LABOUR REPLIES

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 96, 10 May 1937, Page 10

LABOUR REPLIES

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Mr. J. Hodgens Takes Critics to Task aH0W DARE THEY"

(By Teleeraph

PALMERSTON N, This Day. Mr J. Hodgens, " M.P., secured " a fairiy large audience at the Opera House on Saturday evening when he devoted the first half of his address to a reply to reeent criticisms of the Labour Government by Messrs „W. A. • Bodkin, H. Holland and Hon. J. G. Cobbe, M's.P. Mr P. T. Robinson preBided. Mr Hodgens wasted no time in opening out on his National opponents. Hon. Cobbe, M.P., he said, would have his audience believe that he knew more of finance than 3on. Walter Nash (laughter). "Hon. Cobbe is a dear old soul but is not in the same category as Hon. Walter Nash in the matter of finance," declared the speaker, who proceeded to criticise Mr Cobbe 's references to the Reserve Bank and the Government 's policy regarding that- institution and fche finanees of the country. Mr Hodgens declar8d that Mr Cobbe had got tangled up in his figures aud facts and had used arguments and figures in the sinister endeavour to make people believe that Labour had -.contributed to the country 's huge national debt. Coming to Mr Holland 's address, Mr Hodgens asked why the New National Party was refraining to mention the names of their old leaders. The party was "flirting with new boys" (laughter). Mr Holland had spoken about throwing the couutry to the "wolves of SocialisfEi" but one had only to go to' the busines people in Palmerston North to discover whether the Labour Government was feared. The shop till gave the answer in increased turnover, admittedly the result of Labour 's activities. Replying to Mr Holland 's declaration that the Government intended to take from those who had and give it to those who had not, Mr Hodgens said the time was definitely past when

a Government could see men and women going hungry. Mr Holland 's statements about the Auckland Freezing Works strike had been remarkable and at the same time astray. Mr Holland had criticised the action of the Miiiistor in ' ' over-riding the Arbitration Co.urt" in Sottling the strike, bul tho real issue, declared Mr Hodgens, had been the position of the lower paid. workers who had not been considered in the award made by the Arbitration Court. The higher paid workers had not secured a single penny extra. Replying to Mr Bodkin, Mr Hodgens said that in the olden days Laboulfought the Government tooth and nail but never resorted to untruths. Mi Bodkin deciared that Mr Nash's visit lo Russia was uot to negotiate trads agreements but to further communistic policies. If Mr Bodkin came back to Palmerston Nortli, the speaker would oxpoct him to return with truthful crilieijMtt, Mr Hodgens said h» would

sooaer be with Hon. Walter Nash and the compaay he was in than with either Mr Bodkin, Mr Holland or Mt Cobbe ' and the company they kept. How dare they cast aspersions at & man of the calibre of Mr Nashl Mr Bodkin had been delighted at the way interjectors at his xecent meeting had ' ' squealed. ' ' The - speaker; would remind Mr Bodkin that for 30 years the Labour Party had been trying to get Mr. Bodkin and his confederates to admit that they had been making people squeal and at last one of them 'had come to Palmerston No'rth and done so (laughter). Referring to Mr Bodkin 's declaration that Mr SaVage had taken more from the pockefcs of the poor than any other person ha New Zealand, Mr Hodgens said he would reply by asMng Mr Bodkin these questionsr — What were the years that soup kitchens were fnnctioning in the Dominion?; when did the oldclothes drives take plaee?; when were Cabinet Ministers supporters of kindllng wood splitting as a vocational^ training? what year was it that a young M.A., L.LJB. was working in the swamps at Makowhai?; what year was it ' that riots occurred and windows were smashed?; who condemned married men to camps at pauper's payf; j who took £16,000 to subsidise th* ; Southland FreeZing Company which declared a dividend of 28 per cent.?; and* so on.

Mr Hodgens proceeded to quote figures showing how the country was rec over ing under Labour 's rule. Every ' manufacturing indstry was working. full-out to-day to meet requirements. and yet the Nationalists would have the people believe New Zealand was poorer. Messrs Bodkin and Holland had said farming costs were rising but they had apparently forgotten that their leader, Hon. A. Hamilton, away back in December, had admitted fhat fertiliser and interest costs had fallen. And at that time Labour's mortgago legislation was not in force. Generally speaking, Labour's programme was functioning well but nevertheless, Mr. Savage had given an undertaking" to the people that if it was shown a mistake had been made, the whole power of Parliament would be called together to rectify it.

The prosperity of New Zealand depended on the purchasing power of the people, the speaker declared, and the Government 's policy had as its aim a happier country as a result of greater leisure and more workers in employment. Labour's job from now on was to organise as they had never organised bef ore bocause of the propaganda beeiiig issued by the Opposition. It was the party '3 job to carry on the heritage left by the late H. E. Holland —the putting of Christiamty into practice (applause). Mr Hodgens took the opportunity to contradict a rumour that was in cireulation that he had been dropped by Hon. R. Semple as a "co-opted" mcniber. Such was not the case and only as recently as April 24 he had been asked b.y the Minister to report on the ,progress being made at Wliirokino. Koa. R. Semplo was the finest Minister of Publie Works the country had ever seen (applause). He had abolish'ed slave rates of pav oa, jpublic works and

redueed hours to 40 a week for tho first timo not- only in New Zealand but also in the world. He had also decreefi that the Maori should be on the eame gtandard as the pakeha; that there Bhould be no difference between tho pay of the single man and the married man, for the former had to save up for * nis future home. The Nationalists desoribed all that as a pnlling-down pro-| eess but rather was it a building-up ono. The Government had planned for tho farmer, mamifacturer and worker; had; fostered industry and stopped cut-t-hroat competiticm; had earnestly endeavoured to settle the unemployment prohlem, ahd had adopted a progressivo and efficient public works - programme. ■ Machinery was lifting the load "from the baeks of the workers and the jobs were. costing less and were being done in half the tiipe. The speaker declared that if a vote were taken of the farmers to-day, it would be fonnd they would prefer the guaranteed price repeated than go back nnder the Old sys-j tem. The Government had not deviate^ one iota from its pre-election pledges.i The Government was going to loolaj after the people from the cradle to thoj grave and not exploit1 and rob them. Answering .a question, Mr Hodgens said the imposition of the exchango1 and the saies tax was a osnfiscation of' the savings of the people. Labour hadj not removed these' two taxes as yet buij

were pledged to do so and he fancied! the Opposition would be amazed ztl what would happen. , Mr V. Christensen moved: ' 'Thall this representative meeting of the electors of Palmerston North, while recognising the right and value of honesti criticism, condemns the •attitude of Mrl Bodkin in making statements concera-l ing the Prime Minister and Minister ofj Finance which are contrary to the facej and cannot-be supported by evidence." " We definitely don 't want . Sovietj Russia or its system in New. Zealand,"declared Mr - Hodgens when interrupt-{ ing a member of the audience wh'o de«j scribed the U.S.S.R'. as "a wonderfulj aehievemont." "We pride ourselves ini our democraey aud we .of * the Labourj Party liave repeatedly turned down'ap-1 plications from those who want s- t® bring Red Russia into the party," added Mr Hodgens amidst applause. Mif Christensen '3 motion was carried.