A NATIONAL PLAN

Evening Post, Volume CXVII, Issue 65, 17 March 1934, Page 10

A NATIONAL PLAN

TIME FOE STOCKTAKING

LABOUR LEADER SUMS UP

(By Telegraph.—I 'res> Aisni.iatu.ii.) GORE, March 16. Speaking at Gore tonight, the Leader of the Opposition (Mr. M. J. Savage) said that the time was long overdue for a proper placing of production and overseas trade. ■ The present tendency was to restrict existing forms of production by means of the introduction of a quota. If Dominion exports were to be restricted there appeared to be only one logical alternative, namely, to build a home market. That could be done only by the development of New Zealand industries.

New Zealand woollens,- he said, were among the best in the world, and in many other lines Dominion products would compare favourably with the best imported. There was no reason for waiting for other countries to move before beginning to put our own house in order. Children leaving school were entitled to expect remunerative positions in the work of building industries. If we could not exchange our primary products for the manufactures of other countries there was only one reasonable thing left and that was to exchange the greater percentage of primary products with additional manufactures and services in our own country. The time had come for a stock-taking, and after having considered natural resources and external commitments we should begin a national plan of reconstruction.

With an annual expenditure of well over £4,000,000 on questionable forms of relief work on which all kinds of skilled labour were at present employed, it was not difficult' to form some estimate of the real cost of the large part of our imports which might have been produced in. the Dominion. Planning of external-trade wav of equal importance, and immediate steps should be taken to enter into definite agreements with otlier parts of the British Commonwealth with/the object of exchanging primary products for goo<is that could not be economically produced in the Dominion. Goods which must be imported should enter New Zealand free of duty. There was no logical argument in favour of tariffs in the case of goods which must be imported. ■

Mr. Savage was accorded a vote of thanks and confidence.