LABOUR POLICY

Greymouth Evening Star, 8 November 1944, Page 2

LABOUR POLICY

MR. FRASER’S REVIEW.

WELLINGTON, November 7

“Any slackening of the war effort at this juncture would be criminal, and it would be no less criminal to omit every possible preparation for the task of reconstruction, _ without which no rehabilitation policy could be .successful,” said the Prime Minister (Mr. Fraser) to the annual conference of the Labour Party to-day, when he gave a detailed report of the work and plans of the Parliamentary Labour Party. The report was adopted unanimously, and Mr. Fraser was accorded a vote of thanks.

Mr. Fraser emphasised that from the beginning of the war the Labour Government had faced the fact that the welfare of the people in the postwar years, and the securing of longterm prosperity, made necessary the preparation of plans now for the conversion of our economic resources from production for war to production for peace. This year the Organisation for National Development was set up to ensure that planning proceeded rapidly in all Helds, and to act as a clearing-house for the various plans. All forms of State construction activity would bo co-ordinated in a 10year plan under the Ministry of Works. There was a 10-year plan for 'railway construction and for the renewal of bridges, and another for the development of hydro-electric •resources, which would increase the caoacitv of the North Island alone from 2’11.000 kilowatts to more than 700,000. A start had already been made with breaking in some of the sites for at least 10 new exotic forests, with, a possible ultimate area of more than 100,000 acres, which were to be commenced immediately after the war. HOUSING PROGRAMME.

Mr. Fraser said it had been a matter of great regret to the Government that war-time shortages of men and materials had caused a slowing down of its programme of housing construction. Fortunately the situation had now improved, and already it had been possible to accelerate the rate of State housing construction. This year 1412 houses 'hud been built, as against 767 in the whole of last year. So far 16.957 houses had boon built since the inception of the programme, and 2933 were at present under construction. As soon as the war ended a housing programme of unprecedented magnitude would be commenced. The Government’s minimum housing programme for the three post-war years was: first year, 8000 second year, 10,000; third year, 12,000. Assuming that private building was at an average level for 1936-39, another 4000 would have to be added to obtain the total number of houses which would be built. Not only must there be achieved maximum utilisation of the country’s resources, but the people’s standard of living must also be maintained at the highest levels. The institution of a minimum family income, and the expansion of the social security scheme were two items of Government policy which would help bring this about after the war, but even under present conditions it was possible to make real headway towards Labour’s goal for a better life for all the people. Instances of this during the last year were the increase in the family benefit, and the provision of a fortnight’s annual paid holiday for all workers. “The Labour Government was given the responsibility of leading New Zealand out of the greatest depression in history, and is entrusted with the leadership of the country during the greatest war in history,” said Mr. Fraser. “It successfully led New Zealand from the depression to prosperity, and has organised a war effort of which every New Zealander may be proud. It will carry that effort to its conclusion, and will then be faced by new tasks as vast as those it has already accomplished. With the support of the party and the people, which has been so fully accorded it in the past, it will perform those tasks.”