LABOUR CRITIC

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 167, 17 July 1941, Page 17

LABOUR CRITIC

DEMOCRAT CRUSADER

MR. DOUGLAS' CANDIDATURE

"We are crusading for New Zealand. Democratic Labour is not antiLabour, or anti-National, but proNew Zealand. Our party is not negative; we are positive and we stand to build—to strike a note against bungling and to face the problems in arrear," said Mr. Norman V. Douglas, the Democrat Labour candidate for Waitemata in addressing a largely attended meeting in the King's Theatre, Northcote, last night. The Mayor of Northcote, Mr. E. C. Fowler, was in the chair. Mrs. J. A. Lee briefly addressed the meeting, and Mr. Lee, member for Grey Lynn, spoke for almost an hour and outlined his party's policy. Mr. Douglas began by justifying his candidature. "There is no reason for the suspension of democracy," he said. "If men should die for democracy, then it is good enough for others to fight for it, as I am doing." (Applause.) Taxation and Debt The candidate devoted a great deal of his address to the Labour Government's taxation policy and said that the compulsory loan and the "crushing taxation of Nash" was preventing the expansion of industry, which expansion was necessary. The Government still refused to face up tQ the fact that what was physically possible was also financially possible. "Unless we abolish the present debt system we will soon have upon us all the evils and desperaticin of the greatest depression of all time," Mr. Douglas said. "Mr. Nash just sits and coollv and calmly waits for the catastrophe. And so we have got to remove these people, who are afraid to face up to the facts and replace them with men of courage, determination and faith in New Zealand. The Nash system is destroying the very basis of capital production, for it is doing nothing at all to encourage national production. Labour's pledges have been broken, while Mr. Nash has piled up the debt faster and faster."

The candidate said the monetary policy of his party was the same as Labour advanced when it came into power, but failed to put into operation. He advocated credit for manufacturers and said his party pledged itself to motherhood endowment, which was a sound social and defence measure. In regard to pensions, he ( said Democratic Labour was the only voice which demanded that the 5 per cent increase should be granted to the old-aged, the veterans and the men of the three fighting services. Medical benefits should be put into effect in their entirety, or the money refunded. "But Mr. Nash goes on collecting his millions while the full programme as was promised by Labour is not being provided," continued Mr. Douglas. Mr. Nash, stated Mr. Douglas, had certainly increased wages, but he had reduced the family allowance, so that now a married man with four children who was earning £5 per week in 1039, was 1/0 a week worse off. Mr. Douglas concluded by saying that he had entered the campaign with confidence and with a sound policy. "We arc crusading for an ideal and the people are rallying to our cause, as you will see on Saturday. We have got the crusading spirit and it is going to carry us to victory." j

After answering a number of questions, Mr. Douglas was accorded a vote of thanks and confidence, there being no dissentients.