AIMS OF LABOUR DISCUSSED

Southland Times, Issue 23553, 6 July 1938, Page 6

AIMS OF LABOUR DISCUSSED

“VEILED OBJECTIVE”

SOCIALIZATION FEARED BY MR BROADFOOT

(From Our Parliamentary Reporter) WELLINGTON, July 5.

The “veiled objective of Labour” was the main theme discussed by Mr W. J. Broadfoot (Nat., Waitomo) during the Address-in-Reply debate in the House of Representatives today. “Our main quarrel with the Government,” said Mr Broadfoot, “is that its policy is based on socialization of the means of production, distribution and exchange. Now that they are in power Labour members like to keep this phrase in the background when they are speaking in public, but they roll it over their tongues with great relish at party conferences.” An example of this outlook, said Mr Broadfoot, was provided by a statement from the Prime Minister (the Rt. Hon. M. J. Savage) to the effect that the Government had no intention of socializing farms—a statement which had been contradicted almost immediately by the Minister of Lands (the Hon. F. Langstone), who stated that the failure of land settlement in New Zealand had been caused by the granting of titles.

“This matter was subsequently raised with some vigour in North Auckland,” Mr Broadfoot added. “The member for Marsden (Mr J. G Barclay) was asked at a meeting if the Government intended to socialize land. After a lot of pressing he admitted that it was not the party’s immediate objective, but that ultimately land would be socialized.”

Instances of the process of socialization were being multiplied almost daily in the Dominion, Mr Broadfoot said. The commandeer of dairy produce and the single ownership of transport were the most glaring examples, but housing and other aspects of the Government’s policy were all directed towards the attainment of Labour’s ultimate objective.