THE POLICY OF WARDISM

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2297, 3 November 1914, Page 4

THE POLICY OF WARDISM

Apter many months of patient waiting the public is regaled this morning with the policy which Sir Joseph _Ward has at last succeeded in piecing together as the justification for Wardism.. With becoming modesty the Leader of the Opposition sought the seclusion of an obscure little meeting of his lady supports ers to unburden himself of his masterpiece, and encouraged no doubt by their kindly attention -he has handed it to the Press for publication. Unfortunately its length and the late hour at which it reached us prevent us giving it that detailed "examination which it is entitled to, and Sir Joseph Ward will not, we trust, regard us as lacking in courtesy if we appear to deal with it somewhat summarily. As a matter of fact, it is far too entertaining a production to pass away from lightly, and during the next few days we shall find a good deal of pleasure in discussing the amusingly ' transparent baits with which the worthy baronet has sought to entrap | the electors. It is to be feared that the electors will be somewhat disappointed with tho "policy," and the members of the Opposition Party themselves may also fail to find in it the inspiration they hav-i been so vainly seeking. It is a most unfortunate fact that Sir Joseph Ward is sadly lacking in originality, and his months of cogitation arid deliberation have failed to produce anything that is at all new or striking. The "policy" indeed might be welcomed mainly on the ground that it is an old familiar friend, a. little frayed and threadbare in patches, and touched up here and there in an endeavour to conceal its identity, but obviously the same old "policy" of copybook maxims and benevolent promises of good intentions towards all but those unworthy people whose Totes are' too few to worry about. The details of the "policy" are quite startlingly familiar. We have the inevitable increase of the graduated tax, and in this connection it may be pointed out that Sir Joseph Ward appears to have appropriated the ideas of his opponents in the proposed method of the subdivision of large estates. Then we have the virtuous professions of horror at the thought of extravagant borrowing, which is promptly followed by a list of urgent railway works which of themselves would involve a loan of over £8,000,000;. to say nothing of other public works expenditure. How like Sir Joseph' Ward this is. Then comes his views on Naval Defencefine high-sounding professions to "stand by the Imperial Navy," and ■ the_ Mother Country; which when whittled down come to nothing better , than a confession that it is cheaper to pay something to the Mother Country, to secure the protection of her Navy than to prepare ourselves to fight side by side with her for our mutual protection. Which is the nobler part; which best calculated to develop a' proper pride in our country and in its national development: the payment of an annual subsidy for someone else to fight for us, or the expenditure of the money in preparing ourselves to do our snare in defending the Empire? Another statesmanlike proposal is the introduction: of tho Baby Bonus system, which is to stimulate the birth-rate by providing £5 to be deposited in the Savings Bank for the benefit of the baby.; The problem of'the Cost of Living is dealt with in the . same masterly way. Sir Joseph Ward has discovered a means of providing cheaper milk, and so the cost-of-living' problem is to bo ended. With tremendous logic he points out the remarkable fact that cheap milk might be followed by cheap bread and cheap meat. He might have gone still further and provided cheap rent and cheap clothing, and cheap cigars, and lots of other things,that electors! would like to get at lower prices.' Proportional representation, which is not proportional representation but something else entirely different to .suit the Socialists who want proportional representation and the country people who want .the country quota, is another scintillating gem in. this delightful vote-snaring "policy," and the Labour-Socialists in addition are promised State ownership of the ferry steamers—some day. Finally, we must-leave the subject for the time being with the Civil Service plank of the programme. There is to be reversion h tho old control by the Minister (iv.stead of the Commissioners), but it is to be •Parliamentary control, not political control. It is a delightfully transparent piece of political htfmbuj*. Almost from beginning'to end this great policy of Wardism is a policy of twisting and balancing. There is hardly a definite and clear-cut pronouncement throughout—almost everything when examined closely is found tolra hedged with_conditions and qualifications. It is a feeble effort, lacking in courage, lacking in conviction, and lacking in any semblance of statesmanship.