LABOUR PARTY

Dominion, Volume 24, Issue 105, 28 January 1931, Page 11

LABOUR PARTY

Attitude in House

GOVERNMENTS POSITION

Complications Likely

POLITICAL GROUPINGS Tha general political situation may be said to have gained added interest within the past few days as the result of a statement being freely circulated to the effect that the Labour Party will in future give no support whatever to the Government in the House. This statement is denied in official Labour quarters where it is reported that no consideration has been given to the point either by the Parliamentary Labour Party or by the National Executive.

In spite of this, denial, the question has been discussed persistently in political circles recently, and the opinion is that the general situation has become definitely more complicated as a result of assertions that the Labour Party in the House, under pressure from other sections of the movement, cannot hope to continue its present policy of qualified support for the Government. Up to the present the Labour vote has saved the life of the Government on more than one occasion, and the termination by the Labour Party of its tacit understanding to keep the United Party in office may lead to an interesting position. • ,- . The statement is made that the Alliance of Labour has chiefly been responsible for the decision of the Parilamentary Labour Party not to give tne Government further support, although it is pointed out that the Parliamentary section of the Labour movement has riot had a full meeting since the close of last session. It is known, however, that the alliance has not been at all pleased with the attitude adopted in the past two sessions by Labour members in the House, and this is not the first occasion on which it has endeavoured to dictate a definite line of political action. Early Session Question.

One of the questions awaiting decision by the Government is whether an early session of Parliament will be called to deal with issues of national Importance arising out of the present economic depression. Should the Labour Party withhold further support from those on the Treasury benches, as it appears it would be bound to do when called upon to vote upon the issues Parliament would inevitably have to decide, the Government would be faced with the alternative course of looking toward the Opposition for support. It is generally conceded that it would be entirely useless calling Parliament together for a special session unless t e Government had ready a definite legislative programme designed to meet present difficulties. One of the outstanding questions of the moment relating to the economic depression in general and the unemployment situation in particular is the disparity between labour costs and the productive value of labour. Io adjust this position would probably be one of the questions Parliament would have to face, and in overcoming the difficulty the variation of Arbitration Court awards by general order would be one proposal to be considered. , Although the Reform Opposition is not definitely committed on this Point, it stands for a general reduction of costs tn harmony with the fall in prices for primary products and could be expect;*! to stand for action taken to that end. From this the fact emerges that one ot the main things Parliament might oe called upon to do could be carried out without the Government having to rely npon the vote of the Labour Party. Relief Works Wages. Linked with the question of wages generally is that of the rates of pay on relief works. It has been suggested that the Goverrfment might have to consider these rates, and as the policy of the Reform Party is definitely against the payment of standard rates on relief works, the support of the Labour Party would once igain be of no concern to the Government in any action it might take in this direction. In any case the Labour. Party is understood to be definitely opposed to the Prime "Minister’s policy, as revealed in a statement last week, that no sustenance money will be paid without work being done. A serious problem is already being faced by the Labour movement as the result of this statement and certain developments are expected in the near future. It was revealed last week by Mr. R. Semple, Labour member for Wellington East, that when the Labour Party helped to vote the Reform Party out of office, it accepted a pledge from the Leader of the United Party that relief rates of pay -would be raised to the trade union standard. If, as stated, the Government should reconsider the position, the political situation may become even more Involved. The financial problems of the farmers would also engage the attention of Parliament during a special session. This is one of the questions upon which the Government would be assured of the cooperation of the Opposition in finding a helpful solution. Criticism of Labour Party. The view in Government quarters is that the Prime Minister will not hesitate to call Parliament if that is considered necessary, but the pros and cons of the question have not been fully weighed. The attitude of the Labour \ Party in the House would be an important consideration, but it is stated that if the condition of the country should call for a special ? session, that would not weigh with the Prime Minister in making his decision. Both during and since the session the Government has been strongly criticised by members of the Labour Party, and the session ended in October upon a very hostile note, sounded from the Labour benches. , In any event the statements made from those benches on the last night of the session to the effect that the party should have voted the Government out long before, are bound to have their repercussions in the future attitude of the Labour members.