LABOUR’S PROMISES.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVI, Issue 259, 30 September 1936, Page 14

LABOUR’S PROMISES.

CRITICISM OF ADMINISTRATION. CHRISTCHURCH, Sept. 28. “We are standing on the edge of an industrial volcano,” said Mr S. G. Holland, in an address to constituents at Shirley. The Ministers were going round the country trying to pacify the workers, among whom there was much unrest, said Mr Holland. The Government had a record of broken promises, said Mr Holland. Before the election it had promised that there would be no taxation increases. The graduated land tax had been trebled to return £1,300,000. It had promised to take off the sales tax, but now it was collecting more than ever. It had promised to remove the exchange; but no action had been taken so far. There was an additional burden on the farmer through increased costs, said Mr Holland. One instance of this was the increase in the cost of freezing. It was estimated, ho said, that the actual and prospective increase in freezing costs would amount to £460,000 per annum. This represented an increase of 7hi on every 361 b lamb that passed through the works. Mr Holland dealt also with the overtime rates in Government departments. New rates for several departments had been gazetted last week. An examination of the figures would show, he said, that the overtime rates were less than the normal rates. A man getting 2s 4|d an hour was to get 2s Id overtime. A man getting 2s lid an hour would get 2s 6d au hour overtime where private enterprise would have to pay 4s IOJd, while one getting 4s 8d an hour in a Government department would get 3s 6d overtime as against 7s, twice as much, from private enterprise. Wage increases had been given, said Mr Holland, but they had been substantially cancelled out by the increased cost of living. Industrialists who had been largely responsible for the change ifi Government had been left in the air, he said. Greatly increased costs had been imposed by legislation and no compensatory protection had been provided. As a result, many large orders were going overseas. THE BASIC WAGE. Mr Holland dealt also with the basic wage. There was no need for a basic wage, he said. Industry could not afford to provide for 64(1)000 non-exist-ent people supposed to be dependent on work rs over the age of 21. The increased holidays if applied to all workers would mean a cost of £420,000. Although the Government had made much of the unemployment question, it was a fact that the number of unemployed had increased since December of last year. The Monthly Abstract of Statistics for August showed that there were 45,045 unemployed on the register at that time. This was 9000 more than when the Government took over. Expenditure should be governed by income, Mr Holland said. -Yet, though the price of fleece wool, New Zealand’s main product, was 9d per lb. in 1935 as against lod per lb in 1931, the Government was indulging in “champagne” expenditure. Mr Holland strongly .criticised the Government for starting the nationalisation of industry by starting two joinery factories without giving private enterprise the chance to provide the joinery required, and for placing orders for thousands of pounds worth of joinery machinery -without calling for tenders.