PRINCIPLES IGNORED

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

PRINCIPLES IGNORED

Labour Party Criticized DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE

FOR HUTT

Alaintainiug that the present leaders of the Labour Party had repudiated the principles for which they once stood so vehemently, Air. P. Connors, the Democratic Labour candidate for Hutt, speaking nt Petone lust night, said this had amounted to a betrayal of many of their life-long supporters. They had failed to put into effect the monetary policy which they had once so strongly advocated, and had adopted policies forpign to those they had preached for so many years, lie said that both the Labour and the National Parties of today consisted of “yes-men,’ but Democratic Labour consisted of those wlio had never deviated from the road on which they bad always marched. He criticized the manpower situation, and said it was impossible for people with families to maintain a decent living standard under the conditions of today. John A. Loe, he said, bad been expelled from the Labour Party because he was true to bis principles. Conscription Issue.

Alanpower appeared to bo the problem of the day. said Air. Connors, who considered that militarily. New Zealand was heavily over-committed, for a country with such a small population. Both Britain and the United States hud . taken steps to guard against such a mistake. The Now Zealand Division should never have, been sent beyond the defence area of New Zealand. Air. Fraser had said that if the Allies had lost the battle of the Coral Sea. New Zealand would have been in grave danger, but he took on such action, like Mr. Curtin had, to adjust the situation by bringing back the New Zealand Division as Australia had done with the A.T.F.. now fighting magnificently in Now Guinea. It had always been'a plank of Labour’s policy that there should bo no” conscription in New Zealand without a referendum of the people, but that had been thrown over. Men who had refused to fight in the last war had gone round flag-waving and advocating conscription. New Zealand could have raised all the troops required without conscription. There had been no need for conscription and direction of labour in this country. There was no need to send girls into the army to wash dishes for n.c.o.’s and officers. Both Air. AlcLagan and Air. I) raser realized that there was going to be a shortage of manpower, bnt they were doing nothing to stop it. The New Zealand' Division in Europe had done a magnificent job. Always they had performed as shock troops, with the Australians. They should be brought, back to New Zealand and released info industry. There had been a hue and cry from the Labour Party when formerly the Hon. R. Masters was brought out of the Legislative Council into Cabinet, continued Air. Connors. The Labour Party had called it unconstitutional, but what iiad they done themselves? They had done exactly the same thing. To belong to the Labour or National Parties was to be a “yes-man,” but John A. Leo was not one of those. Three men not elected to Parliament had been elevated to Cabinet tank by Labour. Those spineless people who called themselves Socialists had said John Lee had no courage. Ho had been decorated on the fields of France, and he should lie decorated for his work in the political field. He was a man who could not be bribed with offers of high office. The Monetary System.

Dealing with the monetary system, Air. Connors said Labour had preached that if it got. into power it would nationalize the banking, credit and currency in this country, placing its control, in the hands of the people. The banking system of this country had to 'be socialized to make money 'the servant and not the master ol the people. The banks had not been taken over, and Labour claimed that they were .working in close co-operation with the Government. Rothschild had said that, given the control of finance, he did not care what Government made the laws. Lincoln had said the financial institutions were his greatest foe. . That was still true. Alen had 'been knighted for making profits out of wars. AA’hat would happen to the toddlers who were running about the streets today? AA’ere they going to be the soldiers of the next war? The only way to stop it was by the abolition of money power. . The soldiers of today would be the civilians of tomorrow, and money was required for rehabilitation. There could be no such thing without. . a new financial policy. New industries had to be started and built for the benefit of New Zealand and there was no prospect of that being done unless the monetary system was drastically revised, as the people were taxed up to the eyes. The Democratic Labour Party believed in the control of credit, and. would use it sensibly. Alothers were entitled, to full, motherhood endowment, irrespective ot the husband’s income. Democratic Labour did not care whether a farmer had a freehold or a leasehold, as long as there was not a mortgage or a bank-hold, it believed that all medical benefits under the social security system should be free, and favoured the clinic system. Democracy should start in the schoolroom. The professions of ten. were not the privilege of ability, but ot the sons and daughters of wealthy parents. The working man’s child should have the same opportunity. Boys who should be learning trades and professions today were ni the Territorial Army, with uncompleted training and unfinished education. ’['he civil servants were the poorest paid in the community for the service they •rave Alany of them had to seek work on the waterfront at weekends iu order to keep their wives and families. AV ho, with a wife and four children toclii.j’, could afford to pay £l6 for a suit.. Jue income tax exemptioin for the maintenance of a wife was only H>o. Ihe husband often had to pay £- to £3 for rent out of his wages. It was impossible to have a decent living standard under present conditions. , .... Air. AA’. H. Dickson presided and the speaker was accorded a unanimous vote of thanks and confidence.