The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 1919. A SOLDIER STATESMAN.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3337, 15 November 1919, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 1919. A SOLDIER STATESMAN.

With which its gncorporatefl “The Taihqpe Post; and Waimarino . News.” _ -

It is re.mark«a4ble.that men of all. shades of political opinion, military as well as civil, should be persistently, almost constantly, pointing out the grave problems this country has to solve, and the nationarremoulding that must be effected if social and industrial disaster is to be »a.verted’. lLea‘d—ers of commerce, production, and politics assemble in large numbers to hear and, apparently, vigorously applaud the speakers and yet with all the talk, and all the applause, nothing in the direction advocated and applauded is done; it is an exhibition of precept with no practice or example. Notable citizens have returned froni the war with an experience which men who have not left the country during the great struggle could mot gain, and they -are invited to voice their experiences for our benefit; we all listen,, but for the action taken the men might as well‘ have maintained silence. Last Wednesday Major-Gcnerlal Sir Andrew Russell, who commanded the New Zea.land Division, strongly pointed »o:u.t to a large gathering of members of the '\V-ellington Club, and other leading businessmen of the city, the extreme im-poi-tanee of eifeeting better relationship between. employing and employed classes; to the -necessity for satisfactory cooperation and combination of all engaged in industry, for it was only by so doing would the whole poli’£iC~a'J. social, and industrial fabric be saved from what he termed the vicious circle. Sir-;A.ndrew Russell was not electioneering, therefore it matters not what political faction he most favours, he is not a place‘-seeker in Parliament, therefore his views on national reconstruction are not tainted with poli-

tical humbug. Sir Andrew Russvellis a. man that "every shade‘?>f political-’bpin~ ion may listen to, and take what‘ he says at its face vafue for that is its real value. He told his audience that the lessons military commanders learn» ed in France were applicable to busi~ ncss and commercial concerns at home; it was found essential to take subordinates into confid‘encc.'and urged that ’-this p)r_inciple shquld be applied‘ to business_. and put into practiceby ‘the Government of this country. He.a9.id,

“The Gto~verilillellt."(’i,:ds,not take the people into its confidence as it should do; if it did, I don’t say that problems and troubles which beset us would at once vanish, but I do say they would gradually disappear.” Men like Sir Andrew Russell are confident that. our national sores can be healed, but he also realises that so long as Governments will not. -take the people into their confidence the diseeise must get worse and worse. Such men cannot endure the roughncss, insincerities, and dishonesties of politics, and will not place their experiences‘ at the service of their country in its legislatul'e. With reasonable handling of the country’s administration, with more of the principle of legislation by the people for the people, and less of the practice of Government without the peopl6, against the people, and in spite of the people, Sir Andrew is of opinion there would be n-o vicious circle in our midst to contend with. or, iniother words, he means that if political factionistg were less pin—hcaded_. «and had the common sense to understand the country’s real needs, all labour and social troubles would soon disappear, and who will say that Sir Andrew Russell is not right? "This Vicious circle is an abominable thing,” he remarked, on one side were employers, on the other the employed. Each’ distrusted the other, whereas "their interests should be identical‘, and, he asked, “Which side could do most ‘to break that dovsin? It was ‘the employing class.” While men with meagre mentality, in Taihape, as well as elsewhere, are stupidly fanning the flames of revolution by their militancy against everyone. who does not think as they do, such men as Sir Andrew Russell and Gleneral Rich-ardson are urging galvanism of the whole body politic with one common aim. Take a lesson from the war, said Sir Andrew, there, every man believed, and truly, that he was taking his part in achieving victory and he did his very best. Get that spirit into the people 'of New Zealand; get every man to realise that he is personally interested in the: progress of the c-oneern in which he is an actual partner, and difliculties will all disappear. This country’s need is an lcnlightened, eiomprlehe-nsive, ‘selfinterest. In the future national» game therc must be a better standing for the pawns. —;=’l‘here, must be no more, effort of a few to ride the Whole, one class must not assume all the virtues and ’thcn_think the working class are going to do their best. We must let it be seen that capitalis not being misused nor wasted, everyone must get lliS[f'.lil"Sllal'o"-iI) proplo-rtion rt-ovlhc efforts he puts forward. If capitalists will not put,forth their best efiorts, neither will labour put forth their best eiforts. “VVorking men,_”, said Sir’ Andrew, “are just like you and I, no one likes‘ to be a loafer, for while" he is that he will be discontellted.” Somcsaid they must. combat and defeat ideas, but what was urgently wanted was a truly constructive programme; they could not go back to the old order, they must be done with that, and get really busy, ‘discover and encourage the true ideal. Nothing is good for the individual that is not good for all; we are -all members of one big family, and ‘there was no good saying “we must wipe him out.” For even Germany was no't'to be wiped out. She was one -of the European family, and could not be done without. If there was a wrong it must be righted; inside and outside of -Parli=a.nlent, all must do their share of thinking; that duty was cast upon all, and it was the duty of all to do their best to grapple with and overcome the problems with which the country was confronted. We have en(loa\-‘oul'Cd to give word and spirit of Sir Andrew Russell’_-\~ address to commerce, shipping, and business men. gathered together to do him honour, in \’Vellington, land we may venture the opinion that it was the speech of a statesman, as well as of a great soldier. There is not a sentence that either capitalist or labour. liberal or’ conservative. can honestly take exception to. He may be said to belong to the capitalist class, and yet he does not lresitatc. ‘to ‘say that capitalists are more ‘to "blame, for industrial distrust" and discontent than anyone else. Government has n-ot taken the people into its confidence, and until it does ‘Government must be a failure, and the country must drift on from bad to worse. The right to rule his fellows wit.hTo.u~t a perfect state of confidence. being established can be the prerogative of no man. and will only lead to disruption if’ persisted in.