UNITED POLICY WANTED

Press, Volume LXX, Issue 21198, 23 June 1934, Page 22

UNITED POLICY WANTED

NEW ZEALAND LEGION'S APPEAL ALLEGATIONS OF HYPOCRISY [THE PBESS Special Service.] WELLINGTON, June 22. "What our Dominion needs is a strong national government freed from the intrigues and petty spirit of party strife," said Mr Will Appleton, one of the members of the national executive of the New Zealand Legion, when speaking af» a meeting of the legion at Otaki to-day. Mr Appleton advocated a united government, representative not only of Conservatives, Liberals, and Labour, but of thousands who felt that they were not adequately fepresented under existing conditions.

"The Old Country has given us an excellent lead," he said. * South Africa has recently followed suit. This country needs to-day men, not parties—men who have the vision and courage to do the right thing for the good of the country. In the ranks of Labour we have men whose brains and ability should be used for the common good. Why should these men waste their time and energy in destructive criticism at a serious stage like this? Divided Policies "We have all witnessed a deplorable spectacle during the last two years, of sectional interests trying tp stampede the Government into adopting policies not for the good of the community but for the benefit of certain groups. There has, for instance, been a definite attempt to drive a wedge between the secondary and primary industries, not so much perhaps with tne idea of damaging either group, but for the purpose apparently of discrediting the Government." ! The Coalition Government, said Mr Appleton, had been brought into being at the instigation, to a great extent, of the business interests of New Zealand, and yet, because the authorities, by reason of the drop in national income, were forced into taking action to bridge the gap between State income and expenditure, they were vilified right and left. Business men from one end of the Dominion to the other had preached economy and the necessity for Government retrenchment, but immediately the Government decided to put in the axe there was a howl from some section or other not to interfere in expenditure which affected them or their interests. Salary cuts had been advocated, but when purchasing power had been decreased and sales returns had tumbled the very same people were insistent in asking that wage reductions be restored.

"Let us drop some of this hypocrisy," said Mr. Appleton. "Our friends in the cities think they have been badly treated in the crisis, and so thousands have been. But in countless instances the poor, unfortunate farmer, and especially the dairy farmer, has been treated even more severely by reason of the economic blizzard which has affected not only this Dominion but the whole world. The truth of the matter is that scarcely any section of the community has escaped. The trouble with too many people is that they are inclined to squeal before they are hurt, and I am sorry to say tTiat some of my city friends are the biggest whiners." Vigorous Policy Mr Appleton said he held no particular brief for the Coalition Government. There might be weaknesses in policy, and that was why he advocated support for the legion to bring about a real unity government. At the same time, it had to be admitted by any impartial observer that the Government's policy had not lacked vigour and enterprise. By supporting the legion people would do something to bring the legion's ideal into being. The legion has done good work 'during the last 12 months in making people think. What was now wanted was action, and given the support which the legion confidently expected, it would weld the better elements in the community into one united body and then bring about necessary reforms in the government of the country. Mr Appleton stated that there was no desire on the part of the New Zealand Legion to create another political body. It was endeavouring rather to get the existing parties aligned on a non-party basis to meet our serious i and difficult position. Everyone was agreed that a revision of the present political situation was a necessary prelude to effective economic action, and the only way to bring about a revision of the existing system was to get behind the New Zealand Legion : and make it a powerful force for the common good.