The Waikato Times. With which is incorporated The Waikato Argus. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1919. SIR JOSEPH WARD

Waikato Times, Volume 91, Issue 14241, 16 December 1919, Page 4

The Waikato Times. With which is incorporated The Waikato Argus. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1919. SIR JOSEPH WARD

Sir Joseph .|n /'great form at Auckland last and evidently impressed his audience by the-ease and ability with which'" he'. handled the several matters upon whiphhe touched. He contrasts most favourably 'with thi average candidate,/'for "lite attention is; not devoted solely'|o v prpcunrig, favours for constituents, but extends-toa con-' 6ideration of'the heeds'of the country and of its probable financial, position in .a. few years' time. ;,Atl these: matters Sir Joseph Ward;'handled' like an exceptionally capable.', ',,' and, 'effective man of business,,. and : it is a, pleasure to hear one who is so much at home In the affair's" of .the Country. When we say how much.weadmire Sir Joseph Ward's business equalities we distinguish between these and the qualities of statesmanship .as hithorto. understood'. Sir Joseph dealt largely with the question of nationalising industries, and the impression he gave "is that his reason for .wishing to, carry- out. this * policy is the desire-to earn some money for the country in the strenuous years coming. The State will certainly want money, but unless there are other and more valid reasons for nationalisation we do not think the country will have cause to rejoice if it is carried out. In speaking of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, he somewhat exaggerated the profit it had made, as- he overlooked the taxation obtained- from Banks here, and both he an^.-'the.chairman of the Bank of New Zealand'in-, his. recent address on the point-carefully avoided any real attempt to grajVple \yith the arguments for or against nationalisation. In stating that England was- at-a dis-

advantage compared 'with. France or Germany at the'outbreak of.war, because they had State-. r ßanks 'and she had not, he overlooks'ihe real cause of the trouble. Internal affairs could be dealt with as well in ,one country as in the other, but iii "England the position was complicated by the engagements made by various firms and banks to pay for goods the arrival of which was delayed or prevented by war. Had tlie Government owned the Bank of England the same position would have existed. -Again, in dealing with the .coal mines, Sir Joseph Ward stresses tffe profits to be made therefrom, though the general belief is that the miners will see that these are not great. If a position in regard to housing exists which is not right, by all means let the Health Department intervene, but do not make it an argument for nationalising the coal industry and buying out the companies at the very time when it is prop'osed to obtain power from hydro-electric energy, and thus destroy much of the value of the mines. Tf there are good reasons for thinking that State ownership would improve the attitude of the men the country might be well advised.to consider the question of nationalisation, but if the only argument is tlie profit which is to be earned the step is certainly not worth taking. Sir Joseph Ward entirely overlooks the effect whic'i} the nationalising of industries has upon the investment of capital. It is "peculiarly important that men of wealth should not become mere drawers of .interest on Government bonds.

The, country requires their service?, as it does those of all men. Yet if there is a risk lliat any industry which shows profits is to be bought up by the State, attention will go much more to obtaining a big price than to running the industry effectively. Then, again, in the question of the Government purchase of business which is not a monopoly, wo should like to know whether Sir Joseph Ward" proposes that they shall enter the ring which commonly exists and maintain existing rates and prices, or will they set out to give the people the advantages which may be possible. In stressing the profit to be made from j these Government excursions into the j realm of business, Sir Joseph Ward leads one to suppose that he would j

favour the former course, and if we do ' him an injustice we can only, plead his own lino of argument. Our own Mew *

would be that the only legitimate reason for nationalising any industry is that the State could offer advantages greater than the capitalist can give, and that is the reason for the existence of the Stale Advances,-:Oniee, and of the Government owned railways. There are, however, other State institutions for which Sir Joseph Ward claimed credit that we do not think could pass this lest satisfactorily.

It is the failure to look ahead and consider the effect to be produced by his action that causes us to say that Sir Joseph Ward comes short in statesmanship, admirable as are the business qualities which he displays for the handling of immediate problems. In this respect he is much ahead of Mr Massey, who makes no pretence to look to the future, and deals with the present in generalities.. Both men have their qualities, and would have worked much : better together than apart if the recollection of party bitterness in past times- • hail.not stood in the way. We return to'Our old cry of the need for new blood. The policies of the past" have been worked out. Unfortunately democracy at the present stage of development does not tend to. the placing of the most capable men in power. Other qualities are preferred, and in the heat of electioneering we are even called on to admire them. It is not that New Zealand compares unfavourably with other countries; the average reputation of politicians is not high, and the wonder is that South Africa should have produced two men of the calibre of General Botha and General Smuts. Those who call so loudly for the expulsion of men who may have alien blood in their veins, often at one or two removes, should remember that a few years since they would have made the same demand about these two men.

II is a pleasure to relate that Sir • Joseph Ward had an excellent hearing. The organised interruptions whioh have occurred at various meetings are a disgrace to '.he offenders, and do not reflect creditably on the police as guardians of law and order. A section of the Labour party appear to be theoffenders, and they probably have not sense enough to realise that they ai"£ damaging the chances of their .candidate's success, which was already small s enough.