LABOUR’S POLICY

Waihi Daily Telegraph, Volume XXVIII, Issue 8238, 24 November 1931, Page 2

LABOUR’S POLICY

EXPOUNDED BY MR W. E. PARRY, M.P. APPEAL TO ELECTORS CRITICISM OF GOVERNMENT For two hours and a-half Mr W. E. Parry, Labour M.P. for Auckland Central, held the close attention of a capacity bouse at the Miners’ Hall on Sunday evening in a political address in which he criticised past Governments and expounded the policy of the Labour Party.

Colonel T. Jowsey, who presided, said be had pleasure in presenting to the audience one who was wellknown to them, and he felt sure that the large gathering would display that sporting spirit usually shown in Waihi by giving Mr Parry a patient heaving.

Mr Parry expressed his pleasure at j having the opportunity of addressing . a meeting in Waihi, and more especi- • ally to have the privilege of once > again speaking from a platform in . the old hall, so familiar to him in . years gone by and re-awakening [ thoughts of old friends and working j mates whom he had never forgotten i- and who all had his very best wishes. [ He could that no working mate l of his in any mining town in the ! country had been turned away when r he had come along to ask for assistance. (Applause.) As a member of Parliament he was better equipped 5 than the others in that he knew something of the struggles of th« miner, his wife and his children. 1 Proceeding, the speaker said he wished to place before them as clearly as possible the position the country ’ was in; it was not his intention to indulge in any personalities against g his opponents. He wanted the people to listen to the case put up by the t Labour Party and what that party , intended to do in the future. Pie would like Labour’s opponents to be asked what they intended to do for I the country in the future, a question 1 very difficult for them to answer. A Voice: They won’t be dealing ' with it, 1 “AN UNHOLY ALLIANCE” Continuing, Mr Parry said that as ~ far as the Coalition Government was , concerned it was one of the most un--3 holy alliances, politicially speaking, . that had been given birth to in this ! country. The alliance had been brought into existence not for the purpose of doing what Labour’s opponents said, but for the purpose of » saving their political skins. In the ,j earlier stages Mr Coates would not A hear of fusion, but pressure time and again was brought to bear until finally the thing happened. The Labour I representatives on the Parliamentary II Committee had placed their report 1 before the House of Representatives, r but the United and Reform Parties s bad not furnished a report to Parlia--5 incut. Briefly what happened during b the final stages was that an ane nouncemcnt was made that Messrs e Forbes and Coates had got married, a *" most extraordinary marriage in view ", of past history. (Laughter). 1 The Labour Party was now called s upon to face the most momentous i- period in the history of the Domine ion. When the Seddou, Ballance and s Grey regime swept into power in IS9I conditions were similar to those existing at the present time. It was 1 said at that time that Mr ” Seddou could not carry out his promises, and the same thing was being said to-day. Seddou, Ballance and Grey carried out their promises and made this country tiie envy of the world. They established the eight-hour day, the Arbitration Court, old-age pensions, and State Advances and many other progressive Acts. The people of New t Zealand were at present very close to - losing all those splendid Acts, put on - the Statute Book by the old Liberal- ) Labour stalwarts. The last Act to go was the graduated land tax dure ing the last session. The Labour r Party claimed in the name of human y justice work for the people. There :1 W as no solution of unemployment f but employment of the workers in - useful work. "I LABOUR FACES FACTS r Mr Parry drew the attention of his ‘ audience to an advertisement from s the Coalition which urged the elecf tors to “keep in step with Britain.” ’ The late Mr Seddou had not waited ’ to keep in step with Britain. He 3 had kept in advance of Britain. 3 Britain had no State Advances De--5 partment, Public Trust or State Fire Insurance Offices. Insurance had not 1 cost the people of this country one ' shilling and had saved the policy--1 holders live millions. The people 3 would not have been in the position they were at the present time if they had waited for Britain. Messrs Forbes and Coates had issued a manifesto, hut there was not one constructive proposal in it. They asked the country to give them a free hand, hut what had they done to justify a tree hand? The only party to face facts was the Labour Party. If unemployment, poverty and bankruptcy qualified the Coalition for a free hand, then they were justly entitled to it. He maintained that if the Labour policy had been carried out New Zealand would not have been in the position she was occupying to-day. When' the Government reduced the taxation to the Targe land-owners it at once turned round and put indirect taxation through tiie Customs duties, which adversely affected the great masses of the people. The Labour Party had implored the Government to restrict immigration until the present population had work. COUNTRY MISMANAGED ’lTie way the country had been \ managed it was no wonder it was ] down and out. The real foundation i of our difficulties was that the finan- i rial rings of tiie world lifid charge of ; the currency. The huge financial i juggling that was going on was re- { sponsible for keeping the people in r the state they we're in. It was said I that tiie Labour Party could not carry B opt its loan proposals owiijg to i»- 5 nation, hut the Labqur Party' pro- b posed to raise the loan money in New v Zealand, and the money would be f spent here in providing productive P work. If there was a black spot on the administration it was the fact that soldiers were shoulder to shoulder daily at tiie labour bureaux ask- tl ing for jobs. The Labour Party be-!

lieved that industries could be suited in New Zealand with New Zealand money, and it was not asking too much for the financial interests to subscribe to the loans raised in this country. What the country wanted was to embark on a plan of productive work, and the Labour Party wanted to mould men’s minds in a spirit of independence in the future. The party was adverse to creating millionaires in other countries and paupers in its own. Referring to his persistent hut unavailing efforts to get the Govern ment to take in hand the drainage of the Whangamarino swamp lands, comprising 00,000 acres, six miles from Mercer, Mr Parry said that try as hard as he could he had not been able to get the Government to undertake this important work, a work which would ultimately mean the establishment of hundreds of prosperous farms. MANDATE FOR PARTY In concluding the speaker made a strong appeal to his audience to give the Labour Party a mandate at the forthcoming elections so that the I party might be able to put into operation tiie proposals submitted to the electors. If given this opportunity it would then do what Messrs Seddon and Ballance had done in the years gone by. (Applause.) “I want,” said a member of the audience, “to thank Mr Parry for the work he did in the House of Representatives in connection with his advocacy of the drainage of the Whangamarino Swamp.” Mr E. Dye then moved a hearty vote of thanks for the address and a vote of confidence in the Labour Party, also that this meeting pledges itself to support the Labour candidate.

This was seconded by Mr David Leach and on being put to the meeting, the chairman declared the motion to have been carried unanimously. Mr Parry expressed .his sincere thanks for their vote, adding that since he had left home he had been given patient and respectful hearings and he trusted that the electors would vote solidly for Mr Montgomerie.

Cheers for the Labour Party and for the chairman brought the meeting to a close.