THE LATE MR SEDDON.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8162, 20 June 1906, Page 5

THE LATE MR SEDDON.

Reoeived June 19, 9.30 p.m. LONDON, June 19. In the Hons# of Commons, Sir Henry Campbell - Bannerman said that it was unnecessary to hold a memorial service in Saint Margaret's, Westminster, since the service at Saint Paul's would enable the members of the House of Commons to pay a last tribute of respect to the memory of Mr Seddon, whose death they all deplored.

THE FUNERAL/ TO START AT TWO O'CLOCK. The funeral of tbe late Prime Minister will leave Parliamentary Buildings at two o'clock on Thursday instead of 2.30 p.m., as previously announced; TRAIN ARRANGEMENTS. Tbe following train arrangements will be observed to-morrow:—-Trains will leave Masterton at 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. for Wellington. No trains will run between Wellington and Te Aro. Passengers are requested to ,be in time to obtain tickets, and take their seats five minutes before tbe train starts. The excursion fareß to Wellington are lis first-class and 5a 6d second-class. Passengers are requested to bring as near the'' amount of their fare a* possible, so as to avoid delay. Luggage must arrive at the station at least ten minutes before the departure of the train; after which time none oan be aaoepted. MEMORIAL SERVICES IN MASTERTON. ! FURTHER ARRANGEMENTS. A meeting was held in the Borough Council uhambers, yesterday afternoon, to arrange details in connection with tbe pnblio memorial servioe to be held in Masterton tomorrow. Mr E. G, Eton occupies the ohair, and there, were also present—Revs. A. M. Johnson, J. N. Buttle, AdjaSant Powiok," and Messrs J. Graham, W. H. Jackson, W. M. Easthope, P. Brown, J. Gross and J. H. Pauling. It was stated thatMr A. Henderson had undertaken to toll the bell attached to the Post Office clock on Thursday. It was decided to ask Mr Henderson to toll the bell between 2 and 2.30 o'clock. Mr Brown undertook to make arrangements for the marshalling of the procession. Mr Jackson considered that instead of having a procession it would be better to allow the people to gather at the Showgrounds. Mr Pauling agreed with Mr Jackson's remarks.

The Mayor said tbe question uf discussing the advisableness of holding the procession was quite out of order, as a previous meeting of oitizens had unanimously decided to hold a procession. The present meeting oould not qiter those arrangements.

He v. Buttle was in, favour of a procession being held. He thought it would be qnwise tp ask the school children to march in the procession. Ho considered it would be better to assemble the school children at the sohool and take them across to the showgrounds to attend the services. Mr moved, "That the schoolchildren be called together by advertisement to take part in the services."

Rev. Buttle secoaded the motion, whioh was carried.

Rev. Buttle moved, "That as there will be an absence of most of the heads of the various organisations on Thursday, the Committee invites all citizens to take part in the procession." The motion was carried. It was resolved that the procession Btart from the Borough Oounoil Chambers, the route to the Showgrounds to be via Hall Street and Queen Street. The meeting then adjourned. .•A.' 1 . MR SEDDON'S OLD FRIEND. A CURIOUS STORY, It is stated that in JLondon there is an old man selling newspapers who breakfasts, lunohes and dines at tbe Hotel Cecil, and sleeps iu the County Oounoil lodging-house in Parker Street, says the Dunedin Star. His story is one of the strangest that has ever been recorded ; but, even at 85, he is hopeful that the justice which he seeks, and whiah has hitherto escaped him; may come to relieve the gloom of his remaining days. The old man's name is Thomas Burt. He was born at Ringwood, Hampshire, in 1820, and when twenty years of age went out to seek bis fortune in Australia. For twelve years he was a shepherd near Adelaide, but the goldflelds flung their spell over nim, and he went to; the diggings at Ballarat, There he met Mr Seddon, and for nearly two years tbe two men shared all the hardships and luck that fell to their lot. Then they parted company, and both men prospered. In 1888, however, the misfortune that has since dogged Burt's footsteps overtook him. A trumpery dispute arose about a watch between Burt and a watchmaker at Fingal, in Tasmania. Burt had sent a watch to be repaiied, and on going for it was tendered another muob inferior in quality, which he declined to aocept, and the matter was taken into court. There the magistrates urged Burt to aocept a judgment of npnsuit, and Instructed him to return to the watchmaker, and, in the presenoe of a witness, , place tbe watch on the counter. This course he adopted, but, according to Burt's story, the watohmaker attacked him, and injured him so seriously that for many weeks be lay in hospital dangerously ill. On his recovery he entered an action againscthe man, claiming £SOO damages. In due time the oase came on for hearing, and among the documents produced in evidence was one purporting to be a reoord of the judgment of the magistrates in the> oourt which gar® the verdict of nonsuit.

