Assurance Given By National Party

Chronicle (Levin), 6 July 1948, Page 5

Assurance Given By National Party

DUNEDIN, Jiily 5. An assurance that With the National Party as the tlbveinment, the people would be relieved of the anxiety thflt their property and Imsinesses would be taken away froni thbin was givbh by the president oi' the party (.Mr. \V. J. Sim, It.C.), addreSsing ihe annual eonfeveuee today. The party, he added, would make determined efforts tb reduce taxation and remedy the shortage of goods. For the momeiit the impetus oi' ihe first century of New Zealand life was lost in LabourBooialist eonfusion and stalemate.

Wlien the Government ehose to emphasise the produetive prosperitv of New Zealand, it recorded a truth, Imt failed to lay the eredit where it rightly bfelongod — at the feet of those who strovo and produced it during the first 90 years under a system of unshaekled free enterpri.se, in whieh inen anct woriien had the incentive to work in the eertaintv that tliev would reap the re ward.s of their labours, and not have thein taken away by predatory Rocial istic taxation in their lifetime, and exorbitant death duties. ' 'One wonders," said Mr. Sim, "whai; otir pioneers would say to stich brfeakdowns in the country's product'ive capacity as gre iildicated "by the cbstly importation oi coal i'rohi tlie United Kingdom and South Africa, when our mmes could produce all oiir reqiiirements, wheat from Austraiia when we could and should produce more, not merely for our own sake, hut also foi the sake of sufxeririg humanity, and the creation of a New Zealand steel industry, taken out of private hands, and made a monopoly for the State, which remains where it was just 10 years ago, with preliminary expenses well in eXcess ,of £200,000 and more. "One of the most signifi'cant evfents of the year has "been the picture of the Minister of Finance (Mr. Nash) planning on paper on the grand scale ihe trade and economics of the world at Havana, while, at the same monieht, the Minister of Works (Mr. Semple) was overseas, "but cap in hand to Austraiia, "begging for steel. We miglit he pardoned if we had iost all faith in. the pianners. The Civi] Hervice has risen in numbers from ;"30,194 in 1930 tb apprbximately 100,000 today, ro that in genera1 tenns oue in seven of the eniployed population now work for the Govern ment. The Bank of New Zealand anclthe Heserve Bank have been taken ovei lock, Rtock and ban*el; the nationalisation of, c(>al Jiiines is proceeding steadily. The State has purstied an ener getic ]»olicy of socialising road passenber services by squeezing out private opi'iators; it has assumbd widfe powers of control and ownership over tiie inar kefing of primarv products, and proposes to extend aetivities in tnis direction; it is extending its State Rawmiliing o])erations; it intends to ereet a large State paper niill. Where the Rtate does not actuallv own, it seeks to control. Individual enter]>rise and initiative is replaced by politieal ineompe.tence, " he said. "The Natioiial Party *s ptimary ohjective will he to recreate a h'ealthy atmosphere in which the cdltiitry may recover its natural tone. It wili give a convincing assurance that during their teniu'e of office no more naUonalisation will take place. " It will examine the directions in which the ties of Smpire have becbme ■ weakened and set about imme'diatbly correcting tliis apd in a practical way {assisting the trade exehange ,betweeii Kew Zealand and the United Kingdom. Jfhls involves a complete overhaul oi' the imjiort licensing .svstem. It wllt make (letermined effort.s to reduce taxation and give every man and' woman an incentive tc work hard arld retain the result. It will makfe an onslaught on the question of shortage.s and, with the aid of all the help and cooperation tlidt leaders of the Imsiness world can , give, increase housing and otlier buildings. "Pervei'ted Trerids." "Tn education, we shall put "dn end to all pervbrted trends which ar^ directed to produce a pupil adequately moulded for the Socialist State, the pui'jxoses of an education system Heing to give true education as such, freed from all politieal or social bias. " Mr. Sim said the year had beexi one 1 of steady work and sound progrbss. Ile colild state with convietion that the partv as a vvhole Ifad at no timfe in its history been in a sounder or more vigorous state. A powerful politieal iHsttument had been broughc iiito bxisten'ce, ready to continue the exposure of t'lite fallacies and weaitnebkeS of Social ism and socidli'stie govefiiiiiblit as a ;

way df life iii a British community, ahd to do battle with until the cbuntf.y Was again frefe. The party had fiirnished h -stfong rallving poiiit t'o thdiisands of men and women who would otherwise have been in despair with the P'olitibal sitliatibn.