“ACTION NEEDED”

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20572, 4 June 1941, Page 4

“ACTION NEEDED”

GOVERNMENT INDICTED PARTY DOMINATION 40-HOUR WEEK HANDICAP (Per Press Association.) DUNEDIN, this day. “It is time the citizens of New Zealand told their leaders that they should either govern the country for the Empire and not for party or get out. and let someone in who will,” said Mr. W. W. Mulholland, Dominion president of the Farmers’ Union, in an address at the annual conference of the Otago branch. “The general feeling of the people is more confident than it was 12 months ago,” he said, “because we have come through all the disasters unafraid, and although the people are not over confident they are anxious to be ‘up and doing something.’ But the leaders of the Dominion are very timid and will remain so while party government remains.”*

Mr. Mulholland said the Dominion had done well in supplying men for the fighting forces and had put a force in the field of which they could all justly be proud, but what were the people doing who had been left behind? Until they were prepared to do their jobs as the men overseas were doing theirs they did not deserve victory. He considered that the worst aspect of the 40-hour week was the psychological effect it was having on the people who, observing that industry was working only 40 hours a week, thought that no greater effort could be needed. Men were being employed on a 40-hour basis who couid be released for other work were the number of hours increased. Discussing what he described as a “serious financial position unless some timely steps are taken,” Mr. Mulholland said that long before the war the currency had been considerably inflated and now the note issue stood at about £20,000,000. Every £1 entitled a person to purchase £1 worth of goods, but the amount of goods that could be bought was contracting and although savings certificates and war bonds helped the position the trouble was that most of the money was in the hands of people who did not usually invest, taut spent what they earned. The problem would have to be tackled energetically if a serious position was to be avoided.

“Action is called for,” Mr. Mulholland concluded, “but so long as we have party politics in this Government we will have lack of decision among the leaders in making up their minds.”