THE LABOUR PARTY'S POLICY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23220, 18 June 1937, Page 11

THE LABOUR PARTY'S POLICY

TO THE EDITOR Sir,—As "Ex-Reformer" stated in Wednesday's paper he thought that the substance of my letter related more to politics than to broadcasts, I shall conclude my correspondence with a digression on certain matters which he and " Labour Again" would like explained. Both of your correspondents seem to misinterpret or misunderstand my statement that " there is a potential Spain in New Zealand." To illustrate this statement I quoted the attitude adopted by certain North Island farmers. These farmers were complaining about recent legislation and were so depressed by the thought of what the future years would hold in store for New Zealand that they proposed that the Dominion should forfeit its status as an independent Dominion and revert to a Crown colony on similar lines to Newfoundland. Thus we would be controlled by legislation from Great Britain, and all administrative, social and economic affairs would be in charge of the British .statesmen. By a " potential Spain " 1 do not mean a New Zealand shedding blood and lighting cue another with rifles and batteries, but I suggest that business in New Zealand may come to a deadlock through strikes and similar social movements. The fairly recent strike in Auckland and the overruling of the Arbitration Court by Mr Armstrong prompted me to think of strikes becoming a possibility in our Dominion. I admit that the previous Government mav have occasionally prevented speeches from being broadcast, but it did not intimate that there would be a general censorship as under the present Labour Party, and " Ex-Pieformer " should note that my first letter centred round the words that "the people would not be able to listen in to anything that was supposedly not good tor them," but I did not question the right of the Government to censor perhaps one speech in its whole life. Regarding the Mortgage Act. "ExReformer " asks whether I would like my income tax return made public nropertv. Well, if it is published in the Official Gazette is it not public nropertv for the neople of New Zealand to see? Similarly, when a is declared bankrupt or cannot honour a bill of exchange, his name is published in the Gazette for the

world at large to see, so I do not consider there is anything dishonourable in merely having our name published in the paper as one who has received relief under the Mortgage Act. Even the worker will realise that he is not as well oil as he thought.. Although wages have been raised, the cost of commodities and living has gone up, and if the worker knew the diilerence between real wages and nominal wages, which he could find in any authority on economics, he would find that his increased wages do not buy anything for him more than his previous wage did. The capital of a country cannot be increased through a rise in wages which will increase the cost of living. It can only be increased by immigration and by opening up the untried portions of New Zealand.

" Ex-Reformer " describes the policy of the previous Government in a most amusing way, but what Government has been popular in the midst of a depression? We have to be thankful that the Government pulled us through the depression as successfully as it did. If the Labour Government had been in its place during the slump it would have been less popular than the Coalition Party at the last election. I am not a revolutionist, but I still say that we will have to fight to preserve our freedom. In a civilisation and Empire such as ours, however, we do not fight by bloodshed, but through the press and over the air, to attempt to keep such individual liberty as we have a* present. It is the Labour Government that is curtailing our liberties by its restrictive legislation and arbitrary measures. I am not protesting about the election of the Government, as 1 know this took place on the usual constitutional lines, but as "Ex-Reformer" did not understand the phrase concerning Spain the portion of his letter about the election of the Government becomes irrelevant.

I find that " Labour Again " has no interest in the B stations and now that he holds there is no useful purpose for them, but I cannot see any connection censored broadcasts and this "personal statement. He considers that all our news reports, concert programmes, etc., could quite easily be put over from the four YA stations. I do not think a 40-hour week could even be a possibility, if this were the case. Relating to the jamming of the radio station in Auckland by Mr Hamilton, this was dealt with by the editor in his footnote. " Labour Again " asks me to point out the mistakes of the present Government. I would advise him to attend one of the meetings held by the Nationalists in his own community. He asks mc what is freedom of the press? If he ever takes a trip to Germany or Italy he will soon find out that our New Zealand papers are not censored much compared with those of the two countries mentioned. He complains about having - bad time under the regime of the last Government, but who does not have a bad time in the midst of a slump? The business man and capitalist are affected as much as the worker, and I can assure him that he was not alone in having a bad time. About the " headlong rush "; I mentioned the rush into economic affairs, such as the control of transport and the gradual control of the whole means of production, or. in other words, Socialism. "Labour Again" is making a wild statement when he says that we have never had free speech, free broadcasting, or a free country. This unqualified announcement makes me doubt if he has ever heard of the British Empire and what it stands for.—l am, etc., Oamaru, June 16. Nationalist. Other Letters to the Editor appear on page 6,