Greymouth Evening Star. AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20th., 1938 NATIONAL POLICY.

Greymouth Evening Star, 20 September 1938, Page 6

Greymouth Evening Star. AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20th., 1938 NATIONAL POLICY.

CONSTRUCTIVE more than spectacular, would be a. true summing up of the National Party’s policy, as announced by the leader (Mr. Hamilton) to-day. Whatever was good in the Labour legislation is to be retained, but the disadvantages of increasing Slate control, reckless finance, •and heavier taxation are to be removed. No lavish promises, impossible of fulfilment, are forthcoming, but. the statement is as businesslike as will be the administration, if the electors give the Nationalists a majority on October 15. As they probably will. Many of those formerly wavering will decide to join the Nationalists, after reading Mr. Hamilton’s statement.

With a National Government, personal liberty will bo restored, and industrial freedom will be en-

couraged. Competition, which is the life of commerce, and the greatest safeguard to the consumers, will be less drastically restricted, and State trading ventures will be kept within due bounds. Socialism will be vigorously opposed, and those engaged in the primary industries will be permitted to control their own produce. This freedom must be a greater incentive to effort and efficiency, and the whole country will therefore benefit, directly and indirectly. The Nationalists can be expected to be sympathetic with the rural classes, without injustice to the urban communities. Owing to Labour commitments, it is not possible to offer important early relief in the way of taxation, but a start will be made in various directions that must appeal. The recently passed Social Security Act will not be put into operation, nor will be the special taxation imposed to finance that scheme. This does not mean that the health service and superannuation projects are to be wholly jettisoned. The main benefits will be retained, on a less ambitious scale, but adequate enough for all reasonable purposes. The duty of assisting people to obtain and own houses is recognised, and both town and country dwellers will find much to approve in the Nationalist plans in this direction. A novel departure is the proposal to advance young couples about to marry, .£lOO in order to purchase furniture, the debt to be progressively cancelled as babies are born. The aim of the scheme is good, but its merits, as a whole, are open to argument. The security value of the furniture for the loan will be far from “giltedged,” and there may be eventually no furniture and no babies. Greater economic encouragement to matrimony and parenthood would be wiser bestowed by reducing the cost of living and rentals, by lessening taxation, encouraging competition, and lessening the devotion to high costs which is now a feature of New Zealand economics, and which hits no class more than the wageearners. The Nationalist, manifesto, published on another page of this issue, should be read by every elector. It will provide strong argument, for the claim it is in the interests of all, that Nationalist candidates should be enthusiastically supported at the polling booths on October 15.