THIRD PHASE.—WARD.

Colonist, Volume LXII, Issue 15243, 3 December 1919, Page 3

THIRD PHASE.—WARD.

i Sir -Joseph Ward, on the death of his > illustrious chief, stepped into the load*rsli'p of the Liberal party and carried on the Liberal tradition. For this work the new chief was eminently qualified. He had served through the previous phases of the Liberal campaign of advance with marked ability, and for the most part in positions of considerable j responsibility. His success in assisting ! ir's chiefs to carry out their election pro- : mises in regard to financial reforms had '• brought him in duo course to the Trea--1 sury~ and hero ho quickly distinguished himself by his aptitude, his energy, his combination of courage and prudence, and Ins close familiarity with detail. Sir Joseph's administration of finance had been as successful as his management of the great department of the Post Office. In his conduct of the latter, he had obtained, by his handling of affairs postal and telegraphic, a distinctly European reputation. Ho had to his credit another success in the administration of the Railway Department. To this he had, as he had to the Postal and Telegraphic Department, given classification and a superannuation system. Another success of ins had been the Advances to Settlers system. The system includes a vast amount of detail; the administration involves the most constant caro and the closest supervision. But its success is as remarkable as the variety of its requirements. Aggregate of advances the other day 21 millions, profit £985,000! No comment 13 needed—but it is indeed a record of which any financier in the world might be proud I A RECORD OF SUCCESS. With this history behind him, the new chief was soon engrossed in his work, and in the five years of its duration the record of it was good. To the first part belong such measures a= the "Scaffolding Inspection Act," which added to the safety of many workers; the "Training Ships Act," which opened for boys the road to the soa: an amending measure which improved tiie system "of Telegraph classification for the whole Civil Service j .amendments of the laws helping maternity and protecting child-life; Acts for improving the acquisition and settlement of land; the Act which secured the remainder of the Crown lands—nine million acres—as a national endowment; the development of direct taxation —income and land—on the graduated system, on wellmarked lines capable of indefinite extension when necessary. A leading place in the list is held by the National Endowment Fund. The Act of that name greatly extends the area of stability for old ago and dependence, and it has been since amended m many ways, all beneficial to the poorer classes of the people and all valuable in the troublous times that camo upon us with the war. NATIONAL DEBT. Another of Sir Joseph Ward's characteristic measures was tno proposal for the final extinction in reasonable time of the National Debt. At that time the stream of borrowing ran on without thought of the day of reckoning. But Sir Joseph saw the weakness of such a system; he proceeded to adjust his finances* by the aid of a Sinking Fund in such a, way that any loan so treated would be liquidated in 75 yeara at a very small cost per year to the Consolidated Fund. In the face of bitter opposition bir Joseph stuck to his scheme, demonstrated its actuarial soundness, tied up the sinking funds beyond the power of any human being to "collar." He prevailed over all opposition, established his system, and that system has worked admirably ever since. HYDRO-ELECTRIC POWER. Another striking incident in this cam- j paign of progress v. as the hydro-electric scheme instituted by the Liberal Government during Bir Joseph Ward s regime. Sooner or later our water power is sure to be utilised on a vast scale for industrial and domestic purposes, for illumination and for transport. But the people of the Dominion should not forget that here, as in so many other directions where progress points towards prosperity, Liberalism j led the way . HUMANISM ONCE MORE. But though busied about the cov.iitrv's interests, Sir Joseph -Ward did ihk., fonret the "humanist" side ot Liberalism' which is well illustrated in his esta'bliHhraent of a system oi. Pensions tor Widows. This recognition of the natural right of wives and mothers to support ha 3 removed hero one glaring roproarh to human nature; and the honour of making this wise and generous provision for widows stands to tno eternal credit of the Liberal Party And it 'fi loaders.