TAKE NO RISKS.

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2324, 4 December 1914, Page 13

TAKE NO RISKS.

nrjxEE big thing for the elector to decide at the polls " ]• next week is a bigger thing than any of us can recall in the history of this country. The little petty differences of politics which . fci party candidates squabble and wrangle about never interested the average elector less than they do at, the present moment. You know this. What does it matter to you whether Proportional Representation/becomes the law during the next three years, and what do you care about a silly baby bonus scheme, when no man or woman can tell how .the great War in which we are involved is going to affect his or her employment or future prospects? Think what that may mean to you. No one doubts, that Britain and her Allies will emerge triumphant from the struggle.. That is not the question. The question which so vitally concents you today is whether New Zealand, will come through the crisis with.a minimum of financial and trade dislocation, or whether the Dominion will he gradually plunged into, a state of depression with business ■ stagnant, unemployment widespread, and hardship and suffering the common lot of the 'wage-earner and his wife'and family. ■ Only, sound and careful administration can insure the country against such risks. You know this. Everyone hopes that things will go smoothly ,with us and so far we _ have escaped any serious dislocation of our trade and business, and employment been" well maintained. " '" . . Have you troubled to ask yourself how.it is that you .have suffered so little at all? Has it ever occurred to you that, outside of the British Navy, which keeps our Eea routes open, the chief factors in maintaining almost normal conditions in .New Zealand have been the actions and attitude of , the Government of the country? Give that point a moment or two's thought. • ' Has it ever struck you how wonderfully smoothly everything has worked since the great crisis came? Not a single hitch anywhere. ■'» '.v The biggest Expeditionary Force ever sent so long a journey overseas was got ready in record time. How was this accomplished? Have you thought about that? '~ _ It was made possible because o.f the arrangements planned and given effect to by the Hon; James Allen, Minister of Defence, almost immediately, the Beform Government came into office. Think what that foresight has meant in the present crisis, Perhaps you .will recall how, Mr. Allen was attacked and ridiculed and misrepresented over his scheme to have ready in case of emergency the plans: and equipment for an Expeditionary Force of 8000 men. The idea of the Mother Country ever requiring the.assistance of an Expeditionary Force from New Zealand was regarded by some of the clever critics f of the Government!as.the height of absurdity. We know better than that to-day. , -.'■'■■; . ' To-day we are in' the proud position of knowing that. New; Zealand was the first of the Overseas Dominions to dispatch an Expeditionary Force to-assist in the great struggle, and .that the whole ~oi the, arrangements 7 were? carried out without a hitch. The men, according to; General G'odley who commanded them, were all excellently equipped and" ready ta take the field in-record time. New Zealand can take pride - m that achievement to-day, and why ?"' Because" of the judgment-and foresight of the Massey Government. K may be asked: What has this to do with;the safeguarding of the country against the risks of financial depression and unemployment. We shall come to that in a moment. What you-and every other man and womanwill : have to consider before you cast your votes next week . u: What is best to be.done in this time of crisis] , How can yov best safeguard your interests, the in-' ■ terests of your family, and the interests of your ■ country] ■. ■ In seeking an answer to these questions you can only find sound guidance-from the actions, not the professions, of political parties in. the - past. So it is that you will find' in the foresight and judgment shown by the Massey' Government in connection with the scheme of ari Expeditionary Force some definite assurance that that Government is to bo trusted to look ahead and safeguard your interests and the interests of the nation. Is not that common sense? You do not need to think about that. It is too obvious. l Then you will perhaps remember that whenthe Empire became definitely involved in the war, the Massey Government took certain steps to safeguard your interests locally -It passed a Moratorium Act which prevented those who.had 1 borrowed money on mortgage being "squeezed" and perhaps ruined when it'became necessary to renew or repay their .loans. ..-'.■ . ' . ,Thißjwas a calm and wise decision at a time of emergency and has. been of immense service'to all classes. It saved from hardship and perhaps ruin many hundreds of, people who would have been in a position of extreme embarrassment owing to the difficulty'of raising money in war time. Butmore than that, it benefited indirectly thousands'"of others who would have suffered by the bankruptcy or crippling of those directly benefited: Turn that over in your mind. "Everyone knows that the'financial ruin of one person or one firm always injures others, and sometimes brings them to rum as well., The prompt action of the Massey Government in taking the.bold and statesmanlike course of passing the Moratorium Act thus conferred a benefit on practically the whole country. The only persons who did not benefit were money-lending sharks who would have liked to make a harvest out of.the misfortunes of-their fellows, and were prevented from doing so. ' Then, again; without any alarmist declarations, the Massey Government, took, steps to safeguard your interests by appointing a Commission with power to fix prices and prevent you being robbed by unfair charges for the necessaries of life. With shrewd judgment and keen foresight it anticipated the wheat shortage, and bought up supplies in Australia and elsewhere, thus .minimising the • risk of a'flour famine which would have hit you end every family in the Dominion. It "got in early," to use a popular phrase, and thus secured its supplies at the lowest possible figure. "This benefited you and every other elector. It showed itself a live Government—alert to your interests—the interests of the country. Perhaps you had forgotten this. The Government made no fuss or flurry about doing these things. . It simply met the emergency firmly and capably as it has met a thousand and one emergencies, big and little, during the past three months. These are the things which have assisted to keep business and trade and employment normal in New Zealand at this time of crisis.. You possibly have forgotten all about some of them; have not troubled even to think why things have gone so emoothly, and why you have suffered so little loss

