DEMOCRAT PLATFORM OUTLINED

Northern Advocate, 18 October 1935, Page 6

DEMOCRAT PLATFORM OUTLINED

UNEMPLOYMENT CURE CARDINAL POINT

MARSDEN CAMPAIGN OPENS WITH ADDRESS BY DR. ADAMS

ADDITIONAL cards in the hand held by the Democrat Party in ( the general election sweepstake were thrown on the table last night, when Dr G. J. Adams, deputy-chairman of the Democrat Conference, addressed a large audience in the Whangarei Town Hall. Mr J. B. Donald, ex-Postmaster-Gen-eral in-the United Cabinet, also spoke, and the meeting served to introduce Mr R. W. Johns, who announced himself last week as the Marsden Democrat candidate. The Mayor, Mr W. Jones, presided. Points dealt with by Dr Adams were finance, the exchange rate, public health welfare, national health insurance and superannuation, hospital administration, cancer and _ tuberculosis control, housing improvements, malnutrition of children, unemployment, the policy as it affects the farmer and education. Unemployment Cure. Dr Adams made it clear that the principal object of the party was *- c solution of the unemployment problem, which, it claimed, was the most important question in New Zealand today. It was one with which the National Government had failed to grapple successfully, and in which it,had, in fact, admitted failure. After stating it was obvious that the National Government was at a loss what to do, and that the problem was still unsolved, Dr Adams said that the present short and long range policies had come to light since the Democrat Party came into the field, and since Mr Hislop outlined the policy .in regard to the employment of unemployed in public works and private enterprise. The party had not the least doubt that the problem could be readily dealt with if handled in a business-like way. It was a very complex problem, and one that must be approached from many angles. For instance, there must be discrimination between the following groups:—Those physically or medically unfit for work; those just left school and unable to find work; those thrown out of work on account of the depression, and those who w.ould always be unemployed, even in the best of times. Provision For Many. Furthermore, provision must be made for:—Those workless persons who come under these groups: Elimination of all measures creating and perpetuating unemployment; the encouragement of all measures creating employment; elimination of relief camps, humiliating queues, etc.; avoid-: ance of wastage of public money; employment of men on reproductive, and essential public works. The Democrat Party provided for all of these with the £8,000,000 it was proposed to borrow for the financing of private enterprise and State schemes. That sum, he said, would allow for full time employment at standard rates of pay, and would further allow for the elimination, of the annual levy of. £1 and the reduction of the unemployment tax irom Bd, down to 2d per pound. Finance Figures. Dealing with the question of finance. Dr Adams said it entailed: Reduction in expenditure; reduction in overhead costs, or, in the case - of the Dominion, reduction in taxation; conservation of reserves, and prevention of leakages: controlled economic borrowing on sound security to allow of reorganisation He then went on to show that the National Government had increased the annual expenditure from £22,528,000 in 1933, to an estimated figure of £25,728,000 in 1936. They had steadily increased taxation from £ 19,703,000 in 1933, to £24,737,000 in 1935. He held that they had failed to conserve reserves and prevent leakages; that they had repaid loans when the Dominion urgently needed money; that they had virtually nearly doubled the National Debt through annual direct and indirect taxation of over £13,000,000; and that they had preferred a direct taxation policy when judicious controlled borrowing would have been more economic. A Comparison. The Democrat Party, said Dr Adams, provided for just the reverse. The Minister of Finance, in a recent interview, had inferred that it would cost the Dominion £22,000,000 annually, apart from such loan expenditure required, to relieve" unemployment, to give anything like full effect to the Democrat platform. Dr Adams went on to review the facts and figures as follows: — Public Works and unemployment: The Government policy, he said provided for £3,750,000 Public Works loan costing in interest £ 185,000 per annum, and a direct unemployment tax of 8d in the £l, yielding £4,000,000, making a total expenditure annually of ■ £4,185.000. On the other hand, the Democrat policy provided for, in the first year, £3,000,000 extra Public Works loan, and £5,000,000 loan to finance private enterprise and State schemes, if necessary, for the employment of unemployed; and, at the same time, further £12,000,000, if required, spread, over the following three years. The Annua! Cost. The annual cost to the Dominion would be: Through medium of unemployment tax of 2d in the £1 (part of the sixpence tax it is proposed to levy ! for unemployment and national health : insurance), £1,000,000; immediate loss through removal of sales tax, £2,200,000; loss through removal of gold export tax, £100,000; loss through restoration of civil servants’ salary cuts, 1 £200,000; allowance for sustenance, ■ £250,000; Interest and sinking fund on ■ Government P.W. loan. £185.000; maki ing a total of £3,935,000. That left a credit balance for the ■ Democrats of £250.000; unused part of i loan tax (over and above that requlr- . eel for intei’est and sinking fund, £600,000. and a reasonable avei’age ‘ annual increase in revenue, based on the last four years. £1.750,000; making i a total of £2,600,000. That would allow for a reduction of general taxation of over 10 per cent.

Health Scheme Finance, The financing of the health schemes employment and insurance tax of 6d in the £l, along with present hospital levies, grants, and pensions allowances, augmented by budgetary savings. “Apart from this being one of the most economi6 taxes ever imposed in the history of New Zealand politics, it will eventually provide economies that will be appreciated by public bodies in the form of reduced hospital levies and charitable aid,” he went on, “and it will allow of increased spending powers for the working people to such an extent that the tax will more than return itself to the people by way of increased prosperity and consequent reduction of income tax. The following is a statement of the estimated revenue and expenditure of our complete health scheme; — Revenue. —Contributory tax, along with Budgetary savings', £3,000,000; present local body and other contributions, £1,150,000; health vote, £1,250,000; pensions vote, £1,650,000; recoveries (hospital fees, etc), £260,000; a total of £7,310,000. Expenditure.—Health insurance fees, £1,000,000; hospital benefits, £600,000; pensions, £4,000,000; tuberculosis and cancer and other schemes, £210,000; hospital and health administration, £1,500,000; a total of £7,310,000. “These figures,” he said, “are in no way fictitious, being based on adjustments of figures provided by the New Zealand Hospital Boards’ Association and Medical Association’s investigations, along with those of Great Britain; and in accordance with our last census returns. In fact they provide for a saving to the Consolidated Fund of £ 1,850,0P0 by way of reduced pensions vote from £3,500,000 approximately to £1,650,000.” • The scheme aimed at providing free medical, specialist, dental and hospital treatment; maternity benefits; sickness benefits; pnd superannuation for all workers earning under £267 per annum, as well as for their dependants up to the age of 16 years, and their wives. Superannuation would be at the rate of 25 per cent, above present pensions’ rates, and all pensions would come under the scheme. Other Points, The most important of the suggested hospital reforms were better provision for all classes of patients, .the opening of all public hospitals to the medical men of their districts in an honorary capacity, and measures that exist for the appointment of professional staffs. ' ;A national control system for cancer and tuberculosis would be introduced, necessitating the introduction of a central cancer research station and the introduction of tuberculosis officers and'dispensaries throughout the Dominion.' As far as housing improvements were concerned, the party would prohibit the letting of houses below a certain standard, and enforce destruction of condemned houses. The educational proposals included the reintroduction of the commencing age of five'and a system of practical farming colleges on a broader basis than Flock House and the Fielding Agricultural College. At the conclusion of the address, the following motion, proposed by Mr J. A. S. Mac Kay, and seconded by Mr R. S, Finch was carried:—“That the meeting extend a very hearty vote of thanks to Dr Adams for his interesting address.”