LABOURS POLICY

Grey River Argus, 18 November 1931, Page 6

LABOURS POLICY

EXPANSION OF INDUSTRY Not a Cutting Down Never in its history have the people of the Dominion been asked to make a more momentous decision than the one they will make next month. The decision is vital. It is between the drift, gloom and depression of the present Government, and organisation, development and employment for our people. Taxation, local and national, is increasing rapidly—citizens are losing their homes — the savings of lifetimes are drifting away. A halt must be called. With proper reorganisation no family need lose its home. No citizen, old or young, need go short of essentials. We have wonderful natural resources. Access to them is denied by the policy of drifting statesmen who have no faith either in themselves or the peoplel., The flow of credit, which is the life blood of our commercial and productive system, has been blocked. The block should be removed and the flow restored.

The records and traditions of the Dominion show how progressive minds overcame difficulties. In the early ’nineties John Ballance and Richard John Seddon lifted the country from depression to prosperity. Between 1914 and 1919, eighty millions sterling was raised for war purposes. Fifty-five millions of it was raised in the Dominion. There is still a large reserve or credit available for productive development.

The Labour Party proposes to use the nation’s credit for reconstruction purposes. The present banking laws permit this to be done. With a mandate from the people, Labour will ask Parliament for authority to raise sufficient credit in New Zealand to carry out a bold policy of industrial development, primary and secondary. All the credit necessary can be raised in the Dominion. The credit will be used for the development of our own natural resources. Productive development will bring commodities and assets. Willing men and women of the present — and boys and girls who are coming on, are entitled to some measure of security and permanent employment. It is better to utilise our available labour* in productive work than to continue the present wasteful and demoralising method of spending the unemployment funds. Taxation increases cannot go on inI definitely. The source from which taxation is drawn must be extended. The national income must be increased. It cannot be done by taxing one section to keep the rest working part time. Especially when the work is of second and third-class importance.

Credit is the first essential. Given a mandate from the people, Labour will raise the money. The co-opera-tion of the Associated Banks and leading citizens will be invited. (The money will all be raised within existing banking laws). The raising of the money means direct employment of New Zealand workers. Employment in New Zealand industries. The drift in our national trading accounts will be arrested. The Labour Party submits the fol lowing policy to the electors and urges them to support and vote for the Labour candidates:— CREDIT. The establishment of a Central Ban], with control of note issue, and the or ganisation of the banking system and credit resources with maximum facilities for use In primary and secondary production at minimum cost.

PRIMARY PRODUCTION. Planned production of national requirements. Development and extension of land settlement. Co-ordination of all Government Departments — associated with primary production to enable the fullest assistance to be given to the primary producer. Supply of all necessary fertilisers on long credit payment to be mr.d? in proportion to increased output. OVERSEAS MARKETING. „ ■ t. Promotion of reciprocal trade agreements with Great Britain and other countries. Organisation of contracts for sale of New Zealand products overseas, with guaranteed reciprocal trade. Negotiations to prevent undue fluctuations in prices, with ultimate stabilisation for given periods. SECONDARY INDUSTRIES. Maximum support to secondary industries. Investigation of markets overseas for New Zealand manufactured products. Extension of Home markets for New Zealand products. Cultivation of, and assistance in, the pro- • motion of the following industries:— Coal Carbonisation, Flax products, Motor assembling, Assistance in re-organ-ising Woollen, Clothing, Boot, Iron and other industries wtih a view to meeting I the requirements of the Dominion from ! its own factories, with adequate safeguards for economic prices.

ROADING AND TRANSPORT. Construction, maintenance and metalling of backblocks and other roads. : Co-ordination of motor ,railways, and l shipping systems with a view to sup- ' plying the most economical services at the lowest cost. INTEREST AND RENT CHARGES. Reduction of interest and rent charges, with right of appeal by mort--1 gagee and property owner to prevent I hardship. UNEMPLOYMENT. Immediate provision of productive

work to enable unemployed to earn sufficient to maintain themselves and their dependents, with ultimate transference to ordinary productive employment. The Labour 'Party will: Re-introduce the graduated land tax on large land holdings. Maintain the Conciliation and Arbitration System for the negotiation and .settlement of differences and disputes between employers and employees. Maintain existing educational, hospital and pension facilities. EXPANSION OF INDUSTRY. The call to all electors is for the expansion of industry, so that those at • present unemployed may be once more absorbed in industry, earn their own living, and make their own homes. The natural resources arc available —the human resources are at pres,ent idle—the Labour Party believes that it can command the credit which will link the human with the material resources. With the maximum encouragement to private initiative and the careful, co-ordinate planning of our requirements and production, we can start, the Dominion once more on the road to prosperity which is the rightful due of all our citizens.

