GENERAL ELECTION

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27499, 5 November 1954, Page 14

GENERAL ELECTION

BULLER SEAT national candidate AT WESTPORT GOVERNMENT’S RECORD REVIEWED u ,hat 016 National Gov«rnment had brought about a greater in % of P ros Perity than ever before in the Dominion. Mr D. M. Carson National candidate for Buller, in an matins w a i fai L ly a well attended meeting at Westport, described claims ?s rath~ ntrary by speakers as rather amazing. He said that ad ® b y Opposition memif tbe National GovemwonM h aS retu r ned to office there J unemployment, reduced proanH* «H, CUts “ social security benefits “d other economies, could not be treated very seriously in view of the Governments willingness to help the peoole m the last five years. ment e!!? 0 ? said that 016 Govern3SL. I,a jJ honoured its pledges to gralish the Legislative Council after M° US ,e B«lators had hedged 2” aucl L a ~ ovc for too long; it had temored Communists from key l ad abolished certain land £ntrn! ° n ! ? nd had put Under ‘tte t en!int^ e K People wbo w °uld wreck by enc °uraging stoppages on any slight pretext He lf labour got into ai v !t w °uld be faced with " wreckers who had caused so New Zealand, and * Labour had never been tndusS-toi’ t ? at ’ when those f£2ii °b 1 .trouble-makers had tried eut n^, nd af ;C r Labour had gone ' °J ‘hey had “got the hid- * in® “ etln, e•' That attitude was ' / contrast to that pf Mr T „ Tu ho was neither for nor lb?° S b in 11,6 bi - strike soon - rf Mr %L^ an 8 e . of Government. Mr Carson claimed that the ecothe. Particularly sound, with the people ab ]e Jo pay for the things they needed. That had definitely not been tbe ease under Labour when the goods Ctl controls topped .ü beißg Purchased or . . into the country. »*fZin2I a 22L bad fought for and Shd P rices f or the farmers SJLb tncentive to production, WMch had not previously existed. now further ahead of and .T ere ahead °f costs and great taxation concessions had been granted. “if prosperity S ea b^ red b Z? ( L abilit y of to buy and if the measure takes in N^Uo^l i PAr^‘ C h UC 5 On ’ weU ,^i na k Pa ?a y rim d °“ ” Job ” . Wages and Prices U,^ y i n 5 . clalm3 that the cost of Mvmg had increased, Mr Carson said that wage rates had risen by 50 per £? nt ’ 1949 and prices had increased by 38 per. cent. The increases nL?7b ngs deposits also showed | bat ™ People were on a good footS arson “id he took pride achievements of his party in worker J°fb many i£ mes f°r the thS b f „ the country, and he said tiiwe Siu? ,b Slng P 011 ? 7 would con- . past “*b Same Vlgour as in the tbulv ak , ln ® on , the Social Credit Jo'j t ’“ l . policy. Mr Carson •-bta i. 1 ”* '« had been tried before and had been found wanting. The Labour Party was accusing the Government Of inflation and the Social Credit movement condemned its deflationary policy, but it appeared that if the ■: Nationalist Party kept on the middle course it could not go far wrong. Mr Carson complimented the Buller Development Company on its inl’*? i , ve ~ n. Prins to influence the ■ t s ke .? greater interest in J i armin » ,and other industries apart J L orn „ co ? l mining, and he hoped that i beneficial to AVON SEAT

