N.Z. LABOR PARTY

Evening Star, Issue 16992, 14 March 1919, Page 8

N.Z. LABOR PARTY

BRANCH FORMED AT CAVERSHAM. A public meeting, held in the Oddfellows’ Hall, Caversham, last evening to hear addresses from the Hon. J. T. Paul, M.L.C. (president of the N.Z. Labor party), and Mr A. Walker, M.P., drew a big gathering, and by unanimous voice of the meeting a branch of the party was formed. Mr J. D. Smith presided. Mr Smith said the meeting was held under the auspices of the New Zealand Labor party, and conducted by the Dunedin Labor Representation Committee. Its primary object was to form a Labor Representation Committee in the Dunedin South constituency. Mr Walker contrasted the adequate action of the Queensland Government in the matter of regulating and providing food supply with the action of tha Now Zealand Government. Mr Massey and Sir Joseph Ward had evaded at every opportunity the question of the food supplies. In 1915 Sir Joseph Ward brought in a Cost of Living Bill. No one who had read it could say that there was anything in it likely to relieve the workers. A Board of Trade was established, but they were given no power to carry into effect any proposals they might have in view. Their- function was merely to report, investigate, and recommend. The composition of the board was a good one, he thought, and if their recommendations had been carried out they would have operated for the benefit of the country. The Board of Trade were not p epared to go to the extent the Government had gone in the matter of payment to the farmers of the country for the supply of wheat. The Government decided that the price should be 6s 6d per bushel, which was about double what was paid before the war. And there was ample evidence that the farmers were pretty well satisfied at the time with that pre-war price of 3s 6d. The speaker dealt with the Cost of Living and the inadequacy of the assistance given to meet it, the general failure of the Governmentto meet the needs of the situation, and the partv prospects. Ho said he did not think it likely that the Labor party would consent to have any part in the reconstruction proposals of Mr Hornsby. The signs of the times were plain. The West Const and Wellington elections, and the Taranaki election particularly, showed the feeling towards the National Government. Mr Okey was a strong follower of Mr Massey, 'but the seat was captured by Mr Smith, a supporter of neither Sir Joseph Ward nor Mr Massey. In conclusion, Mr Walker said that during the currency of the war the Press and the Pulpit were always reminding the people that this war would bring a different order of things to earth : but now the war was over the same determination was shown on the part of the capitalists to pursue the old order of ■things. In view of the words of the Press and Pulpit, Labor had good reason to claim a measure of support from both of these sources; but it was not so. A section of the Pulpit was not likely to 'give them tho support they had reason to expect. Moreover, the Press were showing their opposition to the Labor party—the recognised Labor party of the country. The Labor party were out to attain their aims on legitimate and constitutional lines, and if the people were united he believed the party would obtain a good standing in the coming Parliament. (Applause.) Tha Hon. Mr Paul said the Labor party were going to introduce new standards. They were going to try to send self-reliant politicians toi Parliament, who would use their own judgment and serve the people rather than obey the crack of the party whip. The Labor party needed no camouflage ; the worst thing that could bo urged against them was that they were in earnest, and not prepared to allow things to slide. As an example of this “sliding” practice, he recounted how the important question of Repatriation was brought before the House. The Bill was introduced at 1.20 a.m., with two Ministers in the House, and one of them asleep, with a bare quorum present, and half of them asleep. _ Later in his address Mr Paul replied to criticism (an account appears elsewhere in this issue), and finally he expounded some of the aims of tho party, touching particularly upon the enormous waste in production and distribution, tho necessity for control and public ownership, the provision of adquate pensions for the maimed, the sick, and the poor, and__a comprehensive scheme in cooperation with the medical profession to safeguard the health of the people. On tho motion of Mr Herbert, it was resolved unanimously to form a branch of the New Zealand La'bor party, to be called the Dunedin South Labor Representation Committee.