ELECTION CAMPAIGN

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26298, 1 November 1946, Page 8

ELECTION CAMPAIGN

"THE SAME POLICY”

LABOUR'S PLATFORM

MR SKINNER AT PORT CHALMERS

The Minister of Rehabilitation, Mr Skinner, addressed about 60 electors in the Laurier Theatre at Port Chalmers last night. He carried out what he described as “an easy job ’’—that of explaining the Labour Party’s platform—and his audience listened to him for two hours without an interruption. Housing occupied a prominent part in the Minister’s, address, and he emphasised that the present Government was establishing records every year in its campaign to meet the urgent requirements of to-day. The Mayor of Port Chalmers, Mr H. S. Watson, was the chairman. “It has been said," Mr Skinner began, “that this country needs leadership, that it hasn’t had leadership, and that a National Government will provide it. The position to-day is that the National Party is offering you a policy which is very similar to that on which the Labour Government was elected in 1935. They are just 11 years late. And they talk about leadership! ”

Housing Records

On the subject of housing, the Minister said that so far the Labour Government had had 22,000 houses built and occupied. In 1939, 8000 houses were built. In 1936, he said, there was one house to every 4.9 people in New Zealand. In 1945, the census showed that there was one house to 3.96 people. The total number of houses in 1945 was 59,000 greater than it was in 1936. “ The need was there in 1936,” Mr Skinner went on. “The only trouble was that the legislators were too shortsighted to realise it. The need was not so obvious then simply because people did not have the money to pay interest or rent for homes ” Since 1935 the Government had lent money to 20,239 workers to enable them to build or buy their own homes. That involved £21,178,440—m0re than twice the total assistance given by all the previous Governments together. In the light of this evidence, it was absurd to charge the labour Government with any intention of ‘ not allowing the workers to own their own /homes.” , / Those facts were interesting and eloquent, Mr Skinner said, but he admitted that' they were cold comfort to those who were so desperately in need of homes to-day. A total of 9000 new houses was recorded in New Zealand last year, of which fewer than 3000 were built' by the State and 6000 by private builders. That was an alltime record, but it was expected that 10,000 houses would be completed this year and that a rate of 12,000 a year would be reached next year. The Timber Problem

Mr Skinner denied that the Government was monopolising building materials and artisans. The number of houses built privately—6ooo last yeardisposed of such an unsound allegation. The Government had given a lead in building, and it realised that, if progress were to continue, more artisans would have to be found. For example, the Minister said, there were 8000 trained carpenters in New Zea£ land. ' A total of 16,000 would be needed to carry out the full building programme. The supply of timber was a serious problem, but it should be realised that the shortage' was not due to reduced production, but to a greatly increased demand. Timber at the rate of 415,000,000 feet a year would be required to meet next year’s target of 12,000 houses New Zealand was producing more timber than ever before in its milling history. “There is a shortage. Don’t we know it? " the Minister said. “ The answer is that the demand has out r stripped even the increased production. In 1936 merchants’ yards were full of timber. Probably 200,000,000 feet of timber was in stock, and mills were closed down. We are training artisans, and we are doing all that can be done to improve the timber position. We are prepared to import timber if only someone can tell us where we can get it. We have been getting small shipments from here and there, and representatives of the Government have been searching the world for supplies. We have placed an order for 28,000,000 feet in America, but we will be lucky If we get half of it.” Selling of State Houses Turning to Mr Holland’s announced proposals for the disposal of State houses, Mr Skinner said that the members of the Opposition had always hated the scheme and would be glad to get rid of it. The average cost of a State house was £1650 and the average rental was 26s a week. “If you paid at the rate of 26s a week, at 2 per cent, interest, it would take 77 years to ■ pay for one of these houses,” Mr Skinner said. Mr Holland had his three schemes—one for straight-out purchase by the tenant, one a 30-years scheme, and the third a 40-years scheme.

Mr Skinner analysed these proposals to show that the 30-years scheme, at current interest rates of 4$ per cent., would result in a loss of £760 on a house and that loss under the 40-years scheme would be £B7O. At the bare administration rate of interest, li per cent., the losses would be £393 and £440 respectively. With the two years’ rent as deposit set against this, there would be a loss on every State house under this scheme of £4OO. There were, or soon would be, 25,000 State houses, so that the total loss would be £10,000,000. “Supposing every tenant bought his house,’’ Mr Skinner said, “ that is the bill that the taxpayers would be called upon to foot—£lo,ooo,ooo. These people, too, are all adequately housed. If that money were spent to help people without homes there would be something to it..”

