VOICE OF LABOUR

Dominion, Volume 25, Issue 155, 28 March 1932, Page 5

VOICE OF LABOUR

Government Criticised MEETING AT TRADES HALL The Government was freely criticised by the four speakers at a public meeting held by the Labour Party at the Trades Hall last evening. Mr. H. G. R. Mason, M.P. for Auckland Suburbs and president of the New Zealand party, presided over an audience that was larger than the seating capacity of the hall, many people having to stand along the wall and in the entrance corridor at the rear of the building. Mr. Mason said the actions of the present Government were in striking contrast to those of Governments in days gone by. New Zealand had encountered difficulties in the past, but had surmounted them by initiative and showed herself capable of leading the rest of the world instead of following it. Utter hopelessness characterised the present Government. Everywhere there was misery in the face of the utmost abundance. Mr. F. Jones, M.P. for Dunedin South, saiji that if the recommendations of the National Expenditure'Commission in respect to education were adopted the children of the workers would suffer. The Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Amendment Bill meant the abolition of the Arbitration Court. Proposals of a constructive nature were required to absorb the boys and girls leaving school in the trades and professions. All the Government seemed concerned about was to make the country a nation of farm labourers. The Government had no proposals for developing the secondary industries. He- believed that if New Zealand were to get out of her difficulties more attention would have to be paid to the secondary industries. If Labour were placed in power it would do something to make New Zealand a more self-contained country than it had been in the past. Mr. D. W. Coleman, M.P. for Gisborne, said that New Zealand could have escaped the dire effects of unemployment bad it been wisely governed. Few businessmen to-day favoured a reduction in salaries and- wages, and every day petitions were being presented to Parliament praying that there be no further reductions. They had come to realise that wage-reduc-tion was no remedy for unemployment, but that it only aggravated the position. ( “I believe Mr. Forbes and Mr. Coates are the two best organisers the Labour movement has ever had; they are doing their work well and in the long run Labohr will get the benefit of it,” said Mr.’ H. T. Armstrong. M.P. for Christchiireh East. ■He was a thorough believer in the policy advocated by Mr. Lang in New South Wales. What were Mr. Lang’s outrageous proposals? He had asked the moneylenders, considering the period of depression Australia was going through, to wait for two years for their interest in order that the money sent abroad by way of interest could be used to organise industry, and get the unemployed back to work, and to give Australia a chance. In proportion to population New Zealand was sending more abroad than Australia for the payment of interest. Their first consideration should be their own people.