ELECTION QUESTIONS

Press, Volume LXXIX, Issue 24052, 14 September 1943, Page 6

ELECTION QUESTIONS

“I 'Wonder Why” writes: “Mr Doidge has got right under the skins of_ the Labour bosses, from the Prime Minister to the dictators of Government policy and to Messrs Roberts and Dell. The Internal Marketing Department, with its enormous gross profits and its huge expenses, will be abolished to: prevent the Labour Government feeding city council pigs on apples; to prevent it dumping good edible vegetables and spraying them so that needy people cannot use them; to make available apples, oranges and lemons, all of which have been unobtainable on various occasions since Labour came into power; to allow the producers to live and to provide lower prices for the consumer. Mr Doidge's criticism is mild compared with the criticism of one of Labour’s own leaders, the late Mr Arthur Cook, but on this Messrs Roberts and Dell were dumb; this shows how one-eyed they really are.” “Sparrow” writes; “The member for Tauranga gave a timely warning of the difficulties to be experienced by New Zealand manufacturers when the war ends. The Government has intensely fostered manufacturing, but if there is to be international free exchange of raw and finished goods, then it is calculated that there will follow heavy losses arising out of landed goods at prices below New Zealand cost. I repeat the warning to those who Contemplate expansion and new enterprise involving outlay of much capital, perhaps their all.” “Danger Ahead” writes: “Prominent Labour members have stated that the Labour Party is opposed to the Communist Party. How does this square with advertisements and daily meetings held all over the country by the Communist Party fa support , of the

Labour Party, and who supplies the funds and petrol, and what is the reward? The Communist Party foments industrial trouble, and its main objectives are sabotage, strikes, and general subversive activities. With the Labour Party in unison with this gang the future prospects for New Zealand are definitely criticaL” “Once Labour” is “at a loss to understand why the Labour Party, with its huge majority in Parliament, took outside personnel into its Cabinet. There has been no attempt to justify that action so far by the Government in this election. What of the Labour members outside the Cabinet. Were they incompetent to fulfil their positions? It is up to the electors of these constituents to find out the cause, and if they have not the ability, the Labour members should be stood down.” “A.L.” writes; “The present election campaign is distinguished by several significant features. . . but the most significant is the entrance of the churches into the political sphere, by means of a widely distributed manifesto, entitled ‘action.’ It appeals to all classes of thoughtful electors, bidding them look at specific social issues (such as the family, land, education, industry, social evils, and world order) from a broad Christian standpoint, and in an entirely different spirit from that of the political partisan. Were its counsel widely heeded and acted upon, »party politics would be largely purged from class narrowness, and such personal prejudices as make real national unity an impossibility.”