of the Liberal Party. As this question Ts being put by the Governments opponents, not with the object of themselves giving an answer, but simply to suggest that the Government "has tfo sympathy with the working classes, the member took the trouble; to set out in detail the actual facts. His reply reads: "Now, with regard to the statement in;-;your letter, that the Ward Government has lost the humanitarian spirit so fully shown by the late Mr Balance and the late Mr Seddon, I will show you in a few lines _fcow grossly unfair this criticism is. femee Sir Joseph Ward came, into:power the Old Age Pension Act has been twice 'amended; and time has been made more; generous by allowing a 'man sufficient ,to cover the value of his home. This will be further •amended this'session by allowing him in-addition to have a cash sum or money, which shall riot be deemed in-come-producing. Sir Joseph Ward assisted to pass,' and was a- great help to Mr Seddon in passing, his Old Age Pension Act, and has never lost symEathy for this good work which he elped to place on the statute book in 1898, and has voted for every enlargement of the benefits under this .scheme which have been introduced since that date: two of which amendments had been - imade during his administration. . "Then what: about the. Workers' Compensation Act,, which: was not dreamt of in Ballance's time (and may I add Mr Ballarioe aid not deal with the question of Old Age Pensions, or workers' homes, or State Advances to Workers, or State Coal Mines with retail depots, or State Fire Insurance, all of which have been put upon the statute-book since his time); and it should be remembered that Ward was taken into Ballance's Cabinet, and has been, a loyal worker for all the progressive legislation placed on the statute-book from that time to the present day. "Ward is being, most unfairly maligned. Why is he not given credit for-the fact tbat he has supported loyally all the labor legislation which has made this country famous, and that he supported all the progressive legislation which has made this country so remarkable;? ,AH such legislation Ward voted for and helped to place o*n the statute-book of this country, from which the Australian Labor G-overnments are- copying, and glaring on their own statute-book. »nly this session in South Australia they are pvitting on the staute-book an Advances to Workers Act, and when they have done that they will still be behind the humane measure of.';this sessiqny; under which Ward proposes that a worker on payment of j£lo only shall be entitled to secure a home by easy timo-payments. A more progressive or humane measure bias never been designed in any country. The Advances to Workers was put upon the statute-book by Ward, not by Ballan©e--ne?er mentioned by Ballance or, Seddbn. j- ' NATIONAL ANNUITIES. ':'"What about 'the National Annuities, a copy of which Bill I enclose, and which was held hack by Ward to see if ho could not discover some improvement bn ; his first proposal, so as to ■' make it more beneficial? That is going on the statute-book this session. Then what about the drastic measure Wbich is being introduced to suppress trusts and" combines- in order to. protect the consumer? Ward has more than doubled "the progressive, land tax as compared with the* progressive land tax inaugurated by Ballance. Ballance did not mention national endowments, i Ward has set aside pine million acres, j and is adding additional areas to the; extent of thousands of acres every i year for the benefit of primary educa- j tion. Tliese; endowments he is hold- ! ing on to, and has resisted every attempt by Massey to dispose of them. DEATH DUTIES. "Then what about the increase in tlie death duties, which is a tax on wealth for the benefit of th©masses? What about his adhesion, right ' throughout the whole of his career as! a Minister, to the protective policy, J which th© tariff.of 1907 strengthened '■ by tlie alterations which he made? i Then what about the remission on j taxation upon the necessaries of life, ! which are being taxed in the Com- j monwealth. The duty there on sugar ; is £6 per ton. Sugar in this country is free. A number of other articles of food in Australia are taxed, whicn articles in this country are free of all duties. South Australia has introduced a system of rating on land values by a Bill introduced only this session, which Bill copies our rating upon Land Values Act, which Act Sir J. G. Ward is the father of. He voted for it in 1894; but was defeated in the Legislative Council. He brought it through again in 1895, : when the Legislative Council again threw it out. He brought it forward j again in 1896, when the Legislative | Council passed it. Be has been a ', firm supporter of taxation of land '■. values, \v-hich Mr Andrew Fisher de- ; olares is sound in principle. Mr Andrew Fisher has been seventeen years in the Parliament of Australia, , and Sir J. G. Ward has been over twenty years in the Parliament of New Zealand, and ho has maintained the progressive policy throughout that period. I WATER-POWER NATIONALISAj TION. ' "Why should the workers ignore j such a splendid measure as the nationalisation of the whole of our water-power to supply cheap electric light for th© homes of the people and cheap power for our industries, all by the State?. Ward has stated in his speeches that he does not intend these great powers to be monopolised by private companies to the injury of the community: that is why he.stated lie J intended that the State should have J the sole right to operate them, and j the Bill, which has now pavssed its | third leading, makes provision for the | expenditure of £500.000 a year for' four years, this money to be invested in one of the greatest national undertakings ever promoted by any coun- | try. " ! "Then what of the policy of increas- • ing the powers of tho people by tlie extension of the franchi.*« for the election of borough councillors, on a basis as liberal as that of the Parlia- ] mentary franchise? Tn this respect Sir Joseph Ward's Government has done what no Labor Government in Australia has ever attempted. His Hospital and Charitable Aid Bill of last year abolished plural voting in j all country districts, and affirmed" the j

principle of 'one man one roll.' Tha IXarbor Boards Bill of this session provides for the direct election of harbor boards on the principle of ' one miin one vote,' thus abolishing all plural voting, which at the present is exercised up to three votes. The Bill also affirms the principle of one man one roll.

"I do not think I need to add more to convince you who are a fair-minded man—and I think 1 have said enough to convince any fair-minded man— that the criticism which is being hurled at the present Prime Minister is grossly unfair. It ignores the facts which stand out so prominently throughout- his political career, which facts are indisputable evidence that he has always supported the progressive policy from the time ho entered Parliament until the present day. This session will see placed upon the statute-book some oi the most progressive/measures ever placed amongst the laws of this country."