LIBERALISM

Taranaki Daily News, 3 December 1919, Page 6

LIBERALISM

Its Aspirations afid Achievements (Published by Arrangement) (No. 4.) J I i THE WORKERS' SHARE. 1 c In the old days wliat happened when ' a workman was brought home on ft ' stretcher? What happened when he got ' maimed? There was redress at Common | Law, slow, difficult, with much uncer- ' tairety and drawn-out litigation. To-day ' redress is certain, immediate, substantial and cheap. The Workers' Compensation : system is not yet perfect, but the Liberals, who initiated it a generation ago, 1 can be trusted to bring it up to the 1 level of modern requirements, in ac- 1 cordonce with the best principles of pro- ' gressive democracy. 1 It is impossible to review in full de- ' ~ tail the long list of multifarious acts by 1 which the Seddon Ministry strove to carry into effect its declared policy of securing the welfare of the majority, in preference to defending and fostering the interests and privileges of the favored few. But what is most remarkable about these measures is that while they are based upon ideal conceptions, that in those days seemed hopelessly visionary and Utopian, they !were oil severely practical in character, and when these laws were enforced they proved a great < practical success. THIRD PHASE —WARD. Sir Joseph 1 Ward, on the death of his illustrious chief, stepped into the Teadfership of the Liberal party and cr- , tied on the Liberal tradition. For this work the new- chief was eminently qualiified. He had served through the previous phases of the Liberal campaign of advance with marked ability, and for ■the most part in positions of consider--iable responsibility. His success in assisting his chiefs to carry out their- olecin regard to financial reforms had brought him in due course 1 to the Treasury, and here he quickly distinguished himself by hia aptitude,, his energy, his combination of courage and prudence, and his close familiarity ] with detail. Sir Joseph's administration . of finance had been as successful as his management of the great department of the Post Office. In his conduct of the 'htter, he had obtained, by his handling of affairs postal and telegraphic, a ewtinctly European reputation. He had to his credit another success in the administration of the Railway Department. To this he had, as he had tp the Postal and Telegraphic Department, given classification and a superannuation system. •* Another success of his had been the i Advances to Settlers system. The system includes a vast amount of detail; ' the administration involves the most constant eare and the closest supervision. But its success is as remarkable as the variety of its requirements. Aggregate of advances the other day ?1 millions, profit £985,000! No comment jS needed—but it is indeed a record of which anv financier in the world might 1 be proud! I A RECORD OF SUCCESS. , With this history behind him, the new chief was soon engrossed in his work. Hnd in the five years of its duration the 1 record of it was good. To the first part belong sueh measures ss the '"Scaffolding Inspection Act," I which added to the safety of many workers; the "Training Ships Act / : } which opened for boys the road to ,tho i sea: an amending measure which im- | proved the system of Telegraph classi- , fiedtion for the wholo Civil Service; k amendments to the laws helping mater- ; nity and protecting child-life; Acts for | improving- the acquisition and settlement ' o? land; the Act which secured tiio renuirdfrr of the Crown lands—nine million acre?—as- a national endowment; the development of direct taxationincome and land—on the graduated system, on well-marked lines capable of indefinite extension when necessary. A leading place in .the list is held by the National Endowment Fund- The Act of that name greatly extends the area of .stability for old age and dependence, and it has been since amended in many ways, all beneficial to the poorer classes of 'the people and all valuable in the troublous times that came upon us with the war. NATIONAL DEBT. Another of Sir Joseph Ward's characteristic measures the proposal for the final extinction in reasonable time of the National Debt. At that time the stream of borrowing ran on without thought of the day of reckoning. But Sir Joseph saw the weakness of such a system; he proceeded to adjust his finances by the aid of a Sinking Fund in such a way that anv loan so treated would be liquidated in 75 years at a very small cost per year to the Consolidated Fund. In the face of bitter opposition Sir Joseph stuck to his scheme, demonstrated its actual soundness, tied up the sinking funds beyond the power of any human being to He prevailed over all opposition, established his system, and that system has worked admirably ever since:* .HYDRO-ELECTRIC POWER. Another striking incident in this campaign of progress was the Hydro-electric I scheme instituted by the Liberal Government during Sir Joseph Ward's Sooner or later our water power is sure to be utilised on a vast scale for industrial and domestic purposes. for illumination and for transport. But the people of the Dominion should not forget that here, as in so many other directions where progress points towards prosperity, Liberalism led the way. HUMANISM ONCE MORE. But though busied about the country's interests, Sir Joseph Ward did not forget the "humanist" side of Liberalism, which is well illustrated in his establishment of a system of Pensions for Widows. This recognition of the natural right of wives and mothers to support has removed here one glaring reproach to human' nature; and"the honor of mak- ; ing this wise and generous provision for widows stands to the eternal credit of the Liberal Party and its leaders. (To be continued).