LABOUR RALLY

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXII, Issue 19434, 21 October 1925, Page 8

LABOUR RALLY

BIG MEETING IN OPERA HOUSE SUPPORT TO MR. ROGERS’ CANDIDATURE. VOTE OF THANKS AND CONFIDENCE. A largely attended meeting was held in the Opeik House last evening when Messrs L. Glover, W. J. Rogers and J. Roberts were the speakers. From the Labour viewpoint it was a successful evening, the speakers being very attentively listened to and applause being frequent, while at the end. a ; vote of thanks and confidence was ■ moved —contrary to the policy of the Labour Party—and ckrried with much applause. The last speaker was Mr. Roberts, whose speech, of breezy, Irish humour, provided much amusement to the audience and roused considerable enthusiasm. Mr. A. Clark was chairman of the meeting. Mr. L. Glover. Mr. L, Glover, president of the Waterside Workers’ Federation, skid Mr. Rogers was elected at the first meeting of the Waterside Workers’ Federation that he attended and he had had the confidence of the Federation ever since. Mr. Glover went on to refer to the shipping trust than which no other trust was taking greater profits from New Zealand. In 1914 till the shipping of the world was valued at £300,000,000, of which £170,000 was British owned. During the first 30 months of the war the amount of profit was £350,000,000. In the year just preceding the decision to cut the wages of the seamen, the British owners made £5,984,571 profit. In 1923 the P. and O. Company made a profit of £821,933 and in 1924 the company made a clear profit of £971,124. But this was not all. The companies in 1923 placed to reserve £238.758 and in 1924 £288,861, and 12 per cent dividend was paid. Mr. Veitch had been keeping Mr. Coates in power, the party which backed this form of exploitation. In the American navy the sailors were tpaid £l3 13s a month. In English ships men were offered £2 2s a week. Wks it a fair proposition that the men who made such huge profits for the companies in the early years of the war should be paid less than two guineas a week 7 Mr. Coates said, “Back to your ships!” Was that a fair attitude for a Prime Minister to tkke? That was not all. In 1911 there was a strike in Waihi and in 1913 a big wharf strike, which mkde the reputation of the Reform Party. Mr. Coates relied on doing similarly. As to the policy a Labour Government would adopt, in such a case the Prime Minister, whether it was Mr. Holland or not—and he hoped it would be — would (approach the representatives of the shipping companies and' ask them if they were prepared to take the boats to the markets. If they were unable, the onus would be thrown on the Labour Party. There were then two ways: first, by subsidising the.seamen with £1 per month, or second, by Order in Council taxing the shipping people with the additional amount required. That would be the sensible course, not by the use of batons.. Mr. Glover concluded by hoping thkt on election day the people would not be satisfied by merely voting Rogers, but would take their friends along with ♦hem to vote for the man who was standing in the interests of the working men.

Mr. W. J. Rogers. Air. W. J. Rogers, who was well received, said the party was getting along nicely in the campaign. Speaking on the land question, he said this was the most important of all questions. Labour had nothing to hide. The Press, which was supposed to be the educator of the public, what had it done? On July 31 Air. Savage had spoken for one hour on the question. The “Evening Post” gave one inch of space to his speech. The other papers, except the “Lyttelton Times” were as bud. They would not give publicity to the land policy of the Labour Party and what little had been published was a misconception of the facts. The Labour Party’s land policy was one of occupancy and use. Air. Lloyd George had said the people should have the right to use the land, yet if the New Zealand Labour Pkrty spoke of the “usehold” it was accused of confiscation. The land belonged to the people. But it seemed that the finkneial institutions “farmed the farmer.” In 1897 the late Mr. Seddon said: “The end of the freehold is This: that the mortgagee gets the farm and the farmer gets the road.” In Scotland, during the Napoleonic wars and in the Great War, crofters whose sous were away fighting were burned out to make more room for deer. Air. Bogers concluded amid lapplause.

Mr. J. Roberts. Air. J. Roberts, secretary of the N.Z. Alliance of Labour, said he felt he should be standing for Parliament and he felt he could win. He wanted to oppose Air. Coates, but another Labour man got in first! On election day the people would have to decide the fate of New Zealand. Had the Reform Party carried on the business of the country satisfactorily? As in private business, if affairs were not satisfactory at stocktaking, the policy was changed, the business was sold, or went into bankruptcy. Who would buy the Reform Party? Should the country go into bankruptcy? The shareholder in the company (New Zealand) should ask if the management by the Reform Party in the last 13 years had been satisfactory. He declared that the Reiorm and National Parties would be declared inefficient. The old gang of “political boodlers” would go and the new Labour Party would take their place. (Applause). He thought he could prove what hr- said. He thought he knew the •workers of New Zealand, for it was his business to know the business of the workers. In 1922 the greatest policy of political robbery in the h'jjtory of New Zealand was perpetrated. The Arbitration had granted a bonus of 9s but the employers raised such a protest to the Government thkt those responsible “lied, wriggled, juggled and twisted” and reduced the 9s down to 2s. The onlv excuse was that a file had been lost.

