FUTURE OF DOMINION

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 79, 30 September 1938, Page 15

FUTURE OF DOMINION

LABOUR'S WISHES

MR. SAVAGE'S ADDRESS

(By Telegraph—Press .Association.)

DUNEDIN, September 29.

Scenes of extraordinary enthusiasm were witnessed at the Town Hall tonight, when about 4000 people, as well as many who were unable to gain admission to the hall itself, listened to an address by the Prime Minister (the Rt. Hon. M. J. Savage), who spoke for about two "hours. He received a hearing that was interrupted only by bursts of applause, and was closely followed as he reviewed some of the legislative achievements of the Government and dealt with various phases of. the economic life of the Dominion. He was flanked on the platform by Dunedin Labour candidates and their wives, for whom generbus applause was given, and he received a rousing ovation as he made his-way to the stage, accompanied by the Minister of Mines (the Hon. P. C. Webb) and the Postmaster-General (the Hon. F. Jones). The meeting was presided over by the president of the Otago Labour Representation Committee, Mr. P. G. Connolly, who briefly introduced the Prime Minister. "In the first place," said Mr. Savage, "ouj; opponents said the battle was between^ private and public ownership, but we have both in many lines, and we hayeyet:to learn tMere is any battle. The" Sybrlji'- is moving, and as society feels, that public ownership of a certain utility i§ desirable on economic grounds^ that is generally done. You have it in the Post and Telegraph Department, and in a thousand other ways. LAND SETTLEMENT. "We are alleged to be put to socialise not only farms, but also small business men, and in any stray moments I sometimes wonder what is going to happen to all these people when, we socialise them. "Our job," Mr. Savage said, "is to put people on the land and keep them there, to-help■ them to get the best out of the land, and give them security —better security than they ever had before. "In days gone by there were many battles between those favouring freehold and1 Champions of leasehold, but in spite of all arguments we did not getisecufity di ltemire for. land. , We want.land.to: be iri/such a state of production that farmers won't be in debt all ■# -time." ■ I^^ad'-beeij Scddt that the Government .waiited to Zealand into a State faftn^but ■he. personally would sooner >■ be ■ tn^ owner of a farm and working it in his own interests thaa working it in someone else's interests, and what he wanted for himself he wanted for everyone else. Shopkeepers' seemed to be in doubt. He assured them that the Government had enough troubles :of its own Without going into their business. The Governments wanted the system that would give the best results and would not interfere with anyone else's business unless that person started to in-terfere-with the welfare of the nation. It was better to have a State monopoly run in the people's interests than a private monopoly with dictation of terms and prices to everyone. "I want all the people to have a say in the inheritance of the earth," Mr. Savage-said. "More than 60 per cent. of depositors in the savings bank have less than £20 in the bank, and only a comparative handful of people have anything to will to anyone else. We want to make it possible for the people of this country to inherit something worth while." * TJie Prime Minister then dealt at length with the social security legislation on the lines of his Christchurcn speech. DEFENCE PROGRAMME. Dealing with defence, Mr. Savage said the Government had done a lot in the last three years. They had not travelled as far as their opponents would like, but had travelled just three tintes as fast as the previous Government had. They had mechanised the territorial forces and had built up something in the nature of a decent air force with the assistance of GroupCaptain the Hon. R. A. Cochrane. "But criticism comes badly from the party that reduced defence expenditure from £1,000,000 in. 1930 to little more than £600,000 in 1932," he said. "We must spend money on defence, whether we like it or not. The world seems to have taken leave of its senses, but I am pleased to say that the situation tonight is brighter than yesterday." Dealing with the position of farmers, Mr. Savage said they were better off today than ever they had been. He would like to assure them they were not going to lose anything by reason of the fact that the price of locallyconsumed produce was not increased when the guaranteed price was fixed. Later their interests in that respect would be carefully protected. At the conclusion of the address cheering lasted for some minutes, and a vote of thanks and confidence was carried unanimously.