Greymouth Evening Star. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 1946. Political Suicide

Greymouth Evening Star, 23 September 1946, Page 4

Greymouth Evening Star. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 1946. P olitical Suicide

£ABOUR is doing its best,to conjure up bogies, either to frighten the electors or serve as a screen for its own misdoings. The biggest bogy is “the slump.” For months Labour spokesmen have been trying to ram down the throats of the people that there will be a terrible depression if the National Party wins the election, and to give a semblance of substance to this wild prediction some of the Government’s propagandists have gone to fantastic lengths.

Labour knows full well, the cause of the conditions which obtained in New Zealand in the early thirties, and yet it continues to declaim at every opportunity that if the Government is defeated at the poll in November, the National Party and the scheming, crafty employers will set about wrecking the country, quite forgetting that, if they did, they would wreck themselves in the process. Such a suggestion rivals in stupidity the contention that if the National Party is returned to power, workers’ conditions and wages will be reduced to slave standards. This type of propaganda entirely ignores the fact that' the action of any Government which attempted to put such a policy into effect would be tantamount to political suicide. A party which aspires to govern would indeed be lacking in elementary commonsense if it did not make the, basis of its policy the welfare of the whole community, irrespective of class. In any case, it is an indisputable fact that there can be no real progress and prosperity unless all the people are happy, contented and industrious. If one section is oppressed, the social discord and economic, disruption thus engendered must react to the detriment of the remainder. Labour must indeed be bankrupt of ideas if it has to rely on the depression theme. Overseas Prices.

It is unnecessary to go beyond Labour’s own propaganda for evidence in proof of: the absurdity of its prediction of a retrogression to slump conditions if the National Party receives the support of the majority of the electors in November. An article from its election churn, published iu its local press on Wednesday last, has the following to say: “It must be pointed out however, that New Zealand is not, and cannot be, isolated from the rest of the world, for it is intimately tied up with various countries, especially Britain and America and anything affecting the economy of those countries will cause repercussions here.” The slump in the early thirties was caused by a recession in the

prices received overseas for our primary produce, on which the economy of this country is based. Labour recognises that fact and, according to its propaganda article, foresees the possibility of another drop in the value of our products. The cause of such happenings in the overseas markets is another matter. The severity of the conditions imposed on the people in an endeavour to cope with the economic situation in the early thirties was such as would never be tolerated again, but it is significant that salary and wages cuts of greater severity were inflicted by Labour Governments in Australia long before such action was ever taken here. It is, however, easy to be wise after the event. Labour fears the possibility o? another slump. It is reasonable to ask: How would it meet it? Would it cut wages and salaries? Or would it resort to the use of the printing press? It is possible to print' and distribute bank-notes by the millions, but they are valueless, unless backed by adequate income from production. Such action to meet a slump in overseas prices would result in a decline in the purchasing value of the pound, which in effect would be as heavy a blow to the worker as. a cut iij his wages. The Family Man. The family man to-day is well aware of what a decline in money value means. He knows full well that the pound now will purchase only about half the goods it would 10 years ago. All this means, 01. course, that the Government’s policy has resulted in the progressive dwindling of the real value of wages, that is bv the measurement of the goods they vill P UI chase. The downward, trend has been skilfully disguised, but the decline has now reached such a level that the sub stantial extent of the movement can be hidden no longer. All this by the veij men who never tire of telling the workers that wages were once cut! The GoACinmen which did that had at least some c aim to frankness.