PROPOSALS OF LABOUR

Hawera Star, Volume LIV, 24 July 1935, Page 9

PROPOSALS OF LABOUR

SOCIALIST POLICY DEFINED “I MAKE NO APOLOGIES” ADDRESS BY REV. C. CARR, AI.P. “I make no apologies for the fact that 1 am a Socialist, nor for the policy of the Labour Party, standing for the socialisation of the means of production unci distribution suid the Rev. Clyde Carr, Ai.P., when opening his address on tlie proposals of the New Zealand Labour Party at Hawera last night.

Mr W. G. Simpson was an the chair, there being an attendance of over 100 people. Introducing the speaker, Mr Simpson said the public would be anxious to Ileal- any proposals the Labour Party- might have to help the couutiy out of its troubles. There was no question about what the limaru people thought of the Rev, Air Carr, and if he never went near the electorate dining an election campaign, lie would stilJ be elected. “Socialism has been presented as a ‘bogey’ with horns and a tad, said Mr Carr, “but it is really a community organisation and service, and nas not been eVoiced by tlie Labour Pal ty out of a subconscious Mind. -*■ .7 philosophy which is rapidly ground. He said the “Tones wanted things to remain as they weie while the Chamber of Commerce stood for the sacred rights of private ente - prise, but Socialism was Just the community organised to help itsell. The* trend to-day was towards closer organisation—similar to neigh joining farmers assisting each other and snaring plant. The Labour Party dul not want to force Socialism on the community, but they did want to be prepared for the coming of this uoild trend. Capitalists spoke of the sacred rio-ht of the individual trader, but there was less competition in world trade to-clav, and more trusts and combines, than ever before. Competition was being done away with New Zealand must, as part of the economic world, progress as the world P r °S r ed. and this trend was towards Socialism Capitalism was based on exploitation. and meant that someone had to make a loss. WHY FARMER IS JEALOUS. “Why is the dairy farmer to-day jealous of the wheat farmer ? ’ he asked. “Because the wheat farmer has a guaranteed price.” Mr Can* said the thins to do was >.-ot to take the guarantee awav from the wheat farmer, hut. to give it to the dairy farmer. “You cannot injure a worker in A\ elhngton without hurting a farmer in Taranaki.” be said, addins that the reverse equally applied. It had been said that the world was suffering from over-production, but- while there was one hungry man, woman or child in tho world'there was no over-produc-tion.

-Mr Carr considered that the present Government was trying to get back to the “good old days of laissez lane, where everything was explained by the law of supply and demand. The railways, which could not be expected to pay in a sparsely settled country, were for the distribution and collection oi the farmer’s produce. The railway service existed, not to make profits but to render service, and only the State could do that. 'Private enterprise was prevented from doing it because it had to make profits. The farmers of the Dominion wore “paying through the nose” as far as shipping was concerned, and should possess its State shipping company. Mr Stanley Bruce hac made the Commonwealth shipping line appear a failure, whereas in reality was a huge success. The introduction of more Socialism would be better in this connection. No one would think of handing the post office over to onvate enterprise, so why the means distribution ? Tho reason why farmers were not getting an adequate return lor their produce was the manipulations ot tl financial magnates. If the people coM control the monetary medium, a lair return for their products would be el - sured. If farmers were not going to be assured of an adequate return they would not carry on. doublin the r production as .they had done m the last ten years Then there would be an a c of Smty. instead of an a*a «» abounding plenty.as was the case day. and economy measures would bo really necessary. a policy of deflation. The present Government kad pujsued a ‘policy of deflation, as dictated by Scandal interests overseas sa d Nil <Lr. Ho considered that a htt e »- u-ifinn would do no harm, iho "i deflation had meant the call.ng mof mortgages and the curtailing of c.ed.t land credit »as 89 par cent. of the money used in modern no.ld Slump conditions ' •illv by the policy ot deflation. ‘ The argument that lowering wages would lessen the .»* in cd was disproved hi ■ t , J { and 193 0 Omre were 1U;-- U ti „„e,l. [ of’Neu- Zealand produce in IStdno « B r"uts. Money did not * Into New Zealand from oveiboas, come into • 1 tor oxhut where less 1 j j‘ bo obtained, ports loss imports , j£ New Zealand —was what she producec £ew of tlie as ft butter. The various Rations wo enft ouragmg Labour Rartv belioiect i there secondary industries ami tl * hcr would lie no need to export tO per cent. Mr Carr promised Ids audience that when the Labour Party came into powul thev would restore puichasin D power, by paying good wages to those to Whom they were immediately responsible. To-day everything "os helc| «P for the lack of purchasing 1>"« > if this was increased more goods woulcl be produced and sold and more men employed. T he demand for more credit would be met by a State bank. At present the policy of the farmer and the manufacturer was dictated by to banks. Farmers would not get an

adequate price by depending on private control of business and money. Farmers (produced .veal wealth, but they did not produce money, which was created by the bankfs by a stroke of the pen. Air Carr said that slumps and booms were not caused by any fluctuation in the productivity of the world, but by willul manipulation, of finance. Public control of finance would stabilise conditions. JURY OF COMMON MEN. He regarded Parliament as a jury of common men, not a body of particular experts, continued Mr Carr. When Air H. Atmore was Alinister of Education, an education committee, ot which the speaker had been a- member, had brought down a‘policy, admitted by experts as one of the finest yet seen, but this had been shelved. The Labour Party believed that it was the duty of Parliament to legislate on the reports of various committees, who would have the findings of experts before them. He believed in developing secondary industry in New Zealand, so that the farmers would not have to depend on a fluctuating overseas market. The Government had made things more difficult by putting on a) high exchange. which further decreased New Zealand’s power to import, and by putting on a sales tax when it had already been hard for people to sell goods. The speaker said that as a result- of exchange, freight charges and produce, tlie Dominion luul to pay 300 per cent, of the original cost of the imports.

In concluding his address, Air Carr said New Zealand was something like a motor-car with a colonial body and an imported engine—an engine of capitalism. It had not gone so well and Liberal statesmen had tried to patch it up bv Socialist means—the Liberal legislation of a few years ago. However New Zealand had realised to a certain extent that the community could do for the individual what the individual could not do for himself. “You cannot. fool all the people all the time,’’ he concluded.

In reply to a question concerning the superannuation of civil servants, Alt Carr said there would have to be adjustments made. The policy of the Labour 'Party, however, was not to pull down from the top, but to build up from the bottom. A Labour Government would have to put right t ie wroiifs of previous Governments in connection with the superannuation scheme. “At the present time the young people cabinet get jobs because old people are working too long, ie said, “and it would bo far better for the young people to work to provide superannuation for the old poop e than for the old people to work to keei) the young on the uncmploj mciit dole.” Air Carr said there would have to he a retiring age, which under the Labour Party’s platform, would be gradual I v reduced from, say, bO years downwards to, say, ISO. It' would be a crime for a man to work alter he had reached the retiring age fixed, that was. for his living. ‘I he Labom Party will give shorter hours of labour and increased wages, ho said. “You will 'ask where the money will come from—well, we shall make it. Under our policy there will bo superannuation and national health instilance for everybody.'"