THE PEOPLE'S LEAGUE

Southland Times, Issue 18620, 19 August 1919, Page 5

THE PEOPLE'S LEAGUE

A CHRISTCHURCH MOVEMENT. PLEDGE TO OPPOSE ALL PRESENT MINISTERS. (Per United Press Association.) CHRISTCHURCH, August 18. The Star reports that a new political party known as the People’s League is being formed in Christchurch. A committee is engaged in drawing up a programme and as soon as this has been completed public meetings will be held and branches formed throughout the dominion. The League will not be connected with any political party and candidates will be required to give a pledge to vote against all members, of the present Ministry. The policy of the League will be to consolidate the wage-earning classes with the object of improving their conditions and dealing with the cost of living. It is hoped to embrace the moderate Labour element in the League. THE LEAGUE’S OBJECTS. PROSECUTION OF PROFITEERS DEHANDED. CHRISTCHURCH, August 18. Two of the main movers in the People’s League are Messrs Andrew Fairbairn (who was a member of the Cost of Living Commission) and J. B. Sjtruthers. A statement of the objects of the League sets out that it is an organisation of law-abiding citizens who believe in democratic, constitutional Government, and are opposed to secretly arranged action inimical to public interests, designed by combinations in restraint of trade, profiteers and strike organisers. The League is established in the interests of aU classes of labour and is desirous of bringing about a better understanding between all sections of the community. Minimum wages, it says, must not be subjected to commercial competition and should go hand in hand with the cost of living and must provide for a reasonable standard of comfort, but no artificial obstacles should be placed in the way of workers to improve their position in life. Incontrovertible evidence exists that war profiteering has been operating with the full knowledge of both the Massey Government and the Coalition Government. Through their failure to gazette by Order in Council the regulation of Trade and Commerce Act, 1914, in its entirety, the people have been prevented from using the law courts to obtain redress from profiteers. The League demands: —(a) “That the regulation of Trade and Commerce Act be gazetted in its entirety to cover all commodities and be made retrospective to August 10, 1914; (b) that all profiteers within the meaning of the Act be prosecuted, that all proved war profits be confiscated and paid to reduce the war debt, and that the guilty parties be punished as provided for in section 14.”

The League demands “That the present Board of Trade, which has proved itself incapable of protecting the people from profiteering, be abolished, and a new Board constituted with a competent personnel concerned with the consumers’ interests, the new Board to hove statutory powers to take evidence and compel subpoenaed witnesses to produce books and documents when investigations are necessary.” After advocating the reconstitution of Chambers of Commerce and giving them statutory powers to institute prosecutions for profiteering and breaches of the Weights, Food and Commercial Trusts Acts, and the licensing of all businesses, the statement proceeds:—“ The League pledges itself to uphold the absolute freedom of trade within the dominion and demands the amendment to the Commercial Trusts Act preventing suppliers or combinations of traders from fixing selling prices with penal conditions and other methods practised for the purpose of increasing prices to the public.” In conclusion the League protests against the British Empire Order decorations being conferred upon men who have not served outside New Zealand and against the niggardly and unsympathetic treatment of soldiers, who have served overseas. It advocates a sound system of defence, but is against compulsory service in peace time.