THE Kaipara Advertiser, AND WAITEMATA CHRONICLE. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 12, 1912.

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 12 June 1912, Page 2

THE Kaipara Advertiser, AND WAITEMATA CHRONICLE. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 12, 1912.

ME. 1/OWLDS

Mr Fowlds, after the tour of the South Island has felt justiiied in giving his view of the lfisult. He has found a tremendous unity of support for the uecessity of a " new evc-ngel,'' Naturally he takes the opportunity of to declare what a".new evengel " is. He begins by declaring that there is no hop,? in either the old Liberal Party or the Reform Party, neither of -which have ever given any sign of progressive intentions. The new party —the United Labour Party—possesses, he declares, the intention to do good, which is new, and the definite policy of how to do it, which is newer. It is probable that his old friends of t ho Liberal Party will dub the apostle of the " new evongel," the " Rip van Winkle " of the political field, especially when they hear him putting education into the front position, and giv^ ing humanitarian matters an important place on his programme. It is possible a-leo that others will j ">in in bestowing the epithet who read his statement m favour of the initiative and referendum, and a State bank. Probably thore are others who, when they hear of this readiness for cheaper administration, will join on the score of the never ending shout of the Reform Party for an economical Civil Service. Ivut none of these things matter. They are not the " new evengel "of Mr Fowlds. They are mere introductions serving the purpose of filling out and giving body to a programme which does not like to bs shown as possessing but a single plank. The "new evengel " which Mr Fowlds left the Ministry to seek is. as was surmised by shrewd men of the ti:n9, the taxation of land values. Single tax is the single plauk of his platformSweep away the tariff, add one penny to the land tax in place of the exemption, and you have the " new evengel." It is no detriment to Mr Fowlds that he thus returns to the old policy of which he was a fanatic supporter before he joined the Ministiy. But it would be more honest wero lie to call it by its rigftt name, and there would be more loyalty to the single plank in a. policy of frankly confessing the pro-

gressiveness of his old colleagues on the very lines of progress that he specifically denies to them.- The pubs lie do not understand contradictions. Neither can they be satisfied with the man who emphatically declares that his new Labour Party stands entirely by the arbitration law and the law. of reason generally, when they perfectly well know that the programme of the party leaves drbitrationer reasonables an appeal from the Arbitration Court judge to their noble selves armed with the right to strike. If Mr Fowlds had frankly stuck to his free trade and Land Tax extention, he might have obtained the popular respect. But by his attempt to conciliate the moderate men of the position by hoodwinking them into an alliance with men who. are in compromise with extreme syndicalism and may be overcome by the same at any moment, and by his denial of Liberalism to the Libeials, he is making for himself an impossible position.

WAIHI. The Auckland Branch, o^ the Farm*, era' Union on Friday, May 31, debated the remit of its executive afirming the desirability of some understanding with Labour. On the same day the Invercargill Branch of the same arrived at the conclusion that the time has oome for the farming interest to or* gauise, saying nothing about Labour, with the exception of a significant exception, namely, that Labour had shown the usefulness of organisation. Invercargill then seemed to decide to combat Labour with its own weapon rather than conciliate it with the cur*, sory goodwill of the Northern side. Which is right is no longer a question. The Conference of the Federation of Labour, the syndicalist union, has decided it against the north in favour of the south. Some mealy-mouthed crit* ics, like the New Zealand Times, the budding organ of the Fowlds programme and contradictions and disloyalties—the only organ that party at present possesses, but not the only champion, for there is Mr Witty who has kept the flag of the unearned increment and free trade flying in their colours for years, — some mealy mouthed critics like the aforesaid have been urging us to hope that the Fedeiation Conference would denounce and disown the Waihi people and their scandalous breach of the rules of law and decency and freedom. But the Conference has enthusially congratulated the Waihi men on their solidarity, and assured them of thenloyalty and sympathy* Clearly the farmers must combine against extreme Labour. The other Labour it is also clear, it dead against them under the Fowlds-Mills banner. Another thing to remember is that the Waihi people are, witk the help of. the Federation of Labour, doing their best to stop the wheels of industry from the Bluff to Capo Maria in support of despotic law breaking, and cynical indifference te the interests of other people. What the farmers will do after they have organised better, is not among the things about which one is accustomed to have any doubts. Extreme Labour is spoiling for a fight; a fight cannot well be avoided ; when it begius the farmers will be on the side of order and reason. That will be the winning side. The t9rms of victory will then include the abolition of the right to strike. It is a right which ought to have been abolished when th« Court was set up to settle things on the basis o* reason, as Mr Beeby, the prominent Labour leader of New South Wales very emphatically declared the other day.