THE NORTHERN ADVOCATE Registered for Transmission through the Post as 8 Newspaper. FRIDAY OCTOBER 28. 1949. General- Election "Issues

Northern Advocate, 28 October 1949, Page 4

THE NORTHERN ADVOCATE Registered for Transmission through the Post as 8 Newspaper. FRIDAY OCTOBER 28. 1949. General- Election "Issues

With the publication of the National. Party's general election manifesto. the people of the Dominion have been given ample material to realise just where the party stands and the policy it would adopt if it

becomes the Government of the Dominion. The Labour Party, as the Government of the day, though firing the first shots :n the election campaign, has obviously decided to play cautiously. for though the Prime Minister and other leaders of the Government have referred to policy in

general terms, the party lias not committed itself by the publication of its election manifesto. This may be in accordance with electioneering tactics, allowing the Labour Party to condition its manifesto in the light of what the Nationalists have pledged themselves to do. but the electors may well have expected the Government In lead off. However, that is by the way: the Government will no doubt publish its manifesto very soon and the electors will be in possession of all the information required for forming a judgment beneficial to themselves and the Dominion. The National Parly’s manifesto, which is printed at length in another part of this issue, is one that deserves careful scrutiny and consid-

eration. Tt is obvious that the party has not depended upon the making of spectacular promises in order to secure the votes of the people, but, on the contrary, has devoted much thought to the production of a policy which, if put into operation, would be calculated to maintain the Dominion on a sound foundation and encourage the development essential to the welfare of New Zealand. The party puts in the first place the need for stopping the rising cost

of living, which it regards as the most important internal question of the day, and it declares its determination to deal with what it regards as the basic causes of the higher living costs.

These causes are set nut as inflation, taxation, lack of incentives, interference and dictatorial methods adopted by the State fincluding control of profit, price of land, property. and imports), interference by trades unions and lack of firm action by tlie Government In curb that interference.

Important as many other planks of the party’s platform affecting social, industrial and international questions undoubtedly arc. it is above all things necessary that a solid foundation should be pair), for without that an attractive superstructure might prove bul an illusion in time ( >r stress. To that end the party devotes special attention to financial policy. It says that the guiding principle of monetary policy shall be the establishment and maintenance of a stable internal price level, the responsibility for the issue and control of currency and credit and for the maintenance of a stable internal price level will be divorced from political control and Ministerial

direction. To effect this (lie present statutory provision giving the Government power, through the Minister of Finance, to dictate policy to the Reserve Bank will be repealed. Electors, as we have said, should scrutinise intelligently the planks of the platforms of the Government and Opposition when both arc available. compare them and subject •them to dissection with the sole purpose of preparing themselves to make a wise decision on polling-day.