N.Z. LEGION

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXIII, Issue 227, 7 September 1933, Page 8

N.Z. LEGION

AIMS AND OBJECTS OUTLINED ADDRESS BY SIR A. RUSSELL MEETING AT WAIPUKURAU. (Special Representative.) A most interesting and enlightening address on the aims and objects of the New Zealand Legion was given by Sir Andrew Russell at Waipukurau last evening. His Worship the Mayor iMr I. W. N. Mackie) presided. In opening his address Sir Andrew said that be was glad to think that be wa» addressing only those who took * real interest in the welfare of the country. Some members of the audience, he said, might have a vague idea of the actual aims and the platform of the Legion, which until recently had not been definitely laid dowu in detail. F irst of all, he said, one conceived an ideal of what New Zealand ought to be, and then set about to devise ways of putting that ideal into practise and to achieve that object. The Legion attacked the over-import-ance of parties, he continued. Ono thing that was of importance was loyalty, but there was such a thing as over-loyalty, the speaker referring to the loyalty of the politician to his party; ho was sometimes caused to vote for his party against his own judgment. There were two different ideals of government in the world today. That of the corporate state, the ideal in which the State was everything, and the individual nothing; in which the individual was sacrificed for the glory of the State. That idealism was personified in Hitlerism, Fascism and Leninism. The second ideal was that in which the State existed for the individual—e.g. the Anglo-Saxon ideal. 'lt had been said, continued Sir Andrew, that the Legion aimed at Fascism. He could assure his audience that that was entirely wrong, as the Legion stood for true democracy. Referring to the party system, the ipeaker said that the corporate State generally lead to a dictatorship, and mentioned the political dictatorship of Mussolini and what might be termed the political-military dictatorship of Hitler.

VEILED DICTATORSHIP. It sometimes occurred to the speaker that New Zealand was living under what might be called a sort of veiled dictatorship. The Government of the country elected a Cabinet, but there was not necessarily unanimity in the Cabinet, with the result that when a question, such as exchange, arose the Hon. W. Downie Stewart had to resign to speak his mind and the country lost his services. This meant that the Cabinet and the country were dominated by one or two men, which was what he meant by a veiled-dictatorship. This was not a good thing. Why not have an elective cabinet as in Switzerland and an elective Prime Minister? It might be asked why take a system so many miles away. In furtherance to this, the speaker said he had resided in Switzerland and had found it to be one of the best governed countries in which he had lived; • country in which party did not figure to such an extent as it did in New Zealand. In any criticism that he offered of onr form of government the speaker said he was not throwing any ( stones at those who were doing the best they could with the tools at their hands. The Legion would endeavour to make it easier for the governors of the country, not make it more diffi«ilt. . He wondered whether it-was possible to *cure a Govonunfint that was prepared to put asideJfan* K sectional interests. It was, he admitted, rather difficult. What was really needed was a change of heart. When it came to the election of a Cabinet.under the elective system it did not matter Ito what party a man belonged. Rather the point to be considered was the capabilities he possessed to discharge the duties allotted him. BELIEF IN COUNTRY’S GOOD. The Legion had nothing whatever to do with party;jit-would not consider in what interests a man was standing. What it wanted to do was to bring together all men and women whose belief in their country’s good rose superior to everything else. The Legion believed that there were a great many of our activities that could be better regulated by what he would term provincial? government. The Legion idea was to strong central body that would’co-,ordinate loealjbodies, save expensolandjensure economy. Criticism had been levelled against the’L’egion that it had failed so far to bring 4 down any concrete plan to relieve unemployment and to relieve the present economic situation of the country. The Legion was not prepared to bring down an ill-considered plan to right the world. It aspired to get the people to think of the country’s ills, to study them and to visualise what future they desired for the country. Before one could attempt to regulate man’s activities one must be prepared to plan.

Speaking as an individual rather than on b'ehalf of the Legion, Sir Andrew,urged that it was necessary to have planned money, without which it was impossible to have planned production. In this connection it was necessary to put one’s own house in order and to go ahead and right one’s own problems, not wait for others to do it first. NEED FOR PERSONAL CONTACT. ♦'Ey working together and taking thought and checking our own motive run we bring about a better condition of*»ffairs!” asked Sir Andrew. “Is it; any good the Legion formulating a cut and dried policy until a body of public opinion is built up to decide in what direction it wants to move! I think not. The way may be long but wo will get there eventually.” It wns not platform speeches that would win the contest; it was personal contact and it was the man who had the interest* of the cause at heart who would win converts. Mr A. C. Holms asked if there was anything in the Legion 's pintform that required hide-bound loyalty to Legion. Sir Andrew replied to the effect that there eonld be no question what- « T-erncn d elating to the ever of the Legii-n “ . people how they would ras 1 '’ ' ’ ' If tbev voted for the man they honestly believed was going to further tte aim and objects of the Legion they would, the speaker believed, have fulfilled their obligations. Mr Holms that he had been re-

ferring to certain of the 13 points published some time ago. Mr J. W. Harding explained that the preliminary committee bad drawn up the points in question, and they had been sent out as expressing the views of the Legion, which was not the case. A hearty vote of thanks to Sir Andrew for his address, proposed by Mr C. Dalby and seconded by the Mayor, was carried by acclamation. MEETING AT WAIPAWA. Sir Andrew spoke at Waipawa on Tuesday evening in the same strain. He dealt briefly with the evils of the party system of government, the need for centralised control of local body affairs and the economic question. He said that cheap victories were no good, and the growth of the new movement would be slow but sure. The Legion had no use whatever for those who were half-hearted’, but invited those who had faith in their country and believed that a better form of government could be evolved to join up with the movement. Sir Andrew denied that the Legion was a Reform movement; it was not concerned with what party a man belonged to. Mr A. E. Jull. M.P., in moving that a hearty vote of thanks be accorded to Sir Andrew, paid tribute to his sincerity of purpose, and said that any movement which would encourage people to take an intelligent interest in public affairs was all to the good.