PROGRESS OUTLINED

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 70, 24 March 1938, Page 20

PROGRESS OUTLINED

LABOUR GOVERNMENT

ADDRESSES BY MINISTERS

(By Telegraph—Press .Association.) ; WESTPOR1!*, March' 23,

The Minister of Mines, and member for the Buller electorate (the Hon. P. C. Webb), and the Minister of Public iWorks (the Hon. R. Semple), addressed a large and enthusiastic audience in the Friendly Societies' Hall this evening. The Mayor, Mr. J. Kilkenny, presided. In the course of his address, Mr. Webb'referred to the improvement in the unemployment situation under the Labour Government and, dealing with the projected steel works, said that private enterprise had fallen down on the job and the Government was determined to expend £5,000,000 in establishing the works. No one at present knew where' those works were to be built Experts would go fully into the question, and if they decided that Westport was the ideal place, Westport would have the works. ■ . The Minister t also, dealt with housing, mentioning the great strides made in the erection of houses. •Tenders for the erection of, seven houses in Westport had brought no response. The Minister said; Mr. Hamilton was worrying 'about a\ spendthrift Government, but all workers were putting up records in savings banks. Mention was made of the poor wages ruling when the Labour Government took over, and of the. greatly improved position today. Who suffered most during the depression? he asked. Business could not have prospered on empty stomachs. Thirty millions, of money were driven out of business and all this was changed when: the Labour Government came into power. The. farmer was given a guaranteed price and given security on his land. , The Minister enumerated various other directions in which he said benefits had been conferred on the people under the Labour Government s rule. If the Opposition came into power Buller would suffer worse than ever. The West Coast was coming into its own 1 and it"would.become the Taranaki of the South: Island. ,The old slave "crimps were gone and improved educational facilities and benefits in public health and universal' superannuation were included in the Government's'policy. ' • Mr. Semple dealt at1 length" with the public works policy. Improved methods had'" -produced better results for Labour,'he said,-and general benefits to -the- community. - Deeds . counted greater than .words. "We have done all-we could.. When our time.is up ,we can look New Zealand in the face and. say without a quiver that we have done the maximum that human beings could do," he said. * Votes of thanks to speakers and confidence in the Labour .Government were' carried, unanimously. Later, a deputation waited , oa the Ministers regarding the steel works and' obtained an assurance that Westport's claims to be the -site of ,the works .would be fully considered when the experts had made their reports.