WATERING-DOWN OF LABOUR’S POLICY

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 304, 18 September 1943, Page 8

WATERING-DOWN OF LABOUR’S POLICY

Promise And Performance LEE PARTY CANDIDATE’S DENUNCIATION

Dominion Special Service. GISBORNE, September li. “Do those Labour supporters who are screaming about the split vote real.y think that their Government has relumed the maximum of progressive peoples legislation?” asked Hie Democratic Labour candidate for Gisborne (Irnate 1. Lvon). when he addressed electors at Nuhaka tonight. “Surely prop e can remember the platform on which Labour was elected in 193t> and I9„b—the talk of Utopia for Hie masses; that all things on the earth were rightly Ihe peoples, a people's Government to give to the masses the means to purchase without stint those things that were rightfully theirs; Hint they alone of ail parties would give the working man the practical realization that he was the wealth of the nation.” AA'hat had really happenedthe candidate went on. Taking only the major planks of the platform on which Labour had been elected and re-elected, it had failed to implement the abolition of the Legislative (Jouncil. it had . introduced conscription in defiance of its principles, it had borrowed externally, it had increased the sales tax, and instead of abolishing boards and the like it had increased them almost beyond reckonlUL)id the people realize the implications of the repudiation of Labour s repeated promise to take control of the banking system and the issue of credit. Instead of doing as it promised. Labour, up to, the start of the war, had increased New Zealand’s interest-bearing commitments to the tune of £200.000,000. It was therefore apparent that Labour had startl’d its retrogressive policy before the war commenced. AVhile the Government allowed the private trading banks to operate, thev had to stay what they had proved themselves to be—-just, yes-men. Private Lyon said that his party s policy was that which the Labour Party had stood for in 1935 and 1938, but had repudiated after the electors had given it two chances to make it effective, AVithout intelligent control of currency and credit in the interests of the people, social services were a farce —merely the taking away from one section of the community, of whom many were workers who could not afford to have anything taken from them, and paying it over to another section. Dealing with pensions. Private Lynn said: “With £120.000,000 this year for the war, I am ashamed of the miserable increase of one shilling for old-age, invalid and veteran pensioners. The shilling is little better than an insult.” For housing he believed in State loans at 1} per cent, so that tho people would not be paying £1 to £l/10/- a week interest, As for rehabilitation they did not want a monstrous scheme of relief works out of borrowed money but an industrial and building programme with money at 1-J per cent, instead of at 4 1-8 per cent. Tackling farmers’ problems. Private Lyon said he stood for the operation of a ’stock and station agency within a State-owned Bank of New Zealand, with farmers’ finance at 1} to lit per cent. Under the guaranteed price farmers were receiving 193 S figures while they had to maintain production on 1943 costs. There should be a steep increase in butter and cheese payouts to compensate for this. Concluding, the candidate quoted two lines from a verse written by the novelist Upton Sinclair when he was contesting tho Californian State Governship election : “Light in our hearts the cleansing fires, and save us from the purchased liars.”