NEW POLITICAL PARTY

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 255, 22 July 1921, Page 6

NEW POLITICAL PARTY

POLICY OUTLINED TO MEMBERS MEETING AT CONCERT CHAMBER A meeting of the Progressive Liberal and Moderate Labour Party, of which Mr. C. E. Statham, M.P., is the leader, was held in the Concert Chamber last night. Admission was by ticket only and the proceedings were not open to the Press. The following report was supplied by the executive of the party:— "The meeting was presided over by Mr. Dunbar SJoane, vice-president of ihe party, and the principal speaker was the lender of the party, Mr. C. E. Statham, M.P., who was aecompaned by Airs. Statham, and supported by the following on the platform:—Messrs. E. Kellett, M.P., G. H. Foster (president of the Auckland District Council of lire party), W. P. Black (editor of "New Zea- | land National Review”), Mesdames Graves, Ryder. Collins, Miss Brown, Messrs. Hobart. Sherwood, Williams, Ryder, Graves, Thomas, Jones, Edwards, Proctor, Benge, and Salt. An audience of about 300 friends and sympathisers attended to hear the policy of the party propounded by its leader. The chairman in his opening remarks said that it. was incumbent upon him to say a few words in connection with the new party—why it was formed, how it was formed, and the progress that had so far attended it. Be surveyed the position of the various parties in the country to-day, and justified the necessity of this new party, whose object was to continue the work of that great man, the late Hon. R. J. Seddon. Production, and still more production, he said hail been the cry to save the country, hut no definite policy had 'been put before the country io give the worker justification for increasing production, as demanded. "Our party,” the speaker said, "will through its leader to-night propound a policy of soiind and practicable economies which will restore confidence and harmony between employer and employee, and secure the advantages which we are seeking. The new party will remove by its suggested legislation the three great terrors which now assail the workers, namely, unemployment. sickness,- and old age." He referred to the advantage which the party had gained by feecuring tho leadership of Air. C. E Statham, ALP., whose honesty and integrity were guarantees that the course that 'the new party would pursue would justify the motto that it had assumed, namely, "Common good to all.” He then called upon Air. Statham to address the meeting. Air. Slatham, on rising, received loud applause. He intimated that this preliminary meeting was arranged to place the policy before members end friends, and that'to-night lie wns going to presume upon that friendship by simply dealing as briefly ns possible with each plank of the party’s platform. He made no apology for the introduction of this party into the political ranks of the Dominion, as he was convinced that its policy was one which would mean a great advantage'to the country, and he a solution of many of the (roubles under which we were now suffering. At the same time he was not claiming an exclusive right to any particular plank in tho platform. There was, however, one unwritten plank which he wished to refer to at the outset. That unwritten plank was loyalty. "All we wish to attain,” he said, "we wish to attain by constitutional means. Bonds of affection and loyalty were a sine qua non to our existence.” He referred to the Liberal Party as it existed at the time of the late Air. Seddon’s death. It was then left some sixty strong, and had proved itself a great national asset with a magnificent tradition. The present party sought primarily to continue that work. Air. Statham made a plea for principles before political preferment. He referred to Air. Kellett, Af.P., member for Dunedin North., having thrown in bis lot with the new party, and expressed the hone that other members would come in. He referred to the present system of party government, and the necessity for the good party man to vote blindly. With this the new party had no _ sympathy, and in oruer to remedy this, the first plank in their platform was an elective Executive. He read an extract from a speech made by Air. Alassey in 1902 in which Air. Alassey strongly supported this principle. However, in 1909, All. Afassey had thrown over this principle and resorted to the old lamentable system of nominating his Afinisters. With regard to the second plank in tho platform, the reform of the Upper House. Mr. Statham made it quite clear that the new party did not: desire- to abolish the Upper House, but to reconstruct it on the basis of introducing experts in science, commerce, finance, and law. and with a membership of perhaps about fifteen. On the third plank of the platform, namely. State bank, he pointed out that at present there were six banks operating in the Dominion, only two of which were incorporated here. lie gave figures re taxes paid by the Bank of New Zealand, and referred generally to the finance of the country in relation to the industries of the country. He claimed that the primary object of a 'State bank would bo to run the bank business in the interests of the country. He instanced tho institution of the Commonwealth Bank in Australia, and gave a brief summary of its progress and success, despite the difficulties they had to contend with. He then dealt at length with the party’s superannuation scheme, and stated that this was the principal item in the party’s programme. The foundation of the scheme was laid in a taxation of the wages bill in the Dominion. The employee contributing two and a half per cent, of his wages, the employer supplementing it by two and a half per cent., and the State subsidising it by another two and a half per cent. This tax would he collected quarterly, and used reproductively over a period of six years, when they would arrive at an accumulated capital of approximately fortyone million pounds sterling. The interest on this capital sum would result in a net annual return of approximately two and a half million, which with the annual contributions would permit the Government to pay out to eighty thousands annuitants the sum of one hundred iiounds per head per annum, and still leave a margin which could lie devoted to supplementing the present miserable allowances to willows, and make some provision for the blind and incapacitated. lie did not care if the present Government took up this scheme, and carried it: through, as the main object of the new party was to get things done irrespective of who did them, but he made a special appeal to the country to seriously consider the necessity for removing the spectre of poverty from all workers, so that they can bridge that gulf which new unfortunately existed between Capital and Lalxiur. Some papers say, said Air. Statham, that we are out to bribe the workers of the country. He did not consider this fair criticism, because, while offering this scheme .>£ superannuation they were demanding of the workers something in return. We had no right: to have strikes or lock-outs in this country, and the | new party recognised thnt to solve the inanv difficulties it was necessary to of- | fer tire workers some tangible advantagesi ■which would ensure if ro-opcralion. Mr. Statham said that at. the public meeting in August he would have more time to still further elaborate ihe plinciples of the new party, but he thought he had given them siipieient to convince them that, however ainbitious the pix>gramnre might appear, it was eminently practicable and the result of years of verv close study of the industrial nnd commercial position of the Dominion. Air. Kellett, AI.P., briefly addressed

