The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE SATURDAY, AUGUST 23, 1919. A PROGRESSIVE LIBERAL POLICY.

Taihape Daily Times, 23 August 1919, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE

SATURDAY, AUGUST 23, 1919. A PROGRESSIVE LIBERAL POLICY.

’ With which is, incorporated “The Taihape Post; and Waimarino News.”

I I Like a “bolt from ‘the Blue” comes .'the smash up of the National Government, an administration that had campletely -outrun its usefulness,‘ and had actually become a source of considerable danger to the peace of the -State. IThc resignation of Sir Joseph Ward and other Liberal Ministers from the cro-partnership came-as a surprise merely by its suddenness, -and even Mr_Massey’s breath was taken away by -the unheralded precipitation of Sir Joseph Ward’s retirement. The whole country will admire the promptness with I which the Libenal Leader has set about that rehabilitation and setting in order I everything upon which hangs the I ‘destiny of a vil'ile_ people At this I moment there is not‘ one avenus of in- ; dustry but what is choked by drift and I inis-government; social and industrial unrest is everywhere, and the extreme nature of the national disease is fully indicated by the medicine that Sir Joseph Ward has prescribed as a speci- , fic. On the spur of the moment we cannot point to one symptom of State ailment. that is not provided for in those provisions for -the future recomthe Liberal Leader has with,_,sucll grati- . 'fying promptncss -evolved asfbeing the ~l‘m-inimum of.,,what,'is..le,quir_ed, in the , reconstruction 'of'_.national ,life, and in‘ldustry. The country, was proniisedufai bold, progressive policy, and .—the last word of the meanes__t caviller hasibeen Istified with _the~fulfilrlrcnt of _'that_, I promise. The darkest day in ‘the: political, social, _and industrial history of New Zealand is passing -and the ~d-awn, of a brilliant future is assuredly foreshadowed in the humane, businesslike I basis of policy that the Liberal Leader has evolved; its comprehensiveness, incisiveness, and thoroughness constituI ting .a. ‘truly stupendous work in statesmanship. Among the more startling features of this policy are the nationalisation of eoalmines, nationalisation of a ferry service, and the establish- _ ment of a State Bank. With respect I to the nationalisation of mines, an- _ impgssible position had arisen, we need ' not here bother about. who is to blame, I but conditions that stopped the indusI try of the country, rendered travelling next to impossible, and left the homes I _of the people without firing through a bitter winter was, of ‘course, intolerable, «and no Government worthy of the I name could ever hope to cling to power ' while it allowed such conditions to conI tinue. Shipping companies have proved themselves utterly incapable of main-l taining communica‘tions between the two Islands, and in -this extremity Sir Joseph \Vard sees no permanent cure ' but by a St-aite-owned ferry service. Few people will differ about the neces- I Sity for the establishment of a State Banking Institution, the advantages of Isuch an institution are overwhelming, I and have been neatly epitomised in the Liberal policy. Indeed, if there is -any‘; I outstanding strong feature in Sirl Joseph W.ard’s proposals it is that ofl Ifinance, and none will deny that it *upon the immediate future of finance that the upkeep to a high level ofl rcrnuneration our primary industries! depend. The way of the producer isi made easy, which impresses upon alll the fact that the is the source of all the I money we shall have to spend for some years to come. Borrowing will be e:~:- I pensive, if not altogether prohibited in I England, and, therefore, all that isl required to put our industrial affairs in , order, extend railways, make roads,l build bridges, keep finance "on a pos-I sible footing, and render the most be—l ing obtained with the minimum appli~ ‘ cation of labour, will have to be borrowed in the Dominion. The great de— I sideratum sought being to prevent asi much as possible money from leaving the country, while inoneasing our volume of exports to the highest practicable extreme. The outer world is hungering, at highly remunerative prices, for all this country can pro- . duce even were every inch of culti- ' vable ground being put to best use. ‘ And‘ to increase production Sir Joseph Ward proposes to spend £4,000,000 on I State roads and birdges, putting pre— I Sent I‘oads in order,- and extending‘ them t 0 Wherever production can benefit th‘3mbY- Main arterial roads are to be the Care of the State. imd Sir J‘°’s°Ph Ward foreshadows a gradual I prosecution of concrete arterial road-I making. to enable more rapid transit, Md smduce the Gxpenditure of labour r in upkeep of the old system. The l

