The Taihape Daily Times. AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27 1919. THE WAYS OF REFORM.

Taihape Daily Times, 27 August 1919, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times. AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27 1919. THE WAYS OF REFORM.

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

It is most .renlal'ka.blc "that while the leading Tory newspap'el{s of this Dominion are voicing the Wor.thl'essness of Sir VVilliam Fraser and the Hon. Mr Herries as Ministers of the Crown, they

are deprecating that Sir Joseph Ward and other Liberal members of the Cabi‘net should have chosen the earliest ‘opportunity to cut themselves adrift from such incapables. In an administrative body of only a few members, there are two, admittedly, physically incapacitated for performing the work thait such 'lnlpol'tant oflie,-eis tinvolV‘e, While 3. third is rendered of doubtful w»el-th through defection, or, in other words,‘a split in the Reform camp.

Liberal Inenll)'eFs of Cabinet saw that the National Governnlent was a hideous failure, and with its growing decrepitudc and defection it must be-

come still further unflttcd to continue to govern. It is admitted by all that a. stning oificicnt government is an esscn.

tial at this moment, at Government of the most capable men it is practicable to get together, and yet those Tory journals want the perpetuation of Government by the very men they fnankly state are in the condition of being long past "their usefulness to conduct any part of the’public busiiiess, Liberal ‘members of Caioinfi; were expected to go on cal‘l'yillg.,tlie, .Refornl dereliets and the disgruntled Sir James, struggling to do the impossible with such a lead. The ulterior motive is too obvious, in fact one newspaper frankly states that it is concerned about the nature of the criticisni Liberals. may indulge in, and it naively hopes that Sir Joseph Ward will protect the degenerate Governnient against all attacks. It is made quite clear that «the desire was «that the National Government would meet P‘-arliament and tide over the session‘that intervenes before a general election, but such a condonation of Reform ‘mismanagement would have stifled the criticism that constituencies want and expect. The Reform pack can be left to defend themselves, and let the Liberals do similarly. Each party is composed of some strong men, no doubt, but the country will insist upon the strong men who stand for privilege, profiteering, and land «aggregation taking a bacli seat in Opposition, that is,’ if any constituency is so charitable as to give them another ehance_ The chorus of vituperation ascending from the sanctunrs of Reform; j—onrn:-alism only has one significance; it is ‘well known that the ‘ Liberal march out signalled the irretrievable collapse of the most retrograde Government this country has ever been cursed with. The patrons of privilege are shaking in their shoes because they read in the policy published by Sir Joseph VVard that the end of their land-grabbing and dislloll.e§t profiteering is drawing very near. Under a liberal, a righteous, honest, hum-ane administration there will be no engineering of the public estate into private possession, engiJ neering will‘ be replaced. by honest work. The land mopped up by the engineers is wanlted for settl-emen‘t', primarily for soldier settlement, and land will have folio found, If neither Reform nor Liberalism will furnish the land, then a. rparty will come ‘into power very shortly who are pledged to do so. Soldiers and -the masses have gone short of food, coal, clothing, while (Reform "byes closed the avenues by which such necessities are obtainable. Detection, disgruntled, and derelict Reform hiinisters who Mock the avenues by which necessaries 20f life reach the people have Virtually been given notice that the country insists" upon their re~ Inoval. Imagine for one moment the Liberal Party standing up ‘in P;arl‘iament and saying what splendid fellows Works and Railways and Defence arc, and how conspicifdusly noble they have performed the work for which the)’ draw a thousand a year’ from the taxpayers’ hard-earned money. It is the height of stupidity to hope for such an exhibition, but in the daring dishonesty of Reform methods they GVCII 0011t0“d that‘ Sir Joseph Ward and his Liberal followers should actually defend these men from their places in Parliament. Dishonesty in trade "and politics exemplified in the "existence of trusts, combines, and syndica.tes dares to do anything, say anything, and commit any act in pursuit of dishonest extortion on a people manaclcdiby the speciously contructed laws they have engineered. The wail of Reform is real, the only thing about Reform that one

can really trust as being sincere, its general character and -its sound in every Reform dovccot testifies to its geuineness. Ptrofifieering islidoomed; 1'fll'l(1 aggregation is to give place :to 3 Vigorous "land settlement scheme; empty farm houses and empty schools are once more to become scenes of activity and human pnosperity and con. tentment; taxation ig_ to be kept With. in the means of the people by creating 3 much lal"g9'l‘ number of taxpayers; exports are to be ‘increased by ‘bringing into being " a much larger Hum-be? Of producers; lands that carried one sheep to i the acre are to be put to more profitable use; indirect taxation, that greatest curse ever inflicted upon people, is to be lopped with a view to its final OXtinction in so fiar as it aifects the necessaries eof lgfe; coal is to be taken from the few men who would rather see all trade and commerce at a. standstill than let it be mined at a. price less than they think it proper to fix; the thousands of soldiers now looking for Land are to have that land found for them. All these changes from Reform methods will give an impetus -to production, to all businesses, and the whole country will once more hum with the activities of high-spirited and hopeful industry. If Reform had not stood inmlovably in the way of all this, even had it not advocated such a. policy, something might have, been said for it, but for Tory newspapers to openly advocate that it was the duty of Liberals to pull the old direlict Reform ship into safe harbour, regardless of c-on-sideration of the masses who regard it as a veritable ‘danger, is little short of ‘audacity and impudence. -