GOVERNMENT NEEDS TO BE RESHAPED

Chronicle (Levin), 21 June 1946, Page 8

GOVERNMENT NEEDS TO BE RESHAPED

-Press Association

NATION AL PARTY HAS A CONSTRUCTIVE POLICY VWILL CONTINUE ScfclAL LAWS

Bv Telearaph-

WELLINGTON, June 20. • ' ' The endeavonr to reshape the lives of New Zealancl people, to mould them into heing ohedient servants of the State in all things, has failed and is doomed to further failure, It is not the people who require reshaping or moulding; it is the Government of the day and its conception of its true functions. The instincts of the people are as sound as they ever were," declared Mr. W. J. Sim, K.C., in his presidential address to the annual conference of the National Party to-day.

"Tlie National Party re-affirms the principle that the Government of the day shoukl not be the master of the | people, but its servant. Its funetion is i to act for the people as a wliole, interI preting the wishes and aspiratious of j ihe people, functioning freely without 1 pressure and propaganda, " he added. 'Mu aecordanee with the prineiples iiffinned by the party, thn country lias before it an opportunity, probably of a kind ottered to no otlier country in the world at the present inoment, to build a political party pi its own likeness and responsive ' to truly demoeratie j ideas and hopes. j "Notliing to niy mind exhibits liow ! banlcrupt of idetis, liow unimaginative j and exliausted, the Labour Party has ! bec.onie, when they seek to rallv their Ifading supporters by inciting fear of j what the National Party would do in j the event of another major depression. J The last one was world wide and due to world eauses. It was lmndled in New Zealaud along lines sixnilar to those followed by Labour Governments ; in Australia and elsewhere and with i less severe cutting of wages. If it was i mishaudled in New Zealaud, as some • state, that was 'not of this party's ! doing. ' 1 , The National Party, he said, would i seek to serve the people by maintaint ing and improving present staiulards in ' every way that was possiblo and wlipn ils 1iill poliey was iliselosed it would ■ be foimd to be lending its energies I to p ro pare in"' advanee to meet any j economie. adversitv that niight injure ! the eountrv. The personnel of the 1 party ensured that, and it may l)e 'tnisted to sliow understanding, in any ■ erisis, of the lot. of those who niight be liit Ihe hnrder.t. Constructive Policy | Tt was desirable to state with unniis- ; .akable clearness that the National j i'arly had no intentiou of repealing Ihe soeia! legislation of the present (lovcninient. In niany respects this liuil been nierely the extension of prei vious Jiberal ideas caiuied into practice i in keeping with the country 's prel sumed advanee in wealth. The pen- ! sions schenus coniprehended uruler the | new title of 'Social Security' and liigh i wages and salaries had now been nuide ! p.art of the New Zealaud economy, and ^ tlie Naiiouai Party did not intend to . destrov those benefits whollv or pari lially. In this respect it would refrain ! from inflictiug a blow on any section of Ihe commuiuty sucli as occurred iir ; lihi.S when the -Laliour Government initlilesslv cut imports and in a night j almost destroved the .livelihood of j ijiany who had laboriouslv built busi- ' nesses which were sustained by imports. The National Party would eoneentrate its endeavours on a construciive jiolicy of increasing production so that the present high expectations might be realised. It had no illusions, liow ever, that- work and productioli were the- only means whereby this could be brought to pass and the piesent standards eontiirued. "The jieace has now run for over jtwelve liionths and, as we see it, the rosy dreams of State Socialism have | beeorne a general stagnation and the frustration of the individual, " Mr. Sim j stated. "ilanv sohliers have been reI habilitated with State aitl and everything that -has been dorie for them and ; will be done has the fullest endorse- | vnent of the National Party. But the ; qut'stion that every soldier lias to, ! an'swer for himself is: 'What is goingV ! to happen to my new business, any ■ fanu, whatever I own, if ultimate j Socialism comes to pass." The answer j in plain terms is that. he will lose every- ; thiug into a general state effort. He is ' beuig (-oiifidingly encouraged to become i au individual eapitalist only to liand 1 over everything and tlie fruits of his exert ions to the State in the not distant j f u ture. Ilis course, we, ^uggest, is to i fortifv tlie title to his fann or his business by recognising that_ the National Party is the only party that ) will enable him to continue in tlie course he has courageously set for him- • self. The National Party accepts invi(da)ilv Ihe principle of private ownership." Transition Process The transition process from the J present Soeialist State to what they envisag-ed must take time. It must l)e done witli .understanding' and with pationce. Wha^ tlie National Party hoped to bring abovit and sustain was sucli a general release of the energies j of the coinniunity that prosperity and abundant employment for all -must fol low. Ilard work, ineentives to work and to produce were the esseneo of their philosophy and general policy and lie suggested that it was a cause for new inspiration and hope to New Zealaud that it Jay wit-hin tlie country 's power to now eiuL Ihe ten-year repression and again be free; prcducing by a stroke of tlie penc.il, or many thousands of individual pencils, a government which would be a responsive extension in power of the people themselves, in pyice of an aloof autocrat standing. over them controlling direetly and indirectly their daily lives.