Hon. A. Hamilton's View

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 144, 6 July 1937, Page 9

Hon. A. Hamilton's View

l Our Own Correspondents

1 STRAIGHT-OUT ISSUE | WANTED 1 "Government In On Crest oi: I Economic Wave" =3 | MAJ0R1TY ~NOT RUL1NG

I tFrom

| WAIPUKURAU, This Dav. I Tlxat under tbe supervision of 1 tbe LaTbour Government New ZeaI lund's fate was far from secure 1 was tte opinion expressed last I lught t>y tbe Leader of tbe Opposl- | tlon, tbe Hon. Adam Hamilton, I wio addreteed a public gatbering i in WatpuKurau. He cbarged tbe | party ln power witn not baving 1 kopt Its election promises. He dei clared tbat it had made a reason- | ahle snowing only because it had • | come into power on tbe crest of tbe eaononuc wave, and iie expressed i grave doubts as to whether it could i maintain tbe confidence of tbe majority of the people of tbe Dominion.

{ (tiven a fair figlit at the next elec- | tions, he said, and free from the han* | dicap of those who maintained a neuI tral attitude towards politics, the Na- | tional Party (of which he is leader) would obtain control of the reins of Government by a satisfactory majority. Except for frequent intetjections from aboiit three-quarters of the Town Hall, Mr Hamilton was given an atten- | tive hearinf, and at tho conclusion of his address ho was accorded a hearly vote of thanks on the motion of Mr. G. G, Hafker, of Waipawa. Tho Mayor of Waipukurau, Mr I. W. N. Mackie, presided. "I find that tnere is dn New Zealaud at this time a great deal of interest in politics," began Mr Hamilton. "As 'a rule/ 'we- politicians seldom embarii upon public-speaking tours betweeu aessions of Parliament, but dnterest iu politics is fairly general, eo I have come here to give you the ideas of the National Party. • "We in New Zealaud," ho added, /'are among the last of the Britisn peoples to have Labour in our politics. We hear people saying what a wonderful country New Zealand is and what. a wondorfu! people we are. I find that many of our tourists to-day are apt to be apprehensive, however, of what is happening here. They are not suro wliether New Zealand will be able to Eold its own in economics. Therefore I tlunk it is wise for us to see that we , keep our country on a eound Course." "Country Slipping," In New Zealaud, he went on, tlio people had enjoyed the finest standard of living in the world, but at the present time, he rcgretted to say, the country was slipping. "Our forefathers have Jgft us a wonderful heritage, and it's up to us to make a fight to retain it," Mr Hamilton declared. "Remember, the ro is not a country in the world enjoying the standard of living that we have enjoyed. Well, we haven 't broken down yet, but lot us see that our country doean't slip too easily. Let us tuk« our share in moulding public opiniou. "New Zealand ds experiencing Labour in office to-day. Labour hae put np a wonderful fight, which has now placed it in power. "But let us consider who it is that governs New Zealand: it is not the party in power to day, but the people who put that party in power. At the last eleetions the electors left the National Party short-handed. They wanted a charge and made it — and made it properly. But they have cone too tfar." * Mr Hamilton 's remarks were greeted with laughter from oue part, of the hall. but he went on unconcernedly. /'Labour had luck with them," he said. "I'm not blaming them. But ii was the people who put them'in powor, although we tried to keep them out. It's the people of this country who govern, and I think the people will want a change again next timo. A voice: Put the Democrato in, Mr Hamilton: They won't go in, Continuing, he said that tliere was not a country dn the world which had come through the slump ae well as New Zealand, and the Labour Partv was getting tho benefit of it.

Keener Interest. "I'xn sure the people are takiug a keener interest in politics to-day than ever before," lie added. "The Labour Party is embarrassed, I'm sure, by some of the election promises it made. If you ask any section of tho community to be with you, seo that you keep your promises. "Wo haven 'i been hard on Ihe Labour Party j we've lot them oi! lightly; but they still have to carry out their undertakings, " he added. "In tho meantime it ie their job to carry tho responsibility of their ofiice, and New Zealand might get some benefit out of it. I'm sure the Labour Government is xeeling the responsibility of ofiice, and if it ds put out at the oext eleetions, it will have benefited by its oxperience, and this will be to the benefit of New Zealand. ' '

