Forty Years a Liberal

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 638, 15 April 1929, Page 2

Forty Years a Liberal

LIFE STORY OF SIR JOSEPH WARD From Telegraph Messenger to Prime Minister

By

R. A. LOUGHNAN

(Copyright —Sun Feature Service) ENTERING Parliament in 18tS7j Sir Joseph Ward is a veteran among contemporary statesmen and his caj4?<?r is traced and described in this series of articles by R. Louglman for readers of Tlie Sun. Xo. XIX.

When the Bill came before the House for completing the transaction it contained the bargain struck, wherein it had advantage over the Bill of 1902, which contained only the offer of terms to be sanctioned. This time Parliament was asked to ratify a

treaty—carefully thought out, fully discussed, complete in every detail. The progress of the Bill through both Houses of the Legislature was, with one exception, a procession of eulogies ending in cordial ratification of the bargain. The absorption of the Manawatu railway into the State rail■way system was one of the most successful things in our Parliamentary history.

In moving the second reading of the : Bill, Sir Joseph called it the concluding chapter of the history of the j Manawatu Railway Company. Having j explained that the terms of purchase had been agreed on and embodied in the Bill, and ratified by the Manawatu directors and the Cabinet, he stated the terms, and gave an account of the negotiations—between the chairman of directors, Mr. John Kircaldie, and himself, Premier, attended by the Manawatu railway manager, Mr. Hannay, and by ’the Public M orks j Secretary, Mr. Blow. Having given meticulously and j exactly the price agreed on between i the Government and the company, i Sir Joseph proceeded to review the j position, with these results. THE PRICE PAID The price offered and repeated in 1901 worked out at £939.000. The, price paid in 190 S was £915,000, with £IO,OOO added for stores taken over. The Manawatu line had cost with equipment £799,578. To this at date of purchase had been added £140,000: for workshops, heavier rails and plant, ’ certified to by the company’s manager : and verified for the Government, expenditure of £140,000, bringing the ; cost up to £939.578. In comparison the price paid, £915,000, plus £IO,OOO for stores, is satisfactory to both sides. I and quite fair. Sir Joseph concluded with a graceful eulogy of the company's chairman and directors for their fair and courteous negotiations, and an emphatic declaration that both the State and the company had made an excellent bargain. In the House there was some misunderstanding about minor points, but on the whole the passage of the Purchase Bill was a triumph. In the Council it went through with flying colours. The Leader of the Council declared that every member would regard the passing of the Bill as a memorable incident in his tenure of office. He also declared that it was almost, the final step in the nationalisation of the railways, adding that for his part he thought that “never again in the history of New Zealand will a railway of this character be allowed to be held in private hands or for private purposes.’’ With him the speakers, and there were many, regarded the buying of the railway as an excellent investment, and they joined him in his eulogy of the Premier and the directors for their very well-conducted negotiation of the matter. They also accepted his declaration of the great value of the course that had avoided the expenses, the uncertainties and the delays of an arbitration.

TRIBUTE TO LEADER “I am proud,” said Dr. Findlay—he was not then Sir John—“that the great work has been completed by the Administration to which I belong,” And he recorded a fine eulogy of the manner in which Sir Joseph vv ard, the Prime Minister, had handled the matter, “which had given him a very great deal of anxious thought and -while he had to bear on his back a great deal of criticism, it is perhaps not amiss that we should recognise the really excellent work in the bargain he has struck in regard to this railway. He has had at all times the interest of the people of the Dominion at heart—we can well belie've that—without attempting to over-reach, if it were possible to do so. the owners of the railway, and he has arrived at a bargain that is fair to the owners of the railway, and which is exceedingly satisfactory to the people of New Zealand. Therefore, it is fair to say that he has conducted the negotiations with great fairness and skillTand that we must recognise the lasting service in this respect that he has done for the people of this country.” One member urged the Council “not to forget the people who gave the instructions under which the line was originally laid out. Instructions given by the Administration of Sir G-orge Grey and Mr. Macandrew, who, in his great Public Works Statement, had done justice to the country iying between Wellington and Foxton. He said that its carrying capacity was very great. He struck the right note of policy when he advocated the line. The most troublesome part of the survey was between Wellington and Waikanae. That portion of the line was entirely graded and laid out by the officers of the Government anil work was done in formation and reclamation estimated at £IOO,OOO worth In consideration of their making the line all these works were handed over by the Government to the companv It was a solid help which we cannot forget. ... In conclusion, this hon. member had only to congratulate the Government on bringing the line back to the system from which it ought never to have been taken. Another hon. member, joining in the leader’s congratulation of the L"™ Miuister ’ aaid; “He w as aware that the company had the highest opinion possible of the courtesy and kindness with which the Premier had dealt with every phase of the negotiations with them, and they have nothing whatever but good to say of the Got ernment in connection with the matter. And so the Bill passed into law, the railway of the Manawatu passed into

