LABOUR PARTY’S POLICY

Southland Times, Issue 23527, 6 June 1938, Page 2

LABOUR PARTY’S POLICY

“Election Promises Fulfilled” MANAKAU MEMBER’S ADDRESS “I believe no Government in the political history of this country has so much to its credit by way of achievement and the fulfilment of election promises as the Labour Government, said Mr A. G. Osborne, M.P. for Manakau, in an address to electors at Smith s hall on Saturday night. ‘lt has carried out all of its policy except the national health and superannuation scheme, and this will reach its fulfilment by the time the General Election comes along at the end of the year. Mr Osborne gave an outline ot tne work carried out by the Labour Government in the two and a-half years it had been in office and replied to criticisms made by its opponents. There was a good attendance, ana the member received an excellent hearing. Mr John Miller, Mayor of Invercargill, was the chairman, and associated with him was Mr W. M. v. Denham, M.P. for Invercargill. The Labour Party went before the people of New Zealand in 1935 with the most comprehensive policy any political party ever offered to the people, said Mr Osborne. It f a _? e “ arl unusual combination in the Reiorm Party, a party supporting the vested interests of the country, and the scattered remnants of the old Liberal Party which had joined with Reform in the avowed intention of keeping Labour off the Treasury benches. He said he spoke the words with a knowledge that tens of thousands of people who had given a lifetime allegiance to the Liberal Party had supported Labour in 1935. He would be candid and say that .if it had not been for the support of those radicals of old it would have been impossible to remove the reactionary forces from office. The old Seddon Liberals had been largely responsible for the overwhelming Labour victory. He commented upon the latest coalition of forces of . Labour s opponents and said that it was the old party under a new name. . That party now ■ became the new National Party. As individuals they were fine fellows. The party had so frequently changed its name, however, that it did not know where it was. Was it the name they were ashamed of, or was it their record of the past? The country had been waiting for more than two years for the declared policy of this party which had so often changed its name. “But there must still be hope for them, for I have seen in the Press where Mr Hamilton said he would support the compensated price scheme as far as the farmer was concerned, said Mr Osborne. “Not so long ago, however, the same Mr Hamilton, WB ® n speaking in Invercargill, warned the dairy farmer against the compensated price. You can weigh that up as you like,” added Mr Osborne. It was interesting to note that the official National candidate for Invercargill had found still another name. He styled himself as a LiberalNationalist. Mr Osborne said he wondered just what that meant. Was it a move to get the support of the old Liberals? He had read a report of a speech by the candidate for Invercargill in which he said he believed in the principles of Richard John Seddon, and after reading that he wondered how that man could associate himself with those who had cut wages and cut the pensions of the old pioneers. Would: Richard John Seddon, he asked, have' done that? REPLY TO OPPOSITION It was well known that the Opposition had been trying to create a fear psychology in the minds of the people, he declared. It was saying that all was not well and that the country was experiencing a false prosperity; that it was borrowing its way to prosperity. The facts were that no government in the history of New Zealand had borrowed so little as the Labour Government which had reduced the overseas debt by £2,000,000. Practically every loan floated by it had been raised internally, and it could be said in truth that today New Zealand was living within its income. The Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates, a former Prime Minister, was the bitterest critic of the Labour Government; yet his party had borrowed £30,000,000 in four years while it was in power. Another thing that had been said against the Labour Government was that it was a gang of communists. Everyone knew, or everyone who had wanted to know, knew that the Labour Party had denied for 15 years the right of entry to its ranks of communists. Yet another statement was that if the Labour Party was returned to power at the end of the year it was going to confiscate the land of the farmers. That was part of the whispering campaign which had been going on. "I wonder what we are going to do with this land when we do confiscate it?” asked Mr Osborne. “No more stupid statement had been uttered against the Labour Government. We have been 100 per cent, honourable in our promises. When we took over the Reserve Bank, did we confiscate the shareholders’ capital? No, we treated them generously. We treated them honourably and fairly and paid them the full value of their shares. Yet our opponents are trying today to make an emotional appeal to the dairy farmer that we are going to take his land away from him. The Labour Party at its annual conference year after year has endorsed the principle of inheritance. We say that people who hold a title to land will retain their titles. It is un-British- to say such things about the Labour Party.” Mr Osborne traced the work of the Government and referred to legislation which had been completed and which was to be completed before the end of the year. “The country has never been in such a glowing state of prosperity and the Labour Party takes credit for it. Eighty per cent, of the people have benefited by its work and the people will continue to benefit as long as they keep the present Government on the Treasury benches.” A motion “that this meeting .accords Mr Osborne a vote of thanks for his address and expresses continued confidence in the Labour Government” was carried without dissent.