POLITICAL QUESTIONS

Waipa Post, Volume 37, Issue 2218, 6 October 1928, Page 8

POLITICAL QUESTIONS

r LABOUR CANDIDATE'S VIEWS -•;:><. .many' SUBJECTS-DISCUSSED,:. v During the course of his address to the electors:of Te Awamutu, Mr G. Croall, t'he Labour candidate for a large«,number of • political questions of the day, among '-?,* others being the, following-:—; ' Here are : the proofs that State ownership and controls pays: The (accident branch of the State Insur- ' v ance Officfe commenced business in 1901 without capital. To-day, it has a net! surplus of £IBO,OOO. The Commonwealth Bank commenced business on an advance of £IO,OOO which it promptly repaid and it now has a reserve of over £4,000,000. During the late war, the British Government had national factories built at' a cost of £62,000,000 and produced shells at less than half the price being paid to the private companies: Lewis mach-inez-guns were produced at a total cost of £35 while £165 were being paid to private munition firms. Then in another national factory. Oleum; was produced at a cost of 55s per ton, while the averaere contract price being paid was £3O per ton. In the vicinity of £1,000,000,000 were saved through the operation of national production, distribution and control of prices. Owing to the high production in the country, more currency was rebuired and the Government came to the assistance of the banks with over £300.000,000 of Treasury notes, which cost; them only the price of the oaner and the printing—perhaps £IOO for the lot. And the paper to-day is still worth its face value, and is still in circulation. TIMBER. With regard to the timber industry , as it is more economical to New Zealand to have the timber workers fully employed, producing the country's timber requirements (and thus enlarging the market fojr primary products) than to have them employed and existing on charity or the Reform, Government's relief wages, the Labour Party would prohibit the importation of timber that can be produced here. For instance, this country imports about 40,000.000 ft. of softwoods per annum. That is the output of about 40 ordinary mills. . The Party would also hold a searching inquiry into the whole position of the timber industry and would also make pr vision for the protection of the public against monopoly prices, a proposal already agreedt%q by the sawmill ' owners. Railway' freight charges on timber would require revision as it is cheaper to ship timber from America to Auckland or Wellington than lb rail it from the King Country to these ports. I wish to make it perfectly clear that the Labour Party is net' committed to either Free-trade or Protection. We will certainly reduce the indirect taxes and place the burden of taxation, where it should be, on the high inccmes. We will ultimately abolish all Customs duties on goods which cannot be produced economically in

New Zealand; but such industries as are natural to] this country—for instance, the primary industries, including timber and coal, and certain secondary industries—-would certainly be .safeguarded andv fostered. To facilitate this, a Labour Government would institute the most searching inquiry into the various industries ! -so";. as to establish beyond dispute ~ which were economic; that is, beneficial to the people. UNEMPLOYMENT. In the past human beings supplied most of the energy necessary for wealth production and distribution. No unemployment. To-day, the machine supplies most of that energy with the result that there is unemployment. And to-morrow, when atomic energy (i.e., the energy that is locked up in the atom) is available, practically three-quarters of the nation will be unemployed. What is to happen? Are the people t'o be allowed to starve? The Labour ment will take over the means of Party says no. A Labour Governwealth production so thati the biessings of the increased production by the use of labour-saving machinerv will be available to the whole of the people in a higher standard of living reduced hours and more holidays. The New Zealand Labour Party has nothing to offer to the speculators and financiers; it has -everything to offer to the wealth-producers and all other useful workers. . At last election the former interests supplied £500,000 to the funds of the Reform Party, and received their reward in a reduction of their taxation totalling £3,000,000 per year, which amount the wealth-producers had to make up. Surely that shfould be sufficient to put the wealth-producers behind the Labour Party and encourage them to finance it, and thus help it onward ? The other side has the money power behind it, but we have justice on our side-, and the necessary knowledge, energy, and enthusiasm to bring about a better system of society. WHAT LABOUR OFFERS. The New Zealand Labour Party makes its appdaji to all the men and women who render social service, on the farms and the roads, in the factories, the shops, tlv* offices, and tfoa homes, in the transport services, and elsewhere. We stand for a society based on service. We affirm, that each physic/ally fit person should render his or her share of service to the nation, so that whe,n the age of 60 years or less is reached mon and women can sit back happy in the thought that as they did their duty to the nation so now the nat'ion will do its duty by them. Our principles are scientific and humane, ia,nd our great task is to get these principles understood by our peorTe, to remove false impressions, and to create an atmosphere of trust, goodwill, and brotherhood. When that day dawns thq electors will plane a Labour Government in charge of the political destinies Of New Zealand, and a happier, heali/hier, and wealthier era will commence for us all. Mr Croall resumed his seat amid applause.