"SECRET” EXPOSED?

Evening Star, Issue 25950, 15 November 1946, Page 3

"SECRET” EXPOSED?

RIVAL CANDIDATE'S STATEMENT “ ELIMINATING THE MIDDLEMAN ” . The contention that the Labour candiate for the Dunedin North electorate (Mr It. Walls) had unwittingly unmasked the real designs of his Party by declaring at a meeting tins week that “ we are, going to put the middleman out of business,” was advanced by Mr N. H. Jones, the National Party candidate for the ■same seat, to an audience that packed the Foresters’ Hall, Albauy street, ■last night. Mr Jones, who gave a forceful and lucid exposition of the policy of the National Party, was accorded an uninterrupted hearing for over an hour and a-half, suggested that Mr Walls should change the other Labour Party candidates who were backing him up at liis meetings with addresses. “ These supporters,” Mr JoneS declared, “ must he asleep on rue job when they allow Mr Walls to make.a blunder with suclf statements as this one.” Mr Walls, had stated that the middleman neither produced nor consumed, but merely watched the market,, picked up goods, and sold them at . a profit, said Mr Jones. The Labour . Party’s candidate /had said .that with: the exit of the middleman rhb)*e 'farmers would be behind the Government than ever before. By making such remarks Mr Walls had given .the game away, said Mr Jones. Hoi-; had disclosed portions of his party’s real policy, “and that is something that is just not done by the Labour Party until’ after the elections,” the .speaker said. “ Tim middleman is going to be put . out of biisiness, and that includes the wholesaler, the manufacturer’s agent, the importer, the stock and station agent, and all retailers who purchased goods on the open market. In other words, the State will step in and take over. When that happens and these middle-men-"are put’ out of business by the Labour Party, Mr Walls will be one of them who ■ will not lose anything through the exit.”

■ ICLASS WARFARE DEPLORED. . Commenting on industrial relations, Mr’Jones said that no other Government had done more to: sow, the: seds of discord between employer arid employee than the one that had been in uili'ce for 11 years, during which there had been more strikes and stoppages than ever before in this-' couritv.v.

' ’ “ My. personal contention is if it were not for the repercussions on innocent members of the community, and the majority of workers who have > assume m the end the financial responsibility for these industrial upheavals, the Government would deserve . all the embarrassment and disharmony it lias experienced, for it is the fault of the Government that • ie.se strikes have occurred,” said Mi Jones. “ Instead of - sincerely endeavouring to-reconcile the differences between employer and employee, the Labour Government has widened the gap and has' sent unscrupulous agitators among, the workers of this country, to preach class warfare,, and the only; section: Lkat profits from it in the end is not the worker, but the CVnununist.” The speaker said that •85 per CCht. of the working class, who wen- hard working and . respected citizens, were tired oi this continuous unfestj anri w |hat. v the, 1 9ther 5 percent.; wore I just' Imported trouble-makers." arid; parasites, who will .not 1 work so long aie abie to ‘ scab ’ on trieir fellow workers.” OWNING .THE.HOME.

. Discussing,the housing situation, Mr Jones said that .this problem would be thoroughly attacked by a National Government, and that, the full resources olj! the ' country; would be marshalled until such time as there were homes for all^: The slogan of his party was “ Own your.own home.” Traversing the attitude of the. National Party towards the-- provision of finance, Mr Jones said that '9O per cent, of the money for the construction of a home would he - advanced to civilians, and that all the money would be advanced to returned servicemen, besides providing a

suspensory loan of £IOO to civilians and £2OO to ex-servicemen on a price not exceeding £1,750 on all houses built during the next three years, the loans to be extinguished after the home had been occupied by the owner after five years. Any house built under this suspensory, scheme, explained the speaker, could not be sold without the Government being given the first opportunity to dispose of it, the vendor being granted the original purchase price, less 10 per cent, for depreciation. In addition, furniture loans, free of interest, would be granted to every young couple contemplating marriage. EASING TAXATION. When dealing with taxation, Mr Jones declared that the price of petrol would he reduced by 4d a gallon as soon as the National Party had control of the Treasury benches: it would also institute a complete overhaul of the method of presenting the public accounts, so that a clear picture of national finance, and not a garbled one, as presented by Mr Nash, would be readily available. The present exemption limit for taxation purposes of £2OO for superannuitants would' be raised another £IOO. The sales tax would be absolutely abolished on all work-saving appliances usesd in the home and on all building and furnishing materials still subject to this impost, the speaker said. Mr Jones said all extra earnings received by workers as the result of approved schemes of payriient by result, profit sharing, etc., would be exempted from income tax for three years. If the experiment was successful it would be continued.

There were three major schemes that would benefit Dunedin immensely, and be intended to push them “ after election day,” said the candidate, concluding his address. These were the electrification of the suburban railways to'Mosgiel and Port Chalmers, the replacement of the Mihiwaka tunnel with a tunnel through to Waitati, thus shortening the line, and straightening the road to Port Chalmers. “ I pledge my support to every principle embodied in the policy of the party 1 represent,” said Mr Jones. “ 1 will not be influenced by sectional pressure* whether exerted from within or without the party, and I intend if elected to hold regular public meetings within the Dunedin North electorate to give an account of my stewardship and acquaint electors of the significance of the legislation adopted by Parliament.” A vote of confidence in Mr Jones was carried unanimously bv the meeting, which overflowed into the vestibule of the hall soon after he had commenced his address.