H. E. HOLLAND, Leader Parliamentary Party. H. R. G. MASON, Dominion President. W. NASH, General Secretary. PALMERSTON NORTH PALMERSTON N._, Nov. 17. Mr H. M. Oram, the United Party’s candidate for Palmerston North, has decided to withdraw his nomination. A meeting of Mr Oram’s supporters passed a resolution that while the committee views with srave disfavour the method of selection of Coalition candidates by Party leaders, nevertheless it feels, under the circumstances as exist at present, the Official United candidate, Mr Oram, should withdraw. At the same time the committee is strongly of opinion that in future elections, /the selection of the candidate must be left to executives of the parties concerned, in each electorate affected. PAHIATUA. DANNEVIRKE, Nov. 17. The Dannevirke electors decided to remain loyal to the Coalition candidate, Hon. E. A. Ransom. A meeting to consider the advisableness of nominating an Independent candidate to t contest Pahiatua was sparsely attended. Two speeches were made by the convenor and a member of the audience, but no motion was proposed. The meeting dispersed without expressing an opinion. There is every possibility now of Mr Ransom being unopposed. WATTAKI. WAIMATE, Nov. 17. Mr George Simon MacKenzie, Liberal candidate for Waitaki, opened his campaign last night. He expressed himself as a supporter of the Coalition Government, but was more in favour of a National Government. He urged the need for public and private economy, modification of the Arbitration Court, reproductive relief works, and a drastic overhaul of the railways. A vote of thanks was accorded.

CHRISTCHURCH SOUTH. CHRISTCHURCH, Nov. 17. Mr I). G. McGifford, aged 23, is announced as the Communisit Candidate for Christchurch South. The Communist Party also expects to nominate candidates for Lyttelton and Avon. MATAURA. GORE, Nov. 17. Thomas Golden, of Fortrose, is announced a s the unofficial Reform Coalition candidate for the Mataura seat. RAGLAN. HAMILTON, Nov. 17. Mr W. Lee-Martin, Labour, Raglan, addressed the electors at Pukemiro last night. He declared himself in favour of further assistance to primary producers, and encouragement of secondary industries. He favoured an internal loan of ten millions sterling, for providing permanent productive work for the unemployed. He advocated a loading policy in the backblocks, and was opposed to further borrowing overseas, reduction in wages, and curtailment of primary educational provisions. He received votes of thanks and confidence. GISBORNE SEA’R GIFBORNE, November 17. A meeting of the United Party resolved that having endeavoured "by all means to prevent a triangular contest and considering that no official Qchlitioni candidate has been nominated, the party will support the candidature of Mr Lysnar, the sitting member. Mr H. S. Lautour, the ‘Coali, tjionist, addressed a very large audience on non-party lines and stressed the contention that the electors in returning an Independent would serio/usly handicapped..

GISBORNE LABOUR CANDIDATE GISBORNE. November 17. Mr D. W. Coleman, Mayor of Gisborne and Labour candidate has opened his capnpaigm He declared that if Labour were returned, it would immediately restart the Napier-G|is-horae railway. The money would be far better expended, thereon than in the manner of the present relief works. He advocated organising the industrial resources, a Stat P Bank ond a reduction in interest. He received a vote of thanks. COALITIONIST V. REFORMER. AUCKLAND, November 17. Mr Stallworthy, Coalition candfid

a,te, has answered a circular of the Independent Reformer, tv. Glover Glark in tvhi.ch the latter declares Mr Stall worthy broke his eflectiioVi pledges. The exfMinister challenges Mr Clark to a debate on the hustings. PAROA MEETING. A meeting of the friends and supporters of Mr J. O’Brien, M.P., will be held in the Paroa Hall to-morrow (Thursday) at 8 p.m. MR. HOLYOAKE’S MEETINGS. Mr K. J. Holyoake, the official Coalition candidate for the Motueka eleetora/te, will address the electors of the Reefton and Maruia districts on Friday, as follows:— Gorge Bridge, Upper Mataki, at 10 a.m.; Mr George Thompson’s, 12 noon; Station Creek at 2 p.m.; Spring Junction at 3.30 p.m.; Black’s Point, 7 p.m.; and in the Criterion Theatre, Reefion, at 8 p.m. AN ARITHMETICAL QUESTION. (To the Editor.) Sir, —Whenever I hear the word Coalition (a joining up) mentioned now, it reminds me of the arithmetic ! sums of my school days. ‘By-the-bye, 1 if those parties arc in a majority at the elections, the poor little country youngster will be deprived of having any “school days”; ho will in the future talk about his “correspondence days!”) Well, the arithmetic reminder is as follows:—

If it took the Reform Party so many years to borrow so much money t« try and ruin New Zealand, and the United Party so many years to do the same things to achieve, apparently, the same object, then how long, or rather how short, a time will it take the two parties, joined together, that is the Coalition Parties to absolutely, and hopelessly, ruin the country?

That is, and there is no mistake about it, the past record of these parties. Wasteful expenditure, extravagant borrowings, and mal-administra-tion generally are the indelible inscriptions upon a badly blotted escutcheon. Who bears the brunt every time? Why, the poor man. Let me tell the worker: You will be trampled out of existence, if you permit this to continue. Do the only wise thing.—l am, etc., VOTE HOLLAND & O’BRIEN.