Will People Say That Mr. Langstone Was Right?

Chronicle (Levin), 14 November 1949, Page 3

Will People Say That Mr. Langstone Was Right?

AUCKLAND, Nov. 12. Because lie stood for prmeiples .which everyone knew were right, he had crossed the path of the alffiiglity people who were once anti-cohscription, antiLegislative Couneil, anti-King ah.d aftticotmtry, said Mr Frank Langstone, Independent Labour eandidate for Roskill, when' speaking in his eampaigH. He thought the people of Roskill would rather be represented by a poliiieai man than a politieal mouse. Mr Langstone had an uninterrupted hearing 'from an audienee of 80 ahd evolced frequent laughter with his jocular comments. He had been in the politieal Labour movement longer than anyone in= Parliament, said Mr Langstone, and his hands were clean. He had never got under the table to hide when Mr Fraser and Mr Nash were about. Referring to the Prime Minister 's attitude to eompulsory military training, Mr Langstone said that if Mr Fraser had said there would be no peaeetime eonscription at the Labour Party conferenee he would have been cheered to the echo. He said otherwise, and the "yes-men" came in and backcd him. In ten years' time- the country would have spent £100 million on the scheme, and there would not be a collar stud °to show for it. The people would say, " Langstone was right.' ' Mr Langstone said there should be honest eontrol of publie credit and an interndl price index should be maintained. A burean should be established to set a real price level. It was necessary to have a system whereby each man would be paid real worth and where wealth and worth would walk hand in hand. He favoured an adjustment of the taxation system to prevent taxes from entering into prices. With proper methods, the State could obtain about £15 million a year in land tax, and that would take the plaee of saies tax, Another point in his poliey was the ^fostering of primary and secondary industries. There were many new industries that could be created. Bilateral, followed by multilateral, trade agreements should be developed to bring about an equitable system. Mr Langstone was given a unanimous vote of thanks and conlidence.