LABOUR'S ACHIEVEMENTS

Chronicle (Levin), 23 November 1946, Page 2

LABOUR'S ACHIEVEMENTS

MR. THORN SPEAKS IN OTAKI Mr. J. Thorn, Labour candidate for the Otaki electorate, addresseci a public meeting in the Civic Theatre, Otaki, on Wednesday evening. The siage had been tastefully decorated, and a fairly large auuience was present, the ■ speaker receiving an attentive hearing throughout. With Mr. Thorn on the stage were General R. Young, who occupied the chair, and Mrs. Thorn. In introducing the speaker, the chairman apologised for the unavoidable absence of the Mayor, Mr. C. F. Atrnore. He read a telegram from Mr. T. Cotter, a well-known farmer of the Thames district, thanking Mr. Thorn for the great assistance h'e had been to all classes of industry while he represented the Thames electorate. Mr. Thorn was greeted with applause on rising to address the meeting. He referred to the public meetings that had been addressed by prominent members of the National Party in the electorate. Mr. S. G. Holland had spoken twice, Mr. K. J. Holyoake once and Mr. F. W. Doidge twice. He had replied to many of the statements made by Mr. Holland, so would not deal with them then, but as Mr. jjoidge iiau oecii speaKfiig in Otaki he would refer to some of the remarks made by him in the past. Mr. Doidge had been a director of a group of newspapers which was controlled by Lord Beaverbrook, who was a Canadian millionaire. iie hau made a iortune m the cement trade, and had then been given a peerage and become a member of the House of Lords. The papers of this group aimed at power without responsibility. Mr. Doidge had come to New Zealand in 1931, and had twice stood for Parliament as an Independent in opposition to the Forbes-Coates Government. The speaker referred to the 21 points sent by the New Zealand Government for consideration by the League of Nations. The Labour Party had at all times endeavoured to help forward measures of peace a,na pxenoy lor all people, and so far New Zealand was the only eountry in the world that' had come near to that state of things. With .•wo wars in the memory of comparatively young people, all men and women had to take a keen interest in all measures that would lead to iasting peace. As to guaranteed prices, Mr.Thorn said we had to consider the state -of the -dairy far-mers when the present Government came into office. A commission that had bee.i set up by the Forbes-Coates Government reported that half the dairy farmers were virtually bankrupt, and could not meet their commitments. In 1924 they had produced 63,000 tons of butter. In 1934 production had reached 133,000 tons, more than double the 1924 output, yet the revenue received was less by £1,600,000 than that received in 1924. Sixteen hundred farmers went bankrupt. The Labour Party had promised to bring in a measure of guaranteed prices, and it had done so. The Nationalists had advocated fixing a minimum pricc and letting the farmers fix the maximum price. Now they were in favour of fixing both minimum and maximum prices. The speaker considered that if a plebiscite on the question was ..aken, nine out of ten dairy farmers would vote for a continuance of ..he guaranteed prices, thougli some of thc nine mighfc vote against the Government which put the measure on the Statute Book. Many incrcascs in prices had been made, and accounts kcpt by many farmers provcd that the scheme ha:l been highly successful. The British Government was now following on i,he same lines. Thc National Party now said that it would not change the system, continued Mr. Thorn, though it had once opposed it. The National Party said it would set up a reserve to meet conditions if a slump should come to New Zealand. The Labour Party saw no ! reason why New Zealand should have another slump, but would set up a reserve fund to protect this country from slumps that might come outside. Much had been said about the stabilisation account to the effect that the Government intended to take the money now in credit for the producers for their own use, but there was no truth in such reports, as the conditions upon j which these accounts could be ' operated had been agreed to by Mr. j W. W. Mulholland, the president of j Federated Farmers. People might not agree with the action of the present Government, but they had no right to charge them with being ! dishonest. _ j The question of housing was' an urgent one, said Mr. Thorn, and j had always been the same after a j big war. After the 1914-1918 war, j Mr. Massey had set up a Parlia- ! mentary Committee to deal with j the problem, but nbtf one Labour i member was allowed upon it. Thatj committee had reported that there | was a great shortage of houses, as ; building had been left entirely to i private owners. The present Gov- ! ernment had successfully under- 1 taken the building of State houses, | and if returlied to office would continue to push the scheme forward .J They had buiit 9000 last year, and i hoped to build 42,000 a year for 'the next five years. Nearly 90,000 men, '

women and children were now living in these houses — the houses which the Naiionai Party wisncd to scll. Referring to local housing ."cquirements, Mr. Thorn said iliat when he was speaking in Otaki a few weeks ago, the Mayor had stated that there were 100 applicants for State houses in Otaki, but upon looking up the records he xound mere were oniy 30. He had iooked them through again that morning, when the number stood at 32. He would do all in his power to help forward the new building for the Otaki Textile Factory, for much more accommodation was required for the successful working )f the factory, which was not only such a big asset to the Otaki district, but was also doing much useful work required throughout the country. People had- ±o be careful not to be misled «by the ' bogey being advanced in the suggestion "that Labour would introduce a Disinheritance Bill, said Mr. Thorn. There was no truth whatever in the report. No such measure had ever been suggested by the Labour "'arty. When the late Rt. Hon. R. J. Seddon had firset brought for.varu une scheme for oid age peniions, he and his six colleagues had oeen referred to as the seven devils of socialism. The legislation ;hroughout the last eleven years had been the most enlightened in the world. In answer to a question regarding the Bretton Woods scheme, he stated that only Governments were •eprescnted to control the finance. There would be no return to the Gold standard. The meeting closed with votes of Ihanks to the speaker and the chairman.