Mr Skinner discussed many other aspects of the Labour Government’s record and its intentions, with particular reference to rehabilitation.

LABOURS RECORD

ASSISTING THE SERVICEMEN

MR HUDSON’S OPENING SPEECH

Just over 130 people were present in the Holland Memorial Hall at Caversham last night to hear Mr W. A. Hudson, Labour candidate for Mornington, open his election campaign. It was a quiet meeting. The candidate was not troubled by a single interjection and even the applause was meted out thriftily. When he had completed his address and had answered four questions, Mr Hudson was accorded a unani" mous vote of thanks and confidence. Mr F. Percy, chairman of the Labour Party’s campaign committee for Mornington, presided. Rehabilitation Record A summary of what the Labour Government had done in rehabilitating the returned servicemen and women was given by the candidate, who said that to date over £31.000,000 had been expended in such directions as the purchase of land, the building of homes, and the provision of interest-free loans for furniture, in the training of men, and the provision of bursaries. The Government, he said, had already assisted 163,592 service personnel back to work. It had assisted disabled men in its training establishments. As the Government representative for the Disabled Servicemen’s League for the

past four years, Mr Hudson said that he could speak of the valuable work that had been done and was being carried out in Dunedin and other centres.

With the provision of a fine new building in Dunedin, the league was Enabled to enter many new fields foi the training of disabled men, Mr Hudson continued. Many of these men were qualified for a full disability pension, but they preferred to be trained in some occupation so that they might take their place in the economic life of the community. Training under competent instructors was given in boot repairing, clog-making, cabinetmaking, french polishing, leather work, gardening and umbrella repairing, and the products of the men's labour were assured of a ready sale. “The league in its activities in New Zealand has trained a total of 682 disabled men,” Mr Hudson said, “and it visualises, when the training of disabled men is completed, the extension of the same privilege and facilities to disabled civilians. This is outlined in the Government’s policy.” Mr Hudson quoted figures to show what Labour had done for returned service personnel. At present, he said, 33 trade training centres had been opened in various towns; 5711 men were being trained; 1430 had completed their training and were working in industry or in businesses of their own: 491,000 acres of \land had been set aside for settling ex-servicemen; 2384 men had been settled on farms with loans; 1355 men were being trained or had been trained as farmers; 9660 men had been lent the money to build or buy homes; 5452 had been allotted State houses; a total of 17,396 had been housed by the Rehabilitation Board; 13,113 had been given bursaries or grants for education; and expenditure and loan authorisations amounted to £31,000,000.

Industry and Imports

“ I think the people of Dunedin realise the importance of our manufacturing industries,” Mr Hudson said. “ They did splendid work during the war, and their contribution was a most valuable one. The manufacturers appreciated the advent of a Labour Government,” he said, “ for it has given them, and will con-tinue to give them, every encouragement. During the past 10 years factories have increased by 1000 and in 1944 the number of employees had increased by 38,500.” Mr Hudson stated that in 1935 salaries and wages in secondary industries totalled £13,244,000, and by 1944 they had increased by £21,189,000 to £34,433,000. During the same period the value of output nad increased from £79,324,000 in 1935 to £175,687.000 in 1944. These figures, he said, showed how manufacturing industries had expanded under a Labour Government The candidate claimed that the control of overseas funds was necessary at the present time because of the requirements of debt services—- £ (N.Z.>46,000,000 matured between 1946 and 1948—and because of the need for overseas funds to replace capital equipment. Two other reasons were that the accumulation of purchasing power in New Zealand would rapidly drain away overseas funds if no controls existed, and that the Government was determined to maintain full employment. “The whole future of secondary industry hinges on the continuance of control.” Mr Hudson claimed. “ Import licences to the extent of £103.000,000 have been issued, and these licences are now current to purchase goods where and when such goods are obtainable. We must remember that Great Britain suffered severely during the war, and it will be some time before she has sufficiently recovered to meet the demand* for exportable goods. A lifting of the control would result in the importation of luxury goods, thus dissipating our sterling balances and resulting in a reduced demand for locally manufactured goods which would in turn bring unemployment to those engaged in industry. The aim of import control," he,added “is to balance our trade at the highest possible level after ensuring that we can meet our overseas commitment*.”