MR. WILL CROOKS, M. P.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 675, 27 November 1909, Page 6

MR. WILL CROOKS, M. P.

CIVIC WELCOME. , LABOUR LEADER'S BREEZY SPEECH. Mr.-Will Crooks, M.P., who is touring Australasia, reached Wellington- yesterday afternoon from the north. He was met and welcomed at the railway station by .the Hons. J. Eigg and J. T. Paul, M.I/.C.'s, Messrs. D. .MT/aren, J. F. Arnold, and G. W. Rus=ell. M.P.'s, the Revs. A. Dewdney, J.; J. North, J.■Dawson, and A. Thomson, Mri-W. C. Noot (president' .of/ the.'-Wellington ..Trades' and Labour Council),' Mr. E. Tregear (Secretary for Labour), Mr. H. N. Holmes, and othei's. There was a large attendance at the Municipal Chamber in the evening, when tho Mayor (Dr. A. K. Ncwuiau) officially welcomed Mr. and Mrs. Crooks to Wellington. Proceod•ings .were somewhat delayed owing to - the visitor's luggage having gone astray, but, after a while, the Mayor, in his robe and chain, with Mrs. Newman, Mr. and Mrs. Crooks, Mr. J. P. Luke, M.P., and Mrs. Luke, and Mr. D. M'Laren,. mounted the platform, amidst an outburst ■of -applause. M,ost of the city councillors occupied front seats, arid, among others present,' were the Hon. C. M. Luke, M.L.C., and Mr. W. H. Field, M.P. ' The , Mayor iays "Wolcome." . ■ Tho Mayor said he' was very pleased to welcome, a meiiibor of the London Count" Council —Mr. .Crooks—and. the Mavor; of Poplar"( Mrs. | Crooks). ' Mr. ; and Mrs..: Crooks were leaders of men. • They would, see.that 'Wellington was I very , small beside; London,-but Rome : had its great past,.: London its great present, ( and Wellington its. great, future. - He was-pleased to welcome Mrs. Crooks as a, Lady Mayor— not a Mayoress, but.. a Mayor. in her; own right.- She was not the first, for-. New Zealand. Jiad had- 1 the first lady Mayor in the British Empire., The Maj«r claimed that .Wellington, with its growing municipal ' enterprises, was thoroughly, up-to-date, and he remarked in conclusion:—"Some people would call me a fossil old Conservative,, but I think I'm quite fit tp _ sit beside .you\ in the -London County Council as a member of the; Progressive Party.'' (Applause.) Mayoress to. Mayoress. ' - Mrs. Newman ■ added a .few words -of welcome to Mrs.; Crooks', who, she said,-must be no ordinary woman, seeing' that she was chosen to be the chief magistrate of a town of 170,000 inhabitants. The speaker recognised that she herself might be called old-fashioned, but she considered that so long as the management of the home, and the. care of the children was regarded by' women as 'tbeir''first duty, their participation in-public 'affairs must' bo for good.: 'On behalf of the women-of Wellington, she wished to give Mrs. Crooks a'very hearty .welcome: ' (Applause.) . Mrs. Crooks,. in- expressing hef thanks, 1 said she-', hoped all';'-would 'bo.' the better for rubbing shoulders and'exchanging views; dur-" ing this visit-'to New Zealand. (Applause.) ..'Mr.' J;'-P. Luke.'M.P.," as senior member oi the City'- Council, said , ho was very''glad .to .welcdme two who- had, by sheer hard wdrk and good'lives, raised themselves to high positions. ' 1 - - Speech by Mr. Crooks.

