CORRESPONDENCE.

Taranaki Daily News, 2 January 1918, Page 3

CORRESPONDENCE.

Till-: AI/STRALTAN ItEI'IORh'.XDCM. T.J (Ik: Kditor. Sir, —ll is not often t)i;il. your sub briber* have any uaasiun to take exeep tion to your lending articles, bocuiife if there is one thing L like better tlmn any other in the iJaily -News it U the able, honest ami l'air-niiiuled expressions in your leaders. lint, in your reference to conscription and the cause of its failure in Australia, anil your inference that Mr. Hughes made a mistake in taking a referendum of the people's wishes, and that it was his proper course to rush his referendum through Parliament behind the hacks of the people, as was done in Xew Zealand. I think you are wrong. 1 politely beg to differ with your opinion, and I maintain that Mr. Hughes did exactly wluil lie had a right to do, and that was to consult the people in the matter I believe you will agree with me that Mr. Hughes and other members of Parliament in Australia, as well as in other countries, are merely the servants of the people, and when those members .come before the people begging for their support, they do lay down certain condition for the people's approval, and the fact of those members being elected proves that their conditions were accepted and that they had a mandate from the people to carry out the usual routine of parliamentary work in the interest of the different communities concerned. But war was an unthought of occurrence at election time, and therefore an extraordinary occurrence. I maintain that before enforcing conscription in Australia, Xew Zealand, or any other democratic country it was the botinden duty of the Government to refer the matter to the vote of the people. This Mr. Hughes did in accordance" with true democratic ideas. But in those days Mr. H'ighes had only recently given up the umbrella cobbling bench, and- therefore was in possession of true democratic ideals, but when Mr. Hughes went to England and 'became associated with Tories and Tory ideas they turned his head altogether. The great amount of flattery that was bestowed upon him made him obsessed with his own importance, and he began to foster the feeling that he was a little supreme being, and started t>o cultivate Tory's ideals forthwith and to denounce his co-cobblers in <\!istrf»liii, with £Tie result that the man who left Australia a democrat had come back a very pronounced Tory. The people of Australia, while willing' to do their full share, gave "Billy" to understand that they had no time for Tories or Tory ideals in Australia. Considering that Australia has sent 340,000 men out of .1 population of between 4,000,000 and •Vonn.noo souls and also contributed its little navy and its newly acquired merchant fleet, I think it is doing vct well. Besides the Australians realise that the object of tile British capitalists is the annihilation of the British worker to make room for foreign cheap labor, such as Chinamen, Hindoos and Japanese, ■which will flow into - those colonies by the million after the war has ceased. T have heard this wish expressed bv rich men everywhere I have been. Yon will hear some people say, "Oh. the people would lie er stand or tolerate such a course," but take it from me they have to stand it or sit down to it. We can see how our Government is keeping the people from having any say in matters. They have prolonged the life oi Parliament to make sure of retaining their salaries and •® n j other picking that may present itself to them during the war, and if anybody should criticise that person is threatened with dire vengeance and is told politely that his place is to find the millions for the Government to waste, and that the people have no right to ask any questions. I am inclined to believe that, some of our great Parliamentarians will receive a rude surprise in the days to follow. —f am. etc., •JOHN DIG GINS Lepperton, 27/12/17. [We are living in extraordinary and critical times, whon action and not' argument is needed if our Empire is to win through. Political formulas and precedents eannot apply at such a time, when democracy suffers from the exercise o; its own merits, and needs direction not consulation, if it is to be saved. Unfortunately it did not. receive this direction from the Federal Government. Other .issues, sectarian and partisan, with all their unreasoning bitterness, came in and, in any ease, a great proportion of ' « people, especially the feminine, were nearly un&blc "to pronounce a ilispnssionate and proper judgment upon the rnerit9 of the issue. The representative in Parliament were in a far better position to pass judgment on the proposal, ,-ind had the Government been seised of its responsibility in the matter it would not have shirked its manifest dutv. Conniption would then have been accepted by the people of Australia as it has been .by .New Zealand, and the scheme would doubtless have worked just as smoothly and satisfactorily. Democracy in time of war needs to be bossed with a bi° stick not cajoled, that is,- if it is to be saved from Prussian rule. The talk of British capitalists desiring the annihilation of British workmen by the introduction of cheap labor is so absurd that it scarcely calls for a reply. Workmen in the colonies have a preponderance of votes and will themselves determine the policy of t.ieir respective countries, providing the Germans are soundly beaten. Otherwise they will have to do the bidding of military tyrants, to 'be free from the menace of whom the present war is beinowaged.—Ed] °