POLICY JUSTIFIED

Evening Post, Volume CXXVII, Issue 32, 8 February 1939, Page 19

POLICY JUSTIFIED

LABOUR GOVERNMENT

VIEWS OF TASMANIAN MINISTER

(By Telegraph—Press Association.) . INVERCARGILL, B^ebruary 7. The opinion that the Government's policy of controlling credit is fully jusitified. and that it will succeed, was expressed by Mr. Edmund DwyerGray, Deputy Premie of Tasmania, who is returning to Melbourne by the Maunganui. In an interview he advanced the opinion that already the Dominion was relatively a "worker's paradise." and that it would become increasingly so. The Labour Party, he said, would govern the country for a generation or *nore. "The present 'financial crisis' in New Zealand, which has resulted in the adoption of a system bf licensing . imports and exports earls last Decem-j ber. will. 1 think, be successfully over-1 come," continued Mr. Dwyer-Gray. "Further, only New Zealand's importers, and by no means all of them, the •New Zealand daily Press —which is prejudiced and . tirely and unreasonably anti-Labour —and the satellites of orthodox finance in London, Australia, and New Zealand are putting up any sort of protest. "It might.be that the purchasing power of the community has increased a little too rapidly, with the result that when: the people had emptied all the stores of the Dominion of locally manufactured goods imports oecame unduly stimulated. Howevei. it cannot be denied that the depletion of New Zealand's reserve funds in London, accompanied by adverse changes in the Dominion's overseas balance of trade, forced the Government to adopt strong means. "The New Zealand Government's policy is fully justified and it will succeed," maintained Mr. Dwyer-Gray. "Others are gloomily predicting big increases in costs of production and in the cost of living, entirely forgetful of the fact that - arliament has already enacted legislation which will enable the Government to control prices and prevent profiteering The Government makes no secret of the fact that its; present policy is intended to protect; and raise the standard living of the people of the Dominion, which today is probably the highest in the world. Already the country is relatively a worker's paradise. Tt will become increasingly so, and the Labour Party will undoubtedly rule this Dominion for a generation or more. In .my opinion the Labour movement in New Zealand is destined to achieve one of the most complete triumphs in the story of man by making a real success of democracy, for the first time in history. Nothing but a destroying war can prevent it."

"POLITICAL PROPAGANDA"

i- (Jiy Telegrapb—Press Association.)./. AUCKLAND, This Day. < The following telegram has been sent jby the Auckland Bureau of Importers j to Mr, Dwyer-Gray :— j "The remarks .which you and other "A"-U&tfatißin::'p6liticlan§~' ftav&rnade r&l'd.* tiye..-/to th,e import control regulations : obviously savour of political propai ga^da, and,'&re. bitterly resented by im- j porters. thei£ employees, and others en-1 gaged ;'in> the distribution business.' Your sf-ateraent shows you obviously know, nothing about the operations of the regulations/ We trust that you and other Australians will in future refrain" from commenting on New Zealand domestic matters of which you obviously'know very little."