Liberals Claim The Ability To Unite Britain

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27307, 6 February 1950, Page 6

Liberals Claim The Ability To Unite Britain

NZPA—Copyright Rec. 10 .p.m. LONDON, Feb. 4. The Liberals believe that their party is more likely to unite Britain than either the Conservatives or the Socialists, “locked as those parties are in a class struggle." This is the primary claim of the British Liberals in their election manifesto, “No Easy Way.” The manifesto says the Liberals believe passionately in full employment, in free society, and the maintenance of social services. They demand that the Government should reduce its own spending drastically. Under full employment, work could easily be found for redundant civil servants, The Liberals say food subsidies must be cut and that they would help those suffering by the reduction of subsidies by increasing social security benefits. The Government must be taken out of business which can be more efficiently and more economically operated by private traders. All international marketing agencies, such as the Liverpool cotton exchange, should be restored to private enterprise and bulk purchase reduced. The manifesto says a Liberal Government would reconcile the interests of the workers and employers in both State and private trading. The Liberals would also introduce co-partnership and profitsharing into major industrial units. The industrial worker should receive a share of increased profits as a matter of right and not as an act of grace by the employers, and where practicable the worker should be increasingly associated with the business of management. One immediate concession a Liberal Government would make to benefit production would be to remove the profits tax on undistributed profits used to replace capital equipment.

Nationalisation Opposed

Emphasising that it opposes nationalisation “for the sake of nationalisation,” the manifesto says the Liberals believe monpoly, .where it is not inevitable, is objectionable and should be broken up. if it cannot be broken up it should, if possible, be controlled in the public interest without change of ownership. Only when neither the restoration of competition nor control is possible should nationalisation be considered. To this end the Liberals would set up a permanent “ watcfidog ” commission of inquiry into monopoly and restrictive practices. No minimum price-fixing would be allowed unless permitted by the Board of Trade. » With the ending of monopolies and cartels inefficient producers and traders would no longer be protected.

Freedom from unnecessary controls and form-filling would be enacted, and for the worker freedom from direction of labour.

Regarding international trade, the manifesto says the protectionist policy of the Conservative and Socialist parties has handicapped Britain’s international trade ever since a Liberal Government was last in office. “The Liberals recognise that the protection of industry is a naked confession that we cannot meet in our own markets competition which we must meet abroad or starve. We would reduce tariffs by stages until all are abolished.”

On defence, the manifesto says the Liberals oppose peace-time conscription because it creates inefficiency and denies isegular servicemen the pay and conditions to which they are entitled. Conscription had weakened the nation’s economy and impaired family life, and though Britain spent four times her pre-war amount on the army it had far fewer troops ready to fight,

Land Bank A Liberal Government would set up a Land Bank to provide cheap capital and credit. It would reduce distribution costs by encouraging regional marketing and co-operative machinebuying, water schemes, and the reclamation of marginal land. Rural life could be made more stable by siting light industries in country towns, and made more attractive with power, water and transport services. A national survey would be made as a preliminary to creating a national water system. The Liberals’ housing policy envisages owner-occupiers, even in council houses and flats. It considered that reforms are necessary in the rent restriction and town and country planning Acts to ensure that penalties are hot imposed on property improvements and that a good landlord is not forced to let property deteriorate through sub-economic rents. The Liberal Party is pledged to a policy of equal pay for equal work—a principle it would bring into the public service. Main professional emphasis would be on the pay and conditions of women teachers and nurses. The manifesto says the Liberals would re-form the House of Lords, where heredity as a qualification for membership would be abolished, thus making the House open to men and women of distinction.

The manifesto says social security benefits could be improved. The Liberals would revoke the means test on old-age pensioners who wished to go on working. Wap pensions would be assessed on individual merits instead of service rank. In the trade union movement a new charter was needed, not only to reform the control machinery, but also so safeguard unionists’ rights. The Liberals would set up a Royal Commission to prove all union matters. Commonwealth Ties The manifesto says the Liberal Party created a Commonwealth out of the Empire, and the' Commonwealth and Empire have become the greatest voluntary force for peace in the world. “We want to strengthen the ties between ourselves and the dominions, with increasingly close consultation on investment policy, migration and defence,” it says. The Liberals warmly supported the granting of independence to India, Paikstan, and Ceylon, and looked forward to welcoming new dominions. Self-government should be granted only in the interest of the majority of the people concerned. More than ever, Britain must establish herself in colonial eyes as a trustee of the family business to which they will soon be admitted into equal partnership. The United Nations must be kept in being* The Security Council offered-the only machinery through which the development of the hydrogen bomb and other horrors of science could be controlled. The manifesto says the Liberals will press for quicker development of the Council of Europe. European currencies should be made convertible with one another this year and trade restrictions removed. Western Germany should soon be invited into the Council of Europe to persuade the Germans that their only hope lay in association with the Liberal world.