POLITICAL PRINCIPLES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15552, 9 March 1914, Page 8

POLITICAL PRINCIPLES.

SPEECH BY MR. RUSSELL, L.P.

SOME NEW IDEAS.

[bt telegraph.—press association.] Chbistchtbch, Saturday. Ik the course of an address delivered last night, Mr. G. W. Russell, M.P., defined the fundamental principles of Liberalism as follows :—

1. Government by the people for the people, and not for any one class, section, or interest. Arising out of this were the following popular rights —(a) To use the national revenues and credit to defeat monopoly and reduce the coat of living; (b) to compel the subdivision of lands to the utmost limits of profitable occupation ; (c) to set a standard of remuneration in public services that would react upon all public and private services and ' employments; (d) to use the national revenue and credit for the development '" of the national estate and the creation 'of public wealth; (e) to retain undiscovered the mineral wealth of the country and to work the same for the common wealth; (ft to establish State farms, factories, ana workshops, in order to provide employment for the delicate and infirm and those who had passed the meridian of life.

2*. The right of every child to good health and the highest education practicable.

3. The right of every person to medical and legal assistance. 4. The duty and responeibilty of the State to assist parents in rearing families and of appropriately providing for the old age of those who had done so. 5. The right of every honourable and right-living man and woman to a reasonable share of the comfort and happiness of life.

Referring to the land question, he said that ho considered the tenure question was settled. The Land for Settlements Act, as now administered, was a spent force and lie advocated the establishment of a land board elected on a popular franchise, empowered to give notice to the occupier of land not producing what it should produce that if it continued unproductive for three years the State would resume possession, paying the owner with debentures duo in ten years and bearing 5 per cent, interest. He advocated, instead of the naval defenco policy of the Government, that four torpedo destroyers (one for each of the main ports) and four submarines should be got. He favoured the reduction of the ago to 21 in respect of compulsory military training.