CURRENT PROBLEMS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26775, 19 May 1948, Page 6

CURRENT PROBLEMS

SURVEY OF POLICY

ANSWERS TO MR GILLESPIE

Although advertised as a reply to the statements made by Mr W. H. Gillespie, National M.P. for Hurunui, in an address in Dunedin last week, the talk given by Mr P. G. Connolly, M.P. for Dunedin Central, to supporters of the Labour Party in his electorate, last evening, proved to be slightly different. Only the last 20 minutes of his address, which lasted for over an hour and a-half, was devoted by Mr Connolly to the reply, and the remainder of the time was occupied by a resume of the Government’s achievements, a survey of current problems, and personal ideas on future policy. “ Of course we’re pursuing a policy of Socialism —it’s the basis of the Labour Party, and I believe that we’ve only gone about J per cent, of the way,%said Mr Connolly, referring to a comment made by Mr Gillespie. “I’ve no objection to him saying that we’re marching along the road to Socialism. Sometimes I wish we would march a little faster.” The speaker' discussed election methods in Russia at length, and expressed the opinion that “ any member who does not know the difference between Socialism and Communism does not deserve his seat in Parliament.” Legation in Russia It was wholly incorrect to say that the Legation in Russia had yielded nothing, Mr Connolly contended, ■ referring to further reported statements by Mr Gillespie. “ Boswell, like Berendsen in the United States, is in the diplomatic service, and you cannot have a diplomat come back and broadcast all he knows. We’re on good terms with Russia, and perhaps if he had let it be known from end to end of New Zealand what he had to report to the Government, we might not be on such good terms.” Mr Boswell, he said, had met a Parliamentary Committee, and had given a full report and Opposition members had been on the committee. “Mr Gillespie is a farmer, and personally I have found him a very nice chap,” said Mr Connolly, “ but he will not give the Labour Government any credit whatsoever for anything it has done.” . .. With regard to primary production, he suggested that there had been a swing away from dairying and wheat growing to the more profitable sheep industry, but the members of the National Party were not prepared to face up to it. “Mr Gillespie would be better employed, as he comes from a wheat-growing area, in _ telling the farmers to be more patriotic and grow more wheat,” he said. Stabilisation Policy The problems of rationing, housing, electricity, labour supply and steel supply were all covered in some detail by the speaker. Touching on stabilisation, he said that up to a point it had been a most successful part of the Government’s policy. “ But there are certain factors which we have got to sit up and take notice of,” he said. “We have seen the workers’ organisations going to the courts and putting up their cases, and possibly _ after a lot of talk winning a few shillings extra a week. On the other hand, the_ value of shares has sky-rocketed, dividends are far higher and companies have a great deal more in reserve. “ It is not fair to keep workers to a stabilised level if we are not prepared to make it a national policy to cover all phases of our lives,” he said. “ I am hopeful that this year we may introduce something in the way of workers sharing in management, where workers, as shareholders, will receive their share of the profits from the work apart from the basic wage.” Talking on taxation, Mr Connolly stated that the Government’s policy was to give the greatest possible amount of relief to the family man. “ I do not know whether anything may come up this year, but I think it would be a good thing if the personal exemption allowance for the breadwinner could be increased from £2OO to £250.” Citing instances of the assistance given to families by the social security benefits, Mr Connolly said that be thought couples with “ a family of more than two should get, say, 12s 6d for the third, child and 15s for the fourth."