THE LABOUR PARTY

Thames Star, Volume LII, Issue 13964, 3 May 1919, Page 1

THE LABOUR PARTY

| labour M. L. C.'s Indictnent In t!he course of an address at tihe Hjwmltom Town Hall, Hon. W. Earnshiaiw, M.L.C., referred to tihe politioal sitiuiaitiiotns, and made a soaitliing" . indictanemitl of the extreme Labour party, with which, hie disclaimed amy eonneotikm, altbauigh he had beem a Laibour member fat' years. He eaiid he was & close observer of the political gam©.. There was perhaps a seamy sdd« UO it, bulb he did •nob think there waes any coiiTutry beti tier served, member's gte»eirlally do- : inig their be&tl folr ttihe welfare of tihe ipeto|ptße as a whole. The methods adopted were 1 largely re&pomteiibtle .for the uii'saitigfactary results, He was one of 'tihe fteb six Labour represeriT j taitives retlm-ned tiro 1890. and considj ored tha* th^y aiMoar]ipli.sihed more ill the first six years, fh'airt 'all the LabI. oiir members .■had aiOooimip'Lished since ! 1896, aiMioiu'gh Pbrliaimenti sinoel then had become .more . reasoniaibly imcilined amd prepared to gl^ more ■ oonisndteir'atiioiii to Labour's .requests 1. The Labour (party of recent yeans had dcmie rtotthiiinlg more tihain mark time. It. cont'ld hare had legnslaittiomi passed through Parliament wholesale if .it had beefo same amd wi'lline 1 to aissociaite with the Liberal amid Reform members, who haid) been quritie willing; to meat 'it reaeomiaibly. But dtl woiuld not aissocdate wiltih tjhe oitiher members. At Waiihi ilaisft week a man. daiimiianig to be a Laibour oirgtamliiser had told hlkn thai) (Wing tihe -meat few monlths the party would have six imporbairti extremals* lecturers, to help them in •gaiiming victory at th© ooimiing!»eledtion). This main declared that the party, had limited uip five great orgiainiis^ionjs^^lwaymiemi, waiteirsiid'ers, miners, a,nd otherls—a/nd were out far tt-wiMe. They intendedl to \ise 'tihe railway men. 1 to force tio the limit wha* they could get ; them there was isa be a strike at WaShi, followed by a waiter'siiders' upheaval, and again, troiuible with the mdniers., He (MrHarnshaiw) would like to as\t who was g*oang to suffer for all tiiis turmoil a'ad'trwublei? :T^ei every. time. The) leaders were morie com - ceraed aiboa.it holding soft billets than safeguarding the itniteresitis: of 'tjhe workers. Who suffered miost tjKrouglh the- go-stow policy among the miineiris? The oaunttlry had a greait obligation , itTragiaa-d' to the reipaitiriatiion of tihe returned soldiers, and musib, ciarry the burden as white men, and see thatf the'men got faiir treiatmeinlti, 'aood were settled on the land and in other occupations. How could, thus be dome if produotiom was stepped and tuirmodi prevailed 1 The extreme Red Fed was a menace to the welfare of the workers. A voice: Would you put a man who spealss tihe tenth* iln gaol and deprive him of his liberty? Mr Earnshaw replied that the man who spike treason and refused to withdraw it must .'be pfuwiished. Tlie man who would soonea" go to prison than fight for his country .deserved to be there. There was never a time in .the histiory of the country when 'ttie situatdom was so grave. The maitional debt had been- dioiuibled, and it was* neeiessßiry to mica-ease pa*oduotiioini to meet inicreiaiseid obligations. If all secitlioina would ha sane they would develop rapidly; but. oouild anything be gliven tia Laiboiur if it .persdsited in the go-siloiw policy. If a presemit Labour man started a busdnies'S, would he care toi pay a go-slow mamf Every man should have the knowledge that he wag earning his wage®, and hie conild theni maike legiitimiaite deinaaind's fixHrm the employers in a, legtiitdmaftie way. Tfiei soi-called Labour party in New Zealand was not playing the glaimie. j A voice: Was it not. through the ncitiiom of the Laibour piarliy that the &6M*ea^s' piaywas iniai'teased 1 Ma* Earnshaiw: The hearts oif thePrime Miniisitea-, Minds't'er of Finance, and Minisitier of Defence are bigger tihain theirs, and they havie don© more to help the soldiers than have the Labour men. The Government went! as far as it safely could, buiti had ■not gone to tihe limati, and will shortly have the miaindlaite of the people as to how fair iti sihould go. The Labour meinibeira in tihe House liad done mcrtihing bub yelp a* the heols of the G-overnineint., and had done little to help. They- had little real weight on' tihe floor oif tihe House, because oif ■thedr attiifeude and metihod of 'approaching tihe House, and they did not comipel the Government to pay am extra 0d to the soldi ci*. Continuing^ Mr Eaamshaw sti?'.. •that he diid nidt think any man fit hbea/ aatna and yet unwilling to sierve was fi* to Jive .im tihe ootuiwbi^y. Tin • mam who would talk- sedition) in tlieise timeN should bs depotr'ted. He had no rig'hti to live iiu'a <3oiUinitTy which he wowl'd not: fi^hiti for. Eveta' •an :anamal would fighto- feii- iik youlng. Was it rigihtti tlhalt! a miain who could nr> | fighlfj for Wg counittry should .go 'imte Parliaaniemfe aiwd 'miaike lawig for thn.t coiitn'tiry? He hcxped tth^itl .the people would return meni at the coming election who would da their best for "the country as a ™h!ole.