A Scot Down Under
A shoemaker’s son from the Highlands, Peter Fraser rose through the union ranks to become New Zealand’s Second World War premier
Kenny MacAskill on
Peter Fraser, New Zealand’s Scottish wartime leader
ANDREW FISHER is well-known as Australia’s Scottish prime minister during the First World War, but New Zealand can also claim a Scottish wartime leader – Peter Fraser.
Like his Australian counterpart, he was a Labour man. He wasn’t the first Scot to hold the office but is regarded as one of the finest.
As with Fisher, it was in his native land that Fraser’s political values were born and his activism nurtured.
Peter Fraser was born in 1884 in Fearn in the Highlands. A shoemaker’s son, he attended local schools but much of his learning was gleaned through his own reading and political involvement.
Land was an early issue and he was involved in farmworkers’ agitation, becoming secretary of the Liberal Association at the age of 16 – the party viewed as opposing the landlords.
Poor eyesight – a lifelong affliction – meant he had to give up a joinery apprenticeship and his search for work led him to London. It was there Fraser converted to socialism and, in 1908, he joined the Independent Labour Party (ILP) – formed by fellow Scot Keir Hardie.
In 1910, he embarked on a physical and political journey when he emigrated to New Zealand, attracted by its reputation for social advancement.
Arriving in Auckland on January 2, 1911, he found work at the docks as a stevedore or “wharfie” but soon became politically active – joining the New Zealand
Socialist Party and becoming president of the Auckland General Labourers Union.
Fraser quickly emerged as one of several militant leaders, as industrial confrontation grew – as in Scotland and on the Clyde in particular.
Bespectacled and gangly, he portrayed a more bookish image than that of the archetypal union militant.
But he earned a reputation as a formidable organiser with a huge capacity for hard work.
A forceful orator, Fraser also possessed a waspish turn of phrase for hecklers and political opponents.
Becoming a full-time union official, he was involved in an unsuccessful miners’ strike. That defeat saw him leave Auckland and move to Wellington, which became his permanent home.
Having stepped down from the union post, he returned to the docks. He remained politically active, however, becoming secretary-treasurer of the Social
Democratic Party and continuing to be involved in industrial action.
In July 1916, he was a leading light in the establishment of the New Zealand Labour Party. Just as in Scotland, radical political parties were being forged from fringe movements.
Fraser was against involvement in the First World War, a position similar to Keir Hardie and Scotland’s ILP. Opposing conscription in 1916, he argued that it shouldn’t be introduced unless matched by conscription of wealth, and was imprisoned for a year. Serving the full sentence, he spent the time reading and studying. On his release he began working as a journalist, and in 1919 Fraser was editing a newspaper which would become the Labour Party’s official organ.
On October 11, Fraser entered parliament in a by-election for the Wellington Central constituency, a seat he retained for the rest of his life.
“Decision ” deeply divided the country
He was also elected to Wellington Council in 1920, narrowly missing out on the mayoralty in 1923.
In 1935, Labour at last came to power and Fraser was given the health and education portfolios on the national scene. His wife Janet Munro, originally from Glasgow, became his assistant and adviser.
Fraser had a deep belief in the opportunities provided by education, and he reversed cuts made by the previous administration, greatly improving access to learning.
In health, the Social Security Act of 1938 established a largely free national health service a decade before Nye Bevan achieved it in Britain – though, like the Welshman, he also faced opposition from the medical profession.
Following the death of prime minister Michael Savage, Fraser succeeded him in March 1940. Despite opposing the First World War, Fraser was resolute in the defence of his adopted country in the Second World War.
Fraser cooperated with opposition leaders, without forming a coalition government. Challenges were faced when the Allied campaign in Greece and Crete, including New Zealand troops, suffered catastrophic defeats.
In response, Fraser acted to ensure the government was fully briefed on all actions involving their soldiers.
After Japan entered the war Fraser declined to bring New Zealand’s troops home to the Pacific as Australia had done – a hard decision that divided the country.
The post-war period saw him enter the world stage as the United Nations was formed. However, his health had begun to falter.
Labour sneaked back into power in the 1946 election, but in December 1949 exhaustion with post-war austerity saw them heavily defeated. Having returned to the back benches, Fraser died a year later.
Some have criticised Fraser’s drift from the left but, as ever, responsibilities of office often deny the luxury of opposition.
His legacy of a health service and his stewardship during the war rightly see him held in huge regard.
“Fraser was resolute in the defence of his War” adopted country in the Second World