LABOUR POLICY

Waikato Times, Volume 106, Issue 22611, 16 May 1945, Page 6

LABOUR POLICY

CANDIDATE’S TEN POINTS MRC.A. BARRELL AT FRANKTON Mr C. A. Barrell’s address ax Frankton last night attracted a large attendance of electors. Mr A. Thompson, chairman of the Frankton branch of the Labour Party, presided, and briefly introduced the two speakers, Mr Barrell and the Hon. A. H. Nordmeyer, Minister of Health. Mr Barrell said he stood for Labour and the people’s interests. He supported the progressive legislation of the Labour Government, which, -j so far, had never introduced any measure to which an honest supporter could say “ No.” He felt sure that the Government’s post-war legislation would be more worthy of acquiescence than ever before. The candidate repeated his personal platform of ten planks as follows: (1) A generous rehabilitation of our ex-servicemen and women; (2) Nationalisation of the Bank of New Zealand for the people’s benefit; (3) No slump after the war—no slumps under Labour at all; (4) Full employment with good wages; (5) Fortyhour week and paid annual holidays; (6) More State houses for the Hamilton district; (7) New railway station for Frankton; (8) Increased educational facilities in our schools; (9) A guaranteed minimum family income; (10) Increased social security benefits, with a bonus to mothers. Services Rehabilitation

Mr Barrell confined his subsequent remarks to expanding the first three points, and declared there was no argument about providing a generous rehabilitation of service men and women. It was a duty of all, apart altogether from politics, to give those people a fair deal, for after all, they had done and still were doing the arduous task of helping very effectively to win the war. It was a very different story, however, when it came to the question of guaranteeing a durable square deal for ex-service-men and women. The Labour Government, by its actual and prospective legislation, was giving a guarantee of economic security. It was pledged to give it, just as it had given guaranteed economic security to farmers and tens of thousands of other workers. “ The Nationalists, on the other hand,” said Mr Barrell, “do not believe in those kinds of guarantees. If they had charge of the legislative machine again, they could not help following the old Tory bent, and leave the economic security of exservicemen and ex-servicewomen to that fickle goddess, Chance. They did that after the first World War, and they would do it again. It is their nature and habit to do so*” State Ownership of Bank “It should be clearly understood that without a substantial measure of monetary reform, the ugly spectre of an economic slump after the war cannot be removed. Hence the Labour Government’s projected legislation during the coming session of parliament to establish State ownership of the Bank of New Zealand. I hope that they will make a thorough job of the proposed reform and also make the best possible use of it in the interests of the people as a whole. Times have changed and obsolete systems must go. It is now essential to make money the servant of the people, rather than to keep on making the peoole* who create the wealth the slaves of the old banking system. “Under the rule of finance as manipulated by company banks and other financial institutions, big dividends have always been of greater importance than beneficial service to the community. The time has come to make a wider and better use of banking business. What better use could be made of credit and currency than the provision of a generous scale of rehabilitauon for ex-servicemen and women? “All the orthodox money-changers will denounce State ownership of the Bank of New Zealand as robbery from’ the private shareholders and the denial of freedom for private enterprise. The indictment has no foundation in fact. There is nothing felonous about the Government’s common-sense policy. The private shareholders will get their bond in full, but they will not get their pound of flesh, too. Preventing Economic Slumps “What about the prevention of economic slumps?” asked Mr Barrell. “It seems to me that the surest way to avoid a recurrence of the economic disaster that was inflicted on the people of New Zealand by the National Government and their financial advisers here and from abroad is by extending the Labour Government’s policy of re-distributing the national income in a just and an equitable manner. “This was the policy put mto wide and almost revolutionary practice by the Labour Government in 1936, and it resulted in bringing the country back to prosperity. The purchasing power of the people was increased by the raising of wages, relief rates and benefits. There has been a wonderful improvement in social and industrial conditions since those initial days of community icliabilitation.

“Has that policy brought New Zealand to ruin?” Mr Barrell asked. “If the farmer, the merchant, the industrialist, and the commercia’ist have any doubt about it, let them all have a look at their bank balances, which are uniformly substantial in spite of increased taxation. If the average worker has not yet been convinced of his good times under Labour, let him look into his pay envelope weekly and even during his annual holidays, and observe the comfort of his family and his old relatives and friends. Contrast these again conditions under the Nationalists. A Vigorous Policy “When the Labour Government came in office in 1935 it embarked at once on a vigorous policy of industrial development and expansion. What has been the result? The growth of industry has been greater since 1934-1935 than in the whole period of New Zealand’s industrial history until that time. “Within ten years, including more than five years of war, the number of persons engaged in manufacturing industry has increased in round figures from 79,000 to well over 114,500. Salaries and wages have been more than doubled—from £13,000,000 to £32,256,000. The value of output has risen from £79,000,000 to £165,936.000. “If that magnificent industrial expansion is to be continued and even extended after the war, it will be necessary for the Labour Government to retain control of imports in order to protect our own manufacturers and workers from being swamped by a flood of imported goods. Wo do not want to see for a long time to come shiploads of manufactured goods with many of them branded ‘Made in Germany,’ or ‘Made in Japan.’ ” The candidate concluded his address with the remark: “The best trade-mark as an aid to securing full employment for our own workers is ‘Made in New Zealand.’ ”