NATIONALIST POLICY

Grey River Argus, 28 August 1939, Page 5

NATIONALIST POLICY

INDIVIDUAL FREEDOM —. Against Socialist Principles [Per Press Association]. CHRISTCHURCH, August 27. An address by Hon. A. Hamilton was read last night at the opening of new premises for the Canterbury Nationalist Club. In this, he said: “Be--1 cause we believe that Socialist principles will undermine—are unuermin- ' j n g—the morale of our people, particularly some of our young people, 1 wc are rallying to fight for the cause lof British freedom and fair play in New Zealand. If there is one thing a crisis brings home to us, it is a realisation of the importance of maintaining in our people a healthy | national morale —the ability to stand up to a test —in which a basic feature is a desire to defend principles ifor which we stand, principles of democratic liberty enjoyed throughout the British Empire. The morale of the British people in the past has been built on the basis of joy of work, satisfaction with a job well done, thrift without meanness, and individual resourcefulness combined and happily blended with neighbourliness. To-day 'we must continue on equally a sound basis. It is essential that a more and more earnest interest should be taken in the business of government. That cannot be emphasised too much. The greatest danger is democracy is that a false catch—cry from a false prophet, promising paradise and capitalising difficulties, shall lead an unthinkable majority into selling and betraying their birthright. All our strivings should be aimed at one thing-t-impr6vement in .the general standard of Jiving. To protect the individual and improve the standard of living in individual initiative, is the generation of improvement and progress in both the social and the economic system; and in private property lies an essential to a sure basis of either social security or independence.” | New Zealand had to depend on her export trade. Economic nationalisation would be disastrous. Nationalisation could not do anything but depress the standard of living. An industry run independently of Government control was better, and should be more efficient than one national- 1 ised. and the principal object of good government should be to create, or protect, cricumstances in which private enterprise could operate most ; successfully. It was along these lines that problems of the day must be tackled. |

“To-night,” Mr. Hamilton's message concluded, “we are celebrating a milestone in the progress of the National Party in Canterbury, with the opening of this magnificent club. It is a demonstration of the strength, progress and purposefulness of the National Party, and the message it inspires will have its effect throughout the Dominion.” In the absence of Mr. Hamilton, the Club was declared open by Mr. S. G. Holland, M.P.