CONTROL OF IMPORTS

Southland Times, Issue 25502, 24 October 1944, Page 5

CONTROL OF IMPORTS

Reference To Mr Fraser’s Statement

“The Prime Minister spoke with refreshing candour when he discussed import control at Winton on Saturday evening last,” said Mr R. M. Algie, M.P. for Remuera, in an address in support of Mr G. R. Herron, the National candidate, at Otahuti last night. “It is a curious thing that his statement to the people of Winton was so different from his answer to questions recently put to him in the House by myself. It seems to me that Mr Fraser travelled a long way from Wellington before daring to be so definite on a question so full of complexity. “In the House, Mr Fraser said that wartime and such like controls would be retained for just so long as it was in the national interest to retain them. We are now told,” said Mr Algie, “that one of these controls, namely, that for imports, will stay as long as the Labour Party remains in office.” The truth of the matter was, continued Mr Algie, that the Labour Party policy was based upon control and not upon freedom; its objective was restriction rather than liberation; and its leaders knew full well that the more a Government could control the allocation of homes, the granting of licences and permits and the parcelling out of jobs, the longer it would be able to stay in office. “Control,” said Mr Algie, “means influence, and influence means votes. These in turn mean political power for those who wield the control. In Australia the freedom-loving people of the Commonwealth have just told their Government that they want less and less of this official regimentation of their lives. I hope the people of Awarua will crowd their polling booths on Saturday next and tell the Government that they want expansion and not restriction, freedom rather than control, and the satisfaction that is derived from the success of individual achievement.”

The only way that judgment could be registered, the speaker said, was to help in recording an overwhelming vote for the opposition candidate, Mr Herron.

Mr R. Sim was chairman. A vote of thanks and confidence, moved by Mr W. D. McKenzie and seconded by Mr Buxton, was carried unanimously.