CLASS LEGISLATION

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 123, 20 November 1931, Page 4

CLASS LEGISLATION

THE WORKERS SUFFER

LABOUR IN SUBURBS

"... where wealth accumulates, and men decay." The familiar quotation ■was applied by Mr. T. Brindlo to the economic and social condition of New Zealand when opening his campaign at Brooklyn last evening as Labour candidate for the Wellington Suburbs seat. Mr. Brindle accused tho Beform and United Parties of discriminating, even in prosperous times, against the workers and in favour of tho wealthy sections of the community, and advanced Labour's plans for industrial expansion and social progress. Mr. Brindlo, who was introduced by the chairman, Mr. J. B. Finigan, said he felt at home in Brooklyn, because the Labour vote there was always strong. He felt this would bo more than ever so on this occasion, because the people realised that New Zealand was engaged in the greatest struggle in its economic and political history. The people could not thank tho Prime Minister for the opportunity of a General Election, for ho had strenuously opposed an election—until the Coalition was formed and political security was in sight. "Now at last we have Mr. Forbes and Mr. Coates together," Mr. Brindle said. "Mr. Forbes has accepted the Eeform . policy; the Eeform Party itself says so in a circular issued to its branches. "This is now the position. The Ee-form-Party, which was rejected by the people at the last General Election, has its policy accepted as the policy for the Government of tho country, without the people • haying the right to say what they think." Mr. Brindle.recalled tho congratulations extended to Sir Joseph Ward on the occasion of his 74th anniversary in May of last year, and the expressions of appreciation and pride in his record and the record of his party. "I wonder what these people would have to say to-day about the record of the United Party," Mr. Brindle added. . REAL ISSUES SHELVED. Tho United Party, in promising £70,000,000 to the electors at the last election, had aroused visions of prosperity and wealth" in the minds of many electors, who believed the haunting dread of poverty would soon disappear. Hook, line, and sinker, the United Party had swallowed tho Eeform policy. Mter persistent assurance that the United Party would never attach itself to tho Eeform Party, Mr. Forbes was now found on the same political platform fighting Labour —fighting. in terms which had no real meaning. ..•whatever, except to lead the people.,away from the main problems of this Dominion. The Coalition manifesto, which Btrangely enough was issued on Friday 13th November —an unlucky coincidence, surely-^held no hopo whatsoever for the people of New Zealand. All of its provisions were governed by the overriding condition of the public finances. .. Despite the prosperous years which followed the well-known wage cuts of 1922 despite the rise in wool prices from £11 a bale to £31 a bale, no steps were taken by the Eeform Government to restore the wage cuts of the working, people. This omission, together with'the crop of class legislation which characterised the Eeform administration, showed clearly enough that this political- group possessed no feelings.,whatever for the mass of the peeipie.' • ■ ,-• ~ ■ 'VTe't {when.. the people were asked to vbte-for Coates and confidence in 1925 they did so. To-day the people were asked only for confidence, but Mr. Coates, who had led this extravagant and partisan Government, was behind the appeal, CONTROLLED OVERSEAS. Turning to the record .of the United Government, Mr. Brindle rewinded his audience of Mr. Forbes's renunciation of the sustenance provisions of the Unemployment Act immediately upon his return to New Zealand from-the Imperial Conference in February iast. His attitude, which had been dictated by the financial interests overseas, represented a remarkable change of front on the part of the Prime Minister^ and was responsible ultimately 'for.the establishment of the re--lief camps throughout the Dominion. "Why/ Mr, Brindle said, "if we leave affair's'in the hands of this Government much'longer, New Zealand will ,be nothing , but'a. huge relief camp; we will all bp 'in it." ' . , Thess overseas financial interests had influenced?the whole collapse of the priee-ilevel and had practically placed this 33oijiiBi6n, • along with many other countries^ into the. hands of the bankers 'Some unseen interests had said values;had'fallen— and values fell. The drastic reduction of our national income which';;naturally followed this manipulation of ,our. produce values had of course.tp'be^handled. .The Prime Minister' called 'an emergency session, of Parliament, and, instead of distributing equitably any sacrifice which might have been necessary,, tho salaries of tho workers,' high and low, were slashed without any regard for ability to Pfiy' THE WORKER'S WEALTH. Had justice been done, the workers would have received an increase, because of the increased wealth which had accrued from their labours over the past few years. The - injustice was to be found, however, in the fact that the vastly increased return from tho added wealth passed into tho pockets of a few, as statistics very clearly lihowed. A similar discrimination was shown in the income-tax assessments, which revealed that although the assessable income had doubled in the few years prior to 1929, the income tax collected had been reduced by 50 per cent. Tho well-known quotation, "... whero wealth accumulates and men decay," had a peculiarly appropriate application to this country to-day. The standard o| -living- had been raided to balance the- national Budget. But the repercussions, of, the wage cuts made the last eedhoinic state far worse than the first. Every section o£ business had suffered —except the large manufacturers, who told the Parliamentary Economic Comniittee that the cut was too small to pass on to the purchasing community. So they put it in their pockets!

The basis or taxation, was wrong, Mr. Brindle went on.' While there were assessable incomes, amounting to £13,000,000 in the. hands of those receiving more than £1000 a year, cind £26,000,000 distributed, among those with £500 a year, it was clear that huge sums could bo taken in taxation from shoulders which could well afford to bear the burden. ' ' . .'■ ■ UNWANTED MEN. ; The distressing problem of unemployment was briefly dealt with : by Mr. Brindle, who said even a beast was seldom unwanted. Horses and other animals were never allowed to starve. Yet there were 50,000 unwanted men in New Zealand to-day. Possibly if the figures were available, it would be found that closo on 100,000 persons were without work and without any prospect of permanent jobs. Many of them were without food; some without shelter. _ - Labour's objective was to organise industry upon a scientific basis sd the machine would again become the instrument of man instead of man remaining the slave, of machinery, as was the position to-day. ■ The development of the country's natural resources would be followed^ by a progressive policy of secondary industrial expansion, governed primarily by a system oi controlled credit through a State bank and supplemented by judicious regulation of the social system. Since" the State had como to the assistance of the Bank of New Zealand this institution had never looked back. The control of the country's credit should be removed from the hands of the private financiers.' . *At the' conclusion of the meeting a vote of thanks and confidence was accorded the candidate, and appreciation, was expressed of Mr. Brindle's services to the Labour cause.