The Grey River Argus THURSDAY, November 21, 1946 THE ELECTION ISSUE

Grey River Argus, 21 November 1946, Page 4

The Grey River Argus THURSDAY, November 21, 1946 THE ELECTION ISSUE

The fact that they have command of almost the entire press of the 'country is being exploited to the utmost by the National Party. It may be said that Ministers obtain due publicity, but the whole object of editorial commentators in nearly all of the newspapers is to gainsay the ease for Labour. In these final days of the election campaign it may be expected that the Nationalist leaders will be displayed as triumphant upon the platform and .Ministers represented as meeting with no small degree of dissent. The fundamental issues of the election tend more and more to be sidetracked by the Nationalists. whose obvious endeavour is to create a feeling that they are making the better impression. Yet the basis of that, claim is simply that the National Party is not going to alter the policy of the Government in any particular instance that is of importance for the masses. All of the measures for social security, stabilisation, full employment, industrial development, price guarantees, etc., arc to be retained. Any divergence is at most to be no more than a variation of the steps taken during the past decade to place the Dominion in the prosperous and secure state in which it stands at present. Yet it is argued that the Government does no more than promise to carry on as it has been doing, which is precisely what should be expected of an Administration which is confident it has been all along doing the right thing. That all of the play upon the term “ultimate socialism’’ has not induced any Labour candidate to deviate at all from the platform of the Party is a fact no elector will ignore. The wisdom of this fidelity is illustrated by the steady deviation of the Opposition from their original stand for retrenchment. They have given up the contention that the people are being regimented and exploited, because of a perception that the people feel they would, suffer seriously by any radical departure from the economic line now being followed, which has utterly eliminated unemployment, raised the income aggregate and the income average to an unprecedented height, giving the people confidence to plan for a more stable and secure future both as individuals and as communities. One of the strangest things in the election campaign has been the absolute inconsistency of the Natioal Party. It has not only hauled down the flag of retrenchment, but confessed confusion in its argument against socialisation. Thus it has been alleged, on the one hand, that everything is going to be socialised if the /Government is returned, and, on the other hand, that nobody could say just what the Government may decide to socialise. About the only instance in which the Goveranent has declared nationalisation is to be made complete is that of the coal resources. Transport has been quoteci as a probable further venture, but by no means totally. Already the railways are a socialised service and nobody ever thinks of any change, whilst road traffic is divided between public and private enterprise, and is certain to remain divided. Air services as a State enterprise arc in prospect, but New Zealand differs in that respect nowise 'from cither Britain or Australia, and even British Commonwealth air services are in the same category. The latest trick of the Nationalists in back-sliding'from their original election propaganda is to say that everything and everybody can be brought under “Socialist” control without socialisation in the real sense of the term. This is a confession that private enterprise is destined under tin’s Government to go on as it has been doing. By election day it may be expected to find the National Party saying that the actual meaning of their alarmist allegations is'that, no matter what may be the policy of Labour, the mere fact of its ra-

turn to power will constitute Socialist control. Well, the people have already had. ample experience of the Government’s policy. They are able to compare its effect with the conditions existing in other countries, as well as with the conditions existing before the change to this Government’s policy. That is the true election issue. The result ought not to be in doubt.