NATIONAL PARTY POLICY

Southland Times, Issue 25502, 24 October 1944, Page 4

NATIONAL PARTY POLICY

More Freedom For AH MR HOLLAND’S ADDRESS AT WINTON A very largo audience was present at the Radio Hall, Winton last night to hear an address by Mr S. G. Holland, Leader of the Opposition. Extra seating had been provided, but even so it was not sufficient and many of those present had to stand. An old resident ot Winton said it was the largest political meeting seen in the town since one addressed by the late Mr W. F. Massey soon after his Government was returned to power over 30. .years ago. Mr Holland was given a very attentive hearing. There were no interjections, the only interruptions to the speech being bursts of applause. The National candidate for Awarua, Mr G. R Herron, who arrived at the hall while Mr Holland was speaking, was given a warm reception. Mr Holland was piped on to the platform by two pipers. The Mayor of Winton, Mr N. Metzger, presided and Mr W M. Norman, chairman of the Winton branch of the National Party, was also on the platform. In introducing Mr Holland to the audience Mr Metzger said that the *ast time Mr Holland spoke in Winton he had to change from one hall to another because the first hall proved too small. Judging by the attendance that evening next time Mr Holland came to Winton an even bigger hall would be required. Mr Holland said he was glad to be in Winton, but he regretted the cause of his visit. By the death of Brigadier James Hargest he had lost a personal friend. He and Brigadier Hargest had spent many hours planning for \ the New Zealand which they both wanted to see. He was a great patriot and a great citizen. James Hargest was gone and it fell to the lot of the electors of Awarua to elect a successor.

PREPARING FOR POWER Mr Holland said he came to them as the head of a great political party, a party that was the only logical alternative to the present administration. His party at present was preparing itself for the great task of administering the country. He did not expect everyone ,to agree with all he said, but he thought all would agree that there would be no cause to envy the next Government its task. His job for the next two years was to prepare himself and his party for the task of administering the country. He believed that many people wanted a change of Government, but they wanted to be sure that they were not jumping out of the frying pan into the fire. He was not one of those who said that everything the Labour Government had done was wrong. A lot that the Government had done was right and he had always voted for the Government when he thought it was right. His attitude had been described as over-generous, but he thought it was the right attitude. “New Zealanders have no right to a higher standard of living unless they themselves produce the goods necessary to make a higher standard of living possible,” Mr Holland continued. “We have no right to expect other countries to send us goods unless we send those countries a fair share of goods in return. If we want a higher standard of living we must have more work and not less. If we want more leisure and less work then we cannot expect a higher standard of living. Tire pioneers of New Zealand have shown us that the foundation of prosperity is work. The doctrine of work is one of the main planks in the policy-of the National Party. The National Party does not believe in offering something for nothing.” Referring to the National candidate for Awarua, Mr Herron, Mr Holland said that Mr Herron measured up in every way to the high standard that the National Party required of its candidates. Mr Herron had two important qualifications. First, he was a family man and the National Party believed that the basis of society was a happy, contented home life, with people living in homes of their own. Second, Mr Herron was a primary producer and he understood the needs of what was the foundation industry of the Dominion. OPPOSED TO SOCIALISM The National Party sought to become the Government of the country because it believed in the private ownership of the means of production, distribution and exchange and was opposed to Socialism. His party believed that private ownership would provide a higher standard of living and a higher moral and spiritual standard of life. The party’s aim was to make New Zealand a country of happy families living in eontentment. The party believed that it could remove much of the industrial strife in New Zealand.

“In New Zealand we are mainly working people,” Mr Holland declared. “I have nothing in common with the greedy Capitalists who think of nothing but enriching themselves, and neither have I any sympathy with the small, selfish minority who want to destroy the success of others. We stand between those two extremes and both are in for a' thin tune if we become the Government. The National Party desires to have freedom restored. It believes that New Zealanders work better when they are freest from the dictation of the Government, no matter what Government it may be. “We seek as a party to see the maximum number of people earning their living from production and the minimum number living on the proceeds of taxation. While we will maintain the social security system we will endeavour to reduce the need for social security.” Mr Holland added that he believed in interest and profit as a reward fol’ thrift. The whole crux of the economic situation after the war would be the provision of jobs. To have jobs there must be employers'and employers could not provide jobs unless they had capital. Neither would people invest their money in industry unless they received a reward. There was nothing wrong with a system which rewarded people for thrift. Since he had become leader of the National Party he had decided that if the Government introduced a piece of legislation which the National Party thought right then members of the party should vote for it. This was different from the position in the past when tlie Opposition just opposed all that the Government did. If the Government introduced a piece of legislation which the National Party thought could be improved then the party thought it was its duty to try to have the improvements made. On the other hand if the National Party thought the Government was wrong then it opposed the Government with all the tenacity and capacity it possessed. The National Party gave its members absolute freedom to vote according to the dictates of their consciences. DISCONTENT AMONG FARMERS Dealing with the economic life of New Zealand, Mr Holland said that New Zealand was different from many other countries in that half of the goods her people needed had to come from overseas. To get these goods New Zealand had to export her primary products. Therefore, farming was the basic industry of New Zealand. “Why is the farmer discouraged to-

day?” Mr Holland asked. “It is not because he is an inveterate grumbler, but because he sees legislation being loaded against the primary producer. The farmer only complains when he feels he is being treated unfairly. I do not think the Labour Government has set out deliberately to antagonize the farmer. The trouble is that the Government does not understand the farmer. The primary producer is an individualist and the Government does not understand that. The farming, industry can never be prosperous if the farmers are discontented.

“One reason for the discontent among the farmers is that they see the Government building houses, but they are all in the towns. The bias of legislation in favour of the towns has been so great in the past nine years that you cannot blame the farmers for being discontented.”

The National Party recognized that the whole economy of New Zealand was based on primary production. It would give the primary producer his birthright of freedom to manage his own affairs. The National Party would give primary producers’ organizations the right to handle their own products. The National Party would also encourage the manufacturing industries. It considered that the men who returned from the war should be given an opportunity to train for jobs in which they could produce useful things for the community. The party would encourage overseas firms to come to New Zealand and open up factories thus providing employment for the people.

Mr Holland also dealt with profit sharing in industry and the housing question.

On the motion of Mr W. E. Heney, seconded by Mr James Wilson, a vote of thanks to Mr Holland for his address was carried by acclamation.