CASE FOR LABOUR

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 125, 29 May 1928, Page 11

CASE FOR LABOUR

POLICY OUTLINED ADDRESS BY MR. HOLLAND (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) :. ■" GREYMOUTH, 2Stli May. Speaking to a large audience at Matainui this evening, Mr. H. E.Holland Leader of the Opposition, made a statement with respect to the Labour Party.'s policy in connection with- tho forthcoming elections. Mr. Holland said the Labour' Party was not committed to either "a protectionist or a free trade policy. .. They would certainly reduce tho indirect taxes, and would ultimately abolish all Customs duties on goods which could not be produced in New Zealand, but such industries as wore natural to the country—namely, 'the primary industries, including timber and coal and certain secondary industries —would' be safeguarded, and fostered. To facilitate this, on coming into they would institute the most searching inquiry into the various industries to establish beyond dispute which of them were economic. In a lino with the decision of their last conference, said Mr. Holland, the Labour Party would go to the country definitely pledged in the event of their becoming the Government to enact into law specified proposals. Included in those would be ■ the following provisions ••-•-I'or breaking up and bringing into closer settlement the larger landed properties by more steeply grading the laud tax against the larger estates, and also by the acquisition (through purchase by negotiation where possible and. by compulsory purchase whore necessary) of large areas now inadequately worked;'the establishment of a Stato bank, with the sole right of note issue; provision for agricultural banking and the organisation of finance an£ credit with a view to lowering the rate of interest, and thus lightening the burden of the farming community and of secondary ■ industries; legislation to make fire and accident insurance a State monopoly; the establishment of the basic wage and increased family al^ lowances; unemployment insurance 'on the lines of the Bill introduced on behalf of tho party in 1926; also an amendment of the Workers' Compensation Act on the basis of the Bills recently introduced by the Labou^ Party; invalidity pensions, and increased pen-, sions' for the aged, tho widows, the blind, and the victims of miners' phthisis; the effective organisation of the production and distribution of coal and timber; amendment of the Education Act to provide for free scho'o) books and utensils}.teachers' right of .appeal against non-appointment; basing teachers' salaries on the roll number instead of the average attendance; pay- ' ment of teachers' removal expenses; reduction of abnormally large classes, and the abolition of overcrowding; the abolition of boy conscription, and the reorganisation of the defence system; a vigorous and yet careful works policy would be pursued, works now partially completed would be pushed along,. and wherever the needs of the primary and secondary producing interests were found to demand road or rail access they would be promptly met administratively. He said the Labour Government would exercise whatever measure in influence the Dominion'possessed in the councils of the British Commonwealth in.the direction of world peace and to secure the settlement of all international disputes by arbitration instead of by war. They would honour New Zealand's signature to the Peace Treaty by making provision for the representation of the Dominion at the League of Nations' International Labour Conference; they 'would restore to tho people of Samoa the right of fair trial in ac-; ■ cordance with the established principles of British jurisprudence; they would recall the banishment and deportation orders which had been made without trial, and would meet the Samoans on a basis of conciliation and justice; tho Labour Party would safeguard the economic interests of . the Samoan producers of enpra by nationalising the marketing of that commodity. He was convinced- that under a Labour Government there would be no insurmountable difficulty, in administering the mandate from the League of Nations.