Fiery Speech By Prime Minister

Chronicle (Levin), 22 November 1949, Page 7

Fiery Speech By Prime Minister

CHRISTCHURCH, Nov. 21. - Accusing the National Party of j "sneak thief taetics and methods of propaganda, " the Prime Minister (Mr Fraser) told a meeting whieh more than • fllled the Liberty Theatre this evening, that the Leader of the Opposition was running away so quiekly from questions he ought to answer, that he should be entered for the Empire Games. In a fiery speech Mr Fraser attacked the National Party 's monetary policy j whieh, he said, was dangerous because j it was introdueed by the people who did _ j not know what the results would be. " 1 ! challenge the National Party to bring | •forward any banker of repute, any audi- . j tor, any accountant of repute, wlio wili say that they understand the National Party 's monetary. policy or who will give a eertificate that members of the Party themselves understand it, " he said. Mr Holland had made the ' ' grotesque and extraordinary ' ' error, Alr - Fraser claimed, of tryinfg to talk of the equilibrium of money verpus goods without taking into account that it should be money and serviees versus goods. No sixth form sehoolboy with any interest in economics would be as ignorant as that, he said. Mueh of his address Mr Fraser spent in reminding his audienee of what hap pened in New Zealand in the depression days and asking them to contrast those events with the achievements of Lalr our.

Mr Fraser said he took violent exeeption to the aetion of certain women speakers for the National Party who were addressing meetings of women saying that a whole generation oi children was growing up who had never tasted cream. "They can't very well say that about Christchurch," he added. The same women — not that he blamed them but the Party who employed them — were saying that butter rationing was not necessary. Knowing the reasons whieh made butter and cream rationing necessary, the National Party should be ashamed of such taetics and he hoped tliey would have the grace at this late stage to stop them. The National Party was also ignorant of history wlien it claimed that every eountry whieh had failen into Communism in Europe had first had a Labour Government. The reverse was the case in Poland where there had been a reactionary Tory National Government. The reverse was ti-ue in Rumania, Hungary, Bulgaria and xVIbania. Tn Czechoslovakia men like Dr Benes and Mr Alasarylc had been overwhelmed by the Red Army. The National Party did not say that councries in Europe whieh were vvithstanding Communism did have. Labour Governments — eouutries such as Sweden, Norway and Denmavk. Labour was the true bulwark against Communisni. A reactionary government ivas the best way to bring it. Mr Fraser said that in this election0 the National Party was behaving just as Mr Truman's opponents had behaveo during the Presidential election. "They say they have this seat won and that seat already won and all the rest ot them won, and then go on from those ciaims — their own claims — to say the,\ have the whole election won. ' ' u How ever, the people would have the finai say as they did in the United Htates. They should contrast on the one hand the achievements of Labour and on the other, the promises — some of theni dan gerous promises whieh either would not or could not be explained to voters — of the National Party. "The Tories of Britain are proud of their Party and their politieal ancestors," said Mr Fraser. "In this eountry they are not,. They try to say they are a new party altogether and that they have no connection with the old one. When we say t.hat they still have Mr Broadfoot and Mr Bodltin, they explain that away by saying they are accidents. " Alr Fraser was given an enthusiastic and sometimes wildlv enthusiastic hearing from a crowd obviously in his favour. He was given a vote of thanks and eonfidence carried unanimously on the voiees. Iuterjections were rare and scarcely reached the stage against tiie aniplified loudspeaker svsteni used by Air Fraser.