N.S.W. ELECTIONS

Greymouth Evening Star, 27 April 1935, Page 7

N.S.W. ELECTIONS

MR. LANG’S POLICY SPEECH [BY CABLE —PRT.BB ASRW.—OOPTBIGHT.J SYDNEY, April 26. The leader of the State Opposition, Mr. J. T. Lang, gave his policy speech at Auburn, to-night. Prefacing his address, he said that many thousands of the unemployed will have to depend on Government relief for a long time. Therefore his party, if returned, would replace the existing dole ticket system with a cash payment direct from the unemployment fund. The fund would be supplemented by special taxation, and an effort would be made to increase the payments to the unemployed relief workers by fifty per cent. An attempt would be made also to shorten the working week in those industries which are not affected by inter-State competition and influence would be brought to bear on the Commonwealth Government to embark on a nationwide scientific scheme of unemployment insurance. His party would raise the school-leaving age from 14 to 16 years, also making it the responsibility of the Government to see that all youths were established in suitable occupations. All attempts to revive immigration he said, would be resisted until work and land have been found for our own people. Labour would attack seriously the problem of increasing the home market for primary products. It might even be,possible to use milk, instead of water, for the making of bread. Labour would break up the large estates which were holding back the country towns. Country, centres for the slaughtering of stock for human consumption would be established, which would break the grip of the vested interests on the meat trade. Property and home-owners would receive protection from the moratorium which would entirely preclude foreclosure, and measures would be introduced for the writing down of mortgage capital to the present day values. Mr. Lang detailed a list of social ser vices which he intended to provide for widows and the poor. He indicat ed that he intended, if returned, to legalise betting shops. He proposed also to ask the people, by a referendum, to decide the' fate of the Upper House, or alternatively whether it should be reformed and made an elective chamber.