PARLIAMENT ‘Government Bases Appeal On Fear Psychology’

Greymouth Evening Star, 3 September 1949, Page 7

PARLIAMENT ‘Government Bases Appeal On Fear Psychology’

WELLINGTON, September 2.— Speaking in the Budget debate today, Mr H. Oram (Oppn.j.Manawdtu) asserted the Government would go tothe country this year declaring that the’ only way to reduce taxation was by cutting the social security or by retrenching public servants. He said the Prime Minister .was working on a psychology of fear, as he had done in the past. He would allege that those things were the very things that tfie National Party would do. Mr Holland had given an undertaking that neither of those things would be done by the National Party. He' had said any tax cuts would be made within limits required by the honouring of those pledges. Promotion of efficient administration would enable substantial taxation cuts to be made.

The Opposition, he said, did not mean that people would be kept on when there were no jobs for them. Controls would be gradually abolished, and departments and sub-de-partments and individuals would — Mr P. M. Connolly (Govt., Dunedin Central): Would disappear. Mr Oram: They will become surplus to establishment. Mr Oram said every civil servant could be assured of retaining suitable and well-paid employment. The National Party would seek to support the organisation and method of the Public Service Commission in promoting more efficient methods of departmental work. Every public servant wished to work for an organisation in which he could take pride. The National Party would seek to give him just that. Mr M. Moohan (Govt.. Petone) said that the best insurance for the people of New Zealand was the return of the Labour Government, because, as sure as night followed day, there would be industrial chaos if the National Party became the Government, and followed along the road that it was now travelling.

The question of the population of New Zealand was one which needed a thorough examination, and, as time went on, the Asian countries, with their huge increases in the populations and their low standards of living, would, out of sheer- despair, come down and take New Zealand, which, by 1970, would have a population of only 3,000,000 at the present rate of increase. Mr Moohan said that the civil servants today enjoyed both freedom and political liberty, and their working conditions were incomparably better than they were before Labour took office.

The House adjourned at 5.30 p.m. until 2.30 p.m. on Tuesday.