THE NATIONAL PARTY

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 87, 9 October 1931, Page 7

THE NATIONAL PARTY

ISSUES FOE COMTEY MACDONALD BROADCASTS (British Official Wireless.) (Keceived 9th October, noon.) BUGBY, Bth October. The Prime Minister opened the election campaign last night with a broadcast addresß in which he surveyed the issues before the country. He said that when formed in' August the Government contemplated a brief life, finishing by the re-ostablißhment of security and the immediate return to normal political conditions. The new situation was created when sterling went off the gold basis and made that impossible for some time to come, and tho Government had been compelled to ask the country for a mandate and support which could be weakened by no faction and by no opposition, either organised or disorganised. . . ■■ : ' SUMMARY OF WORK. Summarising the work before the Government, he said that first of all the pound must, bo stabilised,; and in this the Government, had to bear somo responsibility. It must come to. an understanding with other countries which had also gone off the gold standard. It must deal with the causes which had led to the present troubles. The work which the Government had in hand, though; it had a kind of bankers'appearance, was really the protection of the living of wage-earners from one end of the country to tho other. : I Another goal they must strive to reach was to balance imports and exports. "To 'do,.this''we shall adopt two kinds of action. We shall try'to increase our exports, which is the best way, and to reduce our imports. A reduction in imports may mean some form of prohibition of certain luxuries and other unnecessary things, or it may moan a tariff which would act as an impediment to their coming into the country. Tho Government must be free to consider when that expedient is to bo used and how it is to be used. Whatever the remedy is, the Government wishes to do the most effective thing, and it asks the country to give it the, power to do so. CONTINUOUS WATCH. "While things are settling down the Government proposes to watch continuously how these changod financial conditions affect the standard of Hying of the people, and it will not hesitate to take every practical step to protect them against exploitation. Even pur economies must' be watched lest they become really oppressive. But it must be clearly understood that an expendituro which has to be mot by loans and which makes it impossible for , tho Chancellor of the Exchoquor to balance his Budget may be very gratifying at the moment, but it has to be paid for in the immediate future by deeper poverty and distress. - ; "During the period of transition the Government will have to face.: many other points of detail which cannot be foreseen and regarding which it must have a free hand. The country must give the Government its confidence and the House of Commons must be composed so that nothing which can possibly happen there during the period of uncertainty will give cause for fear developing into a state of increased world nervousness, involving other nations as well as ourselves in financial panics, in social distress, and perhaps even in revolution. PERFECTLY SOUND. "There is no reason for this, happening except fluttering hearts. The financial position of the.country, is perfectly sound, and a well-established Government can make that plain. The Government will need also to enter into international conferences regarding the economic and financial situation of the world, and must use its influence to remove the impediments in commerce and finance which have contributed so largely to tho present breakdown. '' We are still confronted, for instance, with the consequence of paying or trying to pay war debts and reparations, the uneconomic distribution of gold, tho widespread froezing up? of credits and such-liko vital ■ matters, and in dealing, with those great problems the Government must clearly be able to work in security as regards itself and in harmony with thecountries involved, so that settlements will be regarded as just and tolerable by them all. A VOTE OF CONFIDENCE. "The present Government and present Parliament cannot enter upon such labours without a mandate In tho form of a vote of confidence from the nation. The result of this election Is to prove to, the world that the pillars of State are sure, and although with the rest of the world we are hard hit we will have the will and endurance to come through with our reputation enhanced."