THE NEW PARTY

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 284, 25 August 1921, Page 7

THE NEW PARTY

MRi STATHAM, M.P. TAKES THE PLATFORM A STATEMENT OF POLICY The first public meeting called by the National Progressive and Moderate Labour Party was held in the Town Hall last night, when Mr. C. E. Statham, president of the party, gave an address. Councillor L. M’Kenzio was in the chair, and some members of the party were on the platform.- There was a fairly large attendance. The chairman, introducing the president of the party, said that r as senior councillor for the city he had been asked to take the chair when the first political address of , a new party was being given. His own'idea was that good citizens should always be willing to listen to new ideas, and ho was glad to introduce Mr. C. E. Statham as a New Zealander by birth and training, who was offering his services to the country that had made him what he was. He was a man respected in his home town and in Parliament. Ho had the reputation of being as straight as a gun-barrel. Mr. Statham, who was received with applause, said that the large attendance showed that many people were interested in political developments and prepared to hoar about a new movement. The urn tion had been told that the Great War was going to eud the old order of things and clear the way for a new era of peace, happiness, and comfort. But the promises had not been made good. The new party, of which he had the honour to be leader, believed that old party shibboleths must be set aside and that higher ideals and more spirituality must be Infused into the public affairs of the Dominion. The party had a great programme of constructive, social, and industrial reform. It wanted to represent the great middle party, which stood between the extreme Conservatives and the extreme Socialists. He claimed that it was a young New Zealand party. It had been formed entirely outside the House of Representatives, and it did not propose to canvass members of the Legislature for support. It was, prepared to build slowly. It would be glad to 'receive ■’ the support -of any public men who could accept its political principles. The n«w party, ho assured his audience, meant business find intended to become a force in the Dominion. It was not disturbed by ridicule. It was going to make itself felt. He hoped that at the next general elerttan it would capture enough seats to become the official Opposition. If it did pot do that in 1922, it would do it in 1925. It might advance even more quickly, and if so it would beready for responsibility. , Mr. Statham proceeded to sketch the policy of the new party. Ths Legislative Council ought to be 'reduced in strength to about fifteen members, and made an effective revising Chamber. The Council under present conditions was controlled by the Prime Minister. The steady and dangerous increase . of power in the hands of Ministers was - one of the evils that the party desired to check. Far too much legislation was done by regulation. The party advocated an elective Executive, so that Ministers would be selected and controlledby Parliament, not by the Prime Minister. The claims of friendship and faithful service to a party leader ought not to influence the 1 selection of Ministers. A Prime Minister under present conditions could appoint critical men to the Ministry to silence them, or men of small ability in order that he might tower above them and control them. He was sure that if Parliament had the selection of Ministers to-day, some of the men now in the Cabinet would not be there. The party advocated a State bank, with sole right of note issue. Such a hanje would serve the people instead of the financial interests,. It would help thp farmers, and its profits would go to the State.. Mr. Statham discussed the finances of the Bank of New Zealand with the object of showing that enormo'us profits were being made. He referred tt> the bank returns generally, and argued that the State would bo fully justified in entering the banking business and securing for the community the advantages that were to be derived from banking operations. The Commonwealth Bank established by the Australian Government had been in operation for only a few years, and it had not found it necessary to issue the debentures that ■ were fo have provided its capital. It had built up a redemption fund of £1,500,000, and: a reserve ! fund of the same amount. The New Zealand Government had a one-third interest in the Bank of New Zealand, and it ought to take over that bank, not by confiscation, but by an arrangement fair to the shareholders. A State bank would bo an important factor in settling men- on the land, since it could do the work of an agricultural bank. The Dominion ought to aim at producing as much as possible from its land, and to this eml it should have closer settlement and better communications. The present system of railway construction by very slow stages was most unsatisfactory. Mentioning soldier settlement, Mr. Statham said the Government would have to stand by the men who had been placed on the land at the time of high prices. He believed the Dominion would have to accept loss in order to see these men firmly established. Some of them were in a very bad position at the present time. Mr. Statham briefly advocated the encouragement of local industries and a. sound policy of immigration. He did not believe the Government was doing the right thing in bringing a large number of people to New Zealand just now, when employment was scarce and financial conditions were difficult. In the amendment of the tariff it would be necessary to see that the cost df living was not increased. The’ State must aim at giving more encouragement to parents to raise large families. A proper housing system was required. Ho believed that it would be possible to build homes costing not more than .£6OO. The Government was spending nearly .£l2OO on a home for a worker, and it was obvious that the people could not carry such a burden. Mr. Statham proceeded to outline his party’s scheme of national annuation. He wished ito introduce a system that would, give every New Zealand citizen, after the age of sixty years, a pension of .£lOO a- year by right. The present old-age pension scheme had helye-d many people, but it was gravely defective, it did not do justice to people who had served the country well. The party’s proposal was that each worker should pay 2| per cent, of his wages, 6<l. in the £, into a State fund. The employer and the State would each subsidise this payment by a similar amount. If tins scheme were put into operation, a fund of £42,000,(1'00 could be built up in six years, and with this fund invested the Government would be in a position io pay a pension of .£lOO a year to every person over 60 years of ago. Ip’s calcufation was based upon the amount paid in wages*.in th© Dominion, but as a matter of fact, many people who did not draw wages would be required to contribute to the fund. The Government would save the money if was paying at present in old-flge pensions and in subsidies to superannuation funds. The scheme would provide for blind ( people and for widows with children. A great superannuation scheme on the lines ho had sketch'd was within flic sphere of practical politics, and the fund that would Im created could bo invested in ways that would be of enormous assistance to tho Dominion. The liberalisation of the education system was another plank in the party’s platform, said Mr. Statham. Tho kindergarten ought to be iricluded in tho national education system, said every child should have tho opportunity to go right through from the kindergarten to

the university without paying fees. School books should b? issued free of charge, and good midday meals should be supplied to school children at ay low a cost as possible. Th» party advocated a State medical service and a State maternity nursing service. Payment to. workers should ba by results wherever! possible. The basic wage should bo fixed at a level that would prevent sweating, and then, the man wiho was willing to produce more should be paid for his efforts. Lockouts and strikes were no good to anybody, least of all to tho workers, and the party proposed that lockouts and strikes should be made illegal, and a firm system of compulsory arbitration introduced.

Mr. Statham referred to the growth of taxation in New Zealand. The public debt had grown, to about £200,(XX1,090, and the taxation wa* having a most, crippling effect on the industries of the country. Companies found that they had to pay half their profits to tho Government, which! took no share at all of losses in lean years. Thp departmental expenditure of the Government find grown correspondingly, and 7 means would have to bo found of reducing it. The increases in Civil servants’ salaries did not account for all the increase in departmental expenditure, and the Government had not explained the position Katislactorily. l Extravagance, and waste undoubtedly existed. He believed that, tho government was following an unsouhu policy in trying to increase the revanua by raising railway fares, telegraph rates aud postal charges. A business coimorn in the same circumstances would seek to popularise its services; the Government had mads its services less usofu) to the people. The Cabinet did not contain a single man who had had any commercial experience or training in accountancy. The Massey Party had done its best accosting to its lights, but it needed the stimulus of an active and solid opposition. The new party would, apply that stimulus after the next general election. It would carry on the work that Mr. Seddon had begum. “There 5s one unwritten plank in the. platform, of the new party," said Mr. Str.tham. “We stancTfor unswerving loyalty to tho British flag, and tho official Labour Party Joes not. . . . Iv are out to fight tho official Labour Party and rescue , the workers from that party." (Applause and interruption.) Ho assured thi audience that his party was in earnest about its programme of reforms. 7 Mr. 'Stafiiam answered many questions. Tho meeting closed with hearty cheers for tho speaker.