CONTROL OF PRICES

Greymouth Evening Star, 5 August 1946, Page 2

CONTROL OF PRICES

“TRUMAN WAS TOOL OF

GANGSTERS”

MR. SEMPLE’S ADDRESS

(P.A.) WELLINGTON, August 5. “President Truman was the tool of the money gangsters of the United States,” declared the Minister of Works (Mr. Semple) addressing a meeting at Silversfream when he compared housing conditions in New Zealand and America, and spoke of the recent lifting of price controls in the United States.

Mr. Semple said the President had taken the' control off butter, which was now» 6/- a lb in the United States. An American had recently■ told the Minister that he did not know what yras going to happen in the United States. Prices were scaring and the purchasing power of money was' shrinking. The last depression had started in the United States and if another one started it might swing round the world like the'last one.

New Zealand must take care it did not reach these shores. The Minister contended that if the New Zealand Opposition got into power it would do what President Truman had done in America.

Out of 37,000,000 homes in the United States 16,000,000 had no pri r vate baths, added Mr. Semple. How did that compare with what had been accomplished in New Zealand? In quoting from United States statistics he was quoting from the land of the millionaire, the multi-mil-lionaire, and the money gangster —y e t 16,000,000 homes were without, bathrooms. There was no “interference” with housing by the Government there.

The Minister then proceeded to outline the progress of New Zealand’s housing scheme, mentioning that the Government had bought sufficient land to build 40,000 homes to belong to the nation. This land was surveyed for footpaths and roads, and if the people wanted to build their own homes they could do so by getting a loan from the Mortgage Corporation. • Building control would not be lifted'in New Zealand, he said. It kept the cost of housing from rising to the skies. ' He could furnish the names of men who wanted to build skyscrapers in New Zealand, and if control were taken off they would get all the timber. Mr. Semple also stated that work on the Rimutaka tunnel would probably be started this year, possibly in two months’ time.

APOLOGY TENDERED BY MR. SEMPLE (P.A.) WELLINGTON, Aug. 5. In explanation of the remarks he was reported to have made at Silverstream last night, and in the course of which he was reported to have attacked President Truman, Mr. Semple said to-day that he had been dealing with the dangers of lifting price control when there was a world shortage of goods, and he had instanced what recently happened in the' United States. He stated that price control legislation there had been allowed to lapse without any form of control being enacted to take its place. According to newspaper reports prices had soared and people in the United' States were bound to have suffered hardships in consectuence.

: Without full information on the subject, Mr. Semple said, he had mistakenly assumed that President Truman was responsible lor, or had at least condoned, this lifting of control. That assumption had been strengthened by the conviction that that great humanitarian, Mr. Roosevelt, would never have allowed his country to be exposed to the dangers inherent in the absence of control during a time of an acute shortage of goods. “I made this statement under this assumption,” said Mr. Semple. ‘T find on going into the matter that Mr. Truman was not opposed to price control; that, in fact, he had desired an extension of the control existing prior to June 30. It is clear from a lull examination of the position m regard to prices in the United States that Mr. Truman has supported a policy that has proved to be in the best interests of the people there. “I pay full tribute to Mr. Truman for his stand and for the great efforts he has made in promoting the adoption of a measure of price control which gives grounds for hope that the economic balance and recovery of the world can, in a large degree, be sustained and advanced. “This being the case, I want to make publicly, without any reservation, whatsoever, an apology for anything I said which reflected on Mr. Truman in any way, ’ said Mi. Semple. NO COMMENT BY AMERICAN MINISTER (P.A.) WELLINGTON, Aug. 5. " The American Minister to New Zealand, Mr Avra Warren, said he had no comment to make on Mr Semple’s criticism of President Truman. _