POLITICS FOR WOMEN

Taranaki Daily News, 8 November 1935, Page 11

POLITICS FOR WOMEN

OUTLINE OF DEMOCRAT PLATFORM ADDRESS GIVEN BY MR. H. CAVE. After addressing about 25 business and professional women at a meeting arranged by the Y.W.C.A. on Wednesday, Mr. H. Cave, Democrat candidate for the New Plymouth seat, was questioned thoroughly on details of policy. His address was the second of a series conducted so that the women of New Plymouth may have an opportunity of understanding the platform of the five candidates for their constituency. Miss M. Greenwell presided at the meeting. Mr. Cave denied that Labour was tire only party that treated politics from the humanitarian aspect. He had join-

ed forces with the Democrats simply because their humanitarian policy appealed to’him. He denied also .that the entrance pf the Democratic Party into the field 'would split the National Government vote.

Mr. Cave first dealt with the unemployment position. For a year he had worked on relief at Wanganui and he knew what it. was to try to live and keep a family on 30s a week. He knew what the men had to put up with and claimed that the chief wrong was the utter hopelessness that relief work caused in the hearts of the men. It made good men bad and bad men worse. The Government had not dealt 'with the problem in a manner that did it credit and the country was faced, now with the fact that there could be no abolition of unemployment under the present Government. Mr. Cave outlined the Democrat policy for a developmental scheme by which it would encourage reproductive wqrks'and industries. He maintained that his party’s educational programme was bold and constructive. It involved unified control, training in subjects of practical value, inclusion of five-year-old children, increased scale of pay teachers and absorption of rationed teachers, reduction of the size of classes and improved housing. . A Democrat Government would assist secondary industries and encourage private enterprise. Its policy would be to- keep B broadcasting stations on the air, if necessary by direct subsidy, and to effect changes in details of representation in Parliament. Public accounts, would be set right. In the matter of public health the party planned a national control of tuberculosis and cancer. Pensions would be increased by about 25 per cent, and thrift encouraged by increasing the allowance for property exemption. Mr. Cave claimed the Democrat schemes could be put into operation economically. He outlined a scheme to borrow up to £8,000,000 in four years. , Asked hy Mrs. D. Ruff what the attitude of his party was to the employment of married teachers, Mr. Cave said he could not be definite but was confident each case would be treated fairly on its own merits.

How did the party propose to deal wth the increasing number of mental de-

ficients, asked Mrs. M. M. Arthur. The candidate replied that it planned to hold a conference of medical A and/'hospital authorities. The question of deficients must be treated then because undoubtedly there was a great increase'. He attributed it in part to the depression and to unemployment. > Miss M. Bates asked what the party meant by “reproductive works.” Mr. Cave answered that t|ie undertaking of public works that would’ be payable propositions came under 'that heading. There were certain secondary industries that could be encouraged. He instanced the case of a man at Palmerston North, who was said to have invented a’machine capable of splitting New Zealand flax fibre in such a way that it could equal the best Irish linen. That case should be investigated and might easily be the beHow much ’money did the party hope ginning of a new paying industry, to get from these reproductive industries, asked Miss Bates. Did it count on a certain amount? Mr. Cave said it did, not make allowance for any return at first but hoped for it later. Had the Democrats any thought of monetary reform? was Miss Greenwell’s question. They seemed to her to be mere repatching an old system. Mr. Cave thought that in the present state of the world tampering with experiments might cause more hardship than carrying on with the present system. It was not part of tlie Democrat policy to support monetary reform but the party might do so if any system, Douglas Credit for example,' proved better than the present. Mrs. Arthur proposed a vote of thanks to Mr. Cave.