LABOUR’S POLICY PRAISED

Southland Times, Issue 23633, 7 October 1938, Page 6

LABOUR’S POLICY PRAISED

MR J. A. BECK AT LOCHIEL CRITICISM OF NATIONAL PARTY’S MANIFESTO The policy and proposals of the Labour Party, as compared with the policy and proposals of the National Party, were discussed by Mr J. A. Beck, Labour candidate for Awarua, in an address last evening at Lochiel. There was a good attendance, Mr J. Crane was chairman. Because he had had an unusually long meeting at Qreti, where he spoke earlier in the evening, Mr Beck was more than an hour late for the meeting. The audience, however, waited patiently and when Mr Beck arrived he was greeted with applause and the singing of “For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow.” The speaker devoted a big part of his address to strong criticism of the Government which was in power during the depression, and contrasted the methods adopted by the “advocates of orthodox finance” to meet the effects of the slump with those of the Labour Government. The Nationalists, he said, represented the conservative trend of thought, which meant strenuous efforts to conform to the old out-of-date methods. The orthodox system had been handed down from last century. It worked well up to the first decade of this century because it fitted, into a distribution of insufficiency in a world of scarcity. That state of affairs did aot exist today. The problem to be dealt with today was the problem of distribution. NATIONAL, MANIFESTO National Party supporters, said Mr Beck, must have been disappointed by their party’s manifesto. The date of the election was announced earlier than expected and next day it was seen in The Southland Times that the Hon. Adam Hamilton and his party leaders were “busy working on their policy.” It had been said by some that the National Party had “pinched” Labour’s policy. He would not subscribe to that view, but it certainly looked as though the National Party had endorsed Labour's policy. * . / “The restoration of personal freedom and legitimate rights for private enterprise is the cry .of the National Party,” said the speaker. “I say the' people today are enjoying a greater measure of freedom than for many years., We all know how much treedomwas enjoyed by farmers who had to walk off their farms during the depression,, and how much freedom was enjoyed by those men who were working in the mud of the' unemployment camps.. I could develop that further, but we won’t go too far into the gloomy side. of the picture.” (Applause.) PRIVATE ENTERPRISE It was well known how the banking accounts, of big firms had grown during the depression. That was an example of how the “hands off private enterprise” scheme operated—“more goods, more money, more poverty.” The Labour Party did not stand for that It did stand for the rights of private enterprise, but would not permit private enterprise in a monopolistic form“We stand for private enterprise operating in the interests of the people as a whole," Mr Beck added. "Big business, in the interests of the community has got to have some control over- it.” , The speaker was given a very attentive hearing,' there being no interjections, and. no questions were asked at the end of the meeting. A vote of thanks to Mr Beck and of confidence in him and in the Labour Government was moved by Mr T. Cook, sen., seconded by Mr G. Ledington and carried by acclamation. LABOUR CANDIDATE FOR WALLACE ADDRESSES GIVEN At SIX MEETINGS During the past few days Mr J. J. Lynch, Labour candidate for Wallace, has given addresses at six enthusiastic meetings. ■ . There was a representative gathering at Wild Bush where Mr H. Roberts was chairman. A motion of thanks and confidence, proposed by Mr E. Thomas and seconded by Mr M. Hayes, was Mr Lynch addressed a’ meeting at The Rocks, 40 -persons being present. Mr O. Raechel was chairman. A motion of thanks and confidence was proposed by Mr G. Cloughley, seconded by Mr A. E. Thomas and carried. There was an attendance of 30 at Gummies Bush. The chairman was Mr W. Hopcroft. A motion of thanks and confidence was moved by Mr J. Jones, seconded by Mr S. Barron and carried. Mr H. Rankin was chairman at Fairfax. There was an attendance of 90. A motion of thanks and confidence, proposed by Mr F. Sheridan, seconded by Mr J. Marnane, was carried. At Colac Bay there was an attendance of 80. Mr J. R. Whittle was chairman. A motion of thanks and confidence was moved by Mr J. Corbin, seconded by Mr J. Cleaver, and carried. At the meeting at Riverton, 150 persons were present. The Deputy-Mayor (Mr A. F. Webb) was chairman. A motion of thanks and confidence was proposed by Mr J. Cessford, seconded by Mr H. J. Roberts, and carried. MR D. McDOUGALL’S CAMPAIGN TWO MEETINGS ADDRESSED Mr D. McDougall, M..P„ Independentcandidate for tha Mataura electorate, addressed 32 persons at Mataura Island. Mr J. Dunlop presided. The speaker was given a good hearing and at the end of his address a vote of thanks was passed. Forty-one persons attended a meeting at Seaward Downs and at the end of his address the candidate answered a big number of questions. Mr J. Graham presided. On the motion of Mr G. McCall a motion of thanks was carried. MEETINGS ADDRESSED BY MR MACDONALD i The National candidate for the Mataura electorate, Mr T. L. Macdonald, addressed meetings at Waikaka Valley and Waipahi. At Waikaka Valley Mr S. White presided and a vote of thanks and confidence was carried. There was an attendance of more than 100 electors at Waipahi and Mr A. J. Webb was chairman. At the end of the address a vote of thanks was carried.

Other General Election news is Drinted on page 12.