FORGOTTEN PROMISES

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 181, 18 August 1937, Page 6

FORGOTTEN PROMISES

Labour's "Platitudes" and "Threats" MR. MAZENGARB'S ATTACK By Telegraph — ^Press Association WELLINGTON ,This Day. "We know the Government made promises which it failed to carry out, but I suspeet that those promises were not part of the policy of the Government. Like the platform of a Tail-wa-y carriage, they were mainly for the purpose of getting in on. Small wonder tkeywere not fulfilled," said Mr O. C. Mazengarb yesterday in addxessing a meeting of women called by the Wellington North committee of the National Party. *Mr Mazengarb said commentators in the future would know Mr Savage as the Prime Minister who preaehed more platitudes, uttered more threats, and fcroke more promises than any other Prime Minister had done. He gave as mstances in which the Government had not kept its promises the lowering of the exchange rate, the solution of unemployment and the rents for State houses. The grandiose promises could not be fulfilled becausotthe Socialistic policy of the Government did not permit of the performance of those promises. Government measures for raising the buying power of the people had been negatived by an increase in the cost of livmg. A umon seeretary had remarked to him that, although prices had risen, workers still had the benefit of rents that had not risen. That was so, but it was not fair that one section of the community should bear a ' larger portion of tho burden than another. The landlord class was not necessarily wealthy. From his own experience he knew that very frequently a "landlord" was a widow who had been forccd to let her family home. The cost of living was going up and such people were not receiving mcreased rents. Lessons Not Learned Mr Mazengarb said the country had not learned the lesson of the depression, but was going, into a policy of mcreased public borrowing and public spending when it should not. There were three sources of money. One was taxation, which they had been told was not to be incre'ased, the second was borrowing, and the third" consisted of such methods' as "using the public credit," which was a euphemism for inflation of the currency of the country. He hoped those who had read the history of countries that had tried to escape from their difficulties by using the public credit would profit from the experience of those countries. The closing of the ranks of those who did not want a Labour Government augured well for the future, said Mr Mazengarb. One thing that should motivate people against the Government was the ever increasing incursion of the State into matters that should be matters of individual conceru, whether they were business men, cocial workers, or people who mcrely had joy in living in their own homes. A "Snap Election" Mr K. J. Holyoake, M.P., also spoko to the meeting briefiy.. He remarked tnat it had ofton been said that i'armers were the last stronghold of individualism, but. he considered that in this country women were tho3e who would .be the last to lend themselves to Socialism. As mothers they knew that human beings could not be regimented. The spark of' individualisin was essential, and that was what the party was lighting for. The speakers were introduced by Mr H. F. Toogood, chairman of the party 's Wellington North committee, who said that the Labour Party could be defeatcd _ by thorough organisation. The Hon. P! Fraser had told supporters of his own party that they tould not win without persuadmg others to vote for them. " We have got to bo ready within six months," he said. "At any " tijue there may be a snap election. ' ' The meeting 's Ihanks to the speakers were expressed by Mrs Mabel Ehodes.