>. Before casting your vote next Thursday yon . will no doubt turn these matters over in your mind. A.sh yourself whether it is wise to risk losing the ■ services of the Government which has been so Keenly . alive to the safeguarding of your interests and which has steered the country so ably during the crises. Thiiik what is the alternative to the present Government. . '•';■' What you have to bear in mind 1b that there are troublous times ahead. Yes, you may think, but the Ward Government or any other Government would have done the things the Ma.ssey Government have done! .Would it? Let us see. You must judge a Government or a political party by its actions in the past. How then has the Ward Government faced a crisis 1 Cast your minds back a few years. You may remember a crisis in which Sir Joseph Ward figured, or probably you haye, forgotten it. It was a comparatively small thing, and hardly affected New Zealand at all. Sir Joseph Ward himself in his Budget of 1909 referred, to it as " a temporary depression.". . . J ' ■ , _ Yet what did the Ward Government" do ? It was seized with panic. Hundreds of Civil .Servants (940 in' all), were retrenched and thrown out of employment, and they and their families left*.to shift as best they might. Their dismissal affected the labour market of the whole country.at a bad time and the hardship and suffering were intensified thereby. . . The facts here stated are beyond all dispute. No.onecan deny them. You cannot ignore these things in considering the question of who you are going to entrust with the control of your affairs during the critical period ahead. Contrast the attitude of the 'Massey. Government in the great industrial crisis of 1913, when the Bed Federation sought to terrorise the country, and its attitude in the present great national crisis with. the attitude of .the Ward Government in the trifling emergencies with which it. was faced. Remember how the Civil Servants were sacrificed in hundreds on the slightest pretext. Whose turn would it have which is seized wtb panic at the first sign, of trouble? , :Cah you or any sane man or woman believe in* the face •of these,indisputable facts that the present is a timejwhen the Massey Government should be set aside for a Government which is seized with panic at the first sign of trouble? , . The Ward Government was not even a success in fair weather; what is it.likcly to be in strenuous times like>the present?. And bear in mind, whatever your political inclinations? may be, that, on the present occasion your vote affects something more thanthe petty questions of party issues. - ■' y lt is the bigger issue you have, to consider—the ;' issue of''• sound and strong and prudent government ! versus reckless and possibly panicky actions which may react to the injury of our trade and industry, and bring about a slate of depression of unemployment directly affecting all classes. Just one more point. i!ou know, a3 everyone knows, that' the Ward Party has no chance of getting back to office, except with the assistance of the political branch of that orgaiiiaa/ tion known as the Red Federation. This fact is admitted; ; ' : This,raises another point for you to consider. It is this: if the -Ward Party, "which was weak and ; vacillating*.'even when it had a huge majority of its own,' gets back to J *6ffice dependent on the votes of half-a-dozen extremists of. the lied Federation organisation, what possible chance has it of resisting the pressure of these extremists?. Give'that a little thought.; .■'■■,' . * ■ You know what theso extremists stand for—industrial revolution; the complete overthrow of our social system;.. Is; the present a time for opening the door to these wild-cat reckless theories? ■ . Does any working man either in town ; or country really believe! that he is going to benefit himself or his wife and family by voting to put. into office at a time like tho present a weak Government dominated by theso Labour-Socialist extremists ? Just:turn the whole position over in your mirid.v" , Under existing conditions all is working smoothly;.. Fortunately the_ Massey Government had been in office", long nnough to build up a strong financial position, and the Minister of Finance has within the past few weeks considerably strengthened that position. But great care and prudent handling will be required if the country is to avoid the dangers of financial and iridusr trial depression inseparable from a period of great national crisis such as we are passing through. Tou, knomng these things, are faced with the responsibility of deciding whether or not you : will prefer to leave the administration of your affairs in the hands of the men who have done so well up to the present, or whether you 1 'will take the grave risk, of > . replacing them with a weak Government which has failed in all emergencies and which if elected must be dominated, by the extreme faction known as the '*. Social Democrats. After all, .the issue is a very simple one—the assurance of a proved and sound Government with prospects of continued prosperity or the risk of a weak Government allied with extremists pledged to revolutionary changes, which threaten the peace and prosperity of the whole country. You can vote for Reform.candidates confident that the present sound and stable condition of affairs will be maintained. Or you can vote for Wardist or Social Democrat candidates and know that in so doing you are needlessly, incurring_ the danger of reckless legislation, panicky administration, and their .accompaniments of unemployment and general trade depression. If you doubt these facts, remember what the Massey Government has done and contrast it with what the Ward Government did even when it had' a huge majority behind it. Remember also that to-day the Wardist Party at-the best can only hold office with the assistance of the Red Federation, which will thus compel it to do what the Red Federation wishes.' If you favour Red Federation ideas and are prepared' to .take the risk of reckless government at the most critical time in the nation's history t then vote for Social Democrat and Wardist.candidates. Every elector who opposes Bed Federation ideas . and who realises the imperative necessity at the present time of sound arid stable government will vote for Reform candidates and safeguard his or her own v interests and the interests of the country.. -'. Take No Risks. ..*.-,'■ , . Most people believe the Massey Government will .be returnod to office with a large majority. But Take No Risks. Record your vote and see that all your friends also vote. Your vote at this election means a big thing for New Zealand—a big thing for the financial stability and future prosperity of the country. A big thing for you. TAKE NO.RISK.

YOU OWE IT TO YOURSELF, TO YOUR FAMILY, & TO YOUR COUNTRY TO SINK PARTY DIFFERENCES & VOTE FOR SOUND GOVERNMENT.