LABOUR GOVERNMENT

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 73, 23 September 1938, Page 11

LABOUR GOVERNMENT

A NOISY MEETING

MINISTER IN WAIKATO

(By Telegraph—Press Association.)

HAMILTON, This Day.

A noisy meeting with an audience of about 70 that was definitely hostile but well behaved, awaited the Minister of Agriculture (the Hon. Lee Martin) at ' Te Rapa last night. Questions indicated the hostility of the audience, only one sympathetic question being put to! the Minister. Frequent interjections and heckling interrupted the Minister's 15 address, and a constable on duty at the j hall had occasion to speak to one or J .two interjectors. A lull followed, but the interruptions were renewed later. The meeting, which consisted almost entirely of farmers, showed itself particularly resentful of the guaranteed price, Socialism, and the social security scheme. Feelings were displayed from the outset. Mr. C. Wise presided. The Labour Party's idea of Socialism was defined by the Minister. He said it was untrue that the Labour Government was going to socialise the whole of New Zealand. It all depended on what was expressed by the word "socialise." New Zealand had gone a long way towards Socialism before the Labour Party came into power. There .*■ was no truth in the statement that the Labour Government was going to confiscate the people's savings or interfere with the rights of inheritance or the rights of freehold. A voice: What did Mr. Langstone say? Mr. Lee Martin: Mr. Langstone has given freehold to 1082 persons. What he said was that as far as Crown land was concerned he would not grant freehold, and I agree with him. Continuing, the Minister said that the Labour Party view was that what the State could do best it should do and what the individual could do best tie should do. In reply to a question the Minister said that the socialisation of the means of production, distribution, and exchange was not on the Labour Party's platform but was one of the party's i objectives. That objective could only be achieved by the will of the people. The Government had no intention of socialising land until the people wanted it. The moment a Government went beyond what the people wanted it would meet trouble. The Labour Government had never passed one measure which would assist in the socialisation of land. Legislation was there; it was placed there by someone else. The Minister added that nothing would be undertaken that was not on - the platform announced by the Prime Minister. GUARANTEED PRICE. •' Discussing the guaranteed price, he : \ said that the Government had lived up to its promise and had given the farmer*stability and the enjoyment of 1 a decent standard of living. He knew . -'• that the average farmer wa.s satisfied > with the present price. A voice: No, he is not. ( In answer to a question, the Minister ] said that if any Waikato farmer want- ( ed labour he (the Minister) would ( undertake to find a man .for .him, and ( if the man was not a good one the ( Government would give the farmer \ assistance to enable.him to be trained. A vote of no-confidence in the Minister was moved by a member of the audience, who, said that the Govern- \ ment itself had shown no confidence in l him because it had appointed another i Minister as Minister of Marketing. c ..The Minister explained that the i speaker did not understand the posi- j ] tion. Marketing was always dealt with j 1 by somebody other than the Minister < of Agriculture. £ - A motion tof no confidence in the Government was then proposed. Before - it was seconded a speaker said that I while he had been one of the Minister's * \ critics ;he .wanted to be fair and say J '" that the Government had done good work with regard to the eradication of ragwort. He then moved a vote of thanks. It was not put to the meeting ' but was carried by applause. A