LABOUR MAJORITY

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19758, 12 October 1938, Page 13

LABOUR MAJORITY

WIDER MARGIN

PROPHECY OF MR. SAVAGE

OVATION IN AUCKLAND

PRICE GUARANTEE PLAN

WOOL FARMERS INQUIRE

(Per Tress Association.) AUCKLAND, this clay. "I am going to make the prediction that after next Saturday we will have i greater majority in the House than J have now," said the Prime Minister the Rt. Hon. M. J. Savage, in concluding an address to 4000 people in the Auckland Town Hall last night. " On entering the hall Mr. Savage ,vas greeted .with a tremendous jvation hundreds of people standing an the seats and cheering and waving 'heir hands, while the Waterside Yorkers' Band in one of the galleries >layed 'Tor He's A Jolly Good

Fellow." ~ ~ _ "I am going to put them on the .-ack to-night," Mr. Savage said, in umouncing that he refused to be put m the defensive by misrepresentations jf the Opposition. In the days o seddon and Ballance, anything tnat ooked like progress had been described as socialism or communism and the same was being done to-day vhenever there was anything likely to strike' at vested interests, he continued. ~ .... , In a brief review of the political history in New Zealand, the Prime vltnister said that ■ the people who should have followed in the footsteps of Seddon and Ballance had joined up with the Reformers and later became the Coalition Government, U was the same "old gang" bidding again for office and promising mainly what it would not do. Authorship of Book

"Because a member of the parly writes a book, which he is entitles to do," continued Mr. Savage, "the opinions expressed in it arc placed, not at the feet of the apostles in this case, but at the feet of the Government. It looks as if no member of .he partv is safe to open his mouth Without the whole party being accused .hat it is their opinion."

He said he intended to devote some ■•f his speech to showing misdeeds of Labour's opponents. They said they intended to restore .he Public Service salary cuts made n 1922. He said they should never have made them, and he and the ;mal! party with him opposed them at the time.

The people should not be asked to believe that the Nationalists would do these things. It was said that Labour was going lo nationalise the farms and small businesses. The Government, however, could not exceed the wishes o the people and if they attempted to carry out such a policy, there would be a rising against them. Guaranteed Income The dairy farmers had been guaranteed an income, and the same would be done So: other farmers if they jot into difficulties. However, the guaranteed price would not be forced on anyone.

"It looks to me that it is quite on :he cards that the wool farmers wil :e asking for guaranteed prices," con.inued Mr. Savage. "In fact, some are .•oming to me already, bu: as an organisation they have not done that. "I predict that they will, and I .•onsider they might do worse, because it least they v/ill have security al. along the line."

Mr. Savage devoted most of the remainder ■of his speech to the 3:cial Security Act on the lines of lis Duncdin speech. At the conclusion of the address, a

■ote of thanks and confidence was arried with cheers.