Greymouth Evening Star. AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE TUESDAY, AUGUST 9th., 1938. LABOUR AND FINANCE.

Greymouth Evening Star, 9 August 1938, Page 6

Greymouth Evening Star. AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE TUESDAY, AUGUST 9th., 1938. LABOUR AND FINANCE.

“jgENEFITS g'ranted ;it your own expense —and not cheap at that,” truthfully stuns up Labour policy, although the Party speakers are wise enough not to put the fact so bluntly. Instead, they beguile their audiences into imagining that by some financial conjuring, the Labour administraiiion gives them free this and that, and till is done by kindness of Labour heart. Taxation is the real means whereby State “benefits” lare obtained, and the wage-earn-|ers have lo pay their full quota. When they realist’ this, they will be less ready 10 cheer Labour orators. The workers have an opportunity during (he next few week's to reflect on tin* cost lo themselves of Labour “benefits.” Al Clreymonth, yesterday, Mr. •L A. Lee, took- the opportunity to indulge in some Labour Partv propaganda, for which, of course, he cannot be blamed. Tlis visit was as a straw showing which way the wind is blowing in the Westland constituency. Mr. O’Brien is now less confident of re-election, and it will be found that other Labour stalwarts will be called upon to help to retain the. seat. Ineideu-I

tally, the enthusiasm displayed by the Nationalist gathering yesterday demonstrated, that Westland will probably seize the opportunity to elect Mr. E. B. E. Taylor to the new House of Representatives. Leeway lias to be made up, but if all in favour of saner and less expensive State administration, do I,heir share, Westland will be one of Labour’s many losses at the forthcoming polls. Reverting to Mr. Lee’s visit, his speeches were but repetition of what every Labour speaker says nowadays. Few would have found in his comments anything suggesting that he is of the extreme Left Wing of the Labour Party. His idea, of finance may be gathered from the fact that, last week, in the House, he declared that, in his opinion, the Governor and the Deputy-Gover-nor of the Reserve Bank “have got to be given their running shoes in rapid order,” because the annual report of the Bank Io Parliament dared to suggest that the method of financing the Government’s publie works policy was unwise. Is it to be wondered at that Homeland investors are getting nervous about New Zealand’s financial stability? Mr. Savage affects to believe that reports of these investors’ fears are inspired by electioneering, but that estimate is absurd. He too, has contributed to the nervousness among those holding New Zealand stocks. His intimation during his Canterbury visit that “lie had a shrewd idea big changes would have Io come in the control of money” would lead investors also to have “shrewd ideas,” that their money would be safer elsewhere than in Dominion enterprises and loans. Labour policy cannot be maintained without further borrowing. Will the money be obtainable?