SOCIAL CREDIT CANDIDATE ADDRESS BY MR F. W. STEVENS . Advertising acceptance of Mr Holland s challenge that “anyone who thinks he can advise the Government how to reduce the cost of living should come forward and tell the Government how to do it,” Mr F. W Stevens, Avon candidate for the Social Credit Political League, said last evening at Burwood: “If Mr Holland had enough sense to know it, there is a very simple way—and it is not necessary to go to the printing prosseg.” By subsidising foodstuffs, clothing, fuel and other necessaries ana removing sales tax and other duties, social Credit would increase the average man’s puchasing power by £2 a week. Tbe income tax exemptions proposed (up to £lOOO tax free for a couple with two children) would make such a family £3 a week better off. “It is ridiculous to tax goods before they are even landed in the country,” Mr Stevens continued. “About 60 per cent, of the price of a motorcar is taxation. Without imposts petrol would cost about Is 6d a gallon. Don’t say that because you don’t own a car it doesn’t affect you. In the costs of transport and distribution it is all handed on to you. Even in my little business I pay £7O a week in sales tax on watches, clocks, and jewellery.” In lending up to 100 per cent, of building charges, once the section was owned, Social Credit would prevent home owners paying for their houses twice over through interest, Mr Stevens said. Everyone had a right to own his own home.

“A lot of people say we would have inflation. How can you possibly have inflation when the price of goods is falling and production and business is expanding through increased purchasing power?” Mr Stevens asked. Alberta Critics alleged that the steady °de- . /cline in Alberta’s debt under Social Credit dated from the royalties on oil. None was received before 1948 and Social Credit went in in 1935, Mr Stevens said. “If oil is the secret, wh*t about Texas?” he asked. “Why didn’t Social Credit stand before this in New Zealand?” asked the only interjector Impart from question time) in a meeting of 52. “In 1935 we had 300 branches in New Zealand,” Mr Stevens said. “The Labour Party was just coming to light 'and said *You vote for us and we will implement your proposals.’ After the election, Mr Savage particularly thanked Social Credit for their en bloc vote, but when I was in a dep--2 utation to them in Christchurch a year later, either Mr Howard or Mr > Armstrong ( I don’t know which. «; they looked so much alike) said they had decided that most voters for Labour favoured socialism. We don’t c Trust anyone now and are standing on our own feet,” Mr Stevens said. Answering questions, Mr Stevens -Said that the banks paid interest of say. 3 per cent, on fixed deposits “to pull money out of tbe pool so that people will have to borrow at 5 per . •. cent.” _ Would it be possible to implement ■ Social Credit in New Zealand withxout similar governments in other countries?—“New Zealand is the idea) place to make it possible. The Government controls the Reserve Bank and the Bank of New Zealand. It is the one good thing Mr Nash did,” Mr Stevens replied. T£ uld x. Production be con- — Ey the purchasing power toe people. - v w ould imports be controlled— "l am not sure of the league’s policy on the , but Personally I would favour conn-oU on imports which can be .New Zealand.” e-Lii n^ en iooking at Social L and 1 can t find m *t» Mr Stevens said.

“COST OF LIVING ELECTION”

SPEECH BY MR T. M. MCGUIGAN IMPORTANCE OF HOUSING EMPHASISED ™ of livin 8 election,” said Mr T. M. McGuigan, Labour Party candidate for Lyttelton, last evening, when he spoke to an audience of 50 “The National Party claims that things are better; we claim that they are worse.” The Labour Party had promised nothing that could not be carried out in a three-year term, he said. It would honour every pledge, and it could make that premise knowing that the people of New Zealand believed it beu°j J 4 y €a rs a L-bour Governhonoured its oledges. Next to the cost of living, housing was the most serious inx.rnal problem tacmg the country, and Labour had plans to deal with it. He believed that every couple was entitled to the best home available, and a Labour Government would appoint a Minister of t°i. get ,., on with the job. He knit 1 !? J? e 2L k ? Mr Sullivan, “who J he of 1116 trade.” He houses ” * S nOt tricks we want, but

HI mOSt Of his time nf S< ?^o ng the National Party’s policy a ? d the subsequent Governt l ®?* act \qnS’ and then reviewed taowV e he%id th ° Ugh y ° u wiU aU The majority of businessmen, traders and manufacturers were honest men as £ ed a °y benefit on to the consumers, he said, but under the National government some companies were making fantastic profits which were aU „ Proportion to the national income. Are those profits justified when so many are under the breadline, so many on the breadline, and asked any betag reduced to it?” he

