FOUR MAJOR PLANKS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 87, Issue 204, 30 August 1943, Page 6

FOUR MAJOR PLANKS

NATIONAL PARTY’S POLICY ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL ADVANCEMENT “If we imagine New Zealand as a country of free and prosperous people without unemployment and avoidable sickness, then we see the picture of the New Zealand the National Party seeks to create,” said the Leader of the party, Mr. S. G. Holland, when issuing the party's election policy. The four major planks of Hie party arc: Every man. is entitled as of right to well-paid creative employment under good working conditions, with the Government sharing the ‘responsibility for organising that employment; the removal of the avoidable causes of want, which, in the main, consist of unemployment and sickness; the restoration to New Zealanders of their fundamental British right of fredom to live their own lives in their own way without bureaucratic dictation in a system of competitive private enterprise; and justice for the family, by encouragement in every way possible of the raising of healthy New Zealand-born families in their own homes, and by lowering the cost of raising those families.

“Before all else comes our war effort,” states a summary of the policy. The National Party pledges itself to prosecute the war to the fullest extent of the country’s resources. Every military and economic factor will be utilised with optimum intensity. A complete overhaul ot our manpower and production commitments is an urgent, necessity, for it is obvious to all that we cannot continue on the present scale of commitments to reinforce our fighting men in the Middle East, maintain a combat division in the Pacific, meet large Air Jroi-q commitments, produce enormous quantities of food and war stores for ourselves and our allies, and produce essential goods for our civilian needs. Proposals arc:— Manpower overhaul; complete investigation of all war expenditure by an imparlial commission of inquiry; overhaul of publicity and censorship; political censorship to cease; cancellation of war regulations as soon after the war as possible. Taxation and Finance- -A comprehensive investigation of all Government expenditure; issue and control of New Zealand currency vested in a non-political currency commission, any dispute arising between the Government and the commission to be determined by Parliament; sliding scale of wage tax graduated according to the size of the family, with exemption for domestic workers; removal of the injustice of paying twice and receiving only one benefit; overhaul of hospital rating; increased tax exemptions for wives and children; tax exemptions to continue while children are at school; workers’ compensation not to affect Social Security rights; re- ’ lief for superannuitants and similar . persons; rectification of injustice of imposing taxation on taxes. Rehabilitation—-The time to make preparations for rehabilitation and re- i construction is now, but so far little has been done. The whole field of our economic system needs to be covered.. Preference for ex-servicemen; special ’ Ministry of R.ehabilitation; advisory councils of ex-servicemen to help in. administering the Government’s plans; : work as of right for all fit ex-service-1 men; adequate pensions sufficient to maintain in decency those incapable of work and their families; personnel to remain on service payrolls pending engagement in civilian employment, with dependants' allowances continued; progressive land policy based on productive values; local independent committees of returned servicemen to deal with local problems; vocational guidance in trades and professions, including training for future industries; 100 per cent, finance for homes; subsidy on gratuities deposited on homes; no military defaulters to have anything to do with rehabilitation. Land Settlement. -The guiding principle of the objective of an increasingly large population of prosperous, independent, and self-reliant farmers must be settlement at the productive value and no ijore. Basic rules to be applied are: —Settlers without experience to be trained in practical farming; supervision of settlers by local advisory committees of practical farmers; freehold or leasehold after settlers prove their suitability over a trial period: employment of group system as far as possible, areas developed by the settlers to be balloted for by these men as farmers become available; any costs of development above the productive value to be a charge on the community as a whole: stabilised land values at prices based on productive values; wherever possible, experienced supervisors to superintend and assist settlers; acquisition and subdivision of large holdings of good land, roads, electric power, transport, education, and health services before settlers are in possession; strict control over the sale of development land, with precautions taken to protect State-aided settlers from becoming committed to unwarranted debts; assistance for holders of suitable land to settle their sons and farm workers; homes on modern utility lines; smaller areas for seasonal workers: instruction of settlers in accounts and record keeping; regular repayment of principal and State mortgages; Native land development in co-operation with land settlement schemes. Tire Primary Producer. —Producer control of production and marketing, in co-operation with the Government, is the first plank. Others are: Guaranteed minimum prices for farm produce, with ceiling prices determined by producers themselves; maintenance reserves to remove taxation injustices; overhaul of hospital rating: rural housing on modern lines; scientific and financial assistance in establishing new primary industries; overseas trade commissioners to promote sales; afforestation for timber production. soil conservation, and erosion prevention, pay and conditions of farm workers to be steadily improved to make them comparable with those of other employment: the same rules of price and cost stabilisation as apply in other industries. Manufacturing Industries.—As the principal means of absorbing our man-power, manufacturing must be fully supported and encouraged, as New Zealand workmen have shown themselves adaptable and capable of producing a wide variety of quality goods. Full protection against lowliving standard countries is pledged. Preference for New Zealand-made goods; natural resources to be developed; bureau of scientific co-opera-tion; special encouragement in establishing industries using New Zealand materials; freedom from State interference; maintenance reserves to re-

