LABOUR POLICY

Greymouth Evening Star, 1 September 1943, Page 3

LABOUR POLICY

OBJECTIVE SUMMARISED " V WIDE FIELD COVERED The following is a summary of the Labour Party’s policy, officially issued to-day, and received through the Press Association: — The Labour Government will continue with unflagging energy and purpose the prosecution of the war until victory is won. The Labour Party expresses its sincere admiration for and gratitude to out Forces on land, sea and air in the Middle East, in Great Britain, in the Pacific Islands, in Canada, in the Dominion and wherever stationed' throughout the world for their devoted, effective and courageous service tor New Zealand, the British Commonwealth, and the United Nations. The Labour Government’s policy has been to provide the best of everything for our men and women in the Services. The standard of care, pay and allowances is unsurpassed in the world. The Labour Government guarantees to provide fully for the sick and wounded, .and for the dependents of all those who gave their lives for our freedom.

Labour pledges itself to re-estab-lish in a secure and prosperous civil life all men and women, Maori and Pakeha who have served in the war or been engaged in the wax' effort. The Government is determined to promote the development and expansion of primary and secondary industries and to encourage co-operative productive enterprise. The principle of the Guaranteed Price has now become so firmly established as to require no emphasis. Labour will ensure to the farmer an adequate return for his product in all circumstances. Labour also undertakes to support co-operative projects by producers for processing, distributing or marketing their produce. < The Labour Government will continue vigorously to support and encourage secondary industries in the future as in the past, and wherever goods can be economically produced in this country facilities will be made available for their manufacture, thus providing most useful work for our returned servicemen and the thousands of young New Zealanders leaving our schools each year. The policy of the Labour Government is to maintain the purchasing power of wages and incomes and to stabilise producers’ costs and prices. Prices must be controlled and already more than 200 items have been fixed in price. . Labour will maintain and extend social security until every phase of home and family life, including sickness and old age, is guaranteed against poverty and insecurity.

FINANCE Labour will continue the control of the Dominion’s banking, credit and currency system for the 1 expansion of production, primary and secondary, and the prevention of inflation and deflation. Labour holds that the State must be the sole auchority for controlling the issue of credit and currency. Labour’s housing programme and m'arketing undertakings have been advantageously and profitably financed by the Reserve Bank. Labour will use the Reserve Bank to prevent deflation or depression. Labour undertakes to provide a minimum home and family income, including holidays with pay, and ensuring to all adequate food, clothing, housing and medical care. The policy of ensuring full employment will be continued. It is the purpose of the Government to complete the free health service for all citizens, to establish health centres, to institute a free dental service, and to organise all public health services for the prevention and cure of disease and the promotion of health. The Milk-in-Schools and Apples-in-'Schools schemes will be continued and expanded. Labour’s policy has always been free education from the kindergarten to the University. Kindergartens or similar classes will be established in association with all schools, where the numbers warrant. Extension of school buildings on modern lines will be continued, facilities for manual and technical instruction will be further developed, and bursaries, awarded to suitable students to enable them to undertake professional courses at the University. Labour’s housing scheme is not excelled anywhere. Until _ the exigencies of war enforced limitation of construction over 15,000 State rental houses were built. The housing programme will be continued with all possible expedition even during the continuation of the war. On the cessation of hostilities there will be an expansion enabling the completion of 16,000 dwellings a year. The Government will continue to provide full educational opportunities for the Maori children, including agricultural and technical training. In this respect the Government has far surpassed anything attempted, or even thought of, by previous Governments. LAND SETTLEMENT Already large areas of land are being developed on lines to ensure an economic return. It is the Government’s policy to utilise Crown land and to purchase suitable areas for private owners. Labour’s policy also provides for the use of modern mechanised and scientific methods so that discharged servicemen can be settled on fully developed farms with security of tenure. Finance will be provided at minimum rates of interest for servicemen and others desiring to acquire their own farms. Discharged servicemen who are experienced farmers will be placed on fully developed farms, and in addition adequate facilities for training servicemen to become competent farmers will be provided. Full wages will be paid during the period of training. No servicemen will be settled on land at a price higher than its economic value, a result made possible by the passing of the Servicemen’s Settlement and Land Sales Bill. Where a soldier is established on the land he will be given a lease with a perpetual right of renewal, or freehold on agreed terms. The Government has plans prepared for a Dominion-wide scheme of afforestation and efficient use of our forest resources.

