COMPLETE SOCIALISM

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 78, 29 September 1938, Page 24

COMPLETE SOCIALISM

LABOUR'S AIM

MR. HOWLETT AT OHIRO BAY

I "The Labour Party has the legislation ready for the complete socialisation of New Zealand," declared Mr. D. P. Howlett, National candidate for Wellington South, when addressing a large audience at Ohiro Bay Schoolroom last evening. "That means the socialisation of the means of production, distribution, and exchange. The members of the present Government are pledged to -Socialism, and Socialism is the first stage of Communism. Government members are I cloaking the issue just now while the election is on, but if they are returned to power they will immediately put their plans into operation." j New Zealand could not have complete Socialism, the speaker went on, without the State owning the land, a process upon which the Labour Government had already embarked by | commandeering the farmers' produce and controlling the internal marketing of all produce as well. Mr. Howlett. warned his audience, not to fall into the error into which many of the Labour Party's adherents had fallen in confusing social reform with Socialism. The greatest social reforms in this country had been instituted before the Labour Party _had had any influence upon our politics and had been designed and executed by previous Governments and great social administrators. The Industrial Cqnciliation and Arbitration Act, the franchise for women, old age pensions, and family allowance, free and compulsory education, school., dental clinics, blind pensions, miners' pensions, and many other social ameliorations had been propounded and placed into operation by Labour's predecessors and were not due in any way to the Labour Party. SOCIALISM THE. BASIS.

Mr. Howlett quoted from a pamphlet written by the late Mr. H.. E.J Holland upon which, the speaker said, the New Zealand Labour Party i had been founded. These principles showed unquestionably that the. Labour Party was based upon Socialism and was pledged to the complete abolition of capitalism. A voice: That was 30 or 40 years j ago. , Mr. Howlett: Yes, but they have not changed. Their policy is the The voice: Your party has not changed. It is the same old gang. Mr. Howlett: We are a new party, and we are not responsible for any mistake of the old Government. The issue today, the speaker added, was a straight-out contest between Democracy and Socialism. If Labour went in again he believed they would do so with a majority of the votes of the people. If on the other hand the National Party won the coming fight, it would possess a majority of the people's votes. This was a state of affairs which had been impossible under the split-vote system. The choice lay in the people's own hands. "Unfortunately," he added, "we have another crisis upon us which might involve us in war, and it is necessary that the electors should give more than usual consideration to the choice of their administrative An interjector: Are you suggesting that the National Party is more sympathetic and more loyal than the Labour Party? Mr. Howlett: I did not say that. Mr. Savage and his Ministers have stated that we will be'behind England in a crisis. But what did these men say when the last war occurred? They were not behind England then.. The interjector: We can all learn. Mr. Howlett: We are all out to learn, but the members, of the present Cabinet have shown significant inconsistency in this respect. Asked by a questioner if the National Party agreed with the reforms introduced by the Labour Party in the past three years, Mr. Howlett said the objectives of the two parties were wide apart and the. National Party could not subscribe to the Socialistic aims of the Labour Party. They differed in fundamentals and in policy. At the conclusion, a vote of thanks was accorded Mr. Howlett and confidence was expressed in his candidature.

Mr. H. C. Wilton presided,