APPEASEMENT POLICY

Waikato Independent, Volume XLIII, Issue 3965, 8 March 1944, Page 3

APPEASEMENT POLICY

A DANGEROUS DRIFT MR GOOSMAN HITS OUT (Special To “Independent.”) The contention that the Government was following a policy of appeasement that would lead to civil strife was made by Mr W. S. Goosman, M.P. for Waikato, when speaking in the Address-in-Reply debate in the House of Representatives. Lack Of Proposals. Mr Goosman said he was disappointed at the lack of proposals in the Speech from the Throne. Such a speech was supposed to contain the major proposals of the Government for the session. In the speech there was no mention of the serious unrest in the country. There was no indication as to how the Government proposed to provide coal for our homes during the coming winter. Very brief reference was made to the most important concern of the country at the moment, and that was the maintenance of primary production. The Government made only passing reference to the subject and promised consideration at a very late hour when it was almost too late. Over and Under-governing. ' , Next to the war, the most important matters for consideration were primary production and the industrial, strife. In regard to industrial strife it seemed that if the Governtment did not govern, a 100 per cent war effort could ndt be expected. He was going to say that the Government had ceased to govern, but on reflection that would be incorrect. The Government was over-govern-'ing the section which had a respect for the law, and was under-govern-ing the sections which had no respect for the law. The Government’s attitude of appeasement was inviting sections of the country to organise and threaten. It had been said throughout the country that the only way to get any consideration from the Government was to organise and threaten. The militant unions were holding the Government up to ransom. Law-abiding citizens wanted to know where the Government was going to stand; whether the Government was going to run away or face up to the position; whether it was going to resign and get out of the responsibility. If the Government resigned and the National Party had to face up to the position, the people of the Dominion wanted to know where members of the Government would stand. Why were the coal miners causing disturbances at the present time? Their agreement came up for reconsideration in April, and they were preparing the ground for negotiations for a new agreement, regardless of consequences.