MADE TOO LATE

Evening Post, Volume CXXXVI, Issue 66, 15 September 1943, Page 7

MADE TOO LATE

NATIONAL PROMISES

MR. CHAPMAN'S 'CAMPAIGN

Mr. C. H. Chapman,.the'Labour candidate for >Wellington 'North, Was given an enthusiastic reception.by an audience of about 150 in the Trades Hall '• last ■ night. Much of ■ his address dealt with the lateness of promises made by 'the National > Party candidates, for, 'he said, many of the things that they professed to offer were already provided'for on the Statute Book or were. facts for which the people of New Zealand'had just cause to ■■ thank * the /Labour '..Government.

The chairman, Mr. W. Atkinson, referred to the long service given 'by Mr. Chapman as member for Wellington North for the past 15 years and as a member of the City Council, Harbour Board, Hospital Board, and Technical College Board during the past 25 years. "Though there are five candidates m Wellington North there are only two who are going to count on election day—myself and Mr. Hislop," said Mr. Chapman. "The others have this in common—thai they are all anti-Labour candidates, and a vote given to any one of them is a vote against the Labour Government. .The choice is really, however many candidates there may be. between the Labour candidate and the group of anti-Labour candidates."

" The paramount issue of the election, said Mr. Chapman, was that nothing whatever should be done which might in any degree hamper New Zealand's magnificent war effort, under the lead and direction of the Babouf Government, and an effort which would be continued under that leadership until final victory was won. "The people of New Zealand have appreciated that leadership and have responded nobly to it," he said. "They appreciate, too, that it would be most . unwise to change their Government during war years. Post-war problems will be as great as war year problems, and the time to prepare our plans so that every man. woman, and child may live a full life is now.

"On a first reading there does not seem to be much difference between the National policy and the Labour policy," said Mr. Chapman, "but it does not take deep reading to find a lot of difference. Certainly they have collared a lot of our planks, and have gone even further, for they have made profound promises that they will provide for things that we have already provided for on the Statute Book."

The National Party, he said, consisted td a large extent of the personnel of the old Coalition Party, whose actions would be well remembered. These were the people who promised prosperity and freedom from unemployment, but New Zealand, was a country of prosperity—and high prosperity—and complete freedom from unemployment now, which was a very different picture from that which held before the Labour Government came into power. Let electors think back to the period of 1931-35 and then comgare the conditions prior to and under le Labour Government.

The next main point of National policy was the removal of avoidable causes of want, mainly unemployment and sickness. Those, said Mr. Chapman, were being well looked after by Labour in a manner far. far better than was ever thought of by the Coalition Government.

THE BIG DIFFERENCE

"The Nationalists promise everyone freedom to live his own life 'in a system of competitive private enterprise'," continued Mr. Chapman. "That is the great point of difference between the Labour Party's and the National Party's policies. Unrestricted competitive private enterprise brings unemployment and lower wages.'- The time has gone by when the people of a country should tolerate unrestricted competitive private enterprise acting unchecked against the common interest.

"But the Labour Government does not step into an industry if it is being run in the interests and welfare of the people of the community. There is no instance wherp the Labour Government has stepped in unless requested by those running that private enterprise or .unless that private industry had. demonstra.bly failed in its function in the interests of the community. When private industry is doing its ;job the Labour Government will not interfere, but the needs of the community are paramount, and when private industry .fails in its duty to the people the Labour Government will step in."

As a classic case of interference with private enterprise in the interest of the community, Mr. Chapman cited the complete success of the Wellington City Municipal Milk Department, which was established as the one effective way to combat the deplorable conditions which had persisted in Wellington under bad private enterprise.

THE HOUSING SHORTAGE

"There is a shortage of at least 10,000 homes in Wellington City," continued Mr. Chapman. "The Wellington City Council has been asked time and time again to take advantage of the opportunity offered by the Government of money available at low rates of interest to establish a worthwhile building scheme, but in the past twenty years I doubt if they have built more than about a dozen houses!

"The Labour Government has been building houses because private enterprise has failed to provide the homes that the people must have. If private enterprise had done the job do you think the Government would have troubled to establish a State Housing Department? It did so for obvious reasons, and in a period of about three years, until war conditions intervened, built some 15,000 homes and advanced money for the building of about 8000 other homes. Then war came and there was no alternative but to divert labour and materials to defence construction; as these works slacken off, as they are doing now, there will be a full return to the task of providing adequate housing for all who need homes."

LAND SALES BILL.

Mr. Chapman questioned the sincerity of the National Party because of its attitude of unbroken opposition to thje Returned Servicemen's Land Sales Bill, designed to prevent the outrageous speculation in property and the consequent misery and bankruptcies which followed the last war. The Bill aimed at preventing sales at exorbitant prices, in favour of prices based on productive values, but it had no support from the Nationalists, apparently because,, their biggest supporters were big land owners or traffickers in the land -that others farmed. So also the clauses which aimed at forbidding exorbitant prices for house properties were opposed by the Nationalists.

"I happen to be a member of the local rehabilitation committee," said Mr. Chapman. "I" can tell you that it is a common thing for a returned soldier to be asked £300 and £400 more for a home than it is worth. Judged on their performance over this Bill their sincerity is rather lacking, though their promises are profuse. Their platform is put forward to entice unthinking electors to vote for them, and in the hope that those same unthinking electors will forget the conditions in this country from 1931 to 1935."

INTERNAL MARKETING,

Mr. Chapman made a spirited defence of the work of the Internal Marketing Division. The attack he characterised as amounting to a Fifth Column to embarrass the Government in its war effort. In fact, the control had been of inestimable benefit to the country and had brought about great savings by the prevention of exploitation of consumers and at the same time had ensured a fair and sound return to producers. The only people who had suffered were the middlemen, who had given no real service to the community, but had "raked in for unnecessary services" at least three million pounds a year. Butter was still Is 66. a pound, he said; during the last war it went up to 2s 6d, and one could go through many items and find the same sound result of a sound control. Certainly some things were scarce—eggs had been scarce—but did not people realise that there was a war on? The great majority of people did realise that and refused to be shouted down by the few in whose interest it would be to return to the state of affairs which the National Party promised, of giving private enterprise the right to fix both minimum and ceiling prices. The very terms were absurdly contradictory, for the minimum and ceiling prices that would be so fixed would be one and the same—^the highest that the people could possibly afford to pay for butter,