PRIME MINISTER’S REPLY

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXII, 28 February 1939, Page 7

PRIME MINISTER’S REPLY

CRITICISM BY LEADER OF j OPPOSITION ! MORE FREEDOM TO-DAY THAN j EVER BEFORE II niled Press Association! WELLINGTON. This Day. Statements criticising the Govern- j ment’s policy which were made in Christchurch yesterday by the Leader \ of the Opposition. Mr Hamilton, were replied to by the Prime Minister, the I Rt. Hon. M. J. Savage, in an interview j last evening. Mr Savage said that: freedom meant more in New Zealand; 10-day than ever before, because people could only be free when they had a de- j cent standard of living. People could > not be free when they were poor. “Mr Hamilton states that New Zealanders are prisoners in their own, country and that their own money is I locked up.” said Mr Savage. “These 1 people had no money to lock up before i the present Government assumed office. 1 1 would sooner be a prisoner under the! conditions to-day than be free under the j conditions that prevailed before we; came into power. If this means being j a prisoner, let us lock up a few more! people. If the conditions that existed i three or four years before this Govern-j ment mean freedom then save us from 1 freedom. People did not apply for per-! j mits to travel before we came into office J because they did not have the money.” j STANDARD OF LIVING j -It has taken Mr Hamilton a longj i time to find that out; Professor Algie! [evidently helped him.” said Mr Savage j i in reference to Mr Hamilton’s comment , 1 about import and export restrictions. ! “The worst that can be said about it is : that the efforts and labour of the men | and women of New Zealand are pro- ! tected against inroads on their sland- ; ard of life by the competition of cheap I products from overseas. One has only j to look at the totalisator figures, motor j registrations, radio licences and returns ; of business turnover to see prosperity 1 I reflected all along the line.” •‘Thank heaven for that.” said Mr' Savage when referring to Mr Hamilton’s statement that there was little the National Party could do about the Social Security Act. “Members of the , Opposition did their best to prevent the Social Security legislation becoming the law of the land. The Social Security Act is the best measure on j the Statute Book of this or any other j : country, and is an attemnt to give!

! country, and is an attempt to give, r real security to the people of this i country. The Government is going to operate every part of the Act at the; earliest possible moment, and no blame will rest at the door of the Government for any holdup. Mr Hamilton will have to look elsewhere for the blame. We are not going to use the Social Security tax for any purpose other than that for which it is levied.” WORK FOR ARTISANS Mr Savage said the Government was usefully providing for all the artisans! it could obtain. If there were not! enough in New Zealand to overtake i the arrears of work it was because ofj the do-nothing policy practised by Mr j Hamilton and his friends when they! were in office. If Mr Hamilton could! say where artisans were available in* New Zealand the Government would' be right after Ihem. In addition to obtaining men from overseas, steps were being taken by the Government to train New Zealanders—a tiling Mr Hamilton did not do. The Government of which Mr Hamilton was a member turned the apprentices out of the workshops into the streets, and the ► results of that policy were apparent to-day. _ “The Government is out to put the f incidence of taxation on a better basis! | than when it came into office.” said | Mr Savage. ‘ That cannot be done in * five minutes. However, we will try to S correct a lot of the stupid practises of I the past.”