A LAST INTERVIEW.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXX, Issue 11897, 20 June 1906, Page 7

A LAST INTERVIEW.

WHAT MR SEDDON MEANT TO DO

Mr E. Walker, in the London Daily News for May 3, has the following report of an interview he had with Mr Seddon. It will be read with special interest at this moment : —

"Mr Seddon will be very pleased to see you. Leave me to arrange the time." So said a friend to whom I represented that an interview with the Premier of New Zealand and a talk with him 011 colonial Bocial questions would be very welcome. At the time appointed I accordingly wag introJJuced, and Mr Seddon shook hands warmly. A big man ho is; a strong man he looks, with dodged perseverance and iron will written large over his face. He ha? fought his way up as emigrant, miner, and politician to the foremost position in New Zealand, aud as Premier for thirteen consecutive years. The distinction is his of having a longer term of unbroken power than any other man living or dead, in modern politics in Great Britaiu or any of her colonieH.

"Are you satisfied," was the first question put to him, "with the working of your old age pensions scheme in New Zealand?"

"I introduced old age pensions into New Zealand in 1898,' 'paid Mr Seddon, "and after seven years' trial v>e arc woll satisfied with them that we have this year increased the pensions from 7s a week to 10a a week, and, mind you, that is for women as well as for men. A man and a woman over 65 are entitled to 10s a week, and I tell you a man and his wife can be very comfortable on a pound a week in New Zealand.

Tho pension has a good moral effect, for it helps to keep folks straight. A man had better keep a tight hand on himself, for he jnust be of good moral character, sober, and of respectable life, or he will get no pension from us. Conviction of crime dishonouring him in the public estimation is a certain stop to a pension ; and it is coming to be regarded as an honour to be an old age pensioner. You cannot say that for the workhouse at Homo."

"What about the cost?"

"Not nearly so great as you think at Home. I have just had a cable from London to the effect that £26,000,000 a y*>ar is stated to be the sum required to gird old age pensions at Home. I say •that is all nonsense. We know by seven years' experience what it costs here. You have forty-five times as many people as we have, and* your pensions would co=t only nine millions a year at the rate of 7s per week, and look what you would have on your poor rate." "You have the eight-hour day, Mr Soddon, and the early closing of shops. Is there any intention of going back on thorn ?"

"No. When I was a lad I served my time at St. Helens. Then I worked in Wicjan nine hour 3 a day. I know what working without breakfast at six o'clock on a winter morning in Lancashire means, and I maintain that starting after breakfast and working for eight hours only a man does as much work as if he started before breakfa-st and worked for nine hours. No, nof we shall never go back to nine hours a day. "As for shops, on four nights a week they must be closed at or before 6 o'clock, and on ono of those four they must close at 1 o'clock, and they can keep open till 10 oh Friday and Saturday. We believe it ia for the good of the shopkeepers themselves and their assistants that they should be compelled to work shorter hours than they do at Home." "You have given women a vote at Parliamentary elections. Are you satisfied with the experiment?" "We gave women the vote in 1893, and we have had them voting now in five general elections ; and I ought to be well satisfied, for they have supported me as head of the Liberal and Labour Government more and more every time, and at the last election we had the world's record party majority, the Government having four times as many supporters elected as all other parties combined. Yes, yes. I'm satisfied with the extension of the franchise to women, and you won't find to-day in New Zealand a politician of any party who would dare to say he was in favour of seeing it repealed." - , "What else do you consider among your great achievements, Mr Seddon?" "When we eafne into power we found soup kitchens and shelter sheds at work all over New Zealand. They are gone, never more to return, I hope; and I claim we have made New Zealand the happiest,

freest, and wealthiest nation in the whole world."

'"The wealthiest?'

"Yes, the wealthiest. The accumulated wealth of the United Kingdom is ,£3OO por head, and in New Zealand it is JJ3OS per head.

"I think the Advances to Settlers Act has been one of the greatest blessings to our folks here. Like ni.iny other people, they often run short ot ready money, ami we can lend them what they want and when they want it nioct. It he a been sound business for us. as well as for them. We have rescued them from the clutches of the money-lenders. We have reduced the rate of interest; we have advanced i.5,0 00,000; we have not loat a .£5 -note; and we have made .£200,000 profit.

"We are doing more life insurance business than any private company in the colony, and as for lire insurance, the mere t'u-eat of our starting it, and before we got to work at all, made the private insurance companies reduce their rates on cottage property by 33 1-3 per cent, at one tell swoop. ' "Wlien your Parliament re-opens. Mr Seddon, and you get to work with your huge majority, what are you going to do? Have you reached the limit?" "No, no. There's more to be done than I can mention now, but one thing I ehall do in tho next session — I am going to inlicduce a measure of justice to married v/onien. I am going to have the name of every married woman put along with her husband's into every title deed to a home in New Zealand, so that the married man siiall no longer be alile to sell or mortgage liis home without, his wife's consent. This h.?t3 been too long delayed, and I shall remedy it now. "Marriage is a partneish'ip.and should carry the responsibility ot a partnership. The* wife helps by her work to build up fie home, and the consent of both ought I > be askod before the home is put into H-ril.

"Will nny man tell mo the wife is not ft to b" consulted? She knows very olten what in better for herself nnu the children i':an any man does, and many a man would be l>etter off to-day if he iir.d asked r.jid taken tho advice of his wife.

"There will lx» nothing in our Bill to li 4 event husband and wife selling or riiort•^asnne their home or land if both agree, b:it 'we are going to stop the scandal of married men putting their homes iff danger while their wives know nothing about it , or are powerless to Rtop it if they do snow about it."