CONTEST OF IDEAS

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 120, 17 November 1931, Page 5

CONTEST OF IDEAS

MR. SEMPLE AT MIRAMAR

INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT

A policy for the development of the primary, and secondary industries of the Dominion .'-.was outlined by Mr. •K. Somple, the.Labour candidate for Wellington East, at Miramar last night. tliQ president,'"of tho Miramar Progressive 'Association (Mr. X 0. Thornton), who presided, referred to Mr. Somple's fine work on behalf of the district on the City Council and in Parliament. "This election will be a contest of ideas,." said Mr. Sernple. He said that the Dominion was experiencing tho effects of a depression which was worldwide, but it was not enough to point to what was happening in other countries. New Zealand was a country with tremendous natural resources, and it was tho responsibility of those in public life to-day to place beforo the people a plan for the development of those resources for the benefit of the people as a whole. One of the foremost planks in the Labour Party's platform waa tho establishment of a State Bank, with: the sole right of. note issue. The-people's credit, to-day was being controlled by a small group of international, financiers^ who literally had control of- the destinies of the human -race. These people, dictated to the present Government, which reduced wages and reduced the standard of living of the people, but refused to reduce interest rates. STATE BANK fS FUNCTION. A State Bank would control interest rates, and would not allow the private banks to strangle1 the activities of the nation. As the' result of the manipulation of currency and credit by the financiers, there were in New Zealand over 50,000 malo workers unemployed and facing starvation. One man with eleven childcrn who had come to him had shown that his children were being forced to live on 5d per day. Such a state of affairs had not been brought about by a . scarcity of commodities,because there was never a time when there were more commodities in the country, but as soon as any.scheme for tho development of the natural resources was put forward it was met with the cry that there was not enough money. In the last six years the deposits in tho banks had increased by £13,490,855, and the private wealth from 1014 to 1929 had inereasod from £285,500,000 to £725,500,000. Yet in the face of these figures tho Government said that New .Zealand was impoverished. There was no shortage of goods and, no shortage of money; all that was 'required was statesmanship and courage. A VITAL NEED, ; Mr. Sample said that ono of the vital needs of the country was an improved transport system, which would facilitate the transport of the farmer's produce to its destination and thus reduce costs, and tho Labour Party proposed to tackle tho transport problem in a scientific way. It would be the policy of a Labour Government to open up the backbloaks with good roads which would ensure speedy and efficient transport to the settler, and surely this was a better policy than wasting money on useless railway construction. Side by sido with the development of the land, the Labour Party would foster secondary industries which would utiliso the natural resources of the Dominion and make New Zealand less dependent on overseas markets. There were wonderful possibilities in the flax industry. A young Dunedin scientist had shown that New Zealand flax could be manufactured into wool bales, sacks, and scrim superior to similar articles made out of iute and at present being importod from India. Over £600,000 worth of manufactured jute was being imported at the present time, and if an industry for the manufacture of flax fibre were established in New Zealand it would give employment for 5000 people. When ho had placed the proposition before the Prime Minister he had received neither encouragement nor hope. He had asked that the Government develop the industry as a State monopoly, and when this suggestion was turned down he urged tho Government to'give protection to a company which desired to exploit the scheme. After- six months' delay the Government had decided to protect the industry, and now it was

boasting that it was giving encouragement to' tho flax industry. The whole thing was a fine example of political cannibalism. If the industry could capture the Australian market —and he was confident it could—it would give employment for 100,000 people. POSSIBILITIES IN COAL. Scientists had proved that the oxtraction of high-grade oil from brown coals was a commercial proposition, but in spite of the fact that the case for the establishment of coal carbonisation and pulverisation had been proved up to the hilt the Government was to allow tho Dominion to spend over ,€3,000,006 per annum on imported petrol. New Zealand had sufficient coal to last for another 500 years, and an industry on these lines would bo worth about £10,000,000 per year to the country. Instead of showing enterprise tho Government was content to let.the young manhood of tho country work 47 hours a week for 10s per week. These young men were subjected to worse conditions than the enforced labourers in Russia. Unless new industries were developed there would beno openings for tho boys and girls leaving the schools and colleges. The Government had spent £13,000,000 .on wildcat hydroelectric schemes, of which Arapuni was a glorious example. Already £4,000,000 had been spent there, and it was not going yet.' When it did go it would not go for long. Mangahao had also proved most unsatisfactory,'and it would have been better had the Government harnessed the Hutt rivor. The woollen and the leather" industries could also bo profitably exploited. Mr. Semple said that he was confident that if ■-.his suggestions .were carried out there would be no need for the young men of the Dominion to be set "tickling the earth with a long-handled shovel for 10s . per week." Nothing could'be mote terrible.' SCIENTIFIC MARKETING. The Labour Party also stood for the scientific marketing of- tho Dominion's produce' abroad. Denmark was- ahead of New Zealand in this respect, but apparently nothing was being done to remedy the position. Labour advocated a reduction in interest rates, because it contended that the farmer who had bought land at peak prices and the worker who had'purchased a homo before his wages had been "cilt could not now meet tho interest bill. If it waa right to cut tho rates of pay of unoxpired awards it was right that interest also should be subject to reduction. ' During the last session the Government had removed the graduated land tax, and had made a gift to the wealthy farmers of £312,000 per annum. It had also taken £250,000 from the Highways Fund for the purpose of giving1 the rural ratepayer a rebate of 12} per cent on his rates, but had excluded tho cities from any benefits under this scheme. It was now asking for a free hand, and had .promised further economies which would be made at the expense of the workers. A reduction in tho Education Vote had been promised, and there would be further retrenchments in the Civil Service. Tho United Party had broken every pledge of its platform. - In conclusion, Mr. Semplo made an appeal to the electors to support the constructive policy of the Labour' Party. • A vote of thanks and confidence in tho candidate was carried unanimously.