LABOUR AT WAITEMATA.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 242, 13 October 1925, Page 8

LABOUR AT WAITEMATA.

MR. OSBORNE'S ADDRESS.

AIMS AND IDEALS EXPOUNDED. HOUSING AND MEDICAL SERVICES. The Labour candidate for Waitemata, Mr. A. G. Osborne, addressed a large gathering of electors in ;the Parish Hall, Devonport, last evening. Mr. M. O'Leary was in the chair.

The chairman, in introducing the candidate, said that Mr. Osborne came from Christchurch to Devonport when he was four years of age. He had been educated in Devonport, a*nd had spent his early life in that seaside suburb.

Mr. Osborne opened by stating that he firmly believed that Labour was making an honest endeavour to uplift the condition of the majority—the working people. Although their platform was built on ideals, it was absolutely practical. Labour desired to represent the right-thinking people to look after the needs of the people, to provide decent hoiising, and to help in the prevention of sickness and accident. He believed that the Liberal and Reform parties wore for the large landowner, vested interests, and the large financial institutions. The majority of the salaried men and manual workers were not receiving their fair share .for their labours.

Just recently the Arbitration Court had granted workers an increase of Id per hour. Mr. Osborne said that many workers would not receive the benefit of this for at least 18 months, so that the basic wage for them would still remain at £3 17/, instead of £4 1/.

It was impossible, he said, for any man to bring up a family on even a wage of £4 1/, or, for that matter, £4 10/. During the, last few years- large income tax payers had huge sums returned to them, while Civil servants and other workers had to pay for the rebate to the more fortunate few. In the last four years the income tax had been reduced 'by one-half, while Customs taxation had increased enormously. Preferential Voting. The speaker then outlined a few of the aims and ideals of the Labour party. Labour stood for proportional representation. It was in favour of the initiative, referendum and recall. The voice of the people should first be obtained to bring about reforms that various political parties might suggest. He considered tfcat preferential voting should be compulsory when there were more than two issues on one ballot paper. The Labour party advocated the maintaining of free, secular and compulsory education, with the addition that the University should be free to the workers and small wage-earners. Comparing the cost of the Education Department with Defence, Mr. Osborne said that, out of every £100 of revenue spent, £33 -was being spent on past wars and preparations for future wars, while £15 of the £100 was paid for the great cause of education. When the Labour party were elevated to the Treasury benches they would see that this state of affairs did not exist. The speaker said that only £5 12/ of that £100 -was being spent for the preservation of health. It was his belief that medical services should be free to the'people, yet workers had to pay for all medical treatment, while the Government provided free veterinary surgeons for animals and experts to look after poultry. It was the duty of any country to provide for human beings first, and then look after the dumb animals after they had provided free medical treatment. During the war period the medical examinations revealed the fact that 50 per cent of the men who came forward to offer their services were suffering from disabilities which could have been avoided if they had secured medical advice and treatment in early life. It was regrettable, said Mr. Osborne, that in New Zealand a large proportion of women laid down their lives in The only way to build up a : strong and virile race was to see that the mother was well looked after. On two occasions Mr. , M. J. Savage, , the Labour member for Auckland West, had brought down his Motherhood Endowment t Bill. It "was an appropriation measure, and could not be placed on the Statutes, but still the Government could not prevent Labour from placing it on their platform. The scheme provided for every mother, whose husband was in receipt of the basic wage, receiving 10/ per week for every child after the second. Taxation and Housing. While the Government was handing back thousands of pounds to the income tax payers, who were already well off, they could not find the money in order to grapple with the housing problem. The Government Statistician's report on housing showed that there were 23,055 overcrowded houses in the Dominion, and that one person in every seven was living under conditions which, if not dangerous, were far from satisfactory. It was high time, so Mr. Osborne thought, that some political party made a desperate effort to grapple with this big question. Bad housing conditions meant a bad effect on the health of the people as well as on their moral state.

The immigration policy of the Reform party -was then criticised by the candidate, -who said that Labour was in favour of a sane immigration policy, but not in favour with the present system. Under this system thousanda were being brought to the Dominion, only to find that they could neither obtain work nor houses to live in. Labour, when it was in power, proposed to deal effectively with the housing question It also proposed to split up the timber'rings that surely existed and thus reduce the price of houses. Labour would make use of the Government's plant at Frankton Junction, which was at present turnins out houses, complete with the price of the land and also fences, for £700. Certainly the houses were standardised, but stand ardised houses were better than none at all. Labour would also erect cement works and also enter into competition with others in the brick-makino- industry-

Mr. Osborne tnen told his listeners that Labour favoured a compulsory system of - workers' compensation, and a

State bank. In the Post Office Savings Bank they already had the nucleus of a State bank. He believed that land tenure should be based on occupancy and use and that thousands of acres should no longer be held for speculative purposes. Land aggregation was going on to a large extent in New Zealand and this affected the farmers. In 1919, said Mr. Osborne, there were only 29 bankruptcies in the Dominion, whereas in 1922 the total was 222.

1 At the conclusion of his address, Mr. Osborne was accorded a vote of thanks and confidence.