Mr Hamilton went on to say that tlie National Party was now ootnpiling its policy and that beforo "iong details rvould be made public. "It is dmportant that nothing should be writteu into a policy which cannol be put ipto practice when thoae who promote that policy are elocted," he said. "I ain quite suro that the Labour Government is very seriously embarrassed by a lot of its election pledges. Of course, it got into ofiice by them, and if the electors 'fall; for that they must take the consequences. In the framdng of our policy we have decided to build it up from our membership and from our supporters throughout the country. This will be done in conjunction with tho Parliamentary caucus and tho Dominion council. We have the outliho ready, and it should be ready for publication about the time of the party 's annual conference, perhaps dn August." » Need for Responsible Government Continuing with his remarks about the efficiency of the Labour Government' s policy, he said that Kew Zealand was a young country which had been brouglxt up to a wonderful state of perfection by Governinonts of the past. But if the people now wanted a responsible Government, sometliing would have to be done. A voice; "Wo have a responsible Government. Mr Hamilton; No, we haven't. JDemocracy, he went on, was a strange thing to handle. It was tho country's duty to see that a sound economic course ' was continued. Tho British people had long since learued that politics must be studied like a business. The Australiand also realised this, but ip New Zealand the people had been incliued to taho their politics too easily. "New Zealand's welfare or downfall is in our hands to-day. We have at present in office people who have held extreme views all their life. The sky is tliejr limit, and they're off. Well, We all believe in progress but we want to mahe sure we go forward and not baekward. "There is a spirit of class warfare in this country to-day," Mr Hamilton went on. "The forces behind all this are the trade and labour unions, and not the farmers, who voted Labour into power. There is to be found almost a class liatred betweeu employer and eqnployee, and it is the duty of us all, h'aving witnessed: the division of the forces and the undoing of democracy, to see that we set things riglit next time. We want the majority to rule. A voice; We've got this. Mr Hamilton: No we haven't. What we want is a straight-out issue between Labour an3 National. If we get this, man to man, Labour won't go back, At the last election, he explained, there were 265 candidates, and Labour did not get the 'majority of them , winning orily 55 seats. But they went into power through vote-splitting. Therefore the Labour voice was not the voice of the majority of the people. "Let us have the majority rule," he said. "If we don't, we'l] have to learn by bitter experience. All we've got to do is to Jick the 24-seat Labour majority — and we can do it, too. "We want to see that democracv works in our country. It's wonderful how the majority rule satisfies. Let New Zealand have that majority. 'ihat is a fair thing." A Hard Time

Uemocracy was having a hard time all over the world,' Mr Hamilton proeeeded. Tt was inclincd to brfcak down because it could not stand up to a sonnd course. The National Party wanted to get the greatest good for the greatest number and could do this if it tOok the riglit course. "If we in New Zealand don't mnke democracy work, wo'll have the dictator with us — and a dictator oi1 Ihe worst sort," said Mr Hamilton. "Let us avoid thut at all costs; and to do this there must be no uiore vote-split-ting at the next election. Give us a fair fight — Labour vorsus Nationalist, man to man. Let the majority deoide. " Mr Hamilton made it clear to his audience that he was absolutely in favour of two political parties, Ho thought a healthyv Opposition a good thing for any country. The point he wanted to rnake was that the preBent was no time for minor issues. "We are trying to build up a National Party "in New Zealand. We want to rouse New Zealanders tq take a greater interest in their country,". he said, "We of tho National Party want to be truly national in our sentimrmts and ideals and tp rcprcspnt every class of the conimunily. We lyant to draw our gypport from every section — the farmers included. A voice: You won't get them. Mr Hamilton: Ycs, we will. A voice; Who put up the oxchange? Mr Ilam >1 tuu: Tho Labour Party said it would take it olf. Wliy haHii't it done so? I'll tell you — biioauso tho Labour Party realise it's not good to take it ofi.', I do suy, howoyer, ti at the Labour Party is not workiug i'or the farmers at ail. Ilib party, ho said, iritonded to look ai'ter tJio inlorests not only of tho I'arin'tiH, but also of tho business nion amj tlio v Qrkiug men, "Every day iVc'ro getting more of theso on our side," ho said. "The werkers are worried to-day and we're getting them -Witli us. We want to be

truly national in character, and we are well on the way. "Communist Doctrine" "We want to roove with the times in Now Zealand, but I'm afraid .our country has bolted, I take the Labour Party 's word that it is not communistic, ypt it' does not try to keep Conimunists out. There, is a Communist dif'trine in Kew Zealand and, after all, tnoderato Sociallsm lias only got to go i.iiolher step or two and. it becomes Ccniniunisiu. Wo Nationalists want to stop that. "Wliose fight are we lighting?" he e.skocj'. "We're fighting for the peiple in New Zealand, who have a stake in the country. We're fighting to see our country safeguarded, We want to iight for a cause-— a good, sound, progiessivQ Govonimont for this country. Tliis is not Ihe time for a neutral stand, It behovos us all to go on one side or the otlier; in fact, 1 ,'d sooner seo a tikui side with a Labour Party than take no side at all. Wo'll win our figlu not by any amount oi' liioney Ihat might be put up (and we'U not have nearly as much as the Labour Party), but by tho goodwill and comnion-sense^of the people of our country."