To Burt's astonishment, the verdict was recorded as one for the defendant, and in view of this the court dismissed the claim with costs, j whioh amounted in all to £214. Prom that hour the old man has struggled to obtain a rehearing of the case 'lbafc a wrong vordiot was erroneously entered was admitted, but in procedure of the courts of Tasmania no way was to be found for a reversal of the verdict or rehearing of the aotion. Burt then applied for a Royal Commission, but the Attor-ney-General of that day advised that a Commission could do no good, inasmuch as the L/egislative Council oould not unset the judgment ot the Court of Fiugal while the record remained on the record book, and a special Act of Parliament would be required and the Royal assent thereto. In 1894 a Royal Commission was, however, appointed to inquire into all the facts of the oase, and a BUI was passed to become operative, required the Royal assent. The law's delays had by this time reduced Burt to penury. His farm of 227 acres on the Dan Rinilet had disappeared sold to pay the costs in the', various actions —and all his capital had beefn exhausted.

In May, 1899, tbe fund subscribed by the public of Tasmania enabled Burt to*go to England to prosecute bis suit before the Privy Council. When Mr Seddon stayed at the Hotel Oeoil at the time of the visit of the colonial Premiers, Burt was the guest of Mr Seddon at tbe Hotel Cecil, and only hia official position at that time prevented Mr Seddon from aobively assisting in prosecuting the case. On Mr Seddon's departure, Burt found it impossible to remain at tbe Hotel Cecil, ov*ing to his Btraitened circumstances, but he was hssured that so lone as be cared to come be could obtain his three meals there every day. Since then the old man has duly found his way to the hotel, save for the periola during which illness has kept him in Parker Street; and he has experienued the greatest kindness at the bands of the hotel officials. Still, the days drag on, and while Burt ia selling the Pall Mall Uazete, or disposing of bootlaces aud matches on the Embankment, his repeated appeals meet with mere formal acknowledgment from the officials of the great departments of State. That the public of Tasmania are deeply, interested in the case ia shown by'the various sums of money collected for Burt there, unci that there is ample documentary evidence to show that there is a case for inquiry is admitted; but Burt is poor, friendless and in bad health. He sees no way of obtainingj a definite and final decision in connection with proceedings which have, he says, cost him nearly £20,000; but he absolutely declines to return to Tasmania until a deoision has been given one way or the other. A LAST INTERVIEW. WHAT MJEJ SEDDON MEANT TO DO. ' ■ v Mr E. Walker, in the London Daily News for May 3rd, has the following report of an interview he had with Mr Seddon. It will be read with special interest at this moment:— "Mr Seddon will be very pleased to see you. Leave me to arrange the time." So said a friend to wnom 1 represented that an interview with the Premier of New Zealand and a talk with him on colouial social questions would be very welcome. At the tirne appointed I accordingly was introduced, and Mr Seddon shook hands warmly. A big man he is; a strong man he looks, with dogged psrseverance and Iron will written large over his faee. He has fought his waj up aa emigrant, miner aud politician to the foremost position in New Zealand, and as Premier for 13 consecutive years. The distinction is his of having a longer term of unbroken power than any other man, living or dead, in modern politics in Great Britan or any of her colonies. "Are yoa satisfied," was the first question put to hm, "with the working pf your old age pensions scheme in New Zealnd?"

"1 introduced old age pensions into New Zealand iu 1898," said Mr Seddon, "and. after seven years' trial ne are so well satisfied with them we have this year increased the pensions from 7s a week to lCs a week, and, mind you, that is for women as well as for men. A man and a woman over 65 are each entitled to 10s a week, and. L tell you a man and his wife can be very comfortable on a pound a week in New Zealand.

