LABOUR'S PROGRESS

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 182, 19 August 1937, Page 9

LABOUR'S PROGRESS

Mr. Christie Forecasts Future Legislation AIDING W0RKERS A foreeast of legislation which would be likely to occupy the attention of the Government during the coming se^sion of Parliament was given by Mr. H. M. Christie, M.P. for the Waipawa eleetorate, in a politieal address in the Havelock North hall last niglit. Mr. Christie pointed out the advantages of having transport services under State control, and stressed the part that the railways would play in the event of a war. The Government would have to provide organised winter work to absorb the workers who were thrown out of employment at the conclusion of seasonal worlcs, and some scheme of land settlement — a compulsory scheme if necessary — would have to be introduced on co-operative farming lines. " A great deal is being said about Socialism, but there is not a Government to-day which can avoid the introduction of Socialism," said Mr. Christie. "Yet the Leader of the Opposition is suggesting that we should be content to follow Britain. I do not lcnow what would be said if we did introduce some of the measurcs adopted in Britain. There is considerable control- of industry exereised by the State there. Recently the whole of the eoal industry of Britain has been nationalised. A commission found that living and working conditions were appalling and' the British Government felt cOmpelled to take action. The housing schemes in Britain are far more drastic than those in New Zealand, especially in the methods of purchasing land and in building tenements. We have not done anything like that. "Admittedly, in some cases we have had to step in as a result of depiitations from an industry itself asking for our assistance,, as the Master Bakers' Association has now done. ,f N.Z.'s Foodstuffs Vital to Empiie. i

The regulation of transport and pas'senger services had been ' in force in New Zealand for some time and the present Government had not introduced it. Fares had been reduced once unprofitable competition in road services had been eliminated and there had also been a huge saving in road maintenance wliile useless wear and tear of vehicles had been avoided. Money was frequently wasted when services overlapped. Suck competition could kill trade and ruin the people in it. Transport was probably the most i-rn-portant problem in the country. If war caine, the burden of moving stock would fall ou the railways. New Zealand 's supply of foodstuffs was vital to the Empire and it was essential that everything should be done to retain sufficient rolling stock to handle the country 's produce in an emergency. Another great diliiculty facing the country was the control of labour, beeause of seasonal occupations which threw men out of employment at certain periods. Bushfelling had once oecupied the men in winter during the "off-season," but now that that work had disappeared nothing had taken its place. The training of young men had been dropped during the depression, To-day there were 25,000 "men who were labourers when they should have been skilled artisans,* but had not been trained. As3 a result there were too many labourers. The Government would have to organlse suitable winter work. A national plan for river control. was urgently required and. tree-planting was another national need. .... Loc'al-body Amalgamation. The proposed amalgamation of localbodies was causing discussion, but there were a number of bodies which could be dispensed with. The counties ' system, particularly, needed revision. It had been developed in a haphazard . manner and the boundaries frequently were not satisfactory. Larger counties could give just as good a service now that tfelephones gave a thorough coverage of the area." But there was no question of compulsion. * The Government had xiever said that local bodies would bo coiupelled to amalgamate. 1 Mr. Christie admitted that measures had been passed by' the Government which wero objectipnable' to a large number 'of the 'people, but they* " hacl bfeen iiecessary.' No-one had suggested alternatives for any of the measures. „Tlie Government was making a gradual reduetion in the number of unemployed by better distribution of the money in the country. The number of small depositors in the Post Offi.ce savings banks had increased tremendously, which was a gootjl si^n. The manufacturing industry was not suffering, while the genCral expansion and the state of industry was satisfactory. The balauce sheets of the dairy companies showed a very small increase in costs. Some seheme of land settlement would havo to be introduced by the Government. The speaker was in agreement with the principle of compulsory land settlement if there were no other reasouable ways of bringing the scheme about. The Government was justified iu purchasing land by compulsion if the land was not being farmed. The small farm was . uneeonojnic, however, so some new scheme in the nature of cooperative farming was required. ; ('We do, not want strikes," Mr. Christie concluded. "The people who strike with the present Government in oflice are doing great harm -to their fellow workmen.,' ' At the conclusion of Mr. Christie 's address questions were answered, after which a motion of confidenee in the speaker and in the Labour Government was carried by acclamation.