This is Labour’s policy for national development. To accelerate the development of hydro-electric power under a 10-year programme; to provide for the complete reticulation of rural areas ensuring an ample sup ply of electricity for homes, farms and industries; to complete the reading scheme, particularly in the backblock areas, as soon as plant and personnel become available; to institute a comprehensive scheme of river control, and the prevention of soil erosion.

Labour will continue the princ'ple of efficient control and co-ordinaiion of all forms of transport by rail, sea 'and air. War has brought into prominence the prospective use of aerodromes and modern passer ger and transport planes. Steps will be taken by the Government to make all these available as far as poss ble to the community. Airmen who have served so splendidly in the war will be employed in civil aviation alter the war. The Labour Government’s policy is” to co-operate with Britain, the Dominions and other nations in the

promotion of international peace anc. i security by contributing our full share m assisting the people of the United Nations who have suffered through enemy action; and to bring into operation the principles of the Atlantic Charter.

MR. FRASER AT NAPIER. September 1. The Prime Minister addressed a public, meeting, last evening, leaving this morning for New Plymouth. He was accorded an attentive hearing. There was only one interjection throughout the whole evening. His remarks followed the line of his Wellington address, a review of labour’s efforts during the past eight years. DEMOCRATIC LABOUR ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL AIMS “Democratic Soldier Labour aims at freeing the community of all the shackles, material and traditional, which prevent the building of a great New Zealand, and at conserving the foundations and traditions that are worthy of our people. New Zealand can be made the social mansion of the Pacific.” This statement of the aims of the Democratic Soldier Labour’ Party is made in its election manifesto. “With the return of our armies and the demobilisation of war workers big schemes of industry building are possible. We would create: (1) Ministry of New Industries. (2) An Industries Credit Corporation to advance funds at nominal rates to citizens willing to find proportion of cost of new industry. The establishment through the Bank of New Zealand of a stock and station agency to finance farmers at nominal rates is proposed in. the manifesto. Other points are the gradual replacement of mortgaged indebtedness with table mortgages at nominal rates so that farmers may win debt freedom; the advancement of credit to bona fide farmers’ co-op-eratives to enable use of machinery, marketing, farm improvement to be socially engaged in; and the provision of funds for rural housing at 11 per cent, to 2 per cent. The manifesto proposes also the utilisation of credit at peace to switch production consumption from war to peace without major crisis. It is suggested that credit to the extent of unutilised industrial capacity can in part be used to provide improvements in social services, such as pensions, health, education. Substantial bonuses or gratuities to soldiers are to be released over a period, and thus sustain purchasing power after demobilisation. A largescale programme of house building providing houses from seven and eight rooms to pensioners’ flats is proposed, and also the advancement of credit at say If per cent, to homebuilders desiring to build for private ownership, thus reducing the costs of ownership by about £1 a week. Advances to modernise or repair are also aimed at. “We would aim at peace at £1 a head for mothers of each child, regardless of husband’s income,” states the manifasto. An improved old-age pension as a right not determined by income; a present increase to compensate for living costs; the automatic revision by the Government Statistician of all pensions in consonance with the rise in the cost of living; and a substantial revision as the national income recovers.

For soldier’s pensions the manifesto proposes the establishment of the principle of a family pension of at least .ES/'S/- for a married man of 100 per cent, disability, plus family allowances, lesser disability to rank as a percentage of £5/5/-, with deduction where single. . Advances to congregations, civil communities, little theatre societies, and cultural, recreational or welfare societies at nominal rates of interest —say I® per cent, to provide buildings, are proposed. The manifesto also suggests steps to arrest the deterioration of the conditions of Civil Service; to consider revision of pay, the anomalies of superannuation and social security, the need of tradesmen’s pay for tradesmen’s work, worker representaion, the pay of cadets, travelling allowances and adequate housing for transferred staffs.