LABOUR TARTY’S DEBT TO PRIVATE ENTERPRISE.

Hutt News, Volume 20, Issue 14, 4 September 1946, Page 2

LABOUR TARTY’S DEBT TO PRIVATE ENTERPRISE.

(To the Editor.) Sir, —The Labour Party is prone to quote the capitalists as dreadful people—those people who have so willingly given in labour, finance, and brains for the progress of New Zealand and who could quite easily be termed the backbone of New Zealand with the co-operation of the sane workers. After all, this country of ours is hardly over 100 years old and the Labour Government has been in power only 10 years. One wonders, when listening to the advocates of the Labour Party, how New Zealand ever existed before they came into power. What about our pioneers who came out and built this country up through sheer hard work and stout hearts (no roads, no trains, no cars, and no buses), but because those people have made good through their own efforts they are now being cynically branded as capitalists by members and supporters of the Labour Party, many of whom are loudspeakers of Socialism bui refused to fight for oiir country in World War I. They were also definitely opposed to conscription but subsequently found that conscription was inevitable if we were to overcome our aggressors. As time has so often proved, many of these ideas appear attractive in theory but not in practice. As many people will remember, Mr. Nash was going to insulate New Zealand —this was pre-war. What would have happened to us if he had been able to carry out his plani We know now that Mr. Nash had tc call on the so-called capitalists, i.e. farmers, for increased food production, manufacturers for increase in clothing production- for the forces, and motor and engineering firms foi vehicles and guns and ammunition for war. Now, where-would M> Nash have been had it not been fo the “private enterprises” who estab lished these foundations from whici he lias drawn? After all, the above mentioned enterprises, plus our owr (free from control) newspapers, wer> well established before anyone ii New Zealand ever heard of Mr. Nash When speaking of capitalists, whr about the collections by the trad unions from the workers by way c fees? Will the Federation t game 'enough to come out into th< open and tell the working people hov much money they have collected ii union fees and invested and yet stil charge the workers the same fees They have invested this money fo: what? And then they growl abou capitalists.—l am, etc., WATERLOO.