PARNELL BY-ELECTION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20555, 5 May 1930, Page 11

PARNELL BY-ELECTION.

SPEECH BY MR. STEWART. reply TO LABOUR LEAOER. PROTECTION OF INDUSTRIES. FAILURE OF STATE CONTROL. \ stirring'reception was accorded the. Hen W Downie Stewart, Reform mem- ,. r f pr Putiedin West, and ex-Minister ' f Finance, on Saturday evening when hi* delivered his second speech in tho ■parnell by-election campaign. The meeting war, announced to begin at 8 p.m., but by 7 there v.as not a vacant seat in Sf. Aid.m's Hall and loud speakers wero requisitioned to broadcast tho speech to a crowd outside. Mr. -L I'. W. Dickson presided and there wero also on Iho platform Mr.. W. P. Endean, tho Reform candidate, Mr. J. f\ Dickson, Mr. 11. ■g Jenkins, Miss Downie Stewart, the. sister, Mr. R. A. Wright, fleform member for Wellington Suburbs, and Mr. J. B. Palerson, chairman of the Parnell branch of the Reform League. Mr. Stewart, .whose speech was frequently punctuated by applause, devoted the greater part, of his lime to a reply to Air. H. E. Holland, Leader of the Labour Par.ty, who, speaking at Newmarket on Friday, publicly announced the intention of the Labour Party to " stimulate secondary industries in order fo buttress the primary industries." Labour and Boot Industry. " That, is very interesting," said Mr. Stewart. " When, in my capacity as Minister of Customs, T once moved in the House for the protection of tho New Zealand boot and ' shoo industry, I failed j to rcceivo the slightest assistance from the Leader of the Labour Party. Of course, I knew their difficulty. If they voted for tho duties I he. price of boots would go up and the people would grumble; if they voted against, the boot operatives' union would grumble. So they thought and thought, and I watched and watched, and then up got, their leader and he said, " This is not. the way fo deal with the problem; tho industry should be nationalised.' (Laughter.) "The fact is, if there was any possibility of dodging the issue the Labour Party grasped at it. All they wanted was to let. the Government decide and then sit back and see how the public would fake it." I never got. a, clear voice once on these tariff problems from tho Leader of tho Labour Tarty and I think the public is entitled fo say, ' Tut in black and_ white what your views are on this question.' " (Hear, hear.) Mr. Stewart also instanced the case of the duty on sugar. For Parliament to consent to protection was a delicate matter because (he public was prejudiced against monopolies. At the same time the Government was satisfied, as a result of exhaustive inquiries, that protection should be granted in the interests of both consumers and manufacturers. Labour In a Quandary. "So I referred the problem to tho Industries and Commerce Committee, on which there were several Labour members," said Mr. Stewart. "They immediately saw that to grant protection to a great and powerful company would not be at all popular with Labour electors. On the other hand a great number of men was employed in the industry and it was a question whether they could keep their jobs against the competition of Java sugar. When I dropped into the committer to know its decision I found the Labour men diffident of expressing an opinion. They 'said, 'lt. is a very difficult problem and it is one for the Government fo solve.' (Laughter.) But this time they were being bombarded by the Sugar Workers' Union, which was sending men down every day demanding that the industry should be protected. We managed forget the company's consent to a farthing a pound and, as you know, New Zealand has enjoyed ever since the war sugar as cheap as or cheaper than anywhere else, in tho world." (Applause.) Platform of Labour. "The Labour Party ought to stick fo ifs colours," said Mr. Stewart, referring to the attempt made by Mr. Holland fo explain away "the socialisation of the means of production, distribution and exchange" by saying ifc was the party's objective but j lot a plank in its platform. "Mr. 110 - j land is obviously frying to wafer down or j explain away what he thinks may be uri- j popular with the electors. Ho is making 1 an extremely interesting and subtle dis- ! tinction, because, after all, socialisation is stated to be their aim. fie. is now trying to move it from the fighting to the gen- | eral platform; in my opinion, he is merely j woidsplitting." The answer fo the State Socialists was I that Sta'e ownership and management of j industry had been tried arid tho results j did not realise' the -hopes of their pro- ; tajjomsts. The experiments in Australia ; and elsewhere showed, that there was very i httle to be gained by the State assuming j the duties of private enterprise. The sell- j price of the State-produced article was j often not as satisfactory as that, of tho Article manufactured by private enterprise, the quality was frequently inferior, ®ntl there seemed to be just as many strikes and as much -discontent-, with the 1 added 'disadvantage that disgruntled workers had no other employer fo fall back upon if they were dissatisfied with conditions ot work under the Stafe monopoly. Example of Australia. If we have not had a trial of Labour administration in this country wo liavo : ad a sufficient example of it in Australia ' 0 satisfy us that, it, will be no good . ere > said Mr. Stewart.. "On my read]nS of the position, the Labour Governments there are (he most extravagant Governments you'could wish for. I am of (lie opinion that as tho - a oour Party gets nearer the goal of its ; anibitior l it will take note of the enormous j "'ltioulties faced by the Labour Government in Britain, which has had to husband s resources rather than impose new bur- I ens on the people. When it, sees that "h 8 ? o,lr Governments in Australia | failed to solve unemployment and | a better distribution of wealth, it , Ret more and more cautious." p' '■ Iheodore, Treasurer in the Labour f eral Government, had recently made, no astounding statement that Australia ' ""'rowed s 0 much in the. past few n ,'[ 5 , 'he country way heading for tiri!°n bankruptcy, and that, the' posi*palii? a | S r 'j Ffn ' ous f Lp CommonW v " nt 8°- 'he London or the com %, m ° nry mnike » s for some years to finanr i,! 0 "' should compare the sound Austral' 0 i v ' .v. 'th the position Oovpt-r,' a itself in under Lahour Party iTu , an ! l .' with what the United mZ/J\ r '° lf a!l,nvprl 10 «» horrowii I™', heform <0 keep Faf fi lirni'fo expenditure clown fo social Tnfi' ? time carrying out c »mstaneo« I " nia . n itarian reforms as cir Ti,it ««**