It was never lost. It would never be found till the Labour Party got into power. The Government had been afraid of the dividends going down. “It is a frightful thing when the dividends go down,” continued Air. Roberts. “Stomachs may get slack, children may get hungry, but for God’s sake don’t let the dividends go down!” (Applause). He had been taught when a child that a.great Empire was made by people who spoke the truth and acted the truth: that it w*as composed of great men and women, but really it was composed of those who drew big dividends. The Tories and the Liberals had united to give the Arbitration Court power to reduce wages in U wholesale fashion. Benefits From Big Wages. Addressing small business men in the audience —some of those who were too dignified to belong to the Labour movement, except to take the money of the workers—he said they were de- . lighted when the wages went down, but were they delighted now? Were they receiving as much money from the workers now as they did before? Small business men in Wellington were voting Labour. They had received the light. It would not be long before the small farmer did likewise. It was to the interests of the small business man that the workers should hkve a good standard of living. Recently a deputation waited on Mr Coates—“the leader of men,” “the heaven-sent politician,” and “the political philosopher”—and certain facts were placed before him. Mr. Coates sat up like a turkey-cock on duty, and when the question of the cost of dressing was dealt with, he skid, “Air. Roberts, you have left out the cost of shingling their hair.” That was what the great man had said. The Court said there were 1.57 children to every family—but who had seen the .57 child? (Laughter). “If you have more than two you do what the dog fancier does—keep the best and drown the others” said the speaker, amid laughter.

It was said that £1 12s 6d a week would buy fuel and food for a house, 8s being allowed a man for food. It cost the Government more to feed its prisoners. To the men who neglected their unions, the speaker said: “I would make you live on 8s worth of tucker a week, and on Saturday night I would say: How do you like it now. you rooster ?’ ’ Pensions and Education. On present-day prices of commodities it would take £6 a week to keep four people in decency and comfort. On that £6 a week the Labour Party suggested £lO a year saving. Business men considered it was economically prudent to put aside a sum every year for replacing machinery, etc. The worker who operated thiai machine wore out too. What about his sinking fund when he got old? Was he to be scrapped in his old age? The Labour Party would make provision for him. (Applause). Only £lO a year. Yet the Arbitration Court said it was rot. Sir James Parr said New Zealland had a wonderful education system but there were not thanks to Sir Jas. Parr for it. His idea was that as long as a ‘kid’ could salute the flag and sing “God Save the King” his education was complete. The education system had come down from the old radicals, the men who had refused to live under Tory rule in the Old Country and had come out to New Zealand as pioneers. They laid the foundation of the present education system. The Reform Party contended that the secondary system was not for the children of the workers. The thing thlat had kept the workers down in the past was the lack of education.

The “Dirty Canard.” After referring at length again to the cost of living, index figures, etc., Air. Roberts referred to the threatened cut in wages for the benefit of married men, the married men were going to have a fine time and the unmarried men were going to get it in the neck. Mr. Coates skid it was a “dirty canard” to say that wages were to be i reduced 7s fid, and the Hon. McLeod said it was a “damnable lie.” The Labour Department’s report presented to Parliament—and it must be assumed that the Government knew all kbout it—was responsible for it. He (Mr. Roberts) knew that the report was being prepared for a year because the Labour Department had been anxious ;to help the married men. The Depart- : ment had been told that it could do I so so long as the country’s wages’ bill ! wks not increased. The recommendations were that with single man, or ' married man without children, ordinary • wages would be paid, less 7s 6d deducted. A married man with one child would have the 7s 6d deducted, but would get it again. The married man with two ‘kids’ would be deducted 7s 6d and paid 15s. The way to get increased wkges, according to Coates’ scheme, wks to increase the family It was therefore recognised that a married man’s present, wages were insufficient. It was robbery t• take 7s 6d from any man. It would prevent a man saving to get married. Whether it was k “lie” or not, it was in a departmental report. Mr. Coates had dropped it like a “hot spud.” The Land Policy. The speaker went on to deal with the land question. There were three things a man could not do without—jland, air, and water —they were Nature’s gift to the people, and none of them should be trafficked in. A lot had been said about the “usehold,” or the “loosehold” or the “ screwhold ” but how many of the critics could discourse intelligently on the land question? The Labour Party said no one had a right to hold land and not use it, whether in the city or in the counrty. He went on to severely criticise the existing tenure, the cost of transfers and the gambling which went on. Reference was made to the speculating which had been done with Government advances. It was said that the rights of inheritance were interfered with, but this was contrary to fact. Such dope should not be believed. Referring to Air. Veitch, Mr. Roberts said he reI membered that gentleman, years ago ‘in Wellington, applauding heartily a lecturer on sigle tax. Referring to Air. A r eitch’s recent speech criticising the Labour Party’s land policy he said that gentlemkn was talking pure unadulterated twaddle. According to Air. Veitch the Labour Party was going to take the house from a man as poon as he had got it. A Voice—Liar. Air. Roberts: I would not call him I that, friend —not in company. I would call him a politician. Mr. Veitch, he continued, had supported the Government in buying land at high prices for soldiers. He had no personal feeling against Air. Veitch. o He remembered

when he was a Labour man, but now he was kicking down-trodden men. z Mr. T. Gray moved a hekrty vote of thanks and confidence in Mr. Rogers and thanks to the other speakers. Mr. H. Robins seconded and the motion was carried with great applause. A vote of thanks to the chair concluded the meeting.