INDUSTRIAL PLANS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19125, 21 September 1936, Page 13

INDUSTRIAL PLANS

“PROMISE NOT KEPT” RISING COSTS PROBLEM G O V ERN M ENT ORTTUTS ED A claim that, tlie ’Government, bad not fulfilled its promise of an agressive industrial development policy was made by Mr. S. G. Holland, M.l‘. for I'lnisleiinreli North, wlnm speaking in support of Air. K. V. Doidge. Naiiom.il candidate for Manukau. at Oneliimg:i. "I I hint, i( is safe t.n say llnd the Labour Parly received a great deal of sop pint from industrialists worker and cm- 1 plover alike- in the confident belief that Labour would develop a strong industrial policy."" said Mr. Holland. “But to-day, industrialists are very worried indeed. They have been .sold a, pup. The implied promise or compensatory advantages lo offset higher costs has not been kept, and every day deputations come to Wellington with inquests for instant aclioii to allow them to continue in business.” Mr. Holland said lie believed the Prime Minister was in earnest when he said the Government would not allow industries giving useful employment to the workers to he closed. But words were ol little use when the manufacturer found his costs lifted above overseas prices. Nothing! hut action would satisfy, and that action was conspicuous by its absence. ORDERS GOING OVERSEAS “Orders for bools and shoos, for wcaritio- apparel, are pouring overseas, and many factories are experiencing great difficulty in carrying on with increased costs to he met, and without any compensatory protection,” said Mr. Holland. “We. have gone hack to the 190 l wage rales, and l want to make it clear that l am a. strong advocate of the highest wages industry can afford to pay,” continued Air. Holland. “But 1 do say that it is a suicidal policy for us to adhere lo a wage rale unless industry can prosper and develop at that wage rate.” Mr. Holland said the way to prosperity in New Zealand was. in his opinion, through, our industries. Our primary industries were dependent in the main on overseas markets, and substantially those markets were in one" country—England. Now England was rapidly developing an aggressive agricultural policy of her own, and we had been told over and over again that England was determined to increase greatly 1 hr production of her own foodstuffs, partly lo make herself less dependent on overseas supplies in time of trouble, and partly to give employment to her own people in her primary industries. PROBLEM OF THE FUTURE “In my opinion the. writing is on Hie wall, and we can and must look forward, however much wo may dislike facing the issues, to a contraction in the volume of our exports to England, rather than to an expansion of them,”- said Mr. Holland. “I submit, therefore, that we mustlook to our manufacturing industries as the most promising avenue to absorb our unemployed.” Mr. Holland said bis slogan was. the engineer back, to bis lathe, the baker back to lii.s ovens, the carpenter back to j his lmiklingi, the bootmaker back to his bools, but tlie policy of the present Government, which proclaimed its determination to foster and encourage industry, was having exactly the opposite effect.