the meeting, speaking principally aa for the workers of the country. He pointed out that the oauee of discontent to-day was to bo found in the difficulties which the worker is always faced with. He I saw no silver lining in the cloud, nnd was quite ready to accept the invidious teaching of the advanced Labourite with, the result that he adopted strikes and go-slow as the only weapons of defence. Ho had constantly before him one great nightmare—old age. Under our present system he must be a pauper before he could lay claims to an old-age pension. The new party' sought to bring more content into the worker's life, by assuring him some comfort when he attained old age, and in the process give him more satisfaction in Ins present condition and (enlist his co , -oporation towards greater production. Air. G. W. Foster, president of the Auckland District Council, spoke of the advance the new party was making in the north, aud the many assurances which he had received Wherever he had gone in the interest of the party. De ; had very' little fear of the ultimate issue. The programme submitted by the new party was one likely to engender that mutual confidence between. Capital and Labour which alone could secure that solidity’ in the country which they all desired. Air. W. P. Black, editor of the New Zealand National Review” and hon. general organiser for the new party, addressed the meeting, speaking particularly from (he Labour standpoint. He pointed out how some of the newspapers hail rushed into print, and had started to criticise before they had heard tho party’s case- The speaker had been 22 years in New Zealand, and for many' years was connected with the Labour movement, but; about ten years ago. he said, he saw fit to revise his opinions, and quoted the remark of the Bite Air. Gladstone, who said that the man who never changed his opinion was a fool, while ihe man who changed it too frequently was a knave. He pointed out how Labour bad hurled all kinds of opprobrious epithets at him because of the courage he displayed in so chnugtag his opinions and determining on a polfty which after close study he determined was for the betterment of the country and incidentally of the workers. The only charge they could make againft him was that he was not of British birth, but this charge was not made until he elected to forsake the fold of the so-called Labour Party. He was opposed to the first: plgnk in the Labour platform, the socialisation of the means of production, and he was also in principle opposed to State ownership, which generally' was a fraud, failure, nnd delusion. He gave the meeting a very exact account of ihe Bolshevik regime in Russia, and traced the result which pointed its moral. The speaker dealt with an article written by Air. Holland in the "ATaoriland Worker," touching on the effect of Bolshevism in Russia, nnd in which Air. Holland applauded the advance which he presumed the people had made under this rule. Air. Black very trenchantly dealt with the statements made therein, and the stupidity of same. He referred to tha question of wages in its relation to the worker, aud showed that the question of wages did not solve the economic difficulties which obtained, inasmuch as however high wages ascended no relief could be afforded, the worker as commodities would ascend in equal ratio. He pointed out the necessity for a decent standard of living for the workers,, in order to raise the mental and physical fitness of the people. By this moan* the country would prosper. He said the new party would prove a dynamic force, and instead of Air. H. Holland’s motto of all privileges no duties, they wanted to substitute privileges 'With duty. He told the meeting that it might alarm them .if they knew what really was taking place beneath the surface of the present so-called La boor party. The gap .was gradually widening between Capital and Labour, and the only effective check that could be found was in a party with a sound police of constructive statesmanship. He issued a challenge to debate the practicability of the new party’s policy with anyone. A hearty vote of thanks was extended to Air. C. E. Statham. _AI.R.. for his able elucidation of the policy of Ore party, and Mrs. Statham was presented with a handsome bouquet by Afiss Connie Black on behalf of the National Executive Council. A hearty vote of thanks was accorded Air. Dunbar Sloane, chairman of tho meeting.