National Party

Hutt News, Volume 20, Issue 22, 30 October 1946, Page 7

National Party

MR. VOGEL AT NAENAE

ELECTION CAMPAIGN OPENED

The Naenae Community Hall was filled on Thursday night, when Mr. J. E. F. Vogel, National Party candidate for the Hutt electorate, opened his election campaign. Mr. R. S. Simpson, who presided, introduced the speaker. There were many interjections from a section of the audience that evidently held different political viws from the candidate, but Mr. Vogel t’-eated them goodhumouredly and was never diverted from bis theme.

Vogel opened by stating that during the campaign he would have no truck .with a whispering campaign or personalities. In the coming elections electors would have ihe

opportunity of sending their children into a Labour Party world, which meant State Socialism with aU its restrictions, or a National Parry world, with freedom of the individual and freedom of enterprise.

Effect on the Home All national problems affected the home, and women had borne a heavy burden owing to the high taxation, low production, and shortage of goods. Some people said that production had gone up. The value of production may have increased, but not tbe actual volume of production, and there was a big discrepancy today between goods and value. Compared with prices in 1935-3 G (as taken from the newspapers; the prices of napery. linen, and drapery had increased 100 per cent, and furniture 80 per cent. Meat had gone up 33 1-3 per cent., despite the fact that a subsidy of £400,000 a year was being paid. Mr. Nash had said that the £ had depreciated 37 per cent., and even on that figure a £6 a week salary had decreased in value to £4.

The National Party’s policy was full employment, with increased production, and it proposed a profitsharing scheme to increase production. This scheme was working with complete satisfaction in some industries in the Hutt Valley. Taxation would be investigated with a view to using it to increase production. The National Party, when it got into power, would set up a Royal Commission to go into the matter. The party would press on hydroelectric power scheme. In 19.36 Mr. Semple stopped this scheme; now he was going on with it again.

Standard of Living

Regarding family incomes, the standard of living was what the wages would produce. The National Party believed that deliveries of goods, which affected women and children, should be re-introduced. The party would extend the training scheme for help in the homes, provide convalescent homes for women needing rest, and remove the sales tax from all labour-saving appliances in the home. Despite suggestions to the contrary, it would not reduce the child benefits. It also favoured State assistance for kindergartens and Plunket rooms. • More assistance should be given to recreational and cultural facilities for youth. At present the playing areas in the State housing districts were completely inadequate.

Housing Problems

Mr. Vogel devoted a big part of his address to the matter of housing. The National Party’s slogan was “Own your own home,” and oppoi - - tunity would be given for those who wanted to buy the State house they were occupying to do so. At present all improvements put up by the tenant belonged to the State, whereas under the National Party scheme they would belong to the tenant. The candidate outlined the National Party’s housing proposals, as outlined by Mr. Holland last week. 'As a member of the Rehabilitation Committee Mr. Vogel said that he knew the urgent need of houses for ex-servicemen. This year 112 houses had been released to ex-servicemen, and 470 more families were waiting for homes. In the Wellington district the rate of building was 1200 a year; at that rate it would take a long time to catch up on the demand. Before the war there were 1300 small builders in the country. Very few of these were left. Other aspects of improving the housing position were outlined by the speaker. The party would take off the sales tax on building materials, and would not stand for trafficking in State houses, and would not disturb present tenants. The National Party considered that the Legislative Council served no useful purpose, and it would be abolished. It would also remove politics from Courts of Law —there would he no more Lewis cases. Members of Parliament should have freedom to vote acco/ting to their conscience; never once had a Labour member voted in anything but his own lobby.

Social Security

After referring to licensing issues, rehabilitation, land settlement, public works, salaries of teachers, and schools, Mr. Vogel dealt at length with social security, stating that the National Party had pledged itself not to cut wages, pensions, family allowances, or other benefits. It favoured health centres, but considered that general practitioners should be allowed to practice from their own homes if they so desired and people allowed to choose their own doctor. It favoured the co-operation, not