BAY OF PLENTY BEACON Published Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. MONDAY, NOV. 14, 1949 THE REAL POINT

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 14, Issue 63, 14 November 1949, Page 4

BAY OF PLENTY BEACON Published Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. MONDAY, NOV. 14, 1949 THE REAL POINT

Though quite a substantial side-issue has developed out. of the Opposition’s proposals to deal with industrial relations, and though it must be admitted that issue is a meaty one to debate, the National Party’s recent publicity has highlighted the real point in the present political discussion when it declares that this is a “cost of living” election.

A§ Mr Sullivan said the other night, we have no guarantee other than the known integrity of the men'who drafted it and back it that his party’s policy will be carried out if the party becomes the Government. The same could justly be said of Labour’s policy, yet the Labour Party was overwhelmingly elected in 1935 v ith no better guarantee of the sincerity of its intentions. Though electors are invariably disappointed when certain aspects of policy do not work out just the way they expect, it is probably /fair to say that no political party in any democratic country deliberately offers a policy it does not intend to try to implement. Naturally, on assuming office a party that has not previously been the Government might find, itself faced with difficulties on which it had not counted. Labour found it necessary during its term of office to make some deviations from its original plans, even to relax a little on some dehrly-held opinions. But it is probably quite just to say that its present policy follows the same broad lines, with sundry concessions to public-opinion.

It is therefore reasonable and fair to credit the Opposition with intentions at least quite as ■honest as their 'opponents’. Which meins that, if elected, the National Party will make an earnest endeavour to reduce the cost of living. Nearly everyone will agree that present-day economic conditions are not ideal. It is fairly certain that the biggest cause of industrial jimest is the workers’ realisation that their present wage rates, though in most cases a good deal higher than ten years ago, do not provide a wholly satisfactory standard of living. In fact, the family man finds conditions altogether quite 6 ; fficult, though it has to be freely admitted that young single people are probably better off ihan ever before in the country’s history. Giving both parties credit for honest intentions, what the electors have to decide on this occasion is whether the present financial policy is more likely to improve conditions than the Opposition’s cost reduction proposals. »

When we gave Mr Nash a mandate to experiment with our monetary machinery, he had sold us the idea that he knew how to make man money’s master rather than its slave. He had sold us the idea he had the key to the equitable distribution of goods and services.

We are asked to decide now whether we are satisfied with his treatment for our economic ills, whether we. feel sufficient benefit from it to want to carry on with the same medicine, or whether we shall go to another doctor.