WHEAT INDUSTRY

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 74, 24 September 1938, Page 20

WHEAT INDUSTRY

LABOUR'S POLICY DEFENDED

(By Telegraph—Press Association.) TIMARU, September 23. The Minister of Industries and Commerce, the Hon. D. G. Sullivan, addressed a gathering of 350 in the Geraldine Town Hall tonight. The speaker dealt with the wheat industry, detailing investigations he had made during a tour of the wheat areas of Canter-

bury, South Canterbury, and North Otago. As a result the price had been increased sixpence. Some members of Parliament in the North Island had adopted a critical attitude to the industry, and some South Island members had not been altogether helpful, but he felt it would ' be fatal to let an industry on which 60,000 people depended go out of existence. The speaker said he endured a good deal of criticism of his action in placing an embargo on the importa-j tion of wheat and flour, but. the industry had been saved, and he contended that there was no better system in the world for handling wheat, flour, and bread than that introduced by the Labour Government. The Minister classed as rubbish the National Party's contention that the present election would be fought on the grounds of Socialism versus private enterprise. Opponents dare not tackle them on the record of .the Labour Government and had to bring forward a fake issue. Mr. Sullivan denied a statement that Labour intended to socialise farms and retail businesses, and spent some time on expounding the improvement in the railway service under Ministerial control. He also denied a charge that the cost of living had risen to a point to deprive people of any benefit under legislation which had been passed.