] construction of railways is to be speed(‘ed ‘up; it is pointed out that the loss 111 interest alone is great on fines that [are left uncompletcd, but the 1055 to “lose 011 -‘E-he land who are waiting to . "59 lhel“ is far greater. Frcights on ‘produce must be reduced; freezing l Wol'kS are to be licensed as a. means of i muzzling meat trusts; flour mills are to be nationalised so as to allow ample 1‘<3I1.111I1e.ra't1:0~n to “wheat-growers while mamtamlng bread at a price within the means of the people; motor oils are Topbe cheapened, even if the ‘State has Ito take over" total importations, jelimin-ating middlemen altogether; reJstrictions on trade are to be entirely 1'9m0"0d; -and a bold land settlement lpolicy is to be urgently pushed forlward. Sir Joseph Ward remarks that the land Q‘-leS_tion_ lies at the bottom of the political edifice; land ava,il»a.ble for settlement is limited, therefore subdivil SIOII.IS necessary. Soldiers must be re. ‘ Patrlatcd, and land that is not produc‘ing its maximum must be subdivided. Large land-ownlers (must understanid that New Zealand is destined to be a ‘country Of -small holdings, and they should on fair payment for their lands: Cut them up and subdivide them. Stringent laws ‘agaiiist aggregation are necessary; land must be had for soldier and civilian settlement_ And it is definitely "laid down that “assistance and support to farmers engaged in the production of products from the soil should be a material part of the ! country ’s policy.” The provision in the new Liberal policy for better lconditions of labour is so great that any labour leader, or -agitator, who asks for more at this crisis in history is unreasonable, or incapable of under- ‘ standing the situation as it actually is. lNationalisation that Labour reason- | ably demanded is conceded; it has beEcome a national necessity that those industries upon which the very means of existence depends, should no longer remain in private control and ownerlship, and they are to become the prolperty of the State, which is only a inatural Outcome of th‘e cruel attitude [of parties involved during the war. There is to be a State Bank and State flourmills, and the State is to intervene if stubbornness of fiie profiteer stands in the way of cheapening the cost of | living. The masseszbf the people have ‘ indeed? to -applaud ~,the,..det_erminla;tioll lot’ the Liberal Leader- to remove in- } direct taxation, that greatest and most lunholy curse that Was..ever inflictcd lupon a starving people. sHe says;thra.t ‘relief should be. given, as far -as pos- * sible by removal of duties on and taxation of all comm-odi‘ties,'including cloth. ping and other articles in general use, while duties on luxuries should be increased. ‘Provision for-=soldiers stands out in bold, humane 'r‘c-,l;ie,f to that treatuneni: hitherto received‘. by those men 1 who have performed the highest duty ito the State. The riglfi to have soldier lgricvancespinvestigated in a court of l civil jurisdic'_’Eion, instead of in military icourts is desirable. people" for Iywhom the :men have _fought owe __to /them this right, as well as that it ;should be generally recognised that it is ‘the duty of the-"people, through C:}=ovel'nlllenit,""tol‘seethat the men and their families a.re fairly and reasonably treated. Sir Joseph Ward has not Overlooked the claims upon the State of the aged, the widows, and orphans. He lays it down thafbettcr provisions must be made for widows’ pensions, and for children who have lost both parents. Such humane provision cannot become subject for cavil. We have but briefly touched upon those features of the Liberal policy that particularly interest this community, but there is ample to indicate that the policy we hoped for in a previous article is now put forward for consideration. Tlféit settlement is provided for that will rapidly lift T-ai-hape into the van of thebesrt provincial towns «in; the whole Dominion. When this policy is put into operation with the co-operation ‘of the people who Sir Joseph Ward has Specially appealed =to, the town will have grown to twice, at least, its present magnitude. Surely such conditions are worth our utmost striving for.