Labour Will Attack Unemployment Evil

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 644, 22 April 1929, Page 9

Labour Will Attack Unemployment Evil

PARTY’S MAIN TASK LEADER SUBMITS POLICY (United P.A.—By Telegraph — Copyright) (Australian and N.Z. Press Association) Reed. 10.46 a.m. LONDON, Sunday. The Leader of the Labour Party, Mr. Ramsay MacDonald, in a “Daily Herald” article, gives the most comprehensive election pronouncement yet made. He declares that Labour is the only party which is prepared to deal with unemployment courageously. It has the programme; it only needs the power. Every party except Labour has failed miserably. Labour will put work before everything. He asked to be judged on that. Labour would attack the coalfields' distress, raise the school leaving-age, pension off the old hands to relieve the pressure, give widow’s pensions, carry out extensive house-building and slum clearance. Labour would pursue peace, stand for arbitration and disarmament, and support the League of Nations to the utmost. SNOWDEN ON WARPATH Mr. Philip Snowden, Labour M.P. for Colne Valley, Yorkshire, in a speech at Maidstone, said: Wednesday evening’s “hunt” in the House of Commons gave little satisfaction to the Conservatives. The war debt settlements are not the least disgraceful incidents of the Government’s record. If the Government enters into a contract which a succeeding Government of a different party will be expected to accept, it is the first Government’s duty to consult the party which may have to adhere to that agreement. That has never been done. In connection with the debt settlements no Labour Government would dream of breaking such contractual arrangements except by negotiation with the other parties concerned.