Prime Minister in City

Manawatu Times, Volume 68, Issue 224, 21 September 1943, Page 6

Prime Minister in City

Review of Labour’s Achievements

A large number of Palmerston North electors attended at the Opera House last night to listen to the Prime Minister, Et. Hon. r. Fraser, deliver an election address in the interests of the Labour Party and its city and district candidates, lie was accorded an attentive hearing while he traversed the achievements of the Government during its eight years of office and spoke of intentions for the future. Cheers and applause greeted Mr. Fraser when he rose to addrdss the large audience. ‘ 4 l am here not because Mr. Hodgens is in need of any support in his candidature," he said. “±iis work during the last eight years is a sufficient passport to the goodwill and support of the people of Palmerston North. I will have great pleasure iu sending him a telegram of congratulation once more on {Saturday next. (Applause.) There is no member of the House of Representatives more assiduous in his work in the interests of the people ho represents. 1 am pleased to pay that testimony because i have experienced his persistency and capacity to refuse ‘no' as an answer. He will have the opportunity of working in the interests of Palmerston North for many years to come." (Applause.) The Prime Minister also referred to tho confidence he had in Messrs Oliver (Manawatu), Low T ry (Otaki) and Freeman (Rangitikei) who were also standing in Labour’s interests.

Mr. Fraser referred to the Dominion's war effort and regretted that certain circles had tried to belittle it. Away back when Italy was riding roughshod over Abyssinia, Mr. Savage and he saw tho need for building up New Zealand’s defences and set to work to do so. Some of the same people to-day were saying New Zealand was overdoing it, thus broadcasting defeatist sentiments. It was nonsense to talk of being overcommitted. However, there w r ere some people trying to win votes by undermining the Government’s war efforts. Mr. Fraser replied to Mr. Mansford’s reference to the defencelessness of the West Coast during the Japanese scare. There was not a part of the country which was not daily under review by the War Cabinet, the Prime Minister declared. To say nothing was going to be done till Mr. Mausford had protested, was like the old argument about who won the battle of Waterloo—Wellington or Bill Adams? Mr. Mausford was a political Bill Adams. “The Labour Party iu Palmerston North can be congratulated already on having defeated the National Party," Mr. Fraser declared amidst applause. “In this city we find the Nationalists casting their weight behind someone who calls himself an Independent." The National Party, he said, should not bo taken seriously because it had issued a mauifesto declaring its policy yet said its members iu tlie House could vote as they liked. What seuse was there iu that ? As a matter of fact, every important measure which came before Parliament carried with it the question of confidence iu the Government. Mr. Holland’s declaration that lie would set up a Coalitiou Government w r hen he got into power, was a piece of hypocrisy because if anyone had tried to get national unity, it had been himself (applause). In a Coalition Government, if he could not get his way, Mr. Holland would walk out as he had done before. Mr. Fraser said the record of achievement by the Labour Government could never have been accomplished without the help of the public servants. “We have publie servants of whom 1 am very proud," he said. “We have shown by what we have done for the publie servants that we appreciate their great contribution to the prosperity of the Dominion, more than our predecessors did." He added that here and there one w'ould find an awkward civil servant just as awkward people were found in all walks of life. The Prime Minister reviewed Labour’s achievements down the years and quoted figures to back up his claims. Labour had brought prosperity to the country, he said, and one of the best tests was to look at tho large sums of money which had been invested in secondary industries. Would that have been done if the country was going to ruin? Mr. Fraser spoke of the efficiency of the New Zealand worker -which could be attributed to higher standards of education and living. Wages and salaries in 1935 had aggregated £(3(5,000,000 but in 1943 they had reached £155,000,000, an increase of 135 per cent., and Mr. Fraser added: “The mere mention of the fact is sufficient." He next urged the people not to spend but to .save till times were normal again. Fifty per cent, of the dairy farmers iu 1935 could not meet their liabilities; to-day they were iu a position of comparative prosperity. In 1935 the average net income of the farmer was £75. In Labour’s first year of office it had riseu to £lB6 and to-day was £372—not a very princely income but a net income and a marvellous advance on what they were receiving under Labour’s opponents. There was proof that prosperity had come to the farmers under Labour's administration and Mr. Fraser quoted figures covering increased production, tho greater use of fertilisers, etc., saying the farmers would not increase their use of fertilisers if they did not expect to get paid for the added production. lie defended stabilisation as the only alternative to ruin and said that when the war was over, Labour would take the country on to further prosperity—onwards and upwards. The cost of living had been kept lower than in any other British country. Ho believed that if Great Britain called on New Zealand to make further sacrifices, the people would rise unanimously to the occasion.

The Prime Minister touched briefly on education and the need for better and bigger school buildings. He spoke of the need for more houses especially to meet the needs of the servicemen Who would rettim to New Zealand to get married. He x* a id. tribute to the work of the teaching profession and spoke of the endeavour to give country children the same advantages as city children. He said the National Party could not abolish {Social Security because they saw liow much the people had beueiitted by it. Labour stood for a minimum family income and, should unemployment strike the country again, the Government would not bo satisfied with the unemployment allowance at present iu the Social Security Act. He asked for the support of everybody iu respect to rehabilitation and to show the returning men that appreciation of services rendered to which they were justly entitled. He declared the Servicemen’s Settlement and Laud Sales Bill was fair to everybody. and prevented the fleecing of tho returned man. The Bill protected the man who

saved New' Zealand. Without it there could be no successful soldier settlement. The Government might have to stand losses but the equipping of the men to face a successful future was just as much a war expenditure as equipping them with rifles. There would be no finish written to the wiping off of war expenditure until the men were satisfactorily settled. Labour was working for freedom from fear and freedom from want. The Prime Minister was accorded a vote of thanks and confidence with cheers for a Labour victory. The chairman was Mr. W. Sutherland, while Mr. J. Hodgens welcomed the Prime Minister.