POLITICAL

Hokitika Guardian, 17 September 1938, Page 7

POLITICAL

MR SAVAGE’S MOVEMENTS. (Per Press Association—Copyright). CHRISTCHURCH, September 16. It is probable that the Prime Minister (Rt. Hon. M. J. Savage) will visit Christchurch on September 27, according to a statement by the Mayor (Mr R. M. Macfarlane), who is secretary of the North Canterbury Labour Representation Committee. Mr Savage would spend one day in Christohuich before visiting other centres in the South Island, said Mr Macfarlane, and the present indications wetre that Mr Savage would arrive in Christchurch on Tuesday week. Mr Savage would give an address in the evening. 1 Confirmation of. the arrangements for his visit was now being awaited. Centres that would he visited by Mr Savage would probably include Timaru, Dunedin and Invercargill. HON. H. T. ARMSTRONG. WANGANUT, September 16. Addressing an audience at Fordell, to-day, Hon. H. T. Armstrong (Minister of Labour), repeated his assertion that there is not an. able bodied man in the country to-day out of his employment. In 1936, said Mr Armstrong, the amount that was paid in wages .in New Zealand was £66,209,000, whereas in 1938, the amount paid was £91,053,000, Wages had thus increased since 1936 by £24,000,000. The Minister stated that the income of the people from sources other than wage's and salaries had increased, in the same period, by £23,905,000. , For every extra eight pence that was collected in the unemployment taxation, the people, therefore, had an extra 19s 4d to spend. The Government, he said, had been accused of drafting all of the unemployed into Public Works camps, but of 79,200 who had been unemployed* only 18,000 had gone to the public works. , - Tn the year 1928, said the Minister, there were'lo:227 registered, apprentices in New Zealand, whereas m 1935, when the Government took office, the number bed decreased to. 3329, There were now close on nine thousand apprentices in the Dominion, and it , wpuld not be long before the ten thousand mtirk was reached. j f MR SAVAGE’S. PRAISE. FOR MR CHAMBERLAIN. . - - WELLINGTON, September 16. . Full support of the action taken by the Prime Minister of Great 1 Britain (Mr Chamberlain) in deciding to fly to Berchtesgarden to discuss the European situation with Herr Hitler ; was expressed hv the Prime Minister (the Rt. Hon. M. .T. Savage) in an interview. In addition, Mr Savage expressed warm admiration of Mr Chamberlain’s decision, which he personally regarded as* a historic gesture in the cause of peace.

“The New. Zm’and Government) Iwns in for hied of Mr Chamberlain’s decision in the small hours of the .morning,” Mr Ravage said, “and there should be no need for me to state that we are firmly behind Great Britain in this matter. The issues at stake involve practically the whole of the civilised world, arid probably millions of lives may be in the balance, Jn those circumstances, Mr Chamberlain bps shown an outstanding aunvoointinri of the responsibilities of his high office.” • V ' ' “Whether Mr CbomVrlain’s mission succeeds.or fails,” Mr Ravage continued, “the gesture which he has made will go down in historv. He has not boon prepared to await developments without making a personal approach to. n man who has enuallv great responsibilities. Personally. I ttenk ; Mr Chamberlain will succeed in averting the possibility of war. Wha+ he has done , merits our deepest admiration. Faced with a. problem of the greatest magnitude, he has shown himself to he a man big enough to deal with it in a big way.”