SOCIAL CONDITIONS AFTER WAR

Evening Star, Issue 23726, 6 November 1940, Page 4

SOCIAL CONDITIONS AFTER WAR

PREMIER ON MR WEBB'S WEST COAST SPEECH WHAT THE MINISTER MEANT | ITili United Press Association.] WELLINGTON, November 5. in a reply to a communication from .Ah Spender, president of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce, regarding a statement attributed to the Minister of Labour (Mr Webb] on the West Coast recently, in which Air Spender drew particular attention to the reported reference fo the end of the capitalist regime, and asked Air Fraser whether Air Webb's views represented the official war policy of the Government, Air Fraser said : “ 1 have already made it perfectly clear that I accept Mr Webb’s assurance that what appeared in the Press, portion of which you <.|Uote, was a distorted account of hie address; therefore there is nothing more to be said by me on that particular subject, it may interest your members, however, to know that Air Webb freely admits that—in eoiumoti with the Archbishop of York, Air Herbert Morrison, Mr C. 11. Attlee, Air Arthur Greenwood, Air Ernest Bevin, and Or 11. Oalton—he stated in a West Coast address, and firmly believes that a.s a natural consequence of the war, in which all classes of the British Commonwealth are sharing the burden of sacrifice, it will be impossible, for the democratic countries to relapse into the capitalism which enables a few to bo enriched fabulously while millions are condemned to unemployment, destitution, and poverty. Happily Now Zealand and New Zealanders have been spared anything of this tragic nature in the last few years. I. am certain that no member of your chamber wishes tlie British Commonwealth to return to such social and economic conditions. “ While J have no doubt that your statement in regard to the effect on the collection .of funds for patriotic purposes of the publication of the alleged utterance by Mr Webb was made in good faith,” Air Fraser concluded, ‘‘l refuse to believe that the people of Auckland, who have given and are giving so generously to patriotic Funds, as well as strenuously supporting New Zealand’s war effort in every possible way, would even contemplate for a moment sacrificing the interests of, far less penalising, the fine men of the Expeditionary Force and their dependents because of any utterance of any public man.”