~5 yiFY I "? food Prices, Mr McGuigan said that grocery supplies which cost £4 9s 5d in 1949 cost £6 12s 2d today. Wages had increased by 41 ner cent., but all foods had increased in price by 60 per cent

Standard ot Living speakers were fond of saymg that it was the standard of living that counted, but the Prime Minister (Mr Holland) had condemned a dnnnistration when, in his ? J ge i s P eec . h - be had said that thousSands of married women worked to suplement the incomes of their husbands ’.rodse their families’ living standards /bey say you earn more and save more, he continued. “Thev said at first you spend more, but have changed that to say you buy more. You certainly spend more, for since 1949 the £ has depreciated by 40 per cent. It iL~ t . true to . sa ? you are buying more, for meat and milk consumption d°wn ” said Mr McGuigan. The National Party is being unfair J* claims , credit for bringing in goods for people to buy. Most of our imports come from the United Kingdom, and m 1948 and 1949 that country was still recovering from a disaMe°’’ 1S Waf ’ 3Dd goods were not avail-

„3 n «? 4 ?? lst .f? ial trips, Mr McGuigan , M th i? e years and a haU m oro National Ministers and their wives niade tnjs overseas than Labour Ministers made in seyen years and a ouar‘er ’ but in 1949 the National Partv b^Rjnade an issue of overseas trips. We want a Minister of Works like Bob Semple, who will get on with the lob he said when Using that s Labour Government would investigate t„^Jll lay commencing the Lyttelton i.^?a^L road i, J a , ck of w hich was holding up South Island development. To a questioner, be said a Labour Government would continue to sell State houses to tenants, but world also build houses for rental.

LABOUR VIEW OF SOCIAL CREDIT MR NASH SPEAKS AT ROTORUA (New Zealand Press Association) t ROTORUA, November 4. Any Labour man who votes for Social Credit is voting to put National back again, ’ said the Leader of the Opposition (Mr Nash) when he addressed an audience of 600 last night. His remarks caused a storm of interjections from Social Credit supporters that made this meeting his brightest and liveliest so far in the campaign. “Those who advocate Social Credit focus attention on one important thing —that the issue of credit, like the issue of notes, belongs to society, and to allow this prerogative of the people to remain in private hands is to betray the people, said Mr Nash. “Social and central control, of credit must, therefore, be the crux of any national economic policy. “In New Zealand the Reserve Bank, by act of Parliament, has the power to control credit in accordance with Government policy. In addition the Bank of New Zealand—the largest trading bank—is owned by the State. The tools are there to be used. “But Social Credit fails in its analysis of what is wrong and in its cure.” Mr Nash said. “It assumes that there is permanent shortage of purchasing power. That is quite wrong. “In recent years there has beeri a surplus of such power. The banks have been creating too much credit. “Social Credit ignores the fact that imported goods are a factor in raising or lowering prices, and that demand and supply influence prices. “The greatest error of Social Credit theory is that all goods can permanently be sold below financial cost by issuing money to pay subsidies,” Mr Nash said.

“Social Credit adds to the money supply without adding sufficiently to the supply of goods, and thus it leads to great inflation. At a time when labour and materials are short, the issue of Social Credit to producers would quickly put far too much money into circulation without providing any more goods for the householder.

LABOUR POLICY ON FAMILY BONUSES

REFERENCE TO “WAGES OF SIN” DEPLORED (New Zealand Press Association) ROTORUA, November 4. “It is reported that one of the other party, commenting on our proposals to give a baby bonus and to raise the family allowance to 15s a week, made a remark about the wages of sin,’ said the Leader of the Opposition (Mr Nash) at Rotorua last night. ‘7 hope it has been misreported and will be denied, for it was a terrible thing to say,” he added. “If a man had said it I would like to look inside his mind, tor lam sure there would be something unsavoury there. “But the newspapers say it was a woman who made this terrible comment—and what is more a woman member of Parliament. I say again I hope she has been misreported. “I did not think the lady had said such a thing, but it must be true,” said Mr Nash, “because the same was said by another candidate at. Island Bay, Wellington. Things like that ought never be said.”