AN URGENT NEED

Evening Post, Volume CXXXI, Issue 119, 22 May 1941, Page 10

AN URGENT NEED

BUILDING UP CHARACTER

NATIONAL PARTY

CONFERENCE OPENS

Contending that Labour's policy had brought about a dulling of enterprise and energy and had not been conducive to the building of greatness in a people, the Dominion president of the National Party, Mr. A. Gordon, of Hamilton, in Jis address to the annual conference of the party this morning, emphasised the need for a policy that would help to build character and encourage people to stand on their own feet.

The conference was attended by about 300 delegates from all parts of New Zealand and by the Leader of the Opposition (Mr. Holland) and other members of Parliament., In the absence of their husbands with the armed forces overseas, the wives of Brigadier J. Hargest, Colonel J. M. Allen, Major A. N. Grigg, and Lieutenant T. L. McDonald attended, and each was presented with a shoulder spray.

In his presidential address, Mr. Gordon said that while all their energies should be directed towards winning the war, the question remained, what about peace? The problems that the world would have to face at the end of the war would be as difficult as, and probably more complex than, those that they faced today. "We recognise that sacrifices have to be made in time of war," he continued. "Do we visualise a' return to easy ways of living when the war is over, or will we, as a people, be prepared to face up to a continuance of sacrifices in order to ensure the winning of peace? There will be tremendous problems in the international sphere, not the least of which, will be the rehabilitation of the men in the fighting forces and the rehabilitation of the peoples of Europe. A NEW ORDER. "There is talk at home and abroad of a New Order, Mr. F. W. Doidge, the member for .Tauranga, in one of his speeches, made a plea for the setting up of an Empire Ministry of Reconstruction, with the object of having plans prepared to meet the problems of peace. Unless these plans are prepared I feel that we shall be faced with a drift to Communism, in which case all the sacrifices of the war will have been in vain." Mr. Gordon said that in New Zealand they had their immediate problems in the disposal of export produce. While primarily they were the responsibility of the Government, they were the concern of every member of the community, and the special concern of the National Party, which so overwhelmingly represented the rural constituencies in the House. The Dominion's problems after the war might be complicated by the agreements Britain had been forced to make with America, Canada, and the Argentine for the purchase of agricultural products, and by the increased acreage put into production in the United Kingdom. This might involve a shrinkage of the Dominion's markets at Home. "It may mean for New Zealand considerable changes in her internal economy; it may mean a diversification in production, a development of economic resources as- yet untouched." POLITICAL SITUATION. Referring to the political situation. Mr. Gordon said that the winning of an election was important, but he considered it of secondary importance. "Much more important," he declared, "is an intelligent and educated public opinion, which will record its, vote in the interests of the country and for the welfare of the whole community. "Many of the people who voted Labour into power were people with high ideals. They saw .in Labour's philosophy, and policy much of what they believed was in line with Christian principles and practice. They believed that Labour placed a higher value on human personality than on material things, while the capitalist form of society tended to make human personality subservient to material considerations. "Labour has been in power for nearly six years. It has gone a long way towards converting New 'Zealand into a Socialist State; it has endeavoured to redistribute wealth in accordance with its policy; it has curtailed hours of work for a large section of the people; it has provided sustenance in" various forms; and, in general, it has made the conditions of life easy. With what result? If we concede that the greatness of a people is measured and determined by the charad^r of its individuals, can we say that individual character has improved 'during the period Labour has been in power? Can the well-being of our people be measured in totalisator returns or in brewers' profits? These are but manifestations of a spirit of recklessness, a spirit which, I feel can be said without prejudice, has been engendered by Labour's policy. We find this spirit manifested by many of our people in a dulling of imagination, initiative, enterprise, and energy. Such a spirit," said Mr. Gordon, "is not conducive to the development of character or to the building of greatness in a people. AN EXPRESSED THEORY. "The atmosphere created by such a spirit is not in the interests of the children of today, who will be the trustees of the nation's welfare in the future. The theory that you can change man by changing his environment, that you can build character by making the conditions of life easy, was exploded a long time ago. Such a philosophy is the antithesis of progress.

"We have every right, I feel, to judge the results of all administration by the touchstone of whether its acts have been helpful or otherwise to the development of personality and character, and I believe that by that touchstone Labour stands condemned.

"Our task," concluded Mr. Gordon, "is to frame a philosophy based on truly moral and spiritual values, and to produce a policy which will assist in the development of character and help evei-y one of our people to stand on his own feet."