A LABOUR MANIFESTO

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 7, 8 July 1938, Page 8

A LABOUR MANIFESTO

(To the Editor.)

Sir, —Mr. W. H. Hemingway writes at length in ypur issue of July 4, and in the course of his letter critically examines a manifesto of the Labour Party, which manifesto he admits is an old one. Some paris of the manifesto he says strongly savour of the Russian system; other parts he says are vague. Now I am'not concerned to defend the manifesto; or to explain, it, but what I would like to know is what is Mr. Hemingway's alternative? In his concluding paragraph he writes: "If the, result of Socialism is to be a mere pension of 30s per week for 80 per cent, of the peqple on attaining -60 years of age—well, give us the old system under which the Dominion has been built up to its present state. Otherwise the : outlook is $ gloomy one indeed." Now I think for vagueness that paragraph would take some beating. It refers to a "mere" pension of 30s per # week for 80 r per cent, of the people. Does that mean that Mr. Hemingway would prefer a larger sum for more people? ' The word "mere" seems to imply that he would. He says, in effect, "If 30s per week at 60 is all this Government can do^—well, give us the, old system under which the Dominion has been built up." What old system does he^refer to? The system which provided no pension at all! The system which left the old dependent on charity and the sick and the maimed scarcely cared for at all. The system which meant long hours of work at poo,r.pay'for the many, and leisure and riches for the.few.' The system which robbed children of their childhood and sent them to work instead of to school. Is that the system /whitih^-Mr. "Hemingway, prefers to one v/hidh'promises to provide a "mere" 30s per week at 60? He says that if we ;do not get back the old system "the outloqfk is a gloomy one indeed." Well, methinks the very mention of the old system makes "thousands of folks feel gloomy, for they remember the gloomy times the old system meant for them. It may be that some parts of the manifesto and some actions of the present Government. are open to criticism, but it was very largely because the old system produced such gloomy times that the" Labour Government came into power; and what I would like to know is what would Mr. •Hemingway do? What old system would he have brought back, and will he please tell us how he proposes to set about going backwards?—l,-am, etc., • : . , ' ' ../'■, ••'■.■'■'■ ; ■ ■ ' '

TOM BLOODWGRTH. Legislative Council, July 7, 1938. r;.