NOW THE LIBERALS

Hawera Star, Volume LIV, 14 September 1935, Page 6

NOW THE LIBERALS

Party Expects to Contest at Least Twenty Seats

LEADER NOT ANNOUNCED OUTLINE OF PROGRAMME Not much has been heard of the New Zealand Liberal Party, but it, too, is to be on the scene when the whips are cracking in the forthcoming General Election campaign. The Dominion organiser of the party, Mr W. J. Palmer, of Auckland, was in Wellington one day this week, and was surprised that little was known about the party. He announced that the party would be contesting at least twenty seats, but would not be interesting itself to any extent with Wellington nor Christchurch seats, nor would the party have a candidate in the field against the Leader of the Opposition (Mr M. J. Savage) or in any electorate where a Country Party candidate is standing. The Liberal Party, said Mr Palmer, had a programme (which he outlined) that it was believed would be the means of restoring that reasonable prosperity to which the people of New Zealand were entitled.

The New Zealand Liberal Party, said Mr Palmer, came into being two years ago. It had been formed i Q Auckland to perpetuate the name of the late Rt. Hon. R. J. ‘Seddon, and had been formed into an incorporated body in February, 1934. The party had been formed as a result of an insistent demand by a section of the people, and that interest was being taken in its activities was reflected by the fact that after a meeting at Takapuna a little over a month a gg he had received mail from as far away as Bluff. THE LEADERSHIP. At the present time he was unable to make public a full list of candidates, but Mr W. F. Jordan, a solicitor, would be contesting Parnell in the interests of the party, and Mr J. J. Guiniven, Mayor of Takapuna, the Waitemata seat. The party had in view a prominent member of Parliament as the leader, and' two other members for the position of deputy-leader. He hoped by next week to be in a position to announce the names of the leader and deputy-leader and also some of the other candidates. The party had already opened its campaign in the Auckland Province, and next Monday night a start would be made with the campaign in the Parnell electorate. With the exception 'of the leader and the deputy-leader the candidates would be people who had not been in Parliament before.

Out of courtesy, said Mr Palmer, the Liberal Party would not be contesting Mr Savage’s seat, but the party would have a candidate for practically every other seat in Auckland. So far as seats in other centres were concerned, ther would be a Liberal Party candidate against Mr Forbes, and there would also he a candidate suitable to Liberal interests contesting Mr Coates’ seat. The party, however, was not contesting any seats in electorates where a Country Party candidate was standing. PARTY’S POLICY.

The main planks of the party’s policy, said Air Palmer, were: (1) Monetary reform by a system agreed upon by experts; (2) land reform by throwing open the many acres pf unoccupied land for qualified settlers at a reasonable rate of repayment; (3) unemployment. All public works and subsidised works to be paid for at standard rates of pay, and the working hours to be reduced all round to 40 hours a week. Retirement at sixty years of age with suitable superannuation and compulsory contributions to the National Provident Fund. (4) Repeal of the Gaming Act; (5) the licensing of B broadcasting stations to enable them to become commercialised as in Australia; (6) repeal of the Eviction Act; (7) trade and tariffs. Strict reciprocity within the Empire and with countries purchasing New Zealand goods and with special protection to New Zealand manufacturers and secondary industries. (8) Greater facilities to be given and more advertising to be devoted by the Government to attracting tourists from other countries to New Zealand and acquainting them with the conditions in the Dominion. (9) Investments. Whenever British capital is offering for New Zealand that it should be taken advantage of with a i r iew to a greater development of New Zealand industries. (10) 'Pensions. Old age and war pensions to be increased to a living rate. Abolition of the dole except in cases where people were unable to work. (11) Education. Free books and uniforms for pupils of sufficient intelligence who are recommended for a secondary school course. It was felt, said Mr Palmer, that a sec-ondaz-y school course should be made available to the children whose parents were unable to buy books and could not afford to pay for the school uniform. SOME CRITICISM “We believe,” continued Air Palmer, “that by the issue of our own currency the overhead taxation in New Zealand could be greatly reduced. Moreover, we feel that if our policy is into effect it will bring back again that reasonable prosperity to which he people are entitled." Air Palmer described the present Government as a Government of commissions and omissions. Mr Walter Nash, he continued, had made the statement that Liberalism was dead. The fact that the New Zealand Liberal Party would be contesting at least twenty seats showed that it was not Liberalism that was dead, but possibly Air Nash and the Labour Party, who were still sleeping after four years. Air. Palmer also criticised the outline of the Democrat Party’s pro-

gramme. He said that one-lialf of it contradicted the other. Although he was an optimist, Air Palmer said that he -did not in his wildest dreams expect that the Liberal Pai’ty would get into power tins time. AYhat the party was out to do was to form a nucleus, believing that no party could get into power at the present time with a sufficient working majority.