the State system, a prospect n! £90.000 of profit dazzled the eyes o> the management, giving a clear sur plus of £50,000 after paving 4 Wr cent, on the million paid for the li nf On its side the company looked back on a great career. The Wellington people had on a capital of £70.000 financed and built this U n . in five years, made it the most profit, able railway in Australasia, and handed it to the State at a price fab to buyer and seller alike. LONDON AND LIMELIGHT Alter Sir Joseph's arrival in London for the Imperial Conference of lsu, he found himself in the limelight, and soon began to ventilate his ideas and opinions, like a thoughtful man. having original views, and determined u> air them for the general good—a f re . quent saying of his at that time eras that the chief benefit to be expected from these conferences was educa tional. both on statesmen and on public opinion. This certainly couc tered a rather favourite criticism ct the time to be read in several infl u . ential publications, which declared that the conference talked a good dea! and did very little. They reminded their readers of the small ha’porth of bread to Falstaff's intolerable deal of sack. Expanding the educational idea into a defence of the alleged too mmii talking. Sir Joseph maintained tha; he could discern in public opinion a j movement toward an Imperial consti- ! tution of some sort, of which he con- : sistently said the ideal form could j only be found by actual experiment, i going forward by degrees. Already ' the idea was favoured of co-operation, i as distinct from consolidation, and in I that direction the tendency was’ sc ! tmS ' IMPERIAL CO-OPERATION His chief, the Fit. Hon. Richard ■ SedcLon, had ventilated the idea of Imperial co-operation. It was in the heyday of his great Premiership that he gave it warm words. That ht did in his speech supporting his mo- ' tion to express the regret of the House of Representatives at Mr. Joseph Chamberlain's retirement frorc the Colonial Secretaryship. The .motion ran thus: “That this House desires to express I its great regret at the retiremesi from office, and to place on record its appreciation of the distinguished pa riotic services rendered to the Empire by the Rt. Hon. Joseph Chamberlain, as Secretary of State for the Colonies, j to whom we owe the inauguration of a great colonial policy, which he car fried out with conspicuous tact anc j ability, thus securing cordial relation ship and mutual understanding bt tween the colonies and the ’Mother ! Country, to the great advantage of the j Empire.” I Speaking to the resolution, Mr. ; Seddon referred to Mr. Chamberlains the ideal Secretary for the Colonies —the greatest indeed of the long line of Secretariat —who had urged the idea of “co-operation” between the statesmen of the Mother Land and the colonies as the best way to the stabilisation of the Empire. In support he quoted Mr. Chamberlain--1 own statement, which he had heard j “It was my—l might almost say mj only—ambition when I took the oflE to which the Queen has been please to appoint me, that I might be able w do something to draw closer the bon*; between Britain and the colonies, be ! cause I have felt that in this alliance between nations of the British rat ‘ the future of the great Empire mas; • depend.” • 1 That was in the session of 19“ The motion and speech may be sai to be the first sign seen in this cou: try of the new belief in the Imperii future, which was taking to the m’.di 4 L course of Imperial co-operation as T right way out of the alternatives 1 central constitution or disruption ' ’ the Empire. CHAMBERLAIN’S POLICY

Mr. Seddon’s speech on these line* was warmly supported by Mr. Mass*: then Leader of the Opposition, support being a further sigu of th* passing of the dread alternatives iror. general favour; also by Sir W. sell, who said that. Mr. Chamber** 1 had diverted the current of ‘ pubt 1 opinion about the Empire. Then followed some speedy which, while agreeing in the regret the retirement of Mr. Chaniberla;objected to the terms of the resolute as expressing approval of Mr. Chamberlain's fiscal policy. The attack®that ground was led by the late * Bedford, the young member lor edin, who had made a brilliant Stl’ in public life—and unfortttnw • some time later perished | drowning at Whangarei. before S could fulfill his early promise • career. M Sir Joseph Ward descended on th--*' critics of the motion, sounding * fc the note of loyalty to the new -* of Imperial co-operation against discordant note of Mr. Bedford his supporters. He strongly endor-• the eulogy of his chief of the J. done by Mr. Chamberlain, hailing • basic view thereof as a great ne parture. He was amazed that honourable member could alio* -. views he might entertain about politics or matters of admiwst to blind him to the fact that tor - last four or five years no ma stood out more prominently > ' history of the Empire than / Chamberlain, drawing the and the colonies closer t°s moulding the destinies of the***. for all time. The episode is 1 ing. as it shows that so 1903 Sir Joseph Ward had c ; ! turned his thoughts to the - Imperial co-operation, ! found by the time of the "tAj? ! Conference of 1907 to have established Imperial idea. . Mr. Seddon in his reply » n l “ { & easion persuaded all hut tw ° objecting critics that bis inol rained no approval of •>lrberlain's Home policy or an> jfi j policy of the British the motion was passed with yr. dissentients—the “Noes

Bedford and another. (To be continued daitf-*