MR KEIR HARDIE M.P.

Otago Witness, Issue 2809, 15 January 1908, Page 16

MR KEIR HARDIE M.P.

— ARRIVAL AT CHRISTCHURCH. =- ■ - CHRISTCHURCH, January 7. Mr Keir Hardie, M.P., arrived in Christ- ' .church from Wellington this morning. He 48 still suffering somewhat from the results =61 the motor accident he met with in the northern city, and seemed rather tired after Jbis journey. In the morning he went to see some friends,, and at their house he £iad>a rest. Several Christchurch residents, including -Messrs H. G. Ell and T. H. JDavey, M.P.'s, .waited on him. Later on, lie .was taken for a driy.e through Fendalton" and other - suburbs. ' In the afternoon ie visited Wainoni Park. Mr Hardie was svocompanied on his drive by the Hon. T. ?W. Hislop, Mayor of Wellington. The various socialistic and Labour Organisations in Ohristchurch tendered a. fViihlie - reception to Mr Keir Hardie tonight. There was a. large attendance, and Sjb& ffuest was accorded a most cordial re"jpptioa wjhen •he -appeared on the platform, €lie cheering and applause continuing for Some little -time. T,n J>he course of hia address he referred to legislation of New Zealand, and said that the freedom with which experiments were tsarried out was one of the things {which most /truck a visitor from Home. JA land law' which would be regarded at Home, as revolutionary had been passed in one session. Regarding ihe operations of Cabour Courts in New Zealand, he aaid he Jound that considerable diversity of opinion existed, but he was satisfied that in the 'principal and defined trades wages would nave" been as high if there had been no Labour Court and if there had been a strong Ja-aae union. He considered it a lamentable fact that Ihe trade union movement Was not more vigorous and better organised in New Zealand, and had not less of the happy-go-lucky style about it. It was most Unfair to attribute the increased ccst of Jiving to the increased wages. The speaker concluded by an extended reference in supjport of the trade union movement. INTERVIEWED IN CHRISTCHURCH. , (Fbom Our Own Corbespondent.) " > ' CHRISTCHURCH, January 7. Mr Keir Hardie, on arrival . in ChristJhurch, was interviewed by a representative i>i the Press, who found him communica*tive on all subjects except New Zealand ' jpolitics and India. - - "What do you think of the development -of the Socialist movement in New tZeaiand?" was the query the reporter iß^iened with. - " Socialism is not co well developed as X would iike to «cc it, but I am not sur-in-issd at .that.- The legislation of the past' 5 years has been >f a kind to produce teminrary contentment, especially when joined jo the prosperity which has been Qxe portion of the Dominion during that time." Do you thii^k that a period of depression would give a fillip to Socialism? "The movement will go forward in any iase from now onwards," Mr Hardie said. ' ' but a period of depression .v«-ald give it ',m impetus. I don't wish it tc be understood tbat I wish to sec such * neriod. as

I should prefer to see an entirely intellectual rather than a 'stomachic' development." " Would you make any suggestion in rej gard to Socialistic development?'.' the reporter continued. '" I will make no suggestion whatever," was the decisive response. Heye you any observations to make in regard to the .position of the working classes in New Zealand oompared with the position at Home? s "I can say that life i 6 easier here than I have found it in' any other place away from Home. There is much less rush andmore security of employment than there is in the towns of the United States and Canada." "What is your position in regard to alien immigration?" the reporter added. " Our proposal at Home was to make it ' illegal to employ an alien at a lower rate of wages than would be required to be paid to a trade union workman doing the same t work." Is there any prospect of that being realised? "It is not very far away. We have no alien question at Home, except what . exists in the minds of Tory politicians bankrupt of -other ideas." There is' no serious movement against aliens at Home, except that engineered in ffce way I have mentioned; _ The working .people have suffered no disadvantage through the admission of aliens. It may be that if the alien question was to assume big proportions at Home action of some kind might be necessary, but the incoming of the alien is so infinitely small a quantity that Tt produces no • appreciable result on the labour market." . The reporter suggested that Chinese by sweating and cheap labour had "collared" certain industries, but Mr Hardie aaid that j he had not found it so, and he would not I say anything on tfhe subject in any case. The remedy was to be found in the adoption of the oourae suggested at Horne — the payment of aliens at the same rate ac trade union workmen. Questioned in regard to the agitation at Home in favour of the abolition of " the Lords" Mr Hardie said: "My own opinion is that until we have a much stronger party in the House of Commons the campaign against the House of Lords will not have much real meaning. Only the other day one of the youngest of the Liberal Ministers Dr M'Namara, vice-president of the local Government Board, was thanking God that there was a House of Lords to protect the country against Socialistic nostrur*?. This can only refer to the action of the Lords in leaving Scotland out of the bill, which enabled the education authorities to provide free meals for starving school children." ~ Touching on the matter of Australian and New Zealand newspapers, Mr Hardie expressed the opinion that the Dominion and Commonwealth were very badly served by the news agenoies" in the Old Country, just as at Home they were badly served by the agencies out here. " The conservative and reactionary side," he said, " receives undue prominence in the reports which oome out, and much the same might be said of those that go Home. Anything that tells against the Labour and

land legislation of the Dominion is always exaggerated in the cables to the Home papers, whilst facts in favour of, and conveying the beneficial results of, such legislation are carefully suppressed. The reputation of the Dominion is injured to that extent. Sir William Lyne, Treasurer of the Commonwealth, told me that he was taking action to break down the monopoly that now exists, because of the way in whioh Commonwealth affairs were misrepresented in the cables seat Home. On my return I intend to see the Postmaster-general and place' certain facts before him to secure He co-operation, towards this desirable end." " How have you enjoyed your stay in New Zealand?" asked the reporter. " Oh, very well ; aa much as the hurry and erratic motor cars would let me," Mr Hardie replied.