THE LABOUR PARTY.

Press, Volume LVI, Issue 16881, 8 July 1920, Page 7

THE LABOUR PARTY.

MR D. G. SULLIVAN'S SPEECH. (special to "the press.") WELLINGTON, July 7. Mr D. G. Sullivan (Avon) was the first speaker in the no-coniidence debate to-day. In regard to the Speech-from-"ihe-Throne, he said the poor old Specch had been so torn to tatters and shreds that one hesitated out of sheer goodnature to say very much concerning it. All the great promises made had remained unfulfilled, and there was no policy of reconstruction in the Speech., The position of the democratic masses was worse than it was before the outbreak of war. Though born in Christchurch, he had worked in all the Australian' States, also in England, and he had been in Europe, ana he maintained that the workers of New Zealand worked as hard and as conscientiously as the workers in any other country. There were too many land agents and stockbrokers in New Zealand at the present moment. They were swarming and ' were rendering no useful service to their country. In other directions, also, there was economic waste. An investigation tribunal that had recently to look into a matter of trade between two big mercantile firms found that it had to examine the books of no fewer-than nine firms before it got to bed-rock. No fewer than nine firms had handled those goods, and no douot each one got a "rake off" before the goods, reached the final seller. Thus, instead of asking the Labour members to get the hard workers of the country to work still harder, it would bo more profitable for honourable gentlemen on the other side to exapiine the position, and see whether they could not induce thejr own supporters -to take off their coats and do a little bit of honest work, ■ instead of living on the benches of the other workers of the country. There was also economic waste in other directions. Take insurance companies, for j instance. There were 33 accident, 35 Sre, and 11 life insurance companies in New Zealand. Each one had its own building, its own staff of officers, and its own army of canvassers exploiting the people of the country. If it was -desirable to increase production, why did not the Government organise and consolidate those businesses under one head, or series ofj heads, and reduce the number of companies already in existence ? Dealing with the question of profiteering, 51 r Sullivan claimed that it was absurd to blarae the inflation of tlfe currency for it, because merchants had increased their prices from 60 to 80 per cent, before there was anv inflatiou in the currency. He claimed that the Labour Party was the only one to make any suggestion to sccure industrial peace in this country. £Jomc time ago they had suggested that industrial peace might be secured cm _ the linfis of the Whitley systtm, by joint national councils, and provincial councils, but these proposals had been rejected by . tho employers. Sir James Allen, who had discussed tho matter with Lab. • r leaders in Christchurcli, had admitted that, such a conference would have good results, but that conference had never been held. The invitation had been repeated by the Labour Federation, but had again been turned down, and the Government still did nothing. In conclusion, Mr Sullivan intimated that he would vote in favour of Mr •Mac Donald's amendment.

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