Mr, Crooks, who. was received with applause, said he,.had been touched with the warmth of the Welcome he had everywhere received. He would never see a - ; New Zealander in London without 1 feeling that he owed him. a meal. Ho would- only\ ask them not;to. come all at once.- (Applause.) He thanked the speakerstor what tfley had said of Mrs. Crooks, and added, that both of them; were- 'doing ■their level best to try to uplift our common suffering 'humanity.. Jle had feared that.,one of the speakers.. would- say that, he .had risen from/ the ranks, but it was liis < proud boast' 'that, ho had .risen' from' the ranks. Hrf still four-square with his . fellows. -No one knew ,better than lie how exceedingly hard an was poverty. But' :f6r.'tuc; hardwork, of fighting against. poverty-?honesfc pov« '.erty—he would probably never, ihave.beeii' here. • Tear after year he;liad been granplingl with it .as: a?great';pubHo problem',':until ; at last-the' burdenseemed«to "be 4 getting'too much for him pd he. had to take a rest.- 'His friends said to hiiii,' '/'Good-bye, 'arid forget: us if ybu can' for a month 'or twov 'and God bring you : back pafe," That blbssing'was more to'him-than any amount-of money could be. ;>"• , Mr," Crooks, proceeded'in : a -breeisy yersational manner \ with' a- plentiful- sprinkling of good stories,'to. 6peak of those "cities • of : the rich and ofiotiioopbocfta which-' are aIK comprised'in London.,V' ,v ' . >-.• He . urged.New. Zcalandors -to. l rise to a'proper .view; of vheir national duty;; Greatrag the Bffr tish Empire was, it could not-thrive if it looted its, .duty, to i the .poof. ..:He ; .hoped New Zealand would .never abandon the. principle: of •equality,of opportunity.' .....v •.;*./ !/. v • This reference'to'equality of opportunity-was greeted with ironipal . laughter from : a small •section of tho audience.. The speaker shot,back: : Well, if you haven't, got, it, it's your own fault, (Hear, hear.); You yourselves can make opportunities' ; by : bonding yourselyes. to-' gether for the good of the, common people. . I can t' believe- but',that, any choice, you..make, "with a franchiso like yours, must be. the'.choice you deserve, or you would not make it." After again expressing thanks- for the -wel-come-to Mrs, .Crooks 1 and. himself; Mr. Crooks resumed his 'seat,' and:loud applause 'followed, j > the;'audience' to unite in thaßlnrig 'Mr.-.Crooks: for his speech-.''and .wishing the yisitorS a successful journey and a safe return hoine. '• •• . This -sentiment was approved with hearty acclamation, and on the motion of Mr. Crooks a vote of' thanks'was accorded to the Mayor. AN INTERVIEW. REAL STRENGTH OF IMPERIALISM. •■' LOCAL GOVERNMENT IN LONDON. "I have no views to express! I liavo come, to be taught," was 'Mr! .Will Crooks's reply when- a Dominion interviewer asked his opin-. ions oil: New' Zealand affairs. He had;'however "something' to 'say about Imperial feeling. . • ■. "We .'have been told in . England," he- .said, "that if something was not done to : give tho colonies preference- we should lose them. I replied that, I did not' bolieve, and never would believe, that the Empire was built on pounds,'. shillings, and ponoe. .It has a far more solid. foundation', than'' that. Wo are kept .together by ■ kinship, sympathy, 'mutual, ideals, . and'! the .' national feelings', of '. mother. and . daughter." r ,been -tKan ever-, convinced ,of this'6inbe I have.been'.'through' CanaJa, and Australia and come' to New. Zealand." ' ', -. ' '." , .

Mr; Crooks was anxious. to correct some figures and .statements regarding 'the .administration of .the.Progrcssivesas compared the' Reform .party, .in. London-V This, matter, which appeared; in.The Dominion last-Wednes. day, being, quoted editorially >as coming; from London, comprised a' statement that the fi. ; mmce. of. the London County - Council, during the Progressive . regime .' was' conducted on sound business lines, and on going out of office tho Progressives left a surplus which would' hare enabled them to reduce tho rates by-Ud. in ( the £.- The removal from Poplar; of a certain large firm which* was mentioned was not duetto heavy rates, but (according to tho farm s own statement) .: to' the,; superior advantages/ for .their, special business, of a waterside site at Port Glasgow. Apart from * A he i ftte L a i, ?°P lar had nothing to ■do with the County Council, aB it was . a separato borough. Mr. Croojp, who has been for some years a member. of the London County.Council, also said • that -the County' Council" rates onlv increased during.,the Progressive- regime bv*d.,w the .. The rise .'of-25.-4d, ,which-wai mentioned, must have.been arrived at by' lumning the ; boro,ughs,and the county together. It imight be trne. ttat tho rates over the 'whole of London—county, and boroughs—had fallen bv 'u ln i since the Reformers took office in the County, Council, but.the county rates had risen, during that'period, ;owing to thd larger demands for - education purposes. In regard to tramway extension,. the. Reform party had not initiated a single mile of track that was not financially „ provided; for ,by the Progressives before they .went out of office. It was- also stated that on the general capital account tho Reformers had repaid .£500,000 more than tliev .borrowed. Mr. Crooks's reply to this was that the loans were for tho whole-of the -London boroughs, as well as the county, tho Countv Council.'being the general borrowing authority If tho boroughs did not wish to raise so mucli money, that was not tho affair. ■