LIBERALISM

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3351, 2 December 1919, Page 6

LIBERALISM

ITS ASPIRATIONS AND ACHIEVE- " ‘ MENTS. (No. 4.) THE WORKERS’ SHARE. ..,.. In the old days what happened when la. workman Was brought home on a stretcher? There was redress at Common Law, slow, difficult, With~ much uncertainty and draw out litigation. 'J.‘o~day redress is certain, immediate,i substantial and cheap. The Workers?‘ Compensation systein is not yet per‘ feet, but the Liberals, who initiated it a. generation ago, can be trusted to bring it up to theilevel of mo'dern requirements, in accolidance with the best principles of progressive democracy. It is impossible to review in full detail the long list of multifarious acts by which the Seddon Ministry strove‘ to carry into efiect its declarc-d policy of securing the welfare of the majority, in preference to defen-fling and fostering the interests and privileges of the favoured few. But

what is most remarkable about thess 1 measures is that while they are bslsc-3 ppupon ideal conceptions that inth-Jsc days seemed hopelessly visionary and Utopian, ’they_ were all severely practical in character, and when these laws were enforced they proved a great practical success. l THIRD 11-‘HA'.SE—‘WA_RD-. - , Sir Joseph Ward, on the death of this illustrious chief, stepped ,in to the leadership of the‘ Liberal‘ party and carried on the Liberal tradition, For i this work the new chief was cm‘cinently Qualified. He had served through the previous phases of the Liberal campaign of- advance‘ with marked ability, and for the most part ‘in positions of considerable res_ponsibility. His success in assiting his chiefs to carry out their election promises in regard to financial rerhm-s ‘had brought him in due course to the ’Treasury, and here he quicltlr Gisftinguished himself by his aptitude ‘his energy, his combination of courage and prudence. and his close I‘amili~.l*:iiy‘with detail. Sir Joseph’s administration of finance had been as sucza-ss-pful as his nianagcmont of the gi-ear’: tdepartmxmt of the Post Otfice, Itihis conduct of "the latter, he hail Ol’)f:U.!ed, by his handling of :lifa.irs .po.<tal an'd telegraphic';, '2l: ‘distinctly ‘rJ:u'opean reputation. He had to his credit v.no‘her success in the administration of the Railway Department. To this no hai, as he:.'had to the Postalwand 'l‘el:g:‘npllic Department, given gclalssifisatiozi and a »-superannuation system." Another success of his had been the lAdvaince to Settlers system. The system includes a vast amount of detail; the badniinistration involves the most constant care and the closest ‘supervision.’ But its success is as lmark'ed»as' the variety of its requirements. Aggregate of advances the other ‘day 21 millions, profit £985,000! No, comment is needed—but itris in-N deed. in record ~of which any iinanzlicr :in-zt.lle _v,{erl;l.;.m«ight be pr0ud!H,;,_._.,,.,,.. A RECORD on

Wifi? ‘t':fl'il's'=“ 'h‘is{B"£’y ‘%§ll'iffa’+' "I'ii‘n‘l‘, £116" new chief \vas"_’§‘<3"s_fi:ell§'é‘i‘c§§§?3d in his iavork, and in ‘the "fiv’é' 'y'eal~;~,’-76%’ its duration the_,s¢ecol-§l..o‘f?;=it flag g9Q3.,,é ~_ To ’c.hE-“ffirst. part bel~olfg"§ 6'll‘ theasures as tll.‘3‘7""Se'a'ffi3s'l<lit'l’§4 Tlispection Act,” which added:/-t9 ‘the, safety of gnany workers; the '-"Train&__ug;-gisgirggg ‘Acfa? ’ :Wh.i'+'lAl~.9.-B<=ne<lnf«9n=l%°wl%:? €'E’.+*}F‘. to'the sea; an‘, a._r,nc_;;d.ing measure which ~i}‘plslfo'\‘C‘d the ‘.s;ys.l.§;.=.x»ll‘K,._,‘l<_)£_V,i:,l;_§:rl”<3:-) graph.:,cla:sSi_ficat'lon for. Civil Service; axnendments of ;}.he laws hC]’E‘rii)rgJk'lPfi.l:_£‘3,l',‘.l-I.i‘Cy and prd£3(3ting child-lif‘cf§r[—]A,cltf_:_—,_ improving the aequisérisnse-lave fi‘f}3;*%°”‘-913*" 05- land? the Act which secured the remain'lel' Of the Cl'o\vn‘s§fi<}fW,3l§ue million eacres——ag 9. 11'&ti011_a1”9_I3_d0wm'cnt;‘ the hdevclloplxl_lent xofl éd;'l'e<=,’f._¢e.§;_,';x‘..§.i.,r3l&l—._l7i’l.J.-!. come .-a.n_d.,land—on th__e,_ gxéifluafegl‘ system, ‘on well"-mzuked lAi.:ge§ of indefinite extensilon _Vyhcx_l_ '_‘z3_'~j~V3(‘3§‘:" saryp . i V V‘ A leading_placo in the lis,t_is f_lel'.l_ _;by‘ the Né.tion'avl Endowment I+‘111'1<1:.' The Act of that name greatly tends the area of stability for old age and dependence, alg,(l,itJ.ll,_a§;, .§lll<‘o been amended in many Ways, 311‘ 50119‘ lfiqial to the poorer classes ‘V of. '21“? people a__nd all valuable in thc.tro-Ib-vlou's times that came upon us ‘With “B 9 war. « .

i _ NATIONAL DE_BT. _ Another of Sir Joseph \V&]‘d’f§ characteristic measures was ‘the pr) pqsal for the final extinction in reasonable time of the national debt. At 't'Ha‘t time ‘the étreain of borrowing ran ‘on ‘without thbught ofithe day of I'e_ckon¥ ing. But Sir Joseph saw theweakness of such"a. system; he proceeded to ad. just his finances by the aid of a Sinkinig Fund in sucli a way’ tha,t any loan “S 0 ‘i‘l'CllT.(3’(l would bc‘liqliid2lTc'd il}"V7s j'_vem-s utea very small e-est per year to ‘the C'oxlsoli_(i*3.t'ed. Filnci_ . * s . _ :1}: the face of biiter 01)p0sit'ion,—vSi1' pseph. «st‘x:cl«E- to- ‘.::';:~, -- .s<’,_'v_‘,m.n..- deinoix

the sinking funds beyond the power of any human being to “collar.” He prevailed over all opposition, establish. ed-his system, and that system has worked admin.-ibly ever since. ' HYDRO-ELECTRIC ‘POWER. I Another striking incident in the icanrpnign of progress was the Hydro}electric scheme instituted by the Liberal Government during Sir Joseph Ward’s regime. Sooner or later our water power is sure to be utilised on a vast scale for industrial and domes{tic purposes, for illumination and for tr.-inspe-rt. But the people of the Dog minion should not forget that here, as in so many other ‘directions where ‘pro. ‘ gress points towards prosperity, Liber-. alism led the way. I HUMANISM ONCE MORE. But though busied about the country’s int'erestfs, Sir Joseph 'Ward did not forg et the “humanist” side of Liberalism,‘which is Well illustrated in his establishment of :1 system of pensions for widows. This recognition of the natural right of Wives and mothers tn smmort has removed here one glaring reproach to human nature; and the honour of making this wise and gcn‘el'- I ous provision for \\'i(l(rws stands to the eternal credit of the Liberal Party and its leaders. ‘ (To be continued.) I