JUDGMENT BY DEFAULT!

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23830, 9 June 1939, Page 15

JUDGMENT BY DEFAULT!

ro THE EDXTOB Sir.—The cable messages tell us that Mr Nash says New Zealand will not default. To my way of thinking New Zealand has already defaulted, and badly Mr Savage boasts of wiping over £8,000,000 off mortgages, but he does not tell the people that he or his Government never paid for those mortgages. (1) It was the mortgagee who lost his money, and hundreds of them had to apply for the pension, as they lost all they had. I claim that that was indirectly giving the farmer who never worked his farm to its best capacity the pension, and I would askt Is that not defaulting? (2) Were not the import restrictions a breach and a default of the Ottawa agreement? (3) The Labour Government promised to fix a low rate of interest which would bring down the cost of living and it did so during boom prices. The cost of living went up and now, with falling nrices. the Government raises the interest rate. Is that not defaulting from Labour’s policy? (4) At the Easter conference of the Labour Party it was reported that Mr Nash told the trade unions not to ask for any more rises in wages or other concessions, but to be contented with what they had got in the last three years. And this after Mr Armstrong had said the "sky was the limit” as regards rises in wages and improvements for the workers. Another default! (5) Mr Savage promised to build homes for workers, the rent to be 14s or less—-not more than one day’s wages. The houses now cost 25s to 30s a week. Is that not another default from Labour’s policy? i 6) There was to be a five-day and 40-hour week for the workers. That proved to be a “half-dud,” as there is still half of the workers working on Saturday morning, and the other half helped to put un the cost of living' Surely another default from : Labour’s policy. (7) There were to be free doctors,’ hospitals, medicine and superannuation for all. That will never come. (8) The Labour Government was going to find fresh markets for our nroduce. Apart from a few tons of butter sent to Germany on the barter system, that has been a failure, and hundreds of tons of good ewe mutton are waiting in our freezing works on a market. Surely another default. (9) The Labour Party was going to build iron and steel works ahd employ hundreds of men. Yet the latest reports tell us the quantity of ore is not available, so that is that. I ask the four M.P.’s for Dunedin, the heads of the Trades Hall and all workers can they refute my statements? Now I am wondering are we not all defaulters for not putting: Mr Nash “on the mat ” infetead of sending our Minister of Finance Home to the higher authorities'— I am, etc.. Defaulter. June 6.