"The pension has a good moral effect, for it helps to keep folks straight. A man had better keep a tight hand on himself, for he must *£e of good moral character, sober and of respectable life, or he will get no pension from us. Conviction of orime dishonoring him in the public estimation is a certain stop to a pension; and it is coming to the be regarded as an honour to be an ! old age pensioner. You=cannot say that for the workhouse at Home." "What about the cost?" "Not nearly so great as you think at Home. I have just had a cable from London to the effect that £26,000,000 a year is seated to be the sum required to give old age pen sions at Home. I say that is all nonsense. We know by seven years' experience what it costs here. You have 45 times as many people as we have and your pensions would cost only nine millions a year at the rate "of 7s a week, and look what you would save on your poor rate." "Yoa have the eigbt-hour day, Mr Seddon, and the early closing of shops. Is there any intention of going back on them?" "No. When i was a lad I served my time at St. Helens. Then I worked in Wigan nine hours a day. I know what working without breakfast at six o'clook on a winter morning in Lancashire means, and 11 maintain that starting after breakfast and working for eight hours | only a man does as muoh work as if he started before breakfast and 'worked for nine hours. No, no; we shall never go back to nine hours a day. "As for shops, on four nights a week they must be closed at or before six o'oiock, and on one of these four they must olose at one o'oiock,

and they can beep open ftill ten on Friday and Saturday. We believe It is for the good of the shopkeepers themselves and their assistants that they should be compelled to work shorter hours than they do v at Home."

"you have given women a"vote at Parliamentary elections. Are you satisfied with the experiment?" "We gave women the vote in 1893, and we have had them voting now in five Geueral Elections; and i ought to be well satisfied, for they have supported me as head of the Liberal and Labour Government more and more every time, and at the last,election we had the world's record party majority, the Government having four times <js many supporters elected as all other parties combined. Yes, yes. I'm'satisfled with the extension of the franchise to women, and you won't find to day in New Zealand a politician of any party who would dare to say he was in favour of seeing it repealed." "What else do you consider among your great achievements, Mr Seddon?" "When we came into' power we found boup kitchens 1 and shelter sheds at work all over New Zealand. They are gone, never more to return, 1 hope; and 1 claim we have made New Zealand the happiest, freest, and wealthiest nation in the whole world." "The wealthiest?" "Yes, the wealthiest. The accumulated wealth of the United Kingdom is £3OO per head, and in New Zealand it is £305 per Dead." "1 think the Advances to Settlers' Act has been one of the greatest ble3sing to our folks here. Like many other people, they often run short of ready money, and we oan lend them what they want and wnen they want it most. It has been sound business lor us, as well as for them. We have rescued them from thi clutches of the money-lenders. We have reduced the rate of interest; we have advanned £5,000,000; we have not lost a £5 note; and we have made £200,000 profit. "We are doing more life insurance business than any private company in the\ oolony, and as for Are insurance the mere threat of our starting it, and before we got to work at all, made the private insurance companies reduce their rates on cottage property by 33% P er cent, at one fell swoop."

"When your Parliament re opens, Mr Seddon, and you get to work with your huge majority, what are you going to do? Have you reached the limit?"

"No, no. There's more to be done than I can mention now, but one thing I shall do in the next session—l am going to introduce a measure of justice to married women. I am going to have the name of every married woman put along with her husbands, into every title deed to a home in New Zealand, 'so that the married man shall no longer be able to sell or mortgage bis home without his wife's consent. This has been too long delayed, and I shall remedy it now. "Marriage is a partnership, and should carry the responsibility of a partnership. The wife helps by her work to build up the home, and the consent of both ougnt to be asked before the home iB put into peril. "Will any man tell me the wife is not fit to be consulted? Sheknows very often what is better for herself and the children than any man does, and many a man would be better oft to day if he had asked and taken the advice of Ms wife. "There will be nothing in the Bill to prevent husband and wife selling or mortgaging their home or land if both agree; but we are going to stop the scandal of married men putting their homes in danger while their wives know nothing about it, or are powerless to atop it if they do know about It."

THE POLITICAL SITUATION.

"THE 'TilL' MUST GO." TROUBLE AHEAD. It appears to be the general itcpreaslon amongst f the members at present in Wellington that an adjournment of the House will be necessary after voting supplies and the transaction of formal but necessary business, says the Evening Post. Inhere will be some opposition to that proposal among a certain seotion of members who urge that after V brief adjournment it would be better to go straight on and do as much as possible of the business of the session before Sir Joseph Ward's return. It must not be forgotten, however, that-the late Mr Seddon's well-known tendency to take the sole command naturally meant that the other members of his Ministry are now at a disadvantage as to the position of things. Further, several members think that it would not be fair to the Hon. W. Hall-Jones to insist that under the peculiar oircumstanoes he should have forced upon him the responsibility of taking command of the House when he does not intend (as they believe) to make his Premiership a permanency, and that no Government should be asked to faoe the House when it is a matter of common knowledge that circumstances have prevented th°m arriving at an agreement as to the programme and policy which are to be pursued. Every ones knows that nothing definite in that respeot will he arranged till Sir Joseph Ward returns, and they do not think that his future prospects as Premier should be m the slightest; degree jeopardised by anything which may happeu through the presence on tne Treasury benches of a Cabinet which is recognised as only temporary, and not created by the man who is expeoted to sake the reins of offlue a few weeks hence. Judging, therefore, from expressions of, opinion, it would seem to be fairly oertain that the House will adjourn till Sir Joseph Ward can survey the situation and arrange accordingly. The next question is, "What will he do? Who will be in the next Cabinet?" in this connection it is interesting to notice how freely oertain members are expressing themselves. It has always been a matter of oommon knowledge among those who moved in political circles that the party as a Whole] only "tolerated" (to use

their own expression) certain members of the Cabinet, bnt were content to refrain from open revolt because of the influence exerted by Mr Seddon. Now they are free from that influence, and the result is what might have been expected. "You would be surprised," remarked one m«mber, "at the wflu-,, ence which Mr Seddon exerted ovor his party in the House. It is something like what I imagine schoolboys must feel when they are in the presenoe of the schoolmaster. When he was in the House we felt that we were subservient to his wishes, and whon he was temporarily absent we felt the removal of the restraint, but as soon as he returned we were schoolboys again, and did what he desired." Such a remark, coming from a man elected by the people to represent them, sounded strange, but it was uttered with such evident sincerity" that there could be no doubt of its truth.

What we happen, then, now that the "schoolmaster" has gone? Tne question was answered very plaiuly. Only one Premier could carry on with a Ministry containing a "tail" such as that which is now in office, and the "tail' will have to go. "We were quite content,-'said an old member, "to put our feelings on one side, and let MrSeldon retain the present Cabinet, beoause we knew that he himself was all-sufficient. But that soit of thing oannot goon in future, and 1 for one will not support Sir Joseph Ward unless he chooses a Ministry which is of a very muoh greater average ability than the present." That is the keynote. The Government supporters will support Sir Joseph Ward, if he assumes the Premiership, but only on condition that the "one man" system inaugurated by Mr J3eddon is done away with, and "respousible" men assoaiated*with him in the task of govern ment. The general opinion appears to be that if Sir Joseph seleots capable men to fill the various portfolios, and throws Jover some of the present occupants of Ministerial office, he oan oarry on without muoh difficulty. > There is, however, still another phase of the situation which has to be taken into consideration. A section of membeis has, it appears, made up its mind that it will not wait until Sir Joseph Ward's return, but will endeavour to force Mr Hall-Jones to reconstruct thp Ministry at once, and carry on the business of the country without any adjournment. This course is, apparently, to be taken for two reasons—one that they do not approve of Sir Joseph Ward as a leader who would go as far as they (the Progressives as they call. themselves) would desire; and the other, that they wish to see carried but with the least possible delay the reconstruction of the Ministry, which had been refused many years by the late Mr Seddon. Those reasons combined have induced the belief that to get what -they want they must act quiokly,. and it is freely stated that if Mr Hall-Jones does\not agree to form a now Ministry of his owo and go on with business straight away, they will move a motion of want of confidence 13 the Ministry as at present constituted. There is already, it is stated, a solid body of nineteen who wodld support such, a motion, and they have great hopes of winning a number of others over to their aide. As to which of the members of the present Cabinet should be thrown overboard, the Progressivec appear to be even more sweeping in their demands than the rest of the House, and if they had their way, the present Premier and the Hon. A. Pitt' (with ihe Colonial Treasurership kept vacant for Sir Joseph Ward) would be the only ones left. Evidently the "tail" is in for a bad time.