move taxation injustices: development of forest resources and allied industries; special concessions in establishing new industries in smaller centres; small manufacturer to be protected from oppressive monopolies. Trade and Commerce.—The system of licences denies to the servicemen who have fought for our freedom the right to start in business on their own account. Competitive free enterprise to be restored; liberty of the subject to be reinstated; bureaucratic dictation to cease: complete overhaul of Industrial Efficiency Act. Industrial Relations.—Fair play must be the keynote of industrial relations, the interests of employer and worker being inseparable. All energies must be directed towards removing the causes that lead to discontent. The workers’ right to collective bargaining and the legitimate need for industrial unions of employers and workers are fully recognised. Profitsharing and schemes of co-partner-ship, payment by results, co-operation, and other systems to increase efficiency and workers’ pay to be promoted and encouraged; establishment of industrial harmony bureau; re-introduc-tion of compulsory arbitration; workers’ compensation laws to be brought up to date; compulsory or voluntary ■•unionism to be decided by secret ballots of workers: compulsory levies on union members for party political purposes to be unlawful; worker-em-ployer co-peration in industrial direction to be encouraged; paid holidays for workers; preference for unionists. Mothers and the Young People.— The expansion of social services to aid the nation’s mothers is promised and the causes resulting in small families must be removed as far as possible. Home help training centres; corps of trained home helpers; special assistance during sickness, holidays and confinement; work-saving appliances to be free of duty, surtax, etc.; cheap electricity for the home and special aio. in reticulating remote districts; improved telephone, educational, travel, and mail services; cheap train services to towns; extension of kindergartens and creches; further assistance to the Plunket Society to help the child more adequately from its birth to school age. Proposals for adequately equipping the young people for their future heavy responsibilities are:—Nation-wide organisation of sports and pastimes, travel, and other ways of enjoying life, in co-operation with existing organisations; adolescent education in citizenship, personal relations, family raising, rights, and responsibilities;'liberal nelp in purchasing and furnishing a home; universal physical and military .raining In all schools; savings scheme tor youth; regular medical and dental overhauls; schemes of preventive medicine and remedial treatment; mobile X-ray plants; raising of schoolleaving age as teachers and schools become available; strengthening of laws to give women and children greater protection from offenders against morality. Education.—Free education from the kindergarten to 'the university is the first plank of the education platform. Equal facilities for Maori and pakeha; complete medical service to ensure examination of each child twice a year, with X-ray examination at least once yearly, and corrective treatment; free education for service personnel during and after the war; national scholarships and bursaries supplementing present provisions; specialist teachers in games and physical training; health camps and hostels for corrective treatment, to be operated in conjunction with the School Medical Service; vocational guidance and training of adolescents; unification of controlling bodies; teachers to have right of appeal against non-appointment; adequate boarding allowance for those requiring to attend school away from home; love of country and Empire to be fostered in children. The Cost of Living.—The cost of living is unnecessarily high and essential goods are in unnecessarily short supply. Government interference has hindered. Internal Marketing Department to be abolished; freedom for the small trader; goods the public want, not what the Government... decides; competition, which means lower prices and better quality. The Native Race.—The settlement of outstanding claims by the Native race, to strengthen the relationship between Maori and pakeha; equality of opportunity; Maori lands to be developed; housing for Maori people suited to their needs; Maori “Flock House” for farming training; major part to Maori servicemen in their own rehabilitation; arts and crafts to be preserved and cultivated. Other Planks. Social and Moral Issues.—The National Party’s policy is based on Christian principles, and social and moral problems will be faced without fear of opposition. A Royal Commission. presided over by the Supreme Court Judge, into the liquor trade, legislative action to follow the people’s approval of the Commission’s findings. Broadcasting. Amalgamation of both services and non-political control; political propaganda to cease; reduced licence fees; continuation of Parliamentary broadcasts; special licences for blind and invalid persons. Transport.—Non-political co-ordina-tion of transport in all forms; appeals to courts instead of to ministers; fair play for small operators; shipping services to be developed for better supply of goods and higher trade. Public Works.- -Commission to plan public works in order of national importance; more hydro-electric power stations; electrical reticulation to settlements; easy transport access; completion of unfinished railway lines; soil conservation; irrigation in suitable districts. Immigration.—While the party will foster immigration schemes after our own servicemen have been rehabilitated, it will, in the main, address itself to removing the economic causes of the low birth-rate in New Zealand. The Courts.—Access to the courts of justice instead of judgment by Ministers; reversion to the cardinal principle ot British justice—innocent until proved guilty.