POLITICAL ISSUES

Evening Post, Volume CXXIV, Issue 26, 30 July 1937, Page 8

POLITICAL ISSUES

THE NATIONAL PARTY

LABOUR REFERENCES

1 PEOPLE TO DECIDE

. Reference to the activity of the National Party was made both by the, Hon. P. Fraser and the Prime Minister (the Rt. Hon. M. J. Savage) during their speeches at the , welcome home function tendered to Mr. Savage by the Labour Party yesterday afternoon. . . . Mr. Fraser said it was forecast by the National Party at the last election that with the advent of.the Labour Government, disaster would come and the people's savings would be in danger. To that he" would say that the people had millions more in the savings banks, and that the trade of the country, was vastly impro.vcd. During the period the Prime Minister had been away, their: opponents had been making an effort to consolidate their forces. "So far," said Mr. Fraser, "there is no evidence of either consolidation of forces, as far as I can see. I do not propose to examine closely their organisation, nor do I want to under-estimate it. At present we are beginning a stage in which we can expect the largest possible measure,of opposition." ' They could look in the news columns of certain newspapers—not the leading articles, of which few people took any notice—and they would see big headlines being used by the National Party for propaganda. . It was the most insidious form of propaganda. To counteract that propaganda effectively the people had to be given all the information- as to facts and figures. In the course of his speech, Mr. Savage, said that Mr. Fraser had made reference to their opponents consolidating. "We will be able to see them when they, are consolidated," he continued. "I have not seen any. If some Qf them turned sideways we could not- see them at all. I do not mind criticism; it is helpful; but the other fellow has lo take his medicine, too." •.■.■■..-.■. NO COMPLAINT. Mr. Savage said he would probably be .visiting other centres,, starting at Auckland, when the Hon. "W. Nash arrived on August 12. They would talk to the people of New Zealand, and if consolidation of their opponents would be responsible for the Government's defeat at the next election —he did not anticipate that it would —they would have no complaints. "But I do not think the people of this country will get very much benefit if we'go out, from the people who brought New Zealand to the very lowest ebb as far as prosperity was concerned," he said. "Some people have said that the Government was not responsible for the high prices for wool, but the Government has been responsible for a great deal more equity in the distribution of high prices than any Government that preceded it." Touching on the question1, of high prices, Mr. Savage said that the dairy farmers were realising that. though, they were not getting the prices .they 'thought they should get, they had a feeling of security.. ■ ' , ■ Mr. Fraser: The great majority of dairy farmers are strongly in favour of guaranteed prices. Mr. Savage said he did not know what the compensatory price covered, but he did know what the guaranteed price covered. It was meant to «ive the farmer a share of the Dominion's prosperity. They had men going into the question of prices now. He did not know what they would be, but he did know the Government's p O li cy _to keep the man on .the land and safeguard his freedom. "We may make mistakes, but we are making other things, too; Our predecessors chiefly made mistakes," said Mr Savage. "They are going through the country, and I am going, through the country, too, and I will leave it to the jury of the people and put up with the consequences. But the other fellow will, have to take his gruel— and he is going to.get it. If we had an election tomorrow, the consolidation jof our opponents would not be possible, because they would not be there at'all." -'