Rangitikei Advocate. TWO EDITIONS DAILY. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6. EDITORIAL NOTES.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXVI, Issue 10497, 6 November 1912, Page 4

Rangitikei Advocate. TWO EDITIONS DAILY. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6. EDITORIAL NOTES.

WHEN the present Ministry were in Opposition,' though the members of the party were few in number, they exercised considerable influence on legislation, and succeeded in improving, or rendering less dangerous, many of the measures brought forward by the Seddon-Ward Administrations. In strong contrast to their energetic work, is that of the present Opposition, whose attempts to retard legislation are proving futile, and the Massey Ministry are making steady but certain progress with their reforms. It may be that the Opposition are powerless because they have no recognised leader, but it would seem that they have no real ability among them, and the only reason why they managed to retain power for so long was because accident had placed them in control of the public purse, and it has been made very clear that electorates were frequently “sweetened” by means of votes, or terrorised lest they should get nothing if they failed to elect a supporter. For all practical purposes the present Opposition is inept and useless, and no member •of itfhas yet made any suggestion of value in regard to any of the legislation that has ‘been ’ passed.. v Included in the measures the Massey Ministry is placing On the Statute Book are som.e noteworthy reforms in land legislation, lands, and reform of the public service, and by the time the session closes the Ministry will have made an excellent record and have prepared the way for “still better results next session

IT has now been demonstrated that in this country the law has sufficient pow er to suppress lawlessness, and the anarchist section of labour has been hopelessly defeated. Possibly before long Labour will begin to realise that its interests will be better served by encouraging capital to engage in enterprises which provide, employment for labour, and that those who promote strife are enemies of the workers. In this, connection the following quotation from Joachim Kaspay’s “Guide of Life, ’ ’ is recommended to the attention of workers: —“Strikes and lockouts, like wars, are the worst duels, injuring not only the duellists or combatants, but also the general public, or neutrals. They are like duels fought with revolvers and bombs in the crowded streets of London. As the law wisely forbids and the Government forcibly prevents or stops duellists with revolvers and bombs to injure themselves and their peaceful neighbours, . so the law ought to forbid and the Government ought to prevent or stop railway, coal mine, or other strikes and lockouts, if necessary, by compulsory arbitration, which during this competitive era ought to be always both generous towards sweated labourers and just towards even selfish v capit-, alists. ”