CANNOT BE SQUARED

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

CANNOT BE SQUARED

THE WORD AND DEED

INCONSISTENCIES OF LABOUR

Labour members and candidates contradicted themselves and their professions; even Ministers of the Crown would make one statement today and another entirely different next week, said Mr. W. Appleton, the National candidate for Wellington Central, speaking at Webb Street last night to the text of "Inconsistencies of Labour. The direct result of the mass of contradictions, he said, was that the public had become confused as to what was the policy of the Socialist Party. Mr. Appleton proceeded to cite contradictions. In 1935 the Hon. W. Nash, criticising a measure of the Coalition Government in regard to the dairy industry, had said: "If the provisions of this Bill are added to existing legislation the farmers will be reduced to serfs. They will be working to a standard set by somebody employed by the State. They will find a set of conditions laid down for them." "Contrast this," said Mr. Appleton, "with what is being brought into effect as a result of the guaranteed price scheme. Under the Industrial Efficiency Act the word 'industry' covers every means of livelihood and the Minister may declare that any industry shall be carried on only pursuant to a licence issued under the Act. Farming is not exempted, and it is obvious that at any time the Minister may declare it within the Act and the farmer will have to apply for a licence. He will have to milk the number of cows he is told to milk, graze the number of sheep, plough the acres, and cut the areas of hay he is told to cut. This is the system that is in force in Germany today. The New Zealand Labour Party has taken a leaf from Hitler's book." A voice: What's the position in regard to baby farming? At the Easter Conference of the Labour Party Mr. Langstone had condemned the granting of titles to land as merely a title to gambling in land values, and on his return from Russia Mr. Nash had praised the State ownership of land as one of the main factors in the Soviet system of economic planning. But the Prime Minister, an adept in endeavouring to allay fears, had told the Taranaki farmers that he had no wish to take over their farms, at the very time when the Minister of Lands had stated definitely that there would be no further granting of the freehold while he remained in office. SALES TAX AND EXCHANGE. Mr. Appleton twitted the Government with fujther inconsistencies as to sales tax and exchange rates. The Hon. P. Fraser had described the sales tax as the meanest form of taxation ever introduced in New Zealand, pressing most severely oil the poorest sections of the community, and Mr. J. A, Lee had been still more emphatic when he said that the sales tax was another cut of a vicious order and a further 20 per cent, writing down of all the securities in New Zealand. Mr. C. H. Chapman had talked about the sales tax as a further step "in trying to starve the country back to prosperity." "Now what has the Labour Government done since they have been in office to remove the sales tax?" asked Mr. Appleton. "If it was a vicious tax in 1933 it is even more so today with increased costs, and yet we have not heard a single word from any of these gentlemen about the removal of this iniquitous tax." The remarks of the Prime Minister in August, 1934, condemning the rate of exchange were next quoted, and, said Mr. Appleton, the Labour Party won their campaign at the last election largely on a definite promise that they would reduce the rate. Not one move had since been made. The awards of the Arbitration Court were - legal documents, the Hon. T. Armstrong had said, continued the candidate, but Mr. Armstrong himself had helped the workers on several occasions to break definite agreements registered with the Arbitration Court. On the subject of Parliament of the future, Mr. Appleton quoted the statement made by Mr. E. J. Howard that he would do all within his power to get rid of Parliament as it was now constituted and to institute in its place an industrial Parliament. The Hon. W. Nash had said at the Easter Conference that that conference was the parliament of the Labour Party and that its decisions were the decisions the party would write up in the Statute Book. Mr. James Roberts had said that the day was coming when, instead of having a Government elected according to geographical boundaries, the Government would be elected by the different industries, concluding, "When we have an Industrial Parliament you will have your committee of actual workers who will bring down a policy for Parliament."