WaimateNo.

North Otago Times, 25 September 1908, Page 1

WaimateNo.

(From Our Own Correal jnt.) |—Political Sooialism.— On Wednesday, 23rd instant, a meeting was held in the Oddfellows' Hall tojienrjMr J. Thorn, Farm Laborers' Union Representative, on labor an! polities.; There were about ninety men present land a few ladies. Mr Richard Hurt occupied the. chair. Mr' Thorn gftvo a .very strong and earnest ad-(lio-oij tho need of a united labor and tocpl party in i'iew Zealand in and out o( l'avliament. He referred to what he '.considered', tho injustice to the farm laborers of. South Canterbury by tho dorision on'tho.form'laborers'-dis-pute.. If; the '.laborers' •' wish, to,, advance themselves .they must organiso as the workors of Franco,' Germany' nnd'England are doing, so as to /have a political labor party. The' sb-callod Liberal Party .is[false'to''its' profession, .The -New- Zealand Liberal l Party seventeen; years ago proposed to work for national soli-reliance, independence, and as against. Government borrow, ing. Ho pointed out the .immense bor-, rowing of the Government in tho last, sixteen years,'during which, time manymillions of borrowed money were obtained. These loans 'did : not result m so many millions of gold sovereigns, circulating; amongst. us. He-described

: '"'■'! '-fcX': ;.'■; • the circu JaWori of bftnk uplcb, and the great lirpfits of tbi£ brinks from these loanß. Mtea4.,of, l the:bank-profits out of '■iM ..loan's the. laborers should have profits,. The Government'is borrowing WW to pay interest on its acoumuaff A-tha' Wndof selfmm - and : independence which has ■ome to us;af|er twehtv years' coiitinuaUy. preasing. iiebt.,-He quoted ttr Andlqr as' to the cost of rent and lvlmg increasing in 0 .greater- ratio 'Han \rag«f,;,,imd' laborers" are now rorse,off-than.Mortgages were i n J •reasd. While New-Zealand is flooded TO seeking-' employment' here' are hundreds.of unemployed mon a'the/cities and towns of New Zen- 1 And. The, .tibor«l Party 1 had promised tot; enfiburago,,, immigration, V "and iow they ore bringing in hundreds for 10 other to weaken the iowes of the workers. He-assured his lUdiance there is a bad-time coming, .he faot of the bank rate rising and wool falling is caused in i. great.measure by terrible, famine md ctss.titution in America. He docnbed the destitution and starvation a America of millions of people•-The all ln r the price of wool wall continue, nd be.lower, and this,causes a great et-oack inNew .Zealand, Wo have iienty of timber here, can grow, plenty orn, meat and necessaries of life Vhy, then, should we. want? It comes o _ this: our people must become 'ocmhsts. The selfish greed, and lust """""N •«* not the principles aught by Christ and His apostles, fe spoke .of 120,000 women in Lonlon selling themselves for bread, neary as many hrNew York, while thouands of people in i the large cities live n degraded conditions. Respectable »ople and ministers of religion -.talk ibout. home iNfo and anti-socialism, flnle oven in New Zealand cities them r Pfat want and,wretchedness. He v . Moried ~ an ~ instance of -life in irnncef where illegitimacy, abounded, lIKl « very sad .',. .. ° n ' the introductiou of loeiahstip work and conditions great mprovemeni, followed,, and marriages increase to a wonderful extent. Th rorkers are becoming .the slaves of ■and and machinery and of the owner* n land and machinery. If y ou have lot either of these, you must go to ho man who has them, and he will you work unless ho gets' a Wit by your work. So these people rto.hold the land and machines hold Jie workers' lives -in their hands. Vorkers must organiso and establish >.'P«ty or association for political vork to obtain their rights and fait to of wealth, which is the fruit ol heir labor. We must get rid of the dea promulgated by tho press,, pro*rty owners, and pulpits, and unite n putting the shoulder to the wheel or the obtainmont of tho social, M political rights of human beings. K° traced the history of mankind from pnnutryo stages, through slavery a™om, feudalism, invention of ma' *inwy and tho factory system. The intern, is still changing. Capital is joingdowa; we are getting State |WI and other products, municipal « !? yS ' £ a3 ' Btc ' >■ sociQlism has ontered, and trill encroach and p ro ' B«Mbe*ade. If it i 3 good for th, Poop J to |et, these things, it is good for them fd n „ Socialism. 1S .ppreading. in GermanV ™. Italy, etc., even m Japan, and so ou«ht il «, and so «>- it be hero in New Zealand. He govo up tho Liberals fl3 , young Liberals, the old Liberals, the glib Liberals, etc.-he £nirf Nothin S Mri ™ ™nld,happen New Zealand if all the Party were disposed o f, No Tory Governmentk tha world would gag the press and speech «». the Literal Government of' New.Zealand has done wtl its Secowl faU o j Act; ih oj)jeol ol which is to pretent, the.election oi labor BeajbDrs to Parliament, So bad an enactment is this, that those whe made the law m afraid to allow- free spew* or press to discuss; mattors in connection with the (second, ballot. He ronoladed by saying we must organise a Labor Party, and all should joir, in Political efforts to obtain theii air Bharo of tho wealth which thoii Jabor creates, and to elect, men tc Parliament who.would represent the workers and contend for their rights. Mr Thorn answered,a fow question! put to aim from persons in the ffieetiagi On the motion of Mr Campbell, sec omklby'MrJ, Smith, a vote o thanks was accorded to Mr Thon ior hu address, one gentleman ' dis seating, who said the Liberal Go had been the host Govora ment ever m power in New Zealand. Mr Kendall spoke in favor of or gamslng a branch of the Politica ™ League of New Zealand a WaSmato. Ho moved-" That thi meeting resolves to establish o brand of the Political Labor Loagucs at Wai mate, and accepts its platform ant constitution."

The motion was seconds! and car fed by the meeting.