POLITICAL SPEECH BY MR. HERDMAN.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1099, 11 April 1911, Page 6

POLITICAL SPEECH BY MR. HERDMAN.

: AN ENTHUSIASTIC MEETING.

LABOUR LAWS CRITICISED,

'A DESPOTIC EXECUTIVE.

Mr. A. L. Herdman, M.F. for Wellington North, delivored a political address before a largo body of electors in. the Concert Chamber of the Town llall last evening. Mr. W. H. I). Bell acted as chairman, and briefly introduced tho speaker. Sir. Herdman was listened to with close attention. Interruptions from & small section of the audience were farirly numerous, but at,no time attained any great volume. The address traversed many political questions of tho day, but its main features were a trenchant criticism of industrial legislation and tho conditions to which it has given rise in this country, and an attack on the despotic and wavering attitudo of tho.Government. Early in his address Mr. Herdman said ho had'notcd signs of a revival in the public life of the country. In the south an organisation had arisen calling itself the Tamers' party and in tho city of Wellington there had arisen a non-political party calling itself the National League. The gentlemen ,who belonged to th© latter organisation were correctly under an impression that legislation of a very foolish character had during recent years been placed on tho Statute Book. They had joined together .with the object and determination that in future elections they would support only candidates who would see that legislation. passed must bo just —not class legislation—and who as legislators would .recognise that in handling the property of the,' people they were Teally trustees. . Tho speaker was amazed not that these movements had appeared but that they had not appeared seven or eight years ago. A number of representatives in the House and in the country had tried for years to point out that legislation inimical to the country was being passed.

The Industrial Outlook. The central feature o£ Mr. Herdman's address was it description of tho and present industrial state of New Zealand, lu the- rural districts, ho remarked, thero were everywhere signs of prosperity. Farmers were ■ getting high prices for wool and frozen mutton. All the products which the soil produced were annually bringing largo suras of money into the country. Farmers, fortunately for themselves, had not yet been much touched by tho Government. Their prosperity was duo to tho fact that tho primal products of this country brought high prices on the English and other outside markets. Tho demand for products inspired a demand for land. Rural prosperity might bo directly traced to the demand of outside markets for New Zealand products. No one could say, on the other hand, that the industries appertaining to the life of our cities and towns were in a prosperous state at the present time. Thero were two ways in which a city or a town might attain prosperity. One rested on natural cunditiohs. Along the shores of the Mediterranean there were towns that constantly attracted a population by their beauty and ; natural attraction. Another way in which a town could attain prosperity Was by the encouragement of industries. It/should be the duty of any Administration in power to encourage the industries which were natural to tho towns of a country like New Zealand. Had this been the case here?

Addressing hiniiself to the thoughtful i workingman, Mr. Herdman declared that !' the encouragement of industrial growth i was as much in the interest of the thoughtful workingman, and should appeal to him in> the same way as it did ; to the thoughtful employer. "Question," said an interiecter. "Tho gentleman who says 'Question,"' : retorted Mr. Herdman, "is no doubt one ; of.thoso who talk about 'the fat man.' I am -not a 'fat man' myself, but you I can't do without the-money o£ the fat !■ msiri. Who was it that built your railj ways, and who'supplied the money?" A voice: "Labour." Mr. Herdman: "No doubt Labour took ; a great part in the building of your Tail- ! ways, but Labour could have done no- ! thing without the man who supplied the ; money for-investment." It was the man who supplied money for ! investment, continued tho speaker, who: ; was'responsible for building up the enori mens industries of a country like the . United States. It . was the man with money for investment who enabled Labour to work. Tho Gloves Off. "I think the time has arrived," Mr. : Herdman went, on, "when.men must faco this ' question, and take (he gloves off. : There must be no mincing words or ; mincing manners about it." Sinco the : Arbitration Act was passed in-189-1, fortyfive Industrial Acts and amending Acts ; liad been placed on the Statute Book in 1 New Zealand. Hundreds of Arbitration : Awards had been framed, and any num- ; ber of individuals had been fined "in con- ; nection with industrial administration. : There had been, since 1834, a senseless : flow of oppressive and. tyrannical legislation, oppressing people, interfering with trade, and doing the labouring man no good at all. (Loud applause.) The lab- ; ourer was as much entitled to justice as the man who had money for investment : and tho legislator had no right to make distinctions between the investor and tho i.worker or to give the investor prefer- : enee, to give something to tho rich which fhe denied to . the poor. The Legislature j should treat one class just as it treated j another. Until a Government came into | power which would govern oil that prin- ; eiple there would never be a happy conj ditjon of things in this country. ; _ "J ask the gentlemen who have been | interrupting mo to-night," said Mr. Herd- | man developing his theme, "whether it is better for the country that a man who has <£100,000 should keep it locked up in the bank yielding 3J to 4 per cent., or is •it- better'for the worker that the man should invest his money in some industry ill city or country?" Certainly it was • best for tho worker that the money should . be devoted to tho encouragement of industry. Only the stupid, silly man, unable to seo beyond the end of his nose, i could think otherwise. Xo doubt when tho industrial legislation was passed its authors wtrc sincere in bc- : lieving that it would bridgo the gulf between workers and employers. They led tho people to believe that peace, happiness. and nrosperity would reign in tho ; country. Had this come to pass? (No.) Instead. I here had been a harassing tide of legislation which discouraged all sorts of industries and all sorts of enterprises.

A Double-Barrelled Gun. To-day the position was that the worker had a double-barrelled gun. He could strike, in spite of the Act, or, if ho preferred it, he coukl hale his employer before tho. Court. As a result of these things, the investor preferred to lock his money up in tho bank, put it where it could not be touched, or, perhaps, take it out of the country altogether. (Laughter.) "I can assure that gentleman who jeers and scoffs," said Mr. Herdman, "that he is absolutely mistaken. I know of men ,vho have had money invested here, who bccausc of senseless and tyrannical laws have taken it out of New Zealand." Summarising his contentions, Mr. Herdman put it: — (1) That every law which stifles business enterprise is as injurious to the worker as it is to the employer. (2) That every law which embarrasses industry, harasses it, or tends to make it impossible is inimical to the well-being of the State.

(3) That a policy which involves doing as little as you can possibly do for as niuch as 3'ou can possibly get is inimical to the interests of the country. (4) That every law which tends to put the lazy man on the same level as the hard worker, or which tends to bring the hard worker down to tho level of the lazy man is a menace to industrial life. '"(jmonism is the curse of this counLtv." said an interjcctor,

"I don't say that at all. You arc going too far," replied Mr. Herdman. Great and Growing Competition. No one looking at tho state of the world to-day, Mr. Herdman ' went on, could doubt that the position of Great Britain was menaced. In tho Bast, Japan had alre:sly como rapidly into prominence, and China, with vastly greater, resources, seemed likely to follow in her wake. In face of such great and growing competition- wo 1 must do something to get just and wise laws that would enable industry to flourish and enterprise to prevail. Supporting his assertion that industry in New Zealand was suffering under many burdens, Mr. Herdman instanced tho fact that the chairman of directors of tho Bank of New 'Zealand (Mr. Beauchamp) had declared in a recent speech that there was undoubtedly a want of contidcnco in th 3 country. To the Labour Department as a supporting authority no exception could bo taken. Figures supplied by tho Department showed that last year New Zealand . factories increased by only 202. whereas tho i ncrc-ofo -for tho preceding year , was 622. Elaborating this point, Mr. Herdman quoted figures showing that in a majority of New Zealand industries there was a marked' decline in total output. This, he claimed, was a thing to be seriously considered by tho people of tho. country. As to the causes of this falling away, ho had mentioned unwise and tyrannical legislation. A huge army of inspectors went up . and _ nown vue countrv harassing and interfering witli individuals. Still another cause was tne activity of the agitator. Tho. agitator was doing the country incalculable harm. Not only did men of this typo interfere with trado and enterprise, but they misled the men who followed, them. Tho speaker had taken up this topic that night because he wanted to .convince tho thoughtful workingmnn that he was being misled by his own leaders. Tho agitator got together a collection of individuals and said to them that they were not getting a fair share. There, was the wealthy 'mini, get him down, stamp him down, sit on him!

Voices: "Shame! Shame!'* That, Mr. Herdman continued, was what th 6 agitator did, but let the thoughtful workman go homo and think over the problem. The speaker was convinced that if snch a worker desired to see industry flourish not only in tho country but in tho cities, he would subscribe to the doctrines ho (the speaker) had endeavoured to advocato that night. (Applause.) ,

A Thorough Overhauling. Speaking of remedy. Mr. _ Herdman claimed that the time had arrived in this country when there should bo a thorough overhauling of industrial legislation men a view to directing' industry in ways of greater enterprise. It was the duty o£ the State to seo that thero was no sweating, and there should be no difficulty in passing legislation that would make sweating absolutely impossible. There should exist a tribunal for tho purpose of enabling parties in dispute to come to an agreement. If they could not settle their difficulties, they should be left to their natural remedies.

"I believe," said Mr. Herdman, "that tho Arbitration Court is absolutely useless." (Hear, hear.) It should bo the duty of the. State, ho continued, to mitigate unemployment. The State should find employment for any honest man out of work, but there should bo no assistance given to tho waster and tho loafer. This done, the work of the State would be pretty well finished. To encourage a policy of' leaning on the State in every possible way would inevitably bo to produce a condition of national decay.

Three Classes, "The people of New Zealand under the present enlightened Administration," said Mr. Herdman, taking up a fresh topic, "may roughly bo divided into three classes.

"(1) Those who have been bought. "(2) Those who have been intimidated. "(3) Those who are free;

"Wo are supposed to bo a democracy. Wo are supposed to bo governed by the unfettered judgment of a majority of the people, but it is not so in fact. The truth is, ladies and gentlemen, that tho judgment of a great body of people is governed, not by proper considerations, but by what they may get ou of the Executive. Some are bribed by, billets, some by a promise of roads and bridges, and some are purchased by legislation. The Government have no special policy of their own. They wobble hero and there. They go down to Otago, where a large. part of the people are of Scotch descent, and preach economy; they go to the West Coast aud preach extravagance. In a No-License district they preach temperance, and when they go to a district in which tho hotels are open they preach the opposite. Their position reminds me of that taken up by Jay Gould, a famous American railway magnate. Ho was asked: 'Mr.Gould, when you go to a',; Republican State, what are your Mr. Gould replied 'Bepublican,' 'And when you go to a Democratic State,' was tho next question. 'Democratic,' said Mr. Gould. 'But when you go to a State where there are both Democrats and Republicans, Mr. Gould, what are your politics then?' 'Both Democratic and Bepublican,' replied the magnate.

A Despotism. "So it is," continued Mr. Herdman, "with this Administration of ours. They wander about and have no fixed definite path, no outlook for the future. All they are after is office; they want power. It is not a democratic Government to-day, but it' is a despotism. Some men who got into I'arlinment from the country districts by promises of roads and bridges are there to do what the Executive tells them, and when tho Executive tells them to vole in a given way they do it." Means of Access. Speaking at Whangarei, Mr. Herdman continued, Dr. Findlay had stated that it was the duty of the State to provide the people, by all proper means in its power, with access to (1) land, (2) capital, (3) means of communication and transport, free where possible, (4) motive power; (5) justice—and so on. The Opposition on the other hand, said Mr. Herdman, held that it was the duty of the Government to givo the people access to:—(a) Their land policy; (b) detailed information about the cost of raising loans; (e) information as to details of retrenchment; (d) information about persons appointed to the Public Service sinco the retrenchment policy started; (e) information about the income "tax (f/ their reasons for refusing to appoint an unbiased commission to incjuiro into the state of the Civil Service; and (g) their reasons for pursuing a policy of wasting public money. —

At tho close of his address, Mr. Herdmm answered a number of questions. Mrs. M'Cale proposed a vole of thanks and confidence. to which a. hostile amendment was moved by. a member of tho audience. Tho amendment, attracted a. limited amount of support, but the original motion was carried enthusiastically by an overwhelming majority.