MR. HERDMAN AT WADES" TOWN.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1236, 19 September 1911, Page 7

MR. HERDMAN AT WADES" TOWN.

THE COMING EI.ECTION-A PREDICTION, DEMOCRATIC REFORMS. Mr. A. L. Ilcrdman, member for Wellington Jvorth,. addressed a meeting of electors at tho club room in AYadestown last evening. Mr. T. Larkin presided, and briefly introduced the speaker. Mr. Herdman stated, in opening, that lie. had considered it his duty to visit AVadestown, as it had recently been added to the Wellington 'North electorate. The meeting that evening was of a preliminary character. Later on he would pay another visit to Wadostown, and go more deeply and analytically into the questions of tho day than to do that evening. Ho believed that tlio coming election was going to bo one of tho most strenuous that the country had, cxpenelied. In his opinion tho Government had reached their climacteric, and wero about to be defeated. This opinion was based not only upon what ho had observed in Wellington, but on what he had seen in other districts. Everywhere there was growing, up a marked distrust in the present (government, and ho predicted that the result of tho election would surprise, many people who believed that Sir Joseph Ward and his party wero going back to power. Any fair-minued man must admit that much of the past legislation of the Liberal party had proved of benefit to tho _ country. But tho Government had outlived its usefulness, and was no longer to bo trusted. The Public Service. Mr. Hor'dman remarked that he had always fought for the principle that promotions' in and appointments to the Public .Service should be removed, from terial controL in favour of a system of control by a Commissioner. He 'desired to fight for sound and healthy administration. In his view, the State enterprises of New Zealand should be run on the same lines as a well-managed big business concern. The principle of the reform lie advocated was thoroughly democratic. I Under it tho Commissioner, placed in charge of the Public Service would bo in a position analogous to that of a- Supremo Court Judge. He could be removed by Parliament, but not by a Minister, of tho Crown. ' Another Department m which' reform 'was needed was that of .Public Works. The Tramways Act of last year involved an unnecessary and undesirable interference with management by tho people who owned the tramways. Civic management, prior to the passage of the Tramways Act, -had; proved thoroughly satisfactory.^ The Railway Service. At the present time there was a great deal .of discontent .in tho-railway , service. When he was Minister for .Railways, Sir' Joseph -Ward bad announced that the railways were to be run. so as to earn three per cent., and nothing more. .When Mr. Millar became Miuister ho intimated that the railways wero to be run so as to earn interest 011 their capital cost. No doubt he had honestly endeavoured to do this,-but there was something rotten in tho State of .Denmark." Petitions had been presented by tlw various branches of tho service. Its present, state was one of chaos. The railway servants were demanding justice and proper regulations. The speaker considered that a man known to the world as an expert in railway management should be brought in to report on the condition of the railways. One could no more expect the Minister in charge of the railways to manage them satisfactorily than any other, man who knew nothing about railway matters. .When an expert report had been obtained it would bo known what should be dono. Personally, ho belioved in management of the railways by a Commissioner. Under this system the railways in New South Wales had - been raised . from a state of chaos and of being a political machine to a state of much greater l efficiency than was possible under management by a Minister of tho CroTra.

The Upper House. The appointment of members to the Upper House at the present time was very much open to criticism. Those Councillors who were appointed for seven years naturally desired to be reappointed at the conclusion of their terms. The.Y . ivc-tg thus at the beck and call of the Ministry of the day.. No proposal _ was made in the Budget in regard to reformof the Upper House, or in regard to reform of the railway administration. Surely these wore important questions, and deserved' attention. He had said that some of the past legislation ot the Government had been good, but tho same could not be said of its administration. The tctrcnchment carried out ft few months after the last general election had been a direct result of mismanagement.. Under the system he had indicated, retrenchment would never be necessary, and. many, cases of hardship would be avoided. Mr. JJ.ordman mentioned that he had applied to the Government, in vain for particulars of the retrenchment of 11109. Ho contended that a representative of tho people, who were proprietors of tho concern,, liad a right to this information. He had a very strong suspicion that tho men who were thrown out into tho street at the time of tho retrenchment were not given a chance to apply for reappointment when the retrenchment period was over, but that the new positions wore conferred by the Ministry on its political supporters. Ho had also applied in vain for information as to the cost. to which th-e country was put after the firo at Parliament Buildings. Time and again information had been denied in this way. Mr. Herdmnn recalled that Mr. Jas. Allen and himself had asked m vain, when the five million loan was under discussion; that particulars of loan operations •should ba supplied to the House one year or oven two vears after they were carried out. If the time mentioned had been twenty-five years'the result would havo been the same. Theso were tymcal instances of tho way in which the business of tho country was conducted and tho only way to introduce a better stato of affairs wa3 to turn the Government out of office. Procuring Votes. Tho Budget had evidently bren compiled by its author with an eye to the fact that it was an election year. It should nofc.be forgotten that in this country public 1 money was user! to obtain votes. In tho case both of the § Consolidated Estimates and of tho Public YVorks Estimates, tho total amounts voted rose in tho year beforo an election and afteriron!s vent down. No, other conclusion was to be drawn than that the Estimates were so operated as to get- votes tor the Government. The state of Zealand in future would depend on what was done with the land. A «rcat deal could bo done not only iu settling Crown and Native lands, but by stimula ing industry in tho country. Much of tiie legislation of the Government had tended to stifle industry. The Government should endeavour to do justice to nlH | employer, and to see that unnecessary and harassing legislation was avoided. Mr. Ilerdman thanked his hearers ior coming out on such a wet ami stormy ni"ht, and promised that when the campaign waxed hot he would again visit them and deliver an address, .(Applause.)

Replying to questions, Mr. llo:dman stated that ho was opposed to an export duty on butter, but would favour taking tho import duty off that commodity if its pTice roso unreasonably. A vote of thanks aud confidenco .in Mr. Herdman as member for tho district was Sassed uuanimouslv. 011 tho motion of Ir. \V. Nash, Mr." E. Wylie seconding.