LABOUR PARTIES.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 17985, 31 January 1924, Page 8

LABOUR PARTIES.

"EMPLOtING THE SOFT PEDAL." A FARMER'S CRITICISM. <PHESS 'ASSOCIATION TKLEGRAM.) ''' "WELLINGtX>N, January 30. At a meeting of the executive of the New Zealand Farmers' Union, the president (Mr W. J. Poison) moved:— "That this executive welcomes the return of the Prime Minister t6 New Zealand, and expresses its appreciation of his valuable services in the cause of the Empire, realising his sincerity and patriotic desire to draw closer the bonds of Empire."' The Prime Minister, Mr Poison said, no doubt felt a certain amount of disappointment at the result of the British elections and the return to power of a party which had not shown itself at all inclined' to i the establishment of preferential treat' ment between the Dominions and the | outposts of the Empire and the Mother Country. As a matter of fact, continued Mr Poison, the Labour Party both here and at Home. Was Ajiperently going to lull us into a certain amount of sense of security. Their object appeared to bo at present to put their foot on the soft pedal, 6o that the publie might say "wo think we may safely trust them," and then return them to power or allow them to come into power. Mr Poison said he thought the whole object of the Labour Party hero and at Home was simply to obtain a certain amount of support from other sections of the community with ! the intention he had indicated. "But you have got to realise." '.continued the speaker, "that Socialism and nothing but Socialism is the bedrock objective Of the Labour Party, as disclosed not only by their platform at Home, but also in New Zealand." Ho said that because there had been an attempt on the part of the Labour Party to capture the small farmers, and the small farmers did" not realise that the object of the Labour Party was nothing but Socialism. If in the near future they could succeed in their present object of "lulling us to re3t," then it would be a case of "Look outl" He was satisfied that that Was the position. , In spite of the work of stalwarts like. Mr Massey and Mr Brucfc (Prime Minister of Australia) and others, a majority of the people of Britain recently declared theinseiveJ, in favour of the continuance of the Freetrade policy. Thus our hopes ir» regard to the adoption of Preference had been somewhat dashed. Great Britain had practically said to U3 that we should do as we liked in this matter, subject to the Empire's interests not being sacrificed; that we were free to .make such commercial arrangements as we thought would benefit ourselves and assist in developing the outposts of the Empire, He thought that aspect of the matter was worthy of verv much further enquiry than we had given to !t- Wo had here pinned our flag to Preference, bnt there was another aspect of the question which should be further investigated. He knew that our statesmen probably would not agree with that view, but there was something to be said for it in a Freetrade organisation of this kind. ' Mr G. Anderson (Pelorus), in seconding the motion, said that the more preference we gave to Britain, the greater would be her prosperity, consequently the bigger would be her purchasing power for Our primary products. It was, he thought, in the interests of Now Zealand to do all the business it could with the Mother Country. The motion Was carried unanimously.