"BROKEN PLEDGES"

Evening Post, Volume CXXXVI, Issue 71, 21 September 1943, Page 6

"BROKEN PLEDGES"

CRITIC OF LABOUR

The Labour Party's broken pledges formed the theme of an address b/ Mrs. J. A. Lee, wife of the Leader of the Democratic Labour Party, at the Wellington Town Hall last evening. The floor of the hall was about threequarter filled, and the speaker was given a cordial hearing, with only occasional interjections.

Mr. C. Teece, candidate for Wellington South presided.

Mrs. Lee received a bouquet and a spray prior to her address.

The people of New .Zealand in 1935 and again in 1938 had voted solidly for reform of the money system,, Mrs. Lee said, and it was believed that the men who were elected to Parliament to bring about this change would carry out their pledge. They had betrayed their promise. All the evils of the old financial system had been preserved, and used to stimulate a volume of production hitherto undreamed of —all for war and destruction. Yet man, who made the money system and directed it into channels of destruction, could not find the ability to purchase with sufficient of the amenities of life for the ordinary people. It was nevertheless within the power of man to do this, and if those now in power persistently refused.to do it the people would choose a Government that would.

She had been proud of the policy of the Labour Party, she went on, but the party had not carried into effect the programme upon which it had gained the confidence of the people. She had been proud of the motherhood endowment scheme, but not as carried out under the present Government. She favoured the definite payment of a cash endowment to the mother on the birth of each child, so that the economic burden would be removed from the shoulders of the mother, enabling her to spend her time in the home with the family instead of in industry earning enough to keep the home together.

Mrs. Lee dealt with the various points in the policy of the Democratic Labour Party, and at the conclusion of her address was accorded a. vote of thanks with confidence in the party; on the motion of Major W. G. Bishop (Wellington East) / and seconded by Mr. G. McDougall*(Wellington West). Mr. H. E. Herring (Wellington North) also spoke.

PROFIT-SHARING

"NATIONAL PARTY AIM"

"We want to see everybody in industry members of the firm either on a co-operative basis or in partnership," said Mr. N. P. Croft, National Party" candidate for the Hutt seat, at the Eastern Hutt School last night.

Asked whether that was his aim or the National Party's aim, the candidate said it was the National Party's aim. Instead of the profits going to the big shareholders who never did anything in the business, they should be shared by the men who made them, said Mr. Croft.

"That's Socialism," said one' of the audience.

"If that's Socialism I believe in that type of Socialism," said Mr. Croft.

"The National Party don't want to cut wages. They want to better the conditions all the way," said Mr. Croft later.

"The people who produce are the ones entitled to the profits/ the candidate said. If the National Party were elected several concerns would institute profit-sharing schemes and their efficiency' and profit-making under those schemes would force other concerns to do likewise.

The 40-hour week was a plank in the National